I thought we’d try something a little different this week and talk about our update a little bit on the Blog (our Patch Notes are still posted in the forums, as always). Change is always fun, right?

This week’s update touched on a lot of different subjects. There were a lot of changes made in regard to game balance, all tested on our Forge servers and ready for the live game. For a more detailed breakdown of these changes, please visit this week’s Patch Notes

• * First and foremost, the “If Resisted” Clauses were removed entirely from Energy Drain, Hold Person, Slow, and Shakes to simplify their purposes.

• * Burning Powder’s duration was reduced by one turn, to help bring high Stamina builds in line.

• * Energy Drain was change to non-resistible and the ‘drain’ was reduced due to the removal of the “If Resisted” clause.

• * Shakes’ reduction was changed to beef it up a bit and help it perform better for non-Artifact builds.

• * Resistance was put on a Diminishing Returns scale. This change was made because Resist granting gear has evolved and Resistance needed to reflect the current times.

• * Dual Wield/Shields and Shield Mastery skills had their dodge debuff removed entirely. Shield builds have been underperforming and needed a little boost to pick up some momentum.

• * Fortitude’s bonus to Stamina was reduced a bit.

• * Offensive Power’s effect on an opponent’s Absorb and Dodge was tweaked to give Sword paths a better way to reduce Dodge and Absorb without relying completely on Openers and Actions.

• * Defensive Power’s bonus was split because it was allowing too high of  a Resistance bonus, but is still useful has a general Resistance/Dodge boosting skill.

• * Dark Elf’s Delight’s duration was changed a little bit to combat its High Stamina version while keeping the same duration for non-Stamina focused builds

We also brought back the ever-popular limited-run Nobleman’s Bundle (50 Noble packs and 50 inventory slots), complete with its exclusive pet Rat (they’re actually quite darling and sought after!). The only way to snag a rat is to grab a Bundle, just remember it’s limited to one per avatar. The Nobleman’s Bundle carries a very special guarantee- if you purchase two Nobleman’s Bundle and don’t find a legendary in either one, Shindaan Guardian Del will be more than happy to give you one of his!

Chapters 7-9 of the Revolution in the Shadowlands have been unlocked at this time and are waiting for you. “The Aenok have arrived. The newest Duels race has landed and, with their help, the cleansing of Shadow Phyrra begins. But, what are these strange, angelic creatures and what unexpected consequences might their arrival hold?” To get started, visit your Quest Journal and begin the Revolution.

Last but certainly not least, Shadowland packs are on sale for Challenge Coins. When you pick up a pack, box, or case of the Shadowlands using CCs it’s buy one get one free. Very nice.

For a short time after our update this morning, we will run our weekly trivia contest. To try your hand at winning a few free packs, please visit our Patch Notes page to view the question and submit your answer!

Over the past few days, our servers have been performing poorly. Today, duels.com reached a point where proxy errors became the norm. We then made the decision to take the site down for about an hour to address the issues. (We had originally planned on performing maintenance on Friday morning). After a few false starts, we believe we have addressed the main performance problems.

duels.com has evolved into a complex system in a short period of time. We have consciously made the decision to deliver functionality as quickly as possible. At times, the price we pay is bugs and poor performance. We make every effort to resolve all problems in a timely manner, but we are not always able to stay ahead. Today was one of those times.

Rest assured that we are as frustrated by server lag as you are. We are avid players, too. Here’s a glimpse into our plans to further increase performance:

1. We had 2 additional servers arrive this week. Another powerful server that will join our database topology is on its way. These additional servers will allow to handle more users as well as have automated failover. This will allow me to sleep better at night.
2. We continue to add indexes to our database tables and optimize queries.
3. We are breaking off some of the main components in duels into sub-systems. This will allow us to scale the various pieces independently of one another.

All of these efforts should lead to a more enjoyable gaming experience.