Developer Notes #16

Greetings, Star Guardians.

This is PD Koo of .

It’s hard to believe we’re already greeting you through our sixteenth Developer Notes.

Following the Version 1.6 update, has now reached its 100th day since launch. A great deal has happened over these 100 days, but the fact that we’re able to keep bringing you update after update is entirely thanks to you, our Star Guardians. We are truly grateful.

Looking back to when we first introduced , it was a game with no shortage of shortcomings.

Given the nature of the open-world genre, there were many issues we simply hadn’t anticipated, and we recognize that our inability to show you a more polished, welcoming experience was a shortcoming on our part. For that, we sincerely apologize once again.

In an effort to address as many of these shortcomings as quickly as possible, our development team has been working nonstop since launch.

Of course, even now, 100 days in, we know there's still a lot we fall short on, and plenty we'll need to keep working on going forward. Still, it's thanks to you, our Star Guardians, staying with us through that process of filling in the gaps one by one that we believe we’ve been able to steadily improve and successfully reach this 100-day update.

Through this 100-day anniversary survey, you shared an incredible number of opinions with us as well. Our development team is reviewing every single piece of feedback carefully.

Going forward, we will continue working without pause to fix what's wrong, fill in what's lacking, and show you steady improvement along the way.

In this Developer Notes, we'd like to walk you through the major content coming with the upcoming Version 1.7 update. For this Version 1.7, we're preparing a new region, a new main story chapter, and brand-new content.

✦ Weapon-Specific Equipment Presets

One of the unique features of is that a single hero can fulfill a variety of roles by utilizing three different weapons.

However, switching Engraved Equipment, Armor, and Accessories every time you change weapons has been a cumbersome process, and many Star Guardians have shared feedback regarding this inconvenience.

With this update, we plan to improve the hero equipment preset feature so that your pre-configured Engraved Equipment, Armor, and Accessories will automatically change based on the weapon your hero is currently using.

You can configure different equipment setups for each of a hero's three weapons or register the same Armor set across all three weapons. However, unlike the previous system where additional Armor could be equipped alongside Engraved Equipment, the stats from Armor registered to each weapon will not be combined.

Equipping the same Armor on another hero will still remove it from the original hero. However, within a single hero's equipment presets, versatile Armor and Accessories such as the 'Life Crystal' or 'Hymn of Regeneration' can be registered across all three weapons using a single equipment set.

We hope this improvement makes switching weapons and taking full advantage of each hero's different roles a much more convenient experience.

✦ \[Combat View Assist] Feature Added

With heroes’ skills and Combined Attack effects being so visually striking, players have occasionally found themselves caught off guard mid-battle when enemies get obscured by these effects. In particular, since Merlin’s release, we’ve received a lot of feedback that Combined Attack effects can make it hard to see party members and bosses clearly.

In high-difficulty content like Raids, a single mistake like this can end up being fatal, so our development team has been treating this as an important issue to address.

With this update, we’re adding a \[Combat View Assist] option to the settings menu that prioritizes displaying the silhouettes of monsters and party members even when they’re obscured by effects. This feature can be toggled through the settings menu, and we hope it makes combat feel more intuitive to navigate.

■ New Content

✦ New Raid 'Deep Spider Nest'

This update introduces the new Raid 'Deep Spider Nest', a revamped version of the original 'Deep Spider Nest' dungeon. While retaining its overall structure, it also features several new areas and routes.

Unlike the Raid 'Taranis's Sanctuary', where Elite Monsters are encountered at fixed locations, 'Deep Spider Nest' features Elite Monsters that spawn at random locations within a designated area. To earn all available rewards, you’ll need to track down and defeat every Elite Monster that appears.

Success in this Raid depends on quickly locating and defeating Elite Monsters as they appear across several possible spawn locations. Just like in the original ‘Deep Spider Nest’ dungeon, braziers can also be used to assist you throughout the Raid.

The final boss, ‘Shakeera’, also returns with a mix of familiar and new attack patterns. Alongside the new Raid, a Pledge system unique to ‘Deep Spider Nest’ will also be introduced, featuring different completion conditions from those in ‘Taranis’s Sanctuary’.

More details will be shared through an upcoming official livestream and a separate notice.

✦ 'Mystic Key' Recharge for the New Raid Update

Because the update introducing the new Raid ‘Deep Spider Nest’ is scheduled to take place in the middle of the week, some Star Guardians may not have the opportunity to clear the ‘Taranis’s Sanctuary’ Raid before the update and then challenge the new Raid before ‘Mystic Keys’ reset the following Monday.

To address this, just as we did when the Pledge feature was first added, we plan to recharge 2 ‘Mystic Keys’ during the Version 1.7 update for Star Guardians who have already used their current keys.

Please note that this is a recharge of previously used ‘Mystic Keys’, not an additional distribution of keys. To receive the recharged keys after the Version 1.7 update, be sure to use all of your current ‘Mystic Keys’ before the update.

✦ Knighthood Boss Battle & Knighthood Rankings

Following the Version 1.7 update, new Knighthood content centered around Knighthood Boss Battles will become available.

The content will first become available the week after the update, allowing Star Guardians time to review the Knighthood Boss Battle details and either prepare their Knighthood or join one before it begins.

In Knighthood Boss Battles, Knighthood members can participate either solo or as a party. The objective is to earn as many points as possible within the time limit. Points are awarded based on the amount of damage dealt to the boss, and once the boss’s HP has been fully depleted, an even stronger boss immediately appears. 

The combat difficulty is being designed to be less demanding than Timespace Junction or Raids. Instead, we are designing it as content where Knighthood members can work together to develop strategies and team compositions that maximize damage within the time limit.

Knighthood Rankings will be introduced alongside Knighthood Boss Battles. Rankings will be determined weekly based on Knighthood Boss Battle scores, and all Knighthood members will receive rewards based on the weekly rankings. 

Rather than being based on the combined scores of all Knighthood members, a Knighthood's score will be determined by its highest individual score. This is intended to allow even a small group of dedicated members to compete for top rankings without requiring participation from a large number of Knighthood members.

■ Content Currently in Development

As outlined above, the Version 1.7 update has been prepared to introduce new content and various improvements. Beyond this update, we will continue preparing an even wider variety of content, events, and improvements.

We are currently preparing a variety of new content for future updates, including large-scale boss battles for five or more players and Original Quests that recreate memorable scenes from the original anime in . We will continue doing our best to provide enjoyable experiences for all Star Guardians through .

Once this new content is ready, we will share more details through a future Developer Notes.

■ Closing

As a token of our gratitude to all the Star Guardians who have been with Origin for over 100 days, we'd like to offer a small gift. We will continue doing our best to make a game that continues to grow and improve well beyond its half-anniversary and first anniversary.

✦ 100-Day Anniversary Thank-You Gift

- Star Fragment x1,000

- Radiant Potion of Charm x2

- Fruit and Meat Pie x30

* The rewards can be claimed from your in-game mailbox until August 5 (Wed) 14:59 (UTC).

We also plan to continue providing plenty of rewards through future updates and events, and we hope you'll continue to look forward to what's to come.

Thank you.

Sincerely, 

PD Koo