The latest Dark and Darker patch has frustrated some with a heavy Wizard nerf

Hogwarts notwithstanding, it’s a rough day to be a Wizard as Dark and Darker developer Ironmace has rolled out a heavy Wizard nerf during the Alpha Playtest 4. Implemented early this morning, the nerf has brought the late-game Wizard more in line with the other classes’ power curve. The patch has some in the community crying foul, however, as it halves the damage of one of the class’s most potent combat spells.

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Dark and Darker Wizard nerf

Wizards have received a large nerf across their spell-slinging. From the Dark and Darker official Discord server patch notes:

• Wizard Light’s Spell Count 8 -> 6
• Wizard Ignite’s Spell Count 6 -> 5
• Wizard Zap’s Spell Count 6 -> 5
• Wizard Ice Bolt’s Spell Count 6 -> 5
• Wizard Haste’s Spell Count 5 -> 4
• Wizard Invisibility’s Spell Count 5 -> 4
• Wizard Chain Lightning’s Spell Count 4 -> 3
• Wizard Fireball Splash Damage 20 -> 10

The scaling of spell count on almost all of the Wizard spells is rough, but can be mitigated with campfires and meditation — the former noticeably either costing hard-earned gold or looted within dungeons. What has riled the community, however, is the classic spell Fireball getting its splash damage nerfed by half.

Fireball tends to be the Wizard opener into fights, and Wizards are absolutely outclassed in one-versus-many situations. This means that Wizards are now going to need to be very careful of the battles they pick and the doors they open. Chain lightning receiving a quantity nerf further pushes Wizard into a niche role within dungeons in both solo and group play, as they’ll struggle to manage groups of foes. Others, however, are celebrating the nerfs — the Wizard is one of two classes that can reliably damage multiple foes at once with their basic kit, not needing to rely on lanterns and other consumables in dungeons.

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In late-game, however, the Wizard was undeniably overpowered. Some fully geared players could instantly kill full parties with a single fireball spell, thanks to its splash damage. The sore point in the community is that this nerf also negatively affects new Wizards, who have neither the gear nor skill to make the brittle class survive more than a few fights.