The first major balance pass since the 3D release. Two changes — enchantment cost up, Mage skill cooldowns longer — restored the decision tension that careful players had quietly optimized away.
The enchantment table now charges 200 gold per level. At max level 8, that's a full run economy commitment instead of a side trip. Players have to choose between enchanting, buying health and buying damage at the shop, and that tradeoff is what makes runs decision-driven instead of script-driven.
Fire Rain and Frost Rain had short enough cooldowns to be the default answer to any crowded room. The cooldown increase forces Mage players to actually save the skill for the moments it was designed for — boss floors, packed rooms, recovery saves.
Before v3.4, careful players could reach the enchantment table early, hit level 8 before floor 15, and use Mage rain skills as a constant clear. The outcome was strong runs that all looked the same. Doubling enchantment cost and slowing Mage skills brought decision pressure back into the run.
Both numbers are deliberately blunt. The next balance pass may revisit them with subclass-specific tuning instead of flat changes, but the goal of v3.4 was to fix the dominant strategy, not to micro-tune.
