With Patch 2.9.4 now live, the update itself is pretty small, but one part of it stands out immediately: Arcane Hunter, the new red skill for Legendary Season. Athena’s adjustment is the other change worth looking at, but let’s be honest, this patch mostly feels like an attempt to make Apollo shine again. So the real question is simple: does it actually make him relevant again, or is it just hype?

Let’s break it down.

⚜️ So… what even is Arcane Hunter?

Arcane Hunter is a new red skill added in patch 2.9.4. At max level, it reduces magical damage taken by 20%, and every 6 seconds after battle starts it deals 300% physical damage to all enemies. On top of that, when the user is blessed with Light Blessing, the skill gains an extra 30% Crit Rate. It is also a Legendary Season skill, which means it is bought from the Wish Shop there and not from Conquest or lower seasons.

So when we look at it on paper, the skill already looks interesting for two reasons. First, it gives protection against magic, which is never a bad thing. Second, it has that repeating damage effect that keeps triggering during the fight instead of being a one-time effect. And then of course, there is the part that matters most here: Light Blessing.

That is where Apollo immediately comes into the picture. Because right now, Apollo is the only immortal that has that mechanic. His ultimate gives him Light Blessing, and each stack reduces damage taken by 10%, up to 3 stacks. So the moment players read Arcane Hunter, the first thought is pretty much: “Okay, so this is meant for Apollo.”

⚜️ Why this skill has Apollo written all over it

Personally, it is hard not to think that. Arcane Hunter feels like a weird mix between Infinite Firepower and Time to Shine. It has that repeating timed damage effect like Infinite Firepower, but it also has that crit bonus that makes you think of Time to Shine. The difference is that this one feels far more targeted. It does not just look like a strong red skill in general. It looks like a skill built with one immortal in mind first.

At the same time, there is something else worth mentioning. The skill is not locked to bowmen only. It also works for attackers. That makes me think this might not only be about Apollo. It could also be the game setting something up for a future immortal, maybe a front-line attacker that also gives Light Blessing. Right now that is just a speculation, but it is hard not to think about when you look at how specific this skill feels.

Ever since Medusa was introduced, Apollo has not really been used as much and has become less popular. So when a skill shows up with direct Light Blessing synergy, it is pretty hard not to see it as the game trying to push him back into the spotlight.

⚜️ So what is the catch?

This is where people can get baited a bit by the wording of the skill.

If you compare Arcane Hunter to Time to Shine, there is one big difference straight away. Time to Shine gives its value from the start of the fight. At level 8, it gives 35% Crit Rate and 30% Physical Damage immediately. Arcane Hunter does not do that. Apollo first needs to cast his ultimate to get his first Light Blessing stack, which means the extra 30% Crit Rate from Arcane Hunter is not there when the battle starts. It only turns on after that first ultimate. So while Arcane Hunter clearly looks made for Apollo, it is still slower than Time to Shine when it comes to immediate crit value.

And then there is the other question you are probably going to ask: if Apollo can stack Light Blessing three times, does Arcane Hunter become 90% Crit Rate?

From the wording, that should definitely be a no.

Apollo’s own stacks are clearly tied to his damage reduction. Arcane Hunter only says that when blessed with Light Blessing, it gains an additional 30% Crit Rate. It does not say per stack, and it does not scale the crit wording any further. So the most logical reading is that once the condition is active, the bonus is just 30% total, not 30% for every stack.

⚜️ Athena got changed too

Athena also got adjusted in this patch, and this one is actually easier to understand when you strip away the messy wording.

Before, Athena used to give herself +200 Initial Energy, which helped her reach her ultimate faster. With 2.9.4, that part is gone. So yes, Athena becomes slower in that sense, because she no longer starts closer to her first ultimate cast.

But in return, she now gives the whole team Seriously Wound immunity. And that is a big deal.

So basically, Athena trades speed for protection. Instead of getting her support online faster, she now works more like Fu Fei in the sense that she protects the whole team from the annoying effects. That means immortals like Khan and Qin Emperor cannot shut down healing against Athena marches the same way anymore.

Why does that matter so much? Because when a unit gets hit by Seriously Wound, any healing that tries to go through is basically wasted. The heal still attempts to happen, but the result is 0 HP gained. So if Athena is now protecting the whole team from that, then healing marches keep their value instead of getting hard-countered the moment Wound lands.

So while Arcane Hunter is clearly the flashy part of this patch, Athena’s adjustment could end up being the more annoying one to deal with in actual fights. She loses tempo, but the trade-off is that she gives her whole team a much stronger safety net.

⚜️ So… is 2.9.4 actually good?

For me, patch 2.9.4 feels more like an attempt to make Apollo shine again than a patch that brings something broadly useful. And that is also why I would not call it that great.

Yes, Arcane Hunter looks good on Apollo. That part is obvious. But the problem is exactly there: the skill feels too targeted. Instead of being a flexible red skill that many marches can make use of, it feels built around one immortal first. That makes it much less versatile compared to other red skills that can fit into different setups more easily.

So while Arcane Hunter is definitely the headline of the patch, it also ends up being the reason why 2.9.4 feels a bit limited to me. If you are not using Apollo, or if Apollo is not even part of your plans anymore, then this patch suddenly becomes a lot less exciting.

⚜️ My Final thoughts

So overall, I think 2.9.4 is a decent patch, but not a very versatile one. Arcane Hunter is clearly the main reason to care about it, and if Apollo is not part of your plans, then this update loses a lot of its appeal. Athena’s adjustment is still useful, but Arcane Hunter is carrying this patch from start to finish.

⚜️ Game Download Links

1. Game Download Link: https://yzdpik.onelink.me/BaRR?pid=KOL&c=CC
2. Korean Version Download Link: https://yzkrikscheme.onelink.me/QUiF/bdae54cf
3. Taiwan and Hong Kong Download Link: https://yzdpiktw.onelink.me/IxWy/5eb3f1b6