Patch EA 0.5.2 — Balance Pass for Cyclone + Multistrike Builds

Highlights

EA 0.5.2 is a balance-focused patch — no new content, no new zones, no new quests. The patch ships a handful of scaling changes that touch the Cyclone and Multistrike interactions most melee builds rely on, plus the Paladin’s defensive talent curve and the Necromancer summon economy. Players running our Berserker Cyclone Leveling build and our Necromancer Solo Summoner build should read the per-class notes below.

Class changes

Berserker

• Cyclone damage increased by 8% at all ranks. A flat buff across the board — no rank breakpoints, no conditional scaling.
• Multistrike proc chance reduced from 18% → 15%. Still the BiS modifier for the proc-stacking playstyle, just less spammy; expect a small dip in chain-trigger rate during sustained combat.
• Implied nerf to the Berserker Cyclone Leveling speedrun clear time of ~5–10 seconds per pack. The Cyclone damage buff roughly offsets the Multistrike trim, so the net effect is closer to a sidegrade than a nerf for the leveling route.

Paladin

• Bulwark talent effectiveness scaling increased by 12% at 4/4 rank. Lower ranks are unchanged.
• Net buff to the Paladin Shield Wall PvE build — the Aegis of the First Knight endgame encounter is now slightly more forgiving for tanks running a maxed Bulwark.

Necromancer

• Summon cap raised from 5 → 6. One additional minion slot in the summon roster.
• Summon HP scaling reduced by 10% to compensate for the extra body. The 6th summon is squishier per-unit than the first five, but total squad HP still trends up.
• Net positive for the Necromancer Solo Summoner build when tanking world bosses like the Kraken — more bodies means more threat spread and slightly smoother aggro cycling.

Bug fixes

• Fixed an issue where Bramble’s Toxic Pool AoE indicators desynced from the actual damage ticks. The visual ring now matches the server-side tick rate.
• Fixed the Echoing Spire Warden’s Sand Storm DoT sometimes applying to pets. The effect should only target players.
• Fixed a memory leak in the Windy Desert Western Badlands that caused frame drops after 30+ minutes of play. Long sessions in that zone should now hold a stable framerate.

Known issues

• The Goblin Captain’s Lunge attack can sometimes trigger twice in rapid succession. Tracked and being patched in EA 0.5.3.
• The Iron Will set 4-piece bonus tooltip is still showing the pre-0.5.1 values. Cosmetic only — the applied bonus is correct, only the displayed number is stale.