Table of Contents

1. Intro – A Breeze Turned Cold
2. What Changed in Patch 2.8.1
3. Why It Matters – The Real Loss
4. Baldwin’s Role Before the Patch
5. Exclusive Artifact & Skill Synergies (Pre-Nerf)
6. So… Is He Still Viable?
7. What You Should Do If You’ve Invested in Baldwin
8. Mael’s Take on the Nerf Decision

1. Intro – A Breeze Turned Cold

It’s never fun to wake up and realize one of your Immortals just got nerfed — especially when it’s someone like Baldwin, who’s been quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) powering hybrid magic setups for a while now.

With Patch 2.8.1, Baldwin lost something that didn’t scream at first glance, but hit hard in practice: his ability to increase magic damage taken by enemies. The result? A shift from team enabler to… just another magic damage dealer. Let’s break it all down.

2. What Changed in Patch 2.8.1

Here’s the official skill adjustment:

[Hurricane] now: Summons Tornado that deals Magical Damage (306% + 42%/level) to 1 random enemy troop. After hitting a target, Tornado has a chance of splitting into two which continue to attack nearby troops. Can split up to 2 times (75% for first split, 50% for second).

What’s Missing? The key line in Baldwin’s kit used to say: “Increases magic damage taken by 30%.” That’s gone. Completely removed.

✅ Tornado still splits.

✅ Baldwin still deals decent damage.

❌ But he no longer amplify Magical Damage from other mages and also...himself.

Mael’s Opinion: This isn’t just a stat tweak — it’s a full identity shift. Baldwin used to elevate your mage. Now? He’s on his own. And his solo damage is also affected by the removal of the debuff.

3. Why It Matters – The Real Loss

Baldwin’s ultimate used to be about more than damage. That 30% increased magic damage taken meant every follow-up from your Wu, Hammurabi, Himiko, or Merlin hit like a truck.

Without that debuff:

• Magic-heavy teams lose synergy
• Chase, Spell Disintegrator, and Energy Burst become less valuable
• Baldwin no longer “amplifies” the magic lineup

So, even if his raw numbers look fine on paper, the strategic value is gone.

4. Baldwin’s Role Before the Patch

Before the nerf, he brought real value:

• Boosted team magic damage with his Hurricane debuff
• Worked perfectly as a second mage in hybrid backlines (think Wu + Baldwin, Himiko + Baldwin, or Merlin + Baldwin)
• Was flexible enough to play outside of Wind marches

One of the most promising team comps — which I was actually testing myself — looked like this:

• Ragnar: stacked even more magic damage taken on enemies. It added up fast
• Yi Sun-Shin: kept the frontline stable so your mages could unleash safely
• Baldwin: boosted all magic damage by 30%, making Merlin hit like a truck
• Merlin: ...basically deleted the entire enemy team

Now? That synergy is gone.

• This strategy relied on Baldwin’s debuff to truly shine — and with that removed, the whole comp falls apart.

^This is PvP Arena Battle Report

5. Exclusive Artifact & Skill Synergies (Pre-Nerf)

Let’s not forget — Baldwin’s artifact was really solid, and the patch didn’t touch it.

• Lowers the initial hit slightly (from 600% to 500%)
• Adds +25% split chance — practically guarantees 3 tornado hits per cast
• Synergizes well with multi-hit skills like Chase and Energy Burst

With the magic damage taken debuff in place, all those extra tornado hits had impact. Now? They’re just extra tickles in most cases.

Skills that paired well before:

• Spell Disintegrator (huge with the debuff)
• Energy Burst (high split = high chance to trigger)
• Concentration (strong with base hit multiplier)
• Abundant Spirit

Mael’s Opinion: Baldwin’s artifact is still mechanically useful, but it lost its magic. Without the debuff, the value of split hits has dropped significantly.

6. So… Is He Still Viable?

Short answer: Not in top-tier builds.

Let’s break it down:

7. What You Should Do If You’ve Invested in Baldwin

Switch to Physical Wind

• Atalanta is the obvious choice.
• Add Qin or Saladin/Hannibal front row for strong synergy.

No More Double Mage

• Replace Baldwin with support immortal alongside your other Mage (Double Mage is no more viable)
• Focus on builds that don’t rely on debuff triggers.

Switch to Another Mage:

• There's plenty of other Mage including free-to-play ones such as Merlin that are better options...

Save Your Resources

• Don’t upgrade his artifact further.

PvE

• If you don’t have better mages, Baldwin might still carry you in Gnome raids.

8. Mael’s Take on the Nerf Decision

Alright, here’s my honest take: I don’t like this nerf — at all.

Baldwin was already a niche pick. He was never the top-damage mage. He wasn’t breaking PvP. But he filled a clever role — a support mage who made your team’s real nukers even better.

Now that’s gone.

❌ No utility

❌ No damage buff

❌ No reason to pick him over Merlin or Himiko

And this change doesn’t come alone. It feels like part of a broader trend: mages are getting pushed out. From specializations to skill meta, magic comps are being slowly phased down in favor of physical builds.

This wasn’t balance — it was a misstep. Baldwin needed help to shine — not a cut that removes the only thing that made him relevant. It’s a quiet nerf… but one of the harshest we’ve seen. Baldwin’s identity was stripped. Without his debuff, he’s no longer a support — and not strong enough to carry as a main damage dealer.

If you loved him for flexibility and synergy, it’s time to move on. If you’re a new player or still climbing, sure, he’s usable. But manage your expectations.

Verdict: A niche support Immortal turned into a forgettable side-damage mage. R.I.P. Baldwin’s true potential.

Still using Baldwin post-nerf? I’d love to see your build and how you’re adapting — drop a comment or join the discussion in our community!

For more insights, check out my previous articles here or discover exciting content on my newly created YouTube Channel.

Stay epic,

- download Infinity Kingdom now and script your legend.

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