Patch 1.0.30 Hidden Feel: What Actually Changed for Katana Mains

When Team Horay pushed Patch 1.0.30 on Steam, the patch notes were notoriously brief: “Minor balance adjustments, localization fixes, and collision cleanups.”

If you play a ranged caster or a Greatsword tank, you probably didn’t notice much difference. But if you have spent 50+ hours mastering the Katana family (especially the Cheongwangsak into Biryuu route), you likely felt something was off within five minutes of stepping into the Training Courtyard.

Your dash-cancel window felt tighter. The third slash of the light attack combo seemed to hold you in place for an extra breath.

To find out whether this was pure placebo or an actual stealth alteration, I ran 50 benchmark runs across both patch builds (capturing 60 FPS footage and counting recovery frames). Here is what the numbers actually showed.

The Frame Data Test: 1.0.26 vs. 1.0.30

I recorded inputs on a standardized character profile (Level 40, zero evasion gear, baseline 1.00 Attack Speed modifier) executing 100 consecutive 3-hit Katana strings against the test dummy:

Action / Animation Window	Patch 1.0.26 (Frames)	Patch 1.0.30 (Frames)	Net Change
Slash 1 Startup	8 frames	8 frames	No change
Slash 2 Connect	14 frames	14 frames	No change
Slash 3 Hit-Stop	6 frames	9 frames	+3 frames (+50ms)
Dash-Cancel Window	Active on Frame 16	Active on Frame 19	Delayed by 3 frames
Double-Dip Proc Window	0.22s buffer	0.18s buffer	Tightened buffer

Key Finding #1: The Slash 3 Hit-Stop Nerf

The most noticeable change is in Slash 3. The hit-stop (the brief moment the blade freezes on impact to give tactile weight) was lengthened from 6 to 9 frames. While this makes the slash sound and look chunkier, it artificially extends your vulnerable recovery window by roughly 50 milliseconds.

If you were used to immediately dashing through a charging boss on Frame 16, you will now eat the hitbox on Frame 17 or 18. You must delay your dash decision by a split second, or cancel the combo before the third strike.

Key Finding #2: Cheongwangsak Double-Dip Timing

On Patch 1.0.26, the Double-Dip passive (where regular attacks register both as normal attacks and final combo hits under active poise) had a generous 0.22-second buffer. In 1.0.30, this window tightened down to 0.18 seconds.

What does this mean in practice? If your frame rate dips below 55 FPS during busy floor encounters, input drops can cause your secondary damage multiplier to fail to trigger.

How We Adjusted the Biryuu Build

Because of these findings, I updated our Biryuu Katana Build Guide to reflect Patch 1.0.30 realities:

1. Prioritize 15%+ Attack Speed: Reaching a 1.15x attack speed threshold completely offsets the 3-frame hit-stop penalty, returning your combo rhythm to its smooth pre-patch feel.
2. Preset Revision: Our verified preset [PRESET:SEPH-1030-BK-CRIT60] now swaps out one secondary crit ring for an attack cadence trinket to ensure 100% Double-Dip consistency even in chaotic co-op rooms.

Small stealth changes happen in almost every roguelite patch. That’s why we maintain our Patch & Evidence Methodology—to test assumptions instead of guessing.