Patch 1.4 is easily the most game-shifting update PokéPath TD has seen so far. This is not just a “new content” patch, it actively changes how you farm, how you build teams, which Pokémon are worth investing in, and even how bosses behave. If you played before 1.4 and jump back in now without adjusting, things are going to feel very different.
This guide breaks down what actually matters from the update, what changes your gameplay decisions, and what you should be doing differently going forward.
Three New Maps and Route Changes
The headline feature is the addition of three new routes, which immediately expands late-game options. Alongside that, some older routes have been subtly reworked.
Route 31 is the most noticeable change among existing maps. The entrance path has been adjusted in a way that finally makes the first placement slot usable. Previously, that spot felt awkward or outright bad. Now it can actually support early carries or farming setups, which matters more than it sounds.
The new routes also introduce new boss farming considerations, especially because gold values vary heavily between bosses now. Route 33 in particular shows promise for late-game gold farming due to extremely high boss gold payouts compared to older farming routes.
Bosses Now Have Passives (This Is Huge)
Bosses are no longer just big stat checks. Many of them now come with passive abilities, which completely change how certain routes play.
Some examples:
- Lunala enters invisible, loses invisibility, then regains it after a few seconds thanks to Shadow Shield.
- Regigigas has Slow Start, which affects how viable it is for farming depending on how long it stays on the map.
- Other legendary bosses now force you to think about timing, visibility, and damage windows.
This single change kills several old farming strategies outright, especially Route 13 Lunala farming. If you were relying on that, it is no longer reliable or efficient.
UI Quality-of-Life Changes
On paper these look small, but in practice they save a massive amount of time.
You can now:
- Level up Pokémon directly from the UI
- Equip and swap items directly from the UI
- Change items during battle
- Rearrange Pokémon via drag-and-drop (this appears slightly buggy right now, but the feature exists)
Wave Manager now supports repeating waves, which is a massive buff to shiny farming and controlled testing. Once this system is fully stable, it will probably become the backbone of most efficient farms.
Challenges Reworked and Easier to Access
Challenges no longer require 900 stars. The requirement has been lowered to 540 stars, and you only need 30 Pokémon total to unlock them.
This means:
- You can access challenge rewards much earlier
- Completed challenges now give ribbons
- Ribbons can be used to obtain items and Pokémon
This strongly suggests that some Pokémon will be challenge-exclusive, making challenges mandatory content instead of optional side objectives.
Item Changes That Actually Matter
Patch 1.4 added 20 new items, but more importantly, it heavily rebalanced existing ones.
Some of the biggest changes:
- Soft Sand now gives 100% damage, but its bonus halves per enemy hit instead of dropping by 1%. This makes it much stronger for focused damage builds.
- Spell Tag bonus increased significantly and now caps at 50%.
- Sticky Barb bonus increased.
- Berry Juice was nerfed, which was necessary because it was completely dominating builds.
- Old Rod range increased from 60 to 75, making it much more usable.
- Cell Battery now also grants 50% damage.
- Sniper Scope was actually buffed, not nerfed, which is massive for Pokémon like Noivern.
- Nanab Berry is now absurdly strong, boosting range, damage, and recharge, and can now be held by Infernape.
- Amulet Coin now scales with stars at 0.1% per star, which turns it into a serious late-game item if you have high completion.
Some items also gained or lost compatibility with specific Pokémon, which quietly changes optimal builds across the board.
Ability Changes and New Mechanics
Ten new abilities were added, and several existing ones were reworked.
The standout is Fiery Dance, which detonates Burn for percentage max HP damage. This is clearly designed for boss melting and will likely define future Burn-based metas.
Other important changes:
- Armor Break now works even if enemy armor is already at zero.
- Critical Damage Aura was renamed and buffed to 50%.
- Flame bonus increased from 25% to 50%.
- Sniper damage reduced slightly to balance item buffs.
Overall, abilities now matter much more than before. Ignoring them is no longer viable.
Pokémon Buffs and Nerfs – Meta Shake-Up
This patch touched a massive portion of the roster.
Some highlights:
- Greninja received meaningful buffs and is now undeniably top-tier.
- Sceptile was buffed again, reinforcing its position as one of the strongest Pokémon in the game.
- Arbok received power, crit, and range buffs and can now be placed on grass, making it far more threatening.
- Comfey was already strong and is now borderline ridiculous.
- Lycanroc and Miraidon were heavily nerfed, which was necessary given how dominant they were.
- Stack Attacker Pokémon received extreme buffs, turning them from memes into legitimate threats.
- Some Pokémon like Omastar, Swalot, and Torkoal were hit very hard and may struggle to find a role now.
The takeaway is that the meta is not just shifted, it is reset. Old tier lists are no longer reliable without updating.
Farming After Patch 1.4
Old Lunala farming is effectively dead due to invisibility and Shadow Shield mechanics.
New farming candidates based on gold output include:
- Regirock
- Groudon
- Regigigas (potentially, due to Slow Start behavior)
- Route 33 bosses in general
Gold values now range from around 50k to over 90k depending on the route, which is a massive spread compared to older maps. Farming strategy now depends on boss behavior, not just raw stats.
