What the patch notes say vs. what actually shifted
Patch 29.2 dropped on April 18, 2026 with the usual mix of bug fixes, balance changes, and new content. The official patch notes covered the headline changes — but every patch has hidden behavior shifts that only show up after a week of play. This guide separates the noise from the signal: what actually changed in gameplay, what the meta looks like one week post-patch, and which builds got stealth-buffed or stealth-nerfed.
Headline changes (official)
- New fruit: Gravity — added to the dealer rotation. Mythical-tier, $3M Beli or 2,500 Robux.
- Race V4 trial rebalance — Trial 3 (Survival) wave count reduced from 6 to 5, giving an effective 8% time save on the speedrun (see Race V4 Speedrun for the updated route).
- Buddha awakened M1 hitbox shrunk — listed as 5%; community testing measured 8%. Real impact: minor for grinding, noticeable in PvP.
- Dragon ult cooldown +2 seconds — direct nerf, makes Dragon less spammable.
- New raid: Mirror Citadel — endgame Sea 3 raid, drops ~600 fragments per clear.
Hidden / unlisted changes
- Sword stat scaling fix — sword damage now scales properly with Demon stat allocation. Pre-patch it capped at 80%; post-patch full 100%. This is a real ~12% damage uplift for sword-mains.
- Sea Beast spawn radius widened by 15% — easier to find, faster grinding for Sea Beast Hunter quests.
- Trade UI delay reduced from 0.5s to 0.3s — makes mutation-swap scams harder to execute (good news, see Trade Safely).
Meta one week after patch
Risers:
- Leopard returns to S-tier across PvE/raids thanks to the sword stat fix (Leopard combo includes a sword phase).
- Kitsune still S-tier in PvP, unchanged.
- True Triple Katana mains are dominant; the sword fix specifically benefits multi-katana setups.
Fallers:
- Buddha drops from "best universal" to "best grinding only" due to the M1 hitbox nerf. Still S-tier for grinding but lost its PvP fringe viability.
- Dragon drops from clean S to S/A due to the cooldown nerf. Still very strong but no longer the auto-pick.
Stable:
- Dough Awakened — untouched. Remains the most balanced top-tier fruit.
What to do this week
- 1If you main Buddha: Switch to grinding-only contexts. Stop using it in PvP.
- 2If you main Dragon: Practice the longer cooldown. Use Phoenix for opening burst then Dragon for the kill window.
- 3If you main any sword build: The hidden 12% buff is real. Re-test your damage thresholds via the Damage Calculator.
- 4If you''re close to Race V4: Now is the time. The Trial 3 nerf saves real time.
Mirror Citadel raid first impressions
The new raid is harder than expected. Two-phase boss with a transition mechanic that requires DPS check. Recommended fruits: Leopard, Dough Awakened, or Buddha Awakened paired with True Triple Katana. Recommended team size: 4. Solo runs are extremely difficult below level 2300.
Fragment drop rate (~600 per clear) is excellent — about double the Mansion raid. If you''re fragment-grinding for awakening, prioritize Mirror Citadel.
Cross-references
- Race V4 Speedrun — updated for 29.2.
- Damage Calculator — re-test post-patch numbers.
- Best Fruits — meta refreshed for 29.2.
- Awakening Order — priorities shift slightly.