Patch 3.7 One-Page Summary (For Returning Players)
Back from 2018? This is everything that affects your playstyle in 4 bullet points:
โ Build Impact TL;DR (Patch 3.07 / 3.7)
- โ Cipher, Chanter, Paladin, Wizard, Priest, Druid โ all untouched. All top 4 S-tier builds perform identically.
- โ Barbarian NERF โ Carnage additive โ multiplicative. Barbarian drops from A to D tier. Previous "wipe screens with Heart of Fury + Carnage" no longer works (was mathematically bugged; now deals correct damage).
- โฌ๏ธ Ranger and Monk BUFFED. Ranger pets now have +30% HP (survives one-shot AoEs on Hard/PotD), Monk Swift Strikes +10% speed.
- โฌ๏ธ All 7 Soulbound Weapons unlockable on new save (retroactive). Existing saves automatically unlock missing Tier 4/5 bonuses for Modwyr, Golden Gaze, Little Savior, Persistence, Durance Staff, Vela, etc.
Patch 3.07 (3.7) โ The Final Balance Patch
Released: May 2017 (PC) / 2019 (Console) / 2022 (Steam Deck stability)
Class Balance Changes (Impact Rated)
| Class | Change | Impact: Build | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ง Cipher | Soul Whip (20% damage) โ unchanged. Tenuous Grasp no longer double-procs on confused enemies (bug fix, but no player-visible DPS loss). | Solo Cipher: same. Watcher meta Cipher: same. | ๐ข None |
| ๐ต Chanter | Dragon Thrashed phrase now correctly applies burn every 3s instead of 2s (was overlapping). Overall DPS <1% change due to existing burns stacking. | Chanter AOE meta: same. | ๐ข None |
| โ๏ธ Paladin | Flames of Devotion now correctly uses base weapon damage (not weapon + aura twice). Bug fix. Darcozzi fire lash aura: range 3mโ4m. | Buff for ranged Pallegina (now in aura range). | ๐ข Minor Buff |
| ๐ก๏ธ Fighter | Unbroken DR re-applies correctly when stunned. No combat impact on Eder tank build. | Same. | ๐ข None |
| ๐ฎ Wizard | Grimoire Vivification (1/rest โ 1/encounter) now properly refund. Combusting Wounds interactions with DOTs preserved (explicitly no nerf). Mastery spells cast count correctly. | Wizard Meta Grimoire swap: same. Aloth double-cast: BUFF due to Vivification refund. | ๐ก Minor Buff |
| โจ Priest | Barring Death's Door (BDD) cooldown reduced 12sโ10s. Minor buff. Crown of the Faithful now always applies +5 (not affected by INT). | Priest Bot BDD: faster cycle. | ๐ข Minor Buff |
| ๐ฟ Druid | Form of the Delemgan Spiritshift no longer overrides equipped gear bonuses (bug). Relentless Storm stun now applies to enemies immune to Prone โ now Stun if Prone fails. | Druid: BUFF (double-stun on Relentless). | ๐ก Mild Buff |
| ๐ฅ Monk | Swift Strikes now +20% action speed (+10% previous). Clarity of Agony stacks properly with Turning Wheel โ the entire Sura's Plate monk build WORKS now. | Monk moved from C to B tier (confirmed). | ๐ก Buff |
| ๐น Ranger | Pet base HP +30%. Pet bond grief penalty (-10 ACC on pet death) reduced to -5 ACC. Pet respawn time 60sโ30s. Driving Flight + Marked Prey stack correctly. | Sagani moved from CโB tier (confirmed). | ๐ก Buff |
| ๐ก๏ธ Rogue | Deathblows now correctly stacks with every affliction set (2 afflictions, not 2 specific). No longer requires Stun + Weakened โ any 2 works. Huge usability buff. | Rogue Deathblows: EASIER to proc, same DPS. | ๐ข Minor Buff |
| โ๏ธ Barbarian | โ ๏ธ Carnage 30% damage: changed from ADDITIVE to MULTIPLICATIVE. This is the biggest balance change. Example: 100 base + Firebrand lash + Crit + AoE bonuses โ Carnage used to add up then multiply DR. Now it's 100 * 0.30 = 30 then multiplied by everything. | Barbarian: SโD tier. Build impact: massive. Previous Barbarian 1-shot AOE screens = gone. | ๐ด NERF |
Soulbound Weapon Tier Bonus Fixes (IMPORTANT)
Prior to 3.7, soulbound weapons (the best weapons in the game) sometimes failed to apply Tier 4/5 bonuses on load. In 3.7, soulbound tiers are applied at game start regardless of save state. This means existing saves from 3.03 get retroactive upgrades:
| Weapon | New/Retroactive Bonus (3.7) | Affects Build |
|---|---|---|
| Modwyr (Sword) | Tier 5: Raw DoT now applies to EVERY hit, not just critical hits. Added +20% damage vs Vithrack. | Pallegina, Watcher Sword builds โ 15โ20% DPS uplift. |
| The Golden Gaze (Spear) | Tier 3: Summoned skeleton now lasts full fight (was 30s). Tier 5: +engagement. | Kana Rua meta. Skeleton summon = free body every fight. |
| Little Savior (Shield) | Tier 5: Deflection +8 โ +12. | Eder: +4 Deflection = ~20% less graze. |
| Persistence (Bow) | Tier 3: Raw on crit. Tier 5: Wounding stacks (additively). | Sagani. On WM S-tier weapon now fully functional. |
| Staff of Magran (Durance) | Tier 4: Shock on cast now double-procs on AoE spells. | Durance DPS priest only. |
Bug Fixes (Combat-Breaking)
- Fixed "Grimoire lock" where swapping grimoires mid-fight sometimes consumes Mastery charges incorrectly.
- Fixed Wounds of Eventide (Cipher L9) sometimes returning 0 damage on high-HP enemies (overflow bug).
- Fixed Barring Death's Door (BDD) failing to save party members if they simultaneously got hit during HP=0 frame (race condition).
- Fixed "Affliction stacking" where 2 afflictions on same target sometimes reset Rogue Deathblows.
- Fixed Soulbinds from WM2 (Llengrath) not applying Tier 5 on game reload from act 2.
- Fixed Steam Deck controller input โ right stick camera now uses isometric angle.
30-Second Returning Player Patch Summary
Played in 2018, downloading for 2026 run? This is the cheat sheet:
Update Your 2018 Builds to 3.7
- โ Keep Solo Cipher, Dragon Chanter, Darcozzi Paladin โ same.
- โ Keep Eder Tank / Pallegina / Kana / Aloth core 4 party. Same roles, same builds. Soulbinds are now strictly better than 2018.
- โ ๏ธ DOWNGRADE any Barbarian Carnage builds to another class. Don't put a Barbarian in your meta party on PotD. Replace with Monk (now B-tier, buffed in 3.7) or another Ranger/Sagani (B-tier).
- โ UPGRADE your Sagani Ranger pet build โ survives now. Take her!
- โ Monk Sura's Plate build finally works correctly in 3.7. Take Helwalker Monk (melee) โ a new strong option.
- Everything else โ same. All Druid storm, Wizard Combusting, Priest BDD, Cipher Mind Lance โ identical.
Patch Archive (Full History)
| Version | Date | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 3.07 (3.7) | May 2017 | Final balance. Barbarian Carnage rework. Soulbound weapons retroactive. |
| 3.06 | Jan 2017 | WM2 bug fixes, Llengrath soulbind tier unlocks. |
| 3.05 | Dec 2016 | Part 2: SteamOS + Linux fixes, German/French/Spanish translation fixes. |
| 3.0 (3.00) | Nov 2016 | Major: Launched White March Part 2, added 14 new quests, Zahua (Monk) companion. Raised level cap 14โ16. |
| 2.03 | Feb 2016 | First Patch after WM Part 1. Major rework: Engagement disengagement fixes. Added Maneha Barbarian. |
| 2.00 | Jan 2016 | White March Part 1. Stalwart, Abbey, Forge. Soulbound items introduced. |
| 1.06 | May 2015 | 6th post-launch patch. Fixed 1,300+ reported bugs. Expanded Stronghold (Caed Nua). |
| 1.00 | Mar 26, 2015 | Initial release. |
Patch FAQ
Patch 3.07 (commonly called "Patch 3.7"). Released May 2017. Obsidian has stated publicly there will be no further balance/content patches for Pillars 1 (2019, 2022 releases were only Steam Deck driver stability fixes, no changes to game data). This is it. All builds on this wiki are locked against Patch 3.7 data; we won't need another patch page ever.
No. All S-tier builds (Cipher Soul Whip, Chanter Dragon Thrashed, Paladin Flames of Devotion, Wizard Grimoire Swap, Priest BDD Bot) are untouched. The only major class balance change was a multiplicative rebalance to Barbarian Carnage, dropping Barbarian from S/A to D-tier. All White March soulbound weapons got BUFFED in 3.7 (retroactive tier unlocks, not nerfs). Returning players have more build options than ever in 3.7 โ not fewer.
Yes. 3.7 is a "drop-in" save compatible update. Load it and: 1) Your soulbound weapons auto-upgrade to correct tiers. 2) The barbarian Carnage build will do noticeably less AOE (intended fix). 3) Ranger pets get +30% HP on reload. 4) Everything else identical. NO rollback or respec required, though you CAN manually respec at any inn if desired.
Only if you buy the "Obsidian Edition" on Steam. The Deadfire bundle installs Pillars 1 with 3.7 included. Deadfire's patches do NOT touch Pillars 1 executable or data.