Developer Notes #13

Greetings, Star Guardians.

This is PD Koo of .

It is hard to believe that we are already sharing our thirteenth Developer Notes with all of you.

We sincerely thank you for your continued support and valuable feedback.

In this Developer Notes, we would like to provide advance notice regarding the major restructures to be applied through the Version 1.5 Update.

In this Version 1.5 Update, not only have we expanded the new story and region, but we have also prepared a restructure of the entire content structure and progression system based on the feedback you have provided so far and actual play data.

In this Developer Notes, we would like to talk about the following topics:

- Star Trace Crystalloid Issues
- Major Direction for Version 1.5 Update

- Boss Challenge & Dungeon Content Revamps

- Growth System Revamps

- Growth Difficulty Adjustments

- Introduction of New Weekly Content 'Raid'

- Application of Daisy’s Potential Effects and Additional Acquisition Opportunities

- Time Attack Ranking Pre-Season Details

■ Star Trace Crystalloid Issues

First, we understand that many Star Guardians have experienced confusion regarding the patch conducted on May 26 (Tue). We sincerely apologize for unintentionally confusing you.

Our development team was progressing on improvements to provide a new method for acquiring Star Trace Crystalloid for this Version 1.5 Update.

Although we planned to share the related details with you in this Developer Notes, unverified data that was under development during the previous update process was unintentionally applied to the actual patch, resulting in a situation where Star Trace Crystalloid was rewarded in-game when achieving Mastery during a specific period.

We apologize once again for confusing you by exposing details before preparation was completed.

✦ Additional Acquisition Paths for Star Trace Crystalloid After the Version 1.5 Update

As mentioned previously, after this Version 1.5 Update, we plan to provide additional Star Trace Crystalloid through the two routes below.

- Star Trace Crystalloid will be distributed when acquiring Potential points through Mastery after reaching the highest tier of Potential.
  SR Hero: Star Trace Crystalloid x5
  SSR Hero: Star Trace Crystalloid x20

- Star Trace Crystalloid will now be distributed when acquiring a hero through 120 Loyalty draws in the Hero Pick Up Draw.
  Upon achieving Pick Up SSR Hero 120 Loyalty draws: Star Trace Crystalloid x10
  Upon achieving Pick Up SSR Hero 120 Loyalty draws after reaching the highest tier of Potential: Star Trace Crystalloid x20

After the update, it will be changed so that you can acquire Star Trace Crystalloid when the conditions mentioned above are achieved.

✦ Retrospective Distribution of Unreceived Star Trace Crystalloid

We plan to retroactively distribute the unreceived Star Trace Crystalloid to those who did not receive it despite achieving Mastery after reaching the highest tier of Potential or acquiring a hero through the 120 Loyalty draws in Hero Pick Up Draw before this update. However, if you have already received some Star Trace Crystalloid based on changed standards during the period of the issue, we will deduct that specific amount before distribution to prevent duplicate rewards.

The ‘Star Trace Crystalloid’ to be retroactively distributed can be claimed through the in-game mailbox after the Version 1.5 update.

We sincerely apologize once again for the confusion caused during the process of changing the Star Trace Crystalloid distribution, and we plan to provide 1,000 Star Fragments to all Star Guardians as a token of our apology.

- Star Fragment x1,000

* After the Version 1.5 update, rewards will be claimed from your in-game mailbox until 6/18 (Thu) 14:59 (UTC).

■ Major Direction for Version 1.5 Update

This Version 1.5 Update is being prepared with a focus on a revamp of core content and the overall growth structure, along with the addition of a new story and region.

Specifically, our goal is to organize content to focus on hero growth through streamlined combat and expand hero growth so that players can play existing content more easily.

■ Boss Challenge & Dungeon Content Revamps

✦ Removal of Existing Dungeons and Addition of Raid

Through this update, the ‘Ferzen Mines’ and ‘Deep Spider Nest’ dungeons that you previously played will be temporarily removed.

As for the ‘The Capital of the Dead’ dungeon, it will remain open, but its nature will be changed to Dungeon Elite Boss content by lowering the overall difficulty and adjusting rewards.

Previously, existing dungeon content increased accessibility to the final boss battle through route improvements and the addition of shortcuts, but as a result, we believe the structural differences from Boss Challenge content gradually decreased.

While adding the new content ‘Raid’ through this update, we aim to reintroduce the removed existing dungeons again in a new form through a renewal.

✦ Transfer of Existing Dungeon Rewards to Boss Challenges

As existing dungeons are temporarily closed or adjusted, rewards previously obtained from dungeons will be transferred to Boss Challenges, structured so that they can be obtained identically through Boss Challenges.

We understand there may be concerns that the acquisition probability of existing Boss Challenge rewards might decrease during this process.

In this revamp, we plan to maintain existing Boss Challenge rewards as they are while separately adding the rewards transferred from dungeons. As a result, we would like to provide them to you in a direction where the total amount of rewards that can be obtained through playing Boss Challenges is upgraded compared to before.

✦ Handling of Existing Dungeon Material Items

Material items previously obtained from existing dungeons, such as ‘Mysterious Source of the Long-dead’, will be revamped along with the dungeon renewal.

Starting from this update, crafting recipes that used those materials will also be changed based on materials that can be obtained from Boss Challenges.

We plan to allow the existing dungeon material items you currently hold to be exchanged 1:1 for other Boss Challenge materials, and we will provide you with the detailed information on the exchange method and target items through the Update Details.

■ Growth System Revamps

✦ Simultaneous Equipping of Engraved Equipment & Armor

Through this update, the system will be revamped to allow Engraved Equipment and Armor to be equipped simultaneously.

Previously, since Engraved Equipment was in a form that replaced the Armor parts, it was a structure where it was practically difficult to utilize the effects of 3 or more equipment sets with only the Accessory slot.

Due to this environment, the Armor sets that you farmed were not fully utilized, and most were used only as materials through salvage. With the hope that the various types of Armor that can be acquired in-game will be meaningfully utilized as more valuable equipment, we prepared this revamp.

After this revamp, the passive effects and Equipment set effects of Engraved Equipment can be applied simultaneously, and the main stats and randomly obtained options of existing Armor will be maintained as they are, so the overall survivability of the heroes, including HP, will increase. Through this, we look forward to various setting configurations combining Engraved Equipment and Equipment sets becoming possible for each hero.

✦ Adjustments to Certain Armor Set Effects

As the passive and set effects of Engraved Equipment can be utilized at the same time, adjustments to values will be processed together in areas where excessive synergy may occur in certain combinations based on current content.

Although the main stats of the existing Armor set will remain the same, certain sub and set options will be partially adjusted, and we will provide details of the specific changes in a future notice.

However, as this overall Armor revamp increases the total combat power through the simultaneous equipping of Engraved Equipment and Armor sets, the corresponding value adjustments will focus on modifying parts where excessive synergy is expected.

Overall, we are preparing in a way that can provide an experience of becoming stronger than before after the revamp through this update.

✦ Armor Crafting & Accessory Maximum Quality Unlocked

The maximum quality of Armor Crafting and Accessory, which were previously obtainable only with fixed quality, will be unlocked along with this revamp.

Starting after this update, you will be able to obtain equipment with up to 125 quality, depending on the equipment, even through crafting.

In the case of Equipment Crafting, quality will appear up to the maximum value designated for each piece of equipment, with the quality currently obtainable through crafting as the minimum value. Through this, we wish to present an environment where equipment that players hesitated to craft and utilize due to its previously low quality can be diversely crafted and utilized.

✦ Gluttonous Soul Weapons Set Buffed

Many Star Guardians have continuously shared feedback that the performance of the Gluttonous Soul Weapons Set, which requires more materials, is not enough compared to the materials necessary for crafting.

Through this update, different Secondary Bonuses will be additionally granted to the previously existing Gluttonous Soul Weapons.

These options will be added to match the characteristics of the hero that appeared with each special weapon, and through this, we expect to show performance that fits the name of the special weapon.

We will prepare the details of the specific changes through the updated details notice.

■ Growth Difficulty Adjustments

Along with the upgrade of Boss Challenge rewards through this dungeon revamp, the difficulty of growth will also be eased. Rather than directly reducing the amount of materials, we are preparing in a direction that makes the growth path smoother.

As introduced in the previous Developer Notes, the required number of Cube Keys when defeating Field Elite Monsters will be changed to 0 through this update. Through this, along with the reduction in respawn time applied through the last update, an environment where rewards for Elite Monsters can practically be acquired without limits will be available.

As it becomes an environment where unlimited repetitive farming is possible, only Gold and Mastery EXP will be excluded from the existing rewards, but other rewards, such as Fragments or Marks, can be acquired in the same way as before.

Our development team intends to provide a way to progress the Mastery growth of heroes more easily than before, based on this Elite Monsters farming environment. Additionally, we expect that the difficulty of SR weapon crafting, which can be acquired through crafting, will also be further eased than before.

In addition to this, a recipe to craft ‘SSR Magic Crystal Shard’ with ‘SR Magic Crystal Shard’ will be added through this update.

Previously, the path to obtaining ‘SSR Magic Crystal Shard’ was limited, but through this improvement, a route will be added to craft SR weapons more easily and craft ‘SSR Magic Crystal Shard’ with ‘SR Magic Crystal Shard’ obtained by salvaging these weapons.

Through this, we would like to provide a way to obtain the SSR Magic Crystal Shard more easily than before to proceed with Weapon Limit Break.

As the SSR Weapon Limit Break difficulty is eased through this revamp, we expect the overall survivability and Attack of heroes to be upgraded, and aim for the experienced difficulty of existing content to be relatively eased as well.

■ New Weekly Content 'Raid' & ‘Star Fragment’ Acquisition Routes

Through this Version 1.5 update, we plan to introduce a new weekly content ‘Raid’ where party play of up to 5 members is possible.

As informed in the previous Developer Notes, the new content ‘Raid’ has been prepared in a form that reinforces the existing dungeon play structure.

However, it is not content that requires repetitive play every day, but is in a format where players play on a weekly basis to obtain rewards, and rewards can be obtained up to 2 times per week.

As mentioned in the previous Developer Notes, it is structured so that you can regularly obtain ‘Star Fragment’ through the Raid. Currently, we are preparing rewards so that you can obtain about 1,000 ‘Star Fragments’ each week. Detailed contents about the Raid will be provided through the updated details notice.

■ Application of Daisy’s Potential Effects and Additional Acquisition Opportunities

✦ Application of Daisy’s Potential \[Tier 6] effect

Regarding the localized translation issue in certain languages of Daisy’s Potential that was informed through the past Developer Notes, the Daisy’s Potential \[Tier 6] effect will be applied as follows through this Version 1.5 Update.

- Landing a Normal Attack or Ultimate Move decreases the enemy's Crit Defense by 15% for 20 sec.

We sincerely apologize once more for confusing the hero performance guidance process regarding the localized translation issue in certain languages of Daisy’s Potential.

In the future, we will improve the translation and specification verification processes for heroes to ensure the same issue does not repeat.

✦ Pick Up Draw Rerun Due to Daisy’s Performance Buff

Since the last Developer Notes, we have confirmed opinions that many people hope for an additional opportunity to obtain Daisy.

As many people are interested in the rerun of Pick Up Hero, our development team is continuously having extensive discussions about when and how to present them to you.

However, as this case is a part where incorrect information regarding specifications was provided, apart from this, we would like to run the Pick Up once more so that you can obtain Daisy again during the Version 1.5 update period.

The Pick Up Daisy Draw, which opens alongside this update, will provide a guaranteed acquisition opportunity at 120 draws, just like the existing new Hero Pick Up Draw, and it is planned to run with specifications sharing the guaranteed acquisition count of the existing Hero Pick Up Draw’s SSR hero. In addition, we are preparing so that Daisy’s Skins can be obtained together.

■ Time Attack Ranking Pre-Season Details

Many Star Guardians are currently participating in the ongoing Time Attack Ranking Pre-Season.

Our development team is also checking the records updated every day, and we are looking at it with interest, as some show various ways of utilizing heroes in addition to the expected combinations.

Among them, there is a playstyle that our development team is currently watching closely.

This method shortens clear times by using skills and Ultimate Moves in advance to secure maximum buffs before the time attack starts, and then utilizing Transformation type Ultimate Moves with maintained durations to clear quickly.

We consider this method a normal strategy as it utilizes the content's starting rules.

However, during the process of officially running the Time Attack Ranking in the future, we worry that heroes that can accumulate pre-buffs or the utilization of transformation type Ultimate Moves with a specific duration might become overly central to strategies.

In addition, if balance is adjusted based on this playstyle, we are also worried that the difficulty of general content for those who do not participate in rankings could become excessively high.

After this Version 1.5 Update, we plan to review the impact of this playstyle for the regular operation of the Time Attack Ranking Season to be held in the future, and we will provide you with the adjustment direction in advance through Developer Notes timed with the start of the regular season.

This Version 1.5 update has been prepared with a focus on revamps of the overall core content and growth structure, as well as a new region and story.

Since the overall survivability and Attack of heroes will be increased through this revamp, the perceived difficulty of existing content will also be eased.

Even after the update, we will continue listening closely to your feedback and do our best to make a better Britannia together with our Star Guardians.

Thank you.

Sincerely, 

PD Koo