Rift Reborn Update 17 March 2026

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Version Number: 0.4.14

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Hello heroes!

This week’s update focuses on overall game balance, with a deep pass on Heroes, Items, Relics, and Rank Modifiers, alongside a few core system changes and some player-facing UI improvements. Here’s a quick overview.

⭐ = Community Suggestion 

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Gameplay

• Major balance pass across Heroes, Specializations, Items, Relics, and Rank Modifiers

• Continued expansion of Backup effects and broader build variety across the roster

• System changes to the shop, Stealth, Crit value, Starting Mana, and percentage-based scaling

• Additional tuning to improve underperforming content while toning down dominant strategies

• Ongoing work on fight clarity, including Rush and Stall timers on the HUD during battle

• ⭐ Improved pathfinding and targeting for heroes and enemies

• (Find all the detailed notes on gameplay changes in the notes below, written by Aleco, our Game Designer)

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Visual Changes

• Updated UI

• Major update to Hero Cards

• Font improvements for better readability

• New Hero portraits for Kai and Grace

• Animation updates for Rip, Sal, Ratna and Logan

• Hero Cards now hide the Mana bar when a Hero has no Active Ability

 

Bugfixes

• ⭐ Fixed Critical Ascendancy triggering on Zeus’ Thunder instead of only on the first auto attack 

• ⭐ Fixed Challenge Fights offering relics you already own

• A number of effects which dealt damage based off of a Hero’s stat (such as Intimidating Bulk) were incorrectly looking at the enemy’s stats instead of the Hero’s stats. These effects should now correctly look at the Hero’s stats (and deal far less damage in Endless mode).

 

Gameplay Changes (By Aleco, Game Designer)

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My big focus for this week’s patch was game balance. I did a deep dive on all of the win rates and pick rates for everything I could find in Rift Reborn - including Heroes, Specializations, Items, and Relics - while mainly hunting for anything in the data which stood out as either too unpopular or too weak. By elevating the least-picked and least-winning content in the game my goal is to see the number of viable strategies and builds (and hopefully, the amount of fun you can have!) in Rift Reborn climb higher and higher. For this reason, I also ended up nerfing some of the most dominant content in the game, such as Ming’s Enlightened Specialization and the Boots of Speed item. With some of the most powerful content toned down, I hope that players will feel like there are a wider variety of strategies which are capable of grabbing the top scores on our Endless Mode leaderboard.

We also made some changes to a few core systems this week - including the shop, the Stealth keyword, and a few of our game’s stats. You can read about these individual changes more in the “System Changes” section below.

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System Changes

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• Items in the Shop:

  • The number of Items in the shop was reduced to 1 item per shop in Act 1. The number of items per shop in Act 2 remains at 2.

  • Notes: We are likely to continue to play around with the number of items/relics in the shop as we introduce more content in the future.

• Stealth:

  • Stealth no longer disappears after the unit with Stealth attacks or uses their active ability. Instead, Stealthed Heroes will remain Stealthed until the timer expires.

  • Notes: Stealth has been an underwhelming keyword for a while now, and was in need of a serious upgrade. If this change lands well with players I’ll likely create some more content which hooks into Stealth in future patches!

• Crit Value per Shard:

  • The amount of Crit provided by things such as Items and Relics was increased from a rough value of 10 Crit per 5 Shards to 15 Crit per 5 Shards. For example, the Gem common item now provides 15 Crit instead of 10 Crit.

  • This change affected almost everything which gives Crit. Most Crit-granting Relics, Items, and Rank Modifiers had the amount of Crit they provide increased by 50% or more.

  • Notes: Crit is a very valuable stat in RR, since it functionally acts as a percentage-based increase to all damage from attacks and active abilities. There comes a time for any attacker or caster where adding Crit becomes more valuable than adding extra Attack or Magic, and we think the challenge of figuring out when that moment comes along is an interesting one for players to navigate. However, in looking at the data it was abundantly clear that Crit was priced at too high of a premium, with Crit-based items frequently appearing among the lowest pick and win rate in their category. This change should hopefully make Crit feel like an equally valuable stat to all of the other stats in the game.

• Starting Mana per Shard:

  • The amount of Starting Mana per item increased from 15 per 5 Shards to 20 per 5 Shards. For example, the Crystal common item now provides 20 Starting Mana instead of 15.

  • Notes: More or less the same story as Crit, here. Items with this stat weren’t being picked very frequently, and we hope this change will make them a bit more appealing.

• Move Speed:​

  • Thanks to some of the changes we’ve made to pathfinding, Move Speed is now a stat which can be modified on Heroes. So far I’ve only added it to the “Boots of Speed” item (a natural fit, no?) but am planning to add it to more things in future patches. Let me know which things you think should provide Move Speed in our Discord!

• Percentage-Based Scaling:

  • Percentage-based scaling has been removed from all rare items and rare relics. 

  • Notes: The amount of effects which offered percentage-based scaling on stats climbed a bit too high, especially after the addition of a number of backup effects which give big percentage-based bonuses to Heroes of various classes. I’d like these effects to be a bit more exclusive, and may continue to trim percentage-based scaling from various places in future patches.

• Rank Modifiers:

  • I did a big pass on Rank Modifiers this week, changing too many to list out individually. My main goal was to add Backup to a few Rank Modifiers per class, but I also buffed a number of the weaker modifiers and redesigned a few of the lowest pick rate ones.

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Individual Hero Adjustments:
⬇️ = nerf ⬆️= buff 🔄 = adjusted

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⬆️🔄Niklas:

• Notes: Niklas has been in an awkward spot for the past few patches, struggling both in win rate and in pick rate. He has one of the most unique Signature abilities in the game, but that ability was clearly lacking in the “gameplay hooks” department. There weren’t enough ways to get creative and combine Niklas with other Heroes, so I set out this week to make Niklas do what every other Hero in the game already did (except for Tilly, more on her later) which is have him scale his signature ability with the core stat of his class. These changes are intended to make Niklas more flexible, stronger, and more pickable if you don’t find him early in your run.

• Signature Passive Ability:

  • Renamed from “Black Market Trading” to “Red Hot Deals”.

  • Now has a Rush effect which inflicts Burn with each attack, scaling based on Niklas’s Max HP and the number of items he has equipped.

  • Decreased the amount of Shards gained per item consumption to both increase the clarity of the ability and compensate for the increase in power from the new effect.

• The Executive:

  • Fully redesigned. No longer makes Niklas a Warrior, or scales stats based off Shards generated this game (this effect was moved to The Hoarder).

  • Now allows Niklas to equip 2 additional items and grants him shields per equipped item at start of combat.

• The Dealer:

  • 20% chance to make an item -> 25% chance to make an item.

  • Max Health damage scaling 20%->25%.

• The Hoarder:

  • Fully redesigned. No longer cares about the number of items Niklas has consumed with his signature ability.

  • Now has a Stall ability which allows all Tanks and Vanguards to deal damage to enemies whenever they are attacked, based on the number of shards you’ve generated this game. This ability has backup.

⬆️Tilly:

• Notes: Tilly has been one of the most beloved and highly picked Heroes in the game since her last major update, despite a relatively low win rate for the past few patches. These changes are in no way meant to get in the way of what makes Tilly exciting (she prints Shards!), but along the same lines as the Niklas changes are intended to add scalings to her signature ability while increasing her power level a tad. In order to make room in her passive ability’s text box for her new scalings I moved her “can equip an additional item” effect to her Stylish spec, which was struggling in winrate compared to her other specs.

• Luxurious (Signature Passive Ability): 

  • Tilly now gains a persistent boost to her Attack Speed based on how much Attack she has, and a persistent boost to her Attack based on how much Attack Speed she has.

  • Now grants 2 Shards per Rank every 25 attacks (was 1 Shard per rank every 12 attacks).

  • No longer allow her to equip an additional item.

• The Stylish:

  • Allows Tilly to equip an additional item.

 

⬇️ Ming:

• Notes: Ming had some big changes in the last patch, and I was very happy to see how much excitement and experimentation these changes generated. Ming was far and away the most popular Hero last week, and it was very clear from the data that he was a bit too strong.

• Base Stats:

  • -50 Max HP. 

  • -1 Base Attack Damage.

• The Enlightened:

  • +2 Rush duration per rank -> +1 Rush duration per rank.

  • Rush (0) -> Rush (1).

 

⬇️ Reyna:

• Notes: Similar to Ming, I was also very happy to see how much experimentation the changes to Reyna generated. Her popularity and win rate spiked dramatically from the previous patch, landing her right next to Ming as one of the top Heroes in the game. These are simply some adjustments to get her power level right. I also added some love to her Boxer spec too, which was low pick/winrate.

• Flurry of Blows (Signature Active Ability):

  • Shielding: 50% of damage dealt->33%.

  • Attack % scaling: 100->75%.

• The Fury:

  • Rush (12) -> Rush (9).

• The Brawler:

  • Active Ability shield bonus: 100%->66%.

• The Boxer:

  • Attack Damage scaling: 100% ->150%.

  • Burn per attack: 1+1 per 8 Attack Speed -> 2 + 1 per 8 Attack Speed.

 

⬇️ Skorn:

• Notes: His winrate was just a bit too high last patch, mostly off the back of one clear standout spec.

• The Haughty:

  • Base shield scaling: 150 Defense and 300 Magic-> 100 Defense and 200 Magic.

  • Bonus Shields per Stall: 25->20.

 

⬇️ Kai:

• Notes: Kai is in a tough spot. He is one of our least picked Heroes despite having one of the top winrates. I might explore bigger changes to him in the next patch, but this week I only had time for some minor adjustments. He has one clearly overpowered spec, so I’m nerfing that one a tad in order to increase the viability of others (tip for players: Defense reduction is REALLY good!)

• The Dauntless:

  • Defense reduction per rank: 3  -> 2.

 

⬇️ Karsu:

• Notes: She’s both popular and strong right now, with one spec that's picked and wins a little too much. I’m pretty happy with the overall state of Karsu, so these changes are minor.

• The Storm:

  • 2nd arrow base damage: 33%->25%.

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🔄 Zuri:

• Notes: Before Zuri’s recent adjustments only one spec (Blade Master) saw any play. Her adjustments successfully elevated the popularity and power of her other specs, but they also made Blade Master a bit too weak.

• The Blade Master:

  • Rush and Stall base damage 0->10.

  • Rush Magic scaling 50->100.

  • Stall Defense scaling 50->100.

• The Poisonous:

  • Base Poison on attack 1->0.

 

⬆️Pimenta:

• Notes: Pimenta’s specs are looking quite balanced overall, but her winrate last patch was a bit too low. This indicates her base kit itself is a bit too weak.

• Base Stats:

  • +.02 Base Attack Speed,

  • +25 Max HP

  • -5 Max Mana (she will cast more frequently).

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⬆️Yuuna:

• Notes: After removing the permascaling on Hired Killer, the spec went from her far and away best to far and away worst. I’m adding back a bit of combat power to it so that she can start to scale her Shard gain. I’m also hoping that the changes to the Stealth mechanic will make her Shadow spec feel much more exciting.

• The Hired Killer:

  • Makes her active ability fire an additional shuriken.

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🔄Hoyoung:

• Notes: Hoyoung had a clear power outlier in his Sniper spec, while the rest of his kit projected as a bit weak. I’m elevating his base stats and signature ability while nerfing that Sniper spec to balance things out.

• Charred Shot (Signature Active Ability):

  • +25 base Crit.

• The Sniper:

  • +5% Attack and +5% Crit per hex -> flat 10 Attack and 5 Crit per hex.

 

⬆️Rowan:

• Notes: Rowan was underperforming slightly in the data. Just a little nudge.

• Regeneration (Signature Passive):

  • +2 base HP/S.

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🔄Fiona:

• Notes: Similar to Hoyoung, Fiona was underperforming overall while having a clear standout spec in Lustrous.

• Vault Spark (Signature Active Ability):

  • +10 Starting Mana

• The Lustrous:

  • 1 Burn per 5 Shields removed -> 1 Burn per 8 Shields removed.

• The Right Hand:

  • Now additionally generates 1 Shard per rank when it triggers.

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🔄Sal:

• Notes: While reworking Niklas, I saw a cool opportunity to create a class pairing which previously didn’t exist (Mage/Warrior) by moving Warrior from Niklas to Sal. Her Brisk spec was redesigned to match the new class she can earn.

• The Brisk:

  • Now makes her a Warrior and makes her active ability scale with Attack.

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⬆️Ratna:

• Notes: Ratna has been lower on the winrate and pickrate list than I would like to see, and I’ll likely need to explore some larger changes to her in a future patch. For now, I reworked her worst-performing spec to give her a bit of a boost.

• The Fashionable:

  • Now gives Mana Regen per item instead of Defense.

  • Now Gives 40 Magic per item level (up from 25)

  • Reduced the number of additional items this spec provides from 2 to 1.

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🔄Grace:

• Notes: Something I’d like to do over time is make more backup effects scale with the Rank of the hero instead of their stats. This change to the Grace’s Generous spec is the first of those changes.

• The Generous:

  • The size of the Shield/Heal now scales with her Rank instead of her stats.

 

⬆️Logan:

• Notes: As part of the Crit-boosting changes, I added some Crit to the 2nd tier on Logan’s active ability scaling.

• Execution (Signature Active Ability):

  • Gives +25 Crit on tier 2.

Individual Item Changes:

• Searing/Frost/Toxic Contract: 20->25% debuff stack increase.

• Sword of the Spark/Amulet of Winter/Ring of Plague: 40->50% debuff stack increase.

• Boots of Speed: Now gives 50 Attack Speed on Rush 8 instead of +25% Attack Speed on Rush 10. Now also gives the character doubled Move Speed.

• Doomsday Clock: 33->50% basic stats.

• Adrenal Eye: 33->50% basic stats.

• Adaptive Sword: No longer gives Attack and Magic as base stats. Instead, it gives Attack Speed, Crit, and Omnivamp.

• Catalyst of Patience/Haste: Updated to care about triggers “this game” instead of triggers since acquiring the item.

• Cleansing Charm: every 10 seconds remove 50% -> every 5 seconds remove 33% of debuffs.

• Cleric’s Circlet: Heal for 33% of Shields applied -> Heal for 50% of Shields applied.

• Duelist Foil: Every 12 attacks -> Every 15 attacks.

• Runic Buckler: 500% of Defense -> 400% of Defense.

• Mystic’s Orb: +1 Mana Regen per 8 legacy stacks -> +1 Mana Regen per 10 legacy stacks.

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Individual Relic Changes:

• Arcane/Critical/Defensive Amplifier: These relics no longer grant percentage-based stat increase. Instead, they provide a large flat stat increase to their respective classes.

• Frontline Embiggener/Frontline Barricader/Backline Sharpener/Backline Quickener: These relics no longer grant percentage-based stat increase. Instead, they provide a large flat stat increase to Heroes which start in the front/back row.

• Generation Conduit: No longer increases basic stats by %. It now gives Crit and Shields to all Heroes.

• Unity/Divergence/Scarcity Vessel: 20->25 Shards for completion.

• Common “Boost” Relics: Increase stats provided by ~50%.

• Venom Collapse: 2% max hp damage -> 4%  max hp damage.

• Assassin Perfect Ambush: Removed the 4 hex restriction. Increased Poison % from 200->250.

• Mage Transmutation: Reworked to deal bonus damage per attack, as opposed to scaling the base attack damage.

• Mage’s Execution: Reworked to remove Stall.

• Stall Corruption: Stall times adjusted from 20/40 to 15/30.

• Mystic’s Prosperity: 100% -> 200% stat buff.

• Glacial Guard: 5 ->10 Shields.

• Rush Immolation: 15->20 Burn.

• Mage Nanner: 20-> 30 Frost.

• Tank Banner: 10->15 Poison.

• Vanguard Banner: 30->45 Burn.

• Assassin Banner: 3->4 Shards.

• Warrior Banner: Rush boost increased from 1->2 seconds.

• Duelist Banner: Stall decrease improved from 3-> 4 seconds.

• Mystic Banner: 15->25% Shields.

• Frost Catalyst: Stall times adjusted from 20/40->15/30.

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Bugs:

• A number of effects which dealt damage based off of a Hero’s stat (such as Intimidating Bulk) were incorrectly looking at the enemy’s stats instead of the Hero’s stats. These effects should now correctly look at the Hero’s stats (and deal far less damage in Endless mode).