Today's update on skill add-ons brings about the beginning of the 2nd wave of the class balance changes. Previously, skill add-on effects were divided by 3 tiers, but some effects were too effective, potentially causing some discrepancies between classes. Thus, we decided to implement a more simpler, more convenient, albeit fair, change to all skill add-ons entirely. To summarize the implemented changes... First, skill add-on tiers are now determined by skill cooldown timers. Second, skill add-on tiers are now only discernable by the duration of the granted effects. We've also adjusted the duration based on skill add-on types. For buff-type skill add-on effects, we've mainly increased their duration across the board, mainly in hopes to reduce the stress of keeping these buffs applied for our adventurers. Certain special on hit skill add-on effects that apply Down Smash, Air Smash, or recover HP have seen the numbers unified for all tiers, hence making them more accessible regardless of tier. There may be a brief period of adjustment required for getting used to these new skill add-on changes, but we graciously ask for your understanding as we sought to implement these changes to make skill add-ons more accessible and enjoyable for all adventurers, old and new. Ever since last week's 1st wave of class balance changes, we've been closely monitoring for and planning the direction of the next wave of changes. As today's update dealt with skill add-on changes, do note that we will focus on tweaking the changed damage numbers for the time being.

The latest boss monster in the Black Shrine, the Imoogi, was one of the toughest bosses to defeat due to its high difficulty. To address this, we've eliminated certain mechanics in the Calamity 1 and Calamity 2, allowing players to focus solely on battling the Imoogi. For the remaining Calamity levels, we've adjusted the damage and reduced the overall burden of game mechanics, making it easier for players to concentrate on their fight with the Imoogi. Additionally, we've unified the hit count of Duoksini, known for its high damage, making it more manageable than before.

Previously, obtaining crystals from the Black Shrine and production nodes was a time-consuming process because they could be obtained based on the probability. To address this, we've increased the chance of obtaining crystals and significantly boosted the number of Sangpyeong Coins you can get from the Black Shrine, which can be readily exchanged for crystals.

Sightings of Hollow Maretta, the Siren of the Ocean, have been reported from the vast Margoria Sea. Unlike pirate fleets, Hollow Maretta is rarely encountered by sailors traversing the Margoria Sea. Being a mythical creature akin to the mermaids of lore, encountering Maretta at sea is quite a feat in itself, but upon trespassing her waters, adventurers will hear the seductive melodies of her song fill up a large area (as the background music will change immediately.) Those who dare brave their chances against Hollow Maretta will have to navigate past her summoned typhoons and Hekaru minions (and their explosive attacks). Much caution is advised.

Along with the addition of Hollow Maretta, we've also added a Manos life tool for our Sailing adventurers. Bearing a similar effect to the Manos Riding Crop, the Manos Sailing Log will increase your ship's speed for various situations. You can craft this adventurer's tome by using materials obtained from defeating Hollow Maretta in the Great Ocean. Srulk and Loggia Sailing Logs are also available for purchase from certain town vendors, which we hope will help any seafaring adventurers who yearn to sail in the open seas.

Another update requested by many of our seafaring adventurers is to increase the distance permitted to board and disembark from a ship. Today's update doubles the pre-existing board/disembark distance, which we hope will help our adventurers conveniently set out to sea.

The third region of Ulukita will soon be revealed. We are also planning to joint-release the main questline along with the third region, but before all that, today's update brings to us a prequel quest leading into Ulukita itself. This questline covers the tale of Prince Bareeds III, an unfortunate figure in the current landscape of Mediahn politics. Please look forward to it.

Previously we had added a questline involving the records of the ancient kingdom of Orzeca to obtain Garmoth's Heart. Today's update adds an entirely new questline to obtain an additional heart. The previously added Orzecan records questline had adventurers engaging in various activities and progression, and, after investing much time and resources, would reward adventurers with a Garmoth's Heart. Today's update is a bit more straightforward, as you will need to defeat the Crimson Dragon enough times until you collect the right amount of items to trade in for her most coveted heart. We also decided to increase the max price of Garmoth's Heart on the Central Market. We hope these changes add more weight to the accomplishment of obtaining this precious crystal, as well as further add to the anticipation and excitement towards the next encounter with the Crimson Dragon herself.

When building a fort for Node/Conquest Wars, it's crucial to consider not only the Node War area but also the surrounding terrain and distance to the nearest town. However, we've noticed that battles can become unfairly biased due to enemies resurrecting in Safe Zones near allied forts. This issue stems from the fact that, unlike towns, resurrection points within Safe Zones are not consistent. This variability has posed a significant challenge for Adventurers responsible for fort construction, as it's difficult to predict for each Node War. To address this and ease the burden of constantly determining Safe Zone resurrection points, we've decided to disable the Safe Zone resurrection feature.

Additionally, during Node/Conquest Wars, players often die outside the designated combat area, which previously forced them to resurrect in a Safe Zone or town, far from the battle. This not only caused delays in rejoining the fight but also disrupted the overall battle dynamics, especially from the leader's perspective. To resolve this, we've now enabled players to resurrect at their fort, even if they die outside the designated area, allowing for quicker re-engagement in the battle. We've also noted that restrictions are not consistently applied outside the node area in nodes with stat limits. We recognize this issue and are exploring further improvements.