Quick answer: The August 4, 2026 Merge Tactics mid-season patch rebalanced quest objectives for 5 of the 10 Rulers — Spirit Empress (3/15/50 → 3/20/60), Grand Warden (2/8/20 → 3/10/20), and Royale King (1/2/4 → 2/3/4) got harder quests, while Goblin Queen (2/8/20) and Tomb Queen (3/15/50) got easier ones — and the same August 5 post revealed a previously unannounced July 2 patch that nerfed Golden Knight (1200 → 1000 HP), halved Skeleton Dragon's HP (800 → 400), gave the Forest trait ally-wide Hit Speed bonuses up to 60%, and reworked Valkyrie's Axe into a burst-AOE item.
Supercell's August 5, 2026 post contains two patches in one: the August 4 mid-season update (5 Ruler quest rebalances) and the belated July 2 patch — 3 Ruler changes, 6 troop changes, 1 trait buff, and 3 equipment changes that had been live for a month without official notes, with Supercell apologizing for the delayed publication.
Complete Changes Table — August 4, 2026
| Ruler | Change | Old | New | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goblin Queen | Quest Objectives | 3/10/25 | 2/8/20 | Easier |
| Grand Warden | Quest Objectives | 2/8/20 | 3/10/20 | Harder |
| Royale King | Quest Objectives | 1/2/4 | 2/3/4 | Harder |
 Spirit Empress | Quest Objectives | 3/15/50 | 3/20/60 | Harder |
| Tomb Queen | Quest Objectives | 3/20/60 | 3/15/50 | Easier |
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Complete Changes Table — July 2, 2026 (Published August 5)
| Card / System | Change | Old | New |
|---|---|---|---|
| Echo Sage | Quest Objectives | 2/6/18 | 1/3/7 |
| Grand Warden | First Shield AOE | 1 tile | 3 tiles (+200%) |
| Tomb Queen | HP inherited from Tombstone | 100% | 150% (+50%) |
| Tomb Queen | Hit Speed | 0.5 | 0.6 (+20%) |
 Baby Dragon | HP | 800 | 900 (+12.5%) |
 Boss Bandit | HP / HP Growth | 900 / 1.4 | 1200 (+33%) / 1.6 (+14%) |
 Firecracker | Damage | 80 | 100 (+25%) |
 Golden Knight | HP / Hit Speed | 1200 / 1 | 1000 (−17%) / 0.8 |
 Magic Archer | Damage | 70 | 80 (+14%) |
 Skeleton Dragon | HP / Hit Speed / Damage | 800 / 1 / 80 | 400 (−50%) / 0.8 / 50 |
| Forest trait | Allies' Bonus Hit Speed (2/4/6) | 0% / 0% / 0% | 15% / 30% / 60% |
| Fisherman's Hook | Slowdown Duration | 0s | 3s |
| Maiden's Shield | Durability | 6 | 5 (−16.7%) |
| Valkyrie's Axe | Radius / Durability / Split Damage | 1 / 10 / 50% | 2 / 3 / 100% |
Which Ruler Quests Changed on August 4?
Why Did Spirit Empress's Quest Get Harder?
Impact: significant. Spirit Empress's merge quest rose from 3/15/50 to 3/20/60 — milestone 2 up 33%, milestone 3 up 20%. Supercell's stated reason is blunt: she is "still dominating the top Arenas," and harder milestones are the lever they chose to let "other Rulers catch up." Her Fusion Foresight ability (+1 Elixir per merge) is untouched, so she remains the #1 Ruler in our tier list — this taxes her Orb tempo, not her economy.
Why Did Grand Warden and Royale King Get Harder Quests?
Impact: small. Grand Warden's shield quest rose from 2/8/20 to 3/10/20 because the July 2 first-shield AOE buff (1 → 3 tiles) "made it too easy to complete his quests" — one shield now routinely touches 3+ troops. Royale King's loss quest rose from 1/2/4 to 2/3/4; the first Orb no longer lands on your first dropped round, but a quest built around losing rounds still completes itself in most games.
Which Rulers Got Easier Quests on August 4?
Impact: significant for Tomb Queen, small for Goblin Queen. Tomb Queen's Tombstone-summon quest fell from 3/20/60 to 3/15/50 — Supercell says her success "depends too much on getting a Witch in the first two rounds," and the easier milestones cushion Witch-less starts. Goblin Queen's quest fell from 3/10/25 to 2/8/20 to make her "a more competitive choice amongst the other Rulers" — though it still only progresses inside Goblin-trait comps.
What Was in the Belated July 2 Patch?
Which Rulers Changed on July 2?
Impact: significant. Three Rulers changed in the unannounced July 2 patch. Echo Sage's knockout quest was slashed from 2/6/18 to 1/3/7 — Supercell admits it was "harder to achieve than most Rulers" — making her one of the fastest Orb earners in the mode. Grand Warden's first shield AOE tripled from 1 to 3 tiles after the mechanic proved "hard for players to adapt to." Tomb Queen now inherits 150% of her Tombstone's HP on revival (up from 100%) with hit speed adjusted 0.5 → 0.6, fixing a Ruler who "often died before starting to fight."
Did Golden Knight Get Nerfed in Merge Tactics?
Impact: massive. Golden Knight lost 17% of his HP (1200 → 1000) and had his hit speed adjusted from 1 to 0.8 on July 2. Supercell's reasoning: he "was too perfect with his high DPS, dash damage, and high HP" — the nerf deliberately makes his dash damage "the only main event." Combined with Boss Bandit's simultaneous +33% HP buff (900 → 1200, HP growth 1.4 → 1.6), the assassin hierarchy inverted: Boss Bandit is now the durable pick and Golden Knight the glass cannon.
Is Skeleton Dragon Still Good After Losing Half Its HP?
Impact: massive. Skeleton Dragon's HP was cut 50% (800 → 400) with hit speed moving 1 → 0.8 and damage 80 → 50. Supercell called it "the real boss with its ability to gather stats from allies" — the nerf targets low Merge Levels specifically, so a 3–4 Merge Level Skeleton Dragon "could keep being strong" while early-round copies became easy to remove. Treat it as a late-game scaler now, not an early-board anchor.
What Else Changed for Troops on July 2?
Impact: small but meta-relevant. Baby Dragon gained 12.5% HP (800 → 900) after becoming the default Forest frontline. Firecracker's damage rose 25% (80 → 100) — her DPS was "too low to be impactful." Magic Archer's damage rose 14% (70 → 80) as a below-par ranged DPS.
What Does the Forest Trait Do Now?
Impact: significant. The Forest trait now grants allies bonus Hit Speed at every breakpoint: 15% at 2 Forest troops, 30% at 4, and 60% at 6 — all three were previously 0%. Supercell's own notes concede the trait "made them pretty powerless, even if the full Trait was activated." Stacked with the Baby Dragon HP buff, Forest went from the weakest faction identity to a genuine comp spine in one patch.
How Did Equipment Change on July 2?
Impact: significant for Valkyrie's Axe. Three legacy items changed. Fisherman's Hook gained a 3-second slowdown after the pull (was 0s) — it finally has "consistent strategic value" beyond displacement. Maiden's Shield lost a durability point (6 → 5) because breaking it "required too much effort" in small-team early rounds. Valkyrie's Axe is a full rework: radius 1 → 2, split damage 50% → 100%, durability 10 → 3 — a burst-AOE item for round-opening clumps instead of a sustained brawler pick. Full rankings in the equipment guide.
Which Comps Won and Lost in the Mid-Season Patches?
Big winners
- Forest comps — ally-wide 15/30/60% Hit Speed from zero, plus a tankier Baby Dragon frontline.
- Boss Bandit carries — +300 HP and faster HP growth while rival Golden Knight lost 200 HP.
- Echo Sage players — a 1/3/7 quest pays its first Orb almost immediately.
- Tomb Queen — 150% Tombstone HP on revival and two quest easings in two months.
Big losers
- Golden Knight boards — the −17% HP nerf removes his stat-check dominance.
- Early Skeleton Dragon stacks — 400 HP at low Merge Levels is removable by any focused fire.
- Spirit Empress Orb tempo — same ability, 20-33% slower milestones 2-3.
What Should I Do After the August 4 Patch?
If you main Spirit Empress: keep playing her — the ability is untouched — but stop counting on the milestone-2 Orb before mid-game; it now needs 20 merges. If you play assassin carries: move Golden Knight resources toward Boss Bandit. If you run Forest: push to the 4- and 6-troop breakpoints; the trait finally pays. If you pick by quest speed: Echo Sage (1/3/7) and Tomb Queen (3/15/50) are now the fastest reliable Orb engines — check the Quest Orb Calculator for the updated milestones.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why were the July 2 changes only announced in August?
The July 2, 2026 changes went live in-game without published notes; Supercell's August 5 post includes them with an apology "for the delay in posting these." All six troop changes, the Forest trait buff, and three equipment changes had been live for 34 days before documentation.
Did Spirit Empress get nerfed in Merge Tactics?
Spirit Empress's quest objectives rose from 3/15/50 to 3/20/60 on August 4, 2026 — a 33%/20% increase to milestones 2 and 3. Her +1-Elixir-per-merge ability is unchanged, and Supercell's notes confirm she was "still dominating the top Arenas" at the time of the nerf.
Is Golden Knight still good in Merge Tactics Season 10?
Golden Knight lost 17% HP (1200 → 1000) in the July 2 patch and is no longer the default 5-cost assassin — Supercell wanted his dash damage to be "the only main event." He still deletes backlines, but Boss Bandit (buffed to 1200 HP in the same patch) is now the more durable carry.
What are the new Ruler quest objectives after August 4?
Five Rulers changed on August 4, 2026: Goblin Queen 2/8/20, Grand Warden 3/10/20, Royale King 2/3/4, Spirit Empress 3/20/60, and Tomb Queen 3/15/50. Echo Sage's 1/3/7 (from July 2) is unchanged; the other four Rulers keep their previous objectives.
Did the Forest trait get buffed?
The Forest trait gained ally-wide bonus Hit Speed on July 2, 2026: 15% at the 2-troop breakpoint, 30% at 4, and 60% at 6 — all previously 0%. Combined with Baby Dragon's +100 HP, Forest went from the weakest trait to a competitive comp core.
Is Valkyrie's Axe better after the rework?
Valkyrie's Axe traded durability (10 → 3) for double the radius (1 → 2) and full split damage (50% → 100%) on July 2, 2026. It is better in the early rounds it now targets — three big AOE spins into clumped boards — and worse as a long-fight sustained-damage item.