Update Notes - November 29, 2023

BALLADS OF ZIMARA

Calamitous impacts upon Norrath were but an overture to the songs of strife and oppression ringing out from the Plane of Sky. Norrathians, venture to the firmament lands in hopes of wresting lasting peace from a despotic foe, the Djinn Sovereign, and his growing army of metallic djinn!

In the wake of disastrous impact events near shoreside communities, Norrath's exceptional adventurers and artisans find themselves swept up in a raging struggle for survival in the skies far above! Splendor Sky Aerie, the hooluk’s secluded nest lands, is being invaded.

Securing peace for them will mean venturing where few have ever dared - Zimara Breadth, within the deteriorating Plane of Sky! Here, the legendary Djinn Sovereign, commands a ruthless army made up of djinn of all sorts, including something never seen before - maedjinn.

These metallic djinn may just hold the clue to his downfall though, when the figure tied to their creation within the Aether Wroughtlands is revealed to be a captive, held deep within Vaashkaani, Alcazar of Zimara. The opulent palace is both throne and dungeon!

But is freeing the captive in our future? Can the Djinn Sovereign be defeated? And what of his vast army of maedjinn? The answers are found within the Ballads of Zimara!

• Adventure and Tradeskill level increase to 130
• All new Solo, Heroic, and Raid content within Firmamental Realms tied to Plane of Sky, including Aether Wroughtlands
• Expand your Arsenal Interactively with Advanced Research
• Re-Visit Past Encounters with Chrono Dungeons
• New Signature and Heritage Quests in the Overrealm and Beyond

CHRONO DUNGEONS

What are Chrono Dungeons?
Chrono Dungeons are a way for characters to be able to re-experience historic dungeons using their current character and stats and earn meaningful rewards.

How to use Chrono Dungeons?
Using a Chrono Dungeon bauble within a persistent instance that may be experienced as a Chrono Dungeon will transform the zone into a Chrono Dungeon. This will buff the difficulty and level of the encounters within the zone to the level designated by the Chrono bauble used. Normal encounters will be increased to the level of the bauble plus one, while boss creatures will be increased to bauble level plus three. For the currently available baubles, that means bosses will be level 133 and other encounters will be level 131.

The character that consumes a Chrono bauble will be granted a “Chrono Commander” daily mission. All characters within the zone, including the initiator, will be granted one of three “Chrono Companion” daily and weekly missions. Which “Chrono Companion” mission you are given is based on received the best one you currently have available. The primary Chrono Companion mission is an eight hour lockout and rewards the most, the secondary mission is on a two hour lockout and rewards lesser rewards, the tertiary companion mission is on a 15 minute lockout and rewards the least. The Chrono Companion weekly missions are singular and may only be completed once per week.

Can groups participate in Chrono Dungeons?
Chrono Dungeon group size is determined entirely by the zone you convert to a Chrono Dungeon. Thus if you use a Chrono Dungeon bauble in a heroic zone you will be able to experience that zone with up to six other players.

Can raids participate in Chrono Dungeons?
Zones that allow more than 6 players are not currently eligible for Chrono Dungeons.

How often can you use a Chrono Dungeon bauble?
You can only consume a Chrono Dungeon bauble when you have an available Chrono Commander daily mission, so once every 24 hours. You may join others to participate in their Chrono Dungeons receiving Chrono Companion missions as long as you have an available zone lockout on the zone. See below for the limitations on how often you can receive specific Chrono Companion missions.

How do you complete Chrono Dungeon Missions?
Completing the missions is straight forward, you simply need to defeat bosses within a Chrono Dungeon. The base number you need to defeat is three, however the more boss encounters you defeat the more rewards you get. For example, defeating three bosses will reward you with the Fragments of Time currency, but if you defeat five bosses you will receive an increased currency reward, incrementing up from there every five boss encounters up to twenty.

Once you have completed the initial stage of the mission (defeat 3 encounters) simply zoning out of your Chrono Dungeon will complete the quest and trigger the rewards to be granted. The only encounters that will increment your mission are the ones in the instance you obtained the mission in, you will not be able to defeat two bosses in one instance, reset your zone, then defeat one more and have it count toward your quest updates. Once you have earned your reward, you can spend them with Nemok Time-Touched, the Chrono Dungeon Merchant in Splendor Sky Aerie.

Where are Chrono Dungeons located?
The current zones available are solo and heroic dungeons from The Shadow Odyssey, Sentinel's Fate, and Destiny of Velious expansions.


ADVANCED RESEARCHERS

Characters with access to Ballads of Zimara will be able to access several advanced researchers to aid their progression through the expansion. Each advanced researcher has their own list of things that can be researched, all with their own list of requirements. While several of them are a simple progression, such as the new Companion Researcher which lets you research familiars and mercenaries, others require that you first complete pre-requisites to research some or all of their lists.


Research takes time, because thinking is hard. Science! However, most researchers will also be able to be sped along with research reducers, some of which can be found in Season 5 Overseer content, while some may only be found from Ballads of Zimara missions, such as the daily tradeskill mission.


There are some researchers who offer account-based research, such as the collection, mount, and upgrade researchers, meaning you may only research a single item on the entire account at one time. Some of these account-based research, such as the collection or mount researchers, will then allow purchase for those items for alts.

ABILITIES

• Assassin
  • Assassinate IX now scales at the same rate as Sniper Shot.
  • Tracing Wound will now stack from multiple casters.
• Beastlord
  • Animalistic Intent may no longer be resisted.
  • Prey Upon the Weak may no longer be resisted.
• Brigand
  • Poisonous Plan may no longer be resisted.
  • Band of Thugs VIII Thugs are AOE immune.
• Bruiser
  • Feigned Surprise will grant Fervor Overcap at level 126 and above.
  • Unseen Strikes may no longer be resisted.
  • Brutality XII will increase Fervor Overcap of raid and group members.
• Channeler
  • Shaper's Reaction will apply to Overloaded Interception as well as Construct's Interception
• Crusader
  • Cavalier's Call will increase Effectiveness of Crusade and Unholy Strength at level 126 and above.
  • Valor in Battle will increase Effectiveness of Grim Strike and Glorious Strike at level 126 and above.
  • Aura of Leadership will now update and replenish every 6 seconds.
• Defiler
  • Defiling Hex Ward may no longer be resisted.
  • Malfeasance now has the noxious resist component from Absolute Corruption.
  • Harbinger XII has had its Crit Bonus Overcap component increased.
  • Vehemence XI has had its Stamina and Potency bonuses increased.
• Deity
  • Removed the cure curse component of Embodiment of Truth and added a Combat Mitigation debuff.
• Dirge
  • Songster's Luck XII will grant increased skill and Ability Modifier bonuses.
  • Howl of Death XI will heal the casters group.
  • Dancing Precession's summoned pet abilities may no longer be resisted.
  • Garsin's Funeral March IX will decrease Combat Mitigation of its target.
  • Dirges Refrain is now a Fervor buff for Bard and Priest raid members.
  • Hyran's Seething Sonata VI will grant Fervor Overcap and increased hategain.
  • Battle Cry has increased Potency, DPS, and Flurry above level 125.
  • Daro's Dull Blade XII now applies a reduction of a percentage of the target's DPS.
  • Siphoning Requiem Disheartening Descant will increase the group's Strength and Agility by a scaling amount.
  • Siphoning Requiem Clara's Chaotic Cacophony damage trigger will scale above level 90.
  • Disheartening Descant XI now applies a reduction of a percentage of the target's Potency.
  • Increased the Combat Mitigation reduction of Zander's Choral Rebuff IX.
• Druid
  • Protective Instinct's ward will now correctly replenish, updated the replenishment to once every 6 seconds, and increased the replenishment amount to be 33% of the original ward.
• Enchanter
  • Aura of Power III will grant increased Potency.
  • Synergism X will increase Fervor and reduce more hate.
  • Peace of Mind will deal increased damage over level 125.
• Fighters
  • The triggered effect from Bulwark of Order has been renamed from Overpower to Overpowering Barrage.
• Fury
  • Lucidity XII will increase all attributes of the target by a percentage instead of Intelligence and Stamina increases.
  • Spirit of Druidism will trigger once every 8 seconds on any hostile ability hit and grants more Ability Modifier at level 126 and above.
• Guardian
  • Call to Arms XII will increase Weapon Damage and Weapon Damage Overcap.
  • Dissociate Limbs III Has increased damage scaling.
  • Armored XII will grant Fervor and Fervor Overcap to the Guardian while they are in melee combat and the most attractive target of their current target.
  • Battle Tactics XI Max HP has been increased.
  • Moderate may now be applied to any raid member.
  • Sentinel VII is now a raid wide effect and the "If profession other than fighter" requisite has been moved to the stoneskin trigger.
• Illusionist
  • Rapidity VII will no longer require concentration and will grant increased Weapon Damage.
  • Theorems X will deal increased damage.
  • Illusionary Mindstorm II will reduce the reuse time of Phantom Troupe by an increased amount.
  • Prismatic Chaos has had its trigger throttle reduced to 0.5 to 1.5 seconds.
  • Flash of Brilliance XI has had the Crit Bonus and Magical Skill bonuses increased.
• Mystic
  • Ancestral Sentry will stoneskin any hits by a player but will no longer interpose damage from player sources on PVE servers.
  • Ancestral Sentry VII will gain 50% of the casters maximum hp and maximum hp percentage stats.
  • Ancestral Mettle XI Max HP has been increased.
  • Ancestral Avatar has had the Melee Multiplier component increased.
  • Ursine Avatar XI has had the Crit Bonus component increased.
  • Runic Armor XI and XII Max HP has been increased.
  • Echoes of the Ancients XI Combat Mitigation reduction has been increased.
• Necromancer
  • Lifeburn will deal increased damage at level 126 and above.
• Paladin
  • Hooved Vengeance may no longer be resisted.
  • Crusade XI will grant Fervor Overcap.
• Ranger
  • Tracing Shot may no longer be resisted.
• Scout
  • Detect Weakness will now display bleedthrough percentage.
• Shadowknight
  • Siphon Strength X will increase Fervor Overcap.
  • Focus: Death March will now apply to all Death March tiers.
  • Hooved Wrath may no longer be resisted.
  • Reaper's Mist will grant increased Potency at level 126 and above.
  • Unholy Strength XI will increase Fervor and Fervor Overcap.
• Swashbuckler
  • Dastardly Plan may no longer be resisted.
• Templar
  • Sanctuary VI may be cast while feared, mesmerized, stunned, and stifled.
• Troubador
  • Court Jester will increase the Effectiveness of Jester's Cap at level 126 and above.
  • Premonition XII has had its Max HP and Max Mana components increased.
  • Vexing Verses XII Combat Mitigation reduction has been increased.
  • Daelis' Dance of Blades Fervor component will now increase by the spells tier multiplier.
• Warden
  • Natural Infusion may no longer be resisted.
• Warlock
  • Dark Aggravation can no longer be interrupted and will deal increased damage at level 126 and above.
  • Dark Overflow will now hit up to 8 targets and will deal increased damage at level 126 and above.
  • Acid XIII will deal increased damage.
  • Dark Pyre XII will deal increased damage has had its duration reduced to 5 seconds.
  • Dark Pact XII will grant increased Potency.
  • Decimation III now has a base 5 casting time.
  • Void Mastery will apply Fervor Overcap and increased Fervor scaling at level 126 and above.
  • Netherlord IX has been increased in damage.
  • Netherlord's Nether Domain is now a 3 second reuse time, down from 6 seconds.
  • Dark Infestation VII has been increased in damage.
  • Dark Infestation VII's Dark Broodlings will deal increased damage.
  • Acid Storm VII has been increased in damage.
  • Grasp of Bertoxxulous XII can now trigger every 0.5 to 3.5 seconds and will deal damage every second for four seconds.
  • Vacuum Field XIII will reduce more Combat Mitigation.
  • Resist Break will now trigger off of casting hostile abilities, instead of damage spell hit.
• Wizard
  • Rays of Disintegration VII will deal increased damage.
  • Let It Burn III will deal increased damage.
  • Blast of Devastation will deal increased damage at level 126 and above.
  • Protoflame IX will deal increased damage.
  • Furnace of Ro VIII will deal increased damage.

GENERAL

• Monolithic Mercenary Infusion, Jubilant Familiar Infusion, Tolan's Darkwood Mount Infusion are now granted to all level 125 and above characters who possess the Ballads of Zimara expansion.

ITEMIZATION

• The Greatsword of the Crusader collectible is now spelled correctly.
• The Pyrebringer's Wand classification is no longer inaccurately set to be dual wield.
• Added more Bounce Back restrictions that should prevent Bounce Back from Bouncing Back while you have another death prevent ability active, thus negating the need to Bounce Back. Bounce. Back.
• Most Planes of Prophecy, Chaos Descending, Blood of Luclin, Reign of Shadows, Visions of Vetrovia, and Renewal of Ro collectables have been made tradeable.

LIVE EVENTS

• The in-game calendar has been updated with the 2024 event dates!

TRADESKILLS

In the wake of the destructive events on the shores of the Thundering Steppes and Nektulos Forest, the Skywatcher Sodality is seeking skilled (level 125+) crafters to venture into a newly-revealed hooluk area to learn more about the source of the impacts and the strange metallic creatures that are invading. It is their hope that the foreign materials located in such an area might be of use to crafters. Skilled members of all crafting professions should seek out Orren on the Whisperwind Isle in the Barren Sky for further details.


USER INTERFACE

• The Knowledge Window was expanded slightly to support Advanced Research progress display; this may cause issues with some custom UIs.
• Fixed an issue where completed quest notes were sometimes showing active quest notes.

ZONES AND POPULATION

• Shattered Unrest [Heroic III]
  • Maximum duration has been increased to 7 days.

UPDATED, added to Itemization:

• Most Planes of Prophecy, Chaos Descending, Blood of Luclin, Reign of Shadows, Visions of Vetrovia, and Renewal of Ro collectables have been made tradeable.