August 5 (Thu) Update Details

Here are the updates made to Shadow Arena during the maintenance on August 5th (Thu).
* Patch Size: Approx. 375.06 MB

Check out the details below, and we will see you in the Arena!

■ Preseason

- Preseason has started.
> Preseason Period: August 5, 2021 (Thursday) after maintenance – August 12, 2021 (Thursday) before maintenance
> Your performance during the pre-season will not be reflected on the previous season's records once the new season begins.

Hello, this is the Shadow Arena Development Team.
The much-anticipated solo mode has been added to the main modes.

The solo mode was tweaked based on various perspectives including information from reviewing each hero's and item balance from internal tests, and from the data that we've gathered from the solo event in the Custom Match Mode.

However, it is true that more time is needed to fine-tune the solo mode. That is why, during the preseason, which begins today, our goal is to gather and review data from gameplay patterns and feedback from our players in order to find a satisfactory balance until next week. We will also utilize any feedback on solo mode that is shared through the DevChat for a better balance.

The new solo mode has some rules that are different from trio mode.
The two notable differences are progression based on survival time and barrier skill.

In the previous solo mode, players relied heavily on farming to the point where it affected their progression. This created a situation where players who failed to grow could barely inflict damage against a player who were better equipped through farming.

As a result, players who failed to grow had little hope of winning, which often resulted in them leaving in the middle of the match. The goal of progression based on survival time this time is to give players hopes of victory until the end of the game, even if a player fails to farm during the match. In addition, we’ve also introduced a progression over time mechanic to relieve some of the burden of farming. However, based on the solo mode that was added to the Custom Match mode, we noticed that this feature greatly influenced the outcome of a match. Therefore, we increased the number of monsters for farming in order to better balance things out. We will continue to monitor the solo mode and make balance adjustments if required.

The Barrier skill was added to encourage 1v1 battle. Players using this skill at the right time could interrupt enemies’ attacks or overpower enemies who are fleeing. In addition, the skill can also come in handy to buy a little bit of time during battles. We believe that our players will find surprising ways to fully make use of this skill. However, keep in mind that the Barrier can be destroyed when the Red Dragon is being summoned or when it comes in contact with Relic of Ascension or other Barriers.

Now, we would like to share about the updates in the near future.

We briefly mentioned this from our last developers note, but the dash attack and jump dash attack renewal is currently being prepared for the new season. Although our plan was to add this change in this update, we felt that it needed a little more work which is why it is still under development with the goal of having it added next week. The development direction of this change is offer high risk and high return.

As in the previous version, the new dash attack will apply a short stiffness effect on the target, and the dash jump attack will be used to knock down enemies in order to continue with additional attacks. However, while it is easy to hit enemies with dash attacks, it will be more difficult to land hits with dash jump attacks than before, but the attack effects will be greater upon a successful hit.

Also, we are planning to adjust the charging distance at similar distance for all heroes. In addition, we also aim to adjust heroes’ basic attacks at similar level.

After we thoroughly test and apply these changes, we will also consider adding a risk that comes from a failed charging skill in consideration of balance to each heroes.

We would like to thank all the players for your feedback during Season 5, and we will share our development roadmap next week.

Thank you.

* The registration period for participants for the Event Cup – Trio will begin next week. Details about the event will be announced in a separate notice. We hope you look forward to this event.

■ Major Bug Fixes and Improvements

- [Solo Mode] Fixed the issue where you would stop moving due to using the Barrier(V) skill after or while in a match.
- [Solo Mode] Improved the disappearing effect of Barrier (V) skill.
- [Solo Mode] Changed so the below projectile explode or disappear immediately upon coming in contact with the barrier.
> Gorgath : Rock Manipulation, Rockwind B
> Durgeff Durkhan : Thaw Winter B
- Fixed the issue where you could not change your view to the left when quickly switching your viewpoint to the right.
- Changed the ‘Dark Shuriken’ item combination to the correct item (Black Necklace).
- Fixed the issue where AI players would appear in all zones when the skills ‘Aal's Tear’, ‘Beacon of Light’, and Wu-Ju’s Hide & Seek!’ were used.
> Changed so AI players only within 150m would appear.
- Adjusted so the kill buff effect would appear in the HP bar upon defeating enemies.
- Improved so sound effect would be played upon resurrecting.
- Improved the issue where sound effect would not be played when targeted enemies were inflicted by the Black Spirit’s skill ‘Bloodthirst’.
- Fixed so while applying the stun CC effect, it would be appear more clearly.

- Changed so AI players do not follow the party leader in certain situations.
> AI Players can split up periodically and engage in farming now.
- Players who have died and are in grave mode do not receive Ping commands.
- Fixed the issue where players would wait/be on standby outside of the dark fog for a long period of time.
> Fixed the issue where damage would not be applied to players outside of the dark fog.
> Fixed the issue where AI party members would continuously teleport when the party leader was outside of the dark fog, or in an area difficult to move in.

[Dev Note]
There was an AI logical issue where AI party members were forced to follow the party leader, leading them to wander around, teleport repeatedly, and left on standby for a long time outside of the dark fog. We have improved this issue so that AI players do not follow the party leader and are able to individually perfom in activities when the party leader is located outside of the fog, or in an area difficult to move around in.

■ Tier System (Solo)

- [Solo] System for earning Tier Points are as follows.

> Points per kill (number of kills*1) + basic points per Tier + Ranked Points

For example, if a player defeats a rival, achieves 10 kills, and comes in 1st place:
→ (Number of kills): 10, (Rank): 20, (Overshadow your rival): 5
→ 10 - 2 + 20 + 5 + 5 = Obtains 38 Points.

| Related to AI Players
- One AI player enters every 60 sec prior to entry of players. When a player enters, the 60 sec count is reset, and a maximum of 6 AI players enter in the match.

| Related to Matching
- Players under the Silver 1 Tier are not matched with players in a Gold Tier or higher.

■ Main Lobby Chat Window Renewal

- Changed the location of the main lobby chat window and the interface.
- Chat window can be activiated by pressing the Tap or Enter key.
- Chat tab can be changed quickly by inputting F1 – F4.
- [Party] , [Clan] Chat window are not activated if there are no party or clan members.

■ Heroes

| All Heroes
- Improved the camera effect for the skill ‘Bloodthirst’.
- Changed the Mastery B Skill video within [Main Screen] > [Hero] > [Introduction].
- Kill Buff effect upon defeating a Hero has been changed to the following.
> (Before) : Recovers HP +2000 for 5 sec
→ (Now) Recovers HP +3000 for 5 sec and resets cooldown for all skills (includes Black Spirit Skills)
[Dev Note]
Players were at a disadvantage if they suddenly encountered other players during battle. The reason for this is that they would've used all of their Black Spirit skills to win their previous encounter which made it difficult to challenge other opposing players. This in turn forced players to avoid encounters, because the risks involved in winning fights outweighed the benefits. As a result, we have increased the HP recovered and tokens obtained from defeating heroes. In addition, we've also added a perk that resets the cooldown of all skills to allow players to continue fighting other players.

- Decreased the maximum HP from 9000 to 8500.

| Spear of Serendia (RMB)
- Decreased the skill time of ‘Spear of Serendia’s knockdown’ from 1.4 to 1.2 sec.

| Formation Break A (R)
- Decreased the transition time to another skill from Formation Break by 0.1 sec.
> Adjusted the speed of smash attack so it would not suddenly speed up.
> Decreased the overall movement speed by approximately 0.1 sec.

[Dev Note]

Even after a patch that nerfed Jordine, he still performed exceptionally well thanks to his good base stats and having no weaknesses due to his ability to perform combo attacks repeatedly. Therefore, we made adjustments in decreasing the excessively strong aspects within his performance.

| Dark Mark A (Q)

- Skills’ effects have been changed to the following
> (Before) DP -20% for 6 sec → (Now) DP –20% for 3 sec
> (Before) AP x380 → (Now) AP x 330 (Decreased by 13%)

| Sun of Destruction A (R)

- Decreased cooldown from 26 sec to 24 sec.
- Increased damage by 15%.

[Dev Note]

The skill ‘Sun of Destruction A’ could be used without any risks to keep enemies in check it being a ranged skill with a short cooldown. Having effects of power reduction and the ability to combo attack at the same time were highly advantageous in damaging aspects as well. Therefore, we have decreased the damage and duration time of the skill so the power reduction effect cannot be overlapped.

| Shadow Strike B (R)
- Decreased the first casting movement by approximately 0.27 sec.

| Seed of Ice A (Q)
- Improved the hit effect.

| Thunderbolt Arrow (RMB)

- Improved the hit effect and adjusted to match the actual range.

| Shield of Fortitude (RMB)
- Decreased the Max HP Recovery from 900 to 600.

- Improved the hit effect of basic attacks.
- Decreased damage of basic attacks by 21%.

| Rockwind A (E)
- Decreased the attack range from 3m to 2.5m.
- Decreased damage by approximately 8.3%.

| Rockwind B (E)
- Increased the speed of gathering power from the whirlwind by approximately 29%.
- Increased damage to the following.
> Level 1: 292% (no change)
> Level 2 : (Before) 350% → (Now) 438%
> Level 3 : (Before) 438% → (Now) 584%

| Forbidden Alchemy A (R)
- Increased cooldown to the following.
> (Before) 60 sec -> (Now) 70 sec

| Forbidden Alchemy B (R)
- Increased cooldown to the following.
> (Before) 50 sec -> (Now) 60 sec

[Dev Note]
Gorgath appears to have a strong front due to his basic skills, and the highly damaging effects of ‘Rockwind A’ skill alongside his additional ability to obtain tokens by using the ‘Forbidden Alchemy’ skill.
So we decreased its excessive damage level and increased the cooldown of the skill. However, due to the overly decreased effects of the ‘Rockwind B’ skill in the last patch, it has been increased in aspects of its usage in applying damage.

| Thunder Strike A (Q)
- Fixed the issue where the camera effect would be reset while using skills
- Fixed the issue where the UI of key input guide would disappear while quickly using teleport (Black Spirit Skill) after using a skill.

| Heilang’s Territory B (E)
- Changed so AP and DP of enemies within the territory is not decreased, instead their movement and attack speed is decreased by 25% within the territory.
[Dev Note]
Based on the overall boost of AP and DP in Solo mode, the efficiency of the attack and defense mechanisms of Heilang’s Territory have been greatly decreased, making it a difficult aspect for Bari to face.
Due to the casting time of Bari’s skills being slow and consisted of big movements, we changed the skill’s effect by decreasing the attack and movement speed of enemies within the territory so they can be slowed prior to attacking them.

| Hide & Seek! B (Q)
- Improved so that even if you are outside of the available distance to teleport, standing explosive attack is will be available if you use the skill within a certain period of time.

| Found You! A (E)
- Decreased cooldown from 8 sec to 7 sec.
- Decreased HP recovery from 1500 -> 1000.

| Found You! B (E)
- Decreased the casting time by approximately 0.2 sec.

■ Improved Defeat Alarm

- Added a reference window at the center of the screen that provides you with details about enemies upon defeating a hero or upon the death of a player.
- Added a notification window that provides details on enemies upon a party member’s defeat.
- Improved the image that appears above the Heroes head upon defeating enemies.

■ Contents

- [Solo Mode] The minimum entry number of players ent was adjusted from 10 to 8. The maximum number of players remains at 12.
- [Trio Mode] Changed the time the appearance time of ‘Light of Ascension’ from 12 min to 15 min.
- Improved so Jump Gate can be used 30 sec after the game starts.
- Daily quests have been changed to the following. Daily quests apply to both Solo and Trio mode.

| Dark Fog
- Damage of the Powerful Dark Fog has been changed to the following.
(Before)
> After 15 sec, additional HP -500 every 1 sec
> After 30 sec, additional HP –1000 every 30 sec
(Now)
→ 3 After 30 sec, additional HP -500 every 1 sec
→ After 1 min, additional HP –1000 every 1 sec
- Damage of basic Dark Fog remains the same.
HP -200 every 1 sec, DP –50%, Heal –40%

- Changed so movement speed is increased by 30% when in coming in contact with the Dark Fog.
- Last Fog time movement time has been changed to the following.
(Before): 11 min ~ 12 min
→ (Now): 12 min ~ 13 min

[Dev Note]
For sometime, it was the case that even if you were in the dark fog for a short period of time, it caused players to be inflicted with great damage which was a big loss for them. This was to encourage HP recovery and for players to be able to withstand in the dark fog. However, depending on whether decreased Healing effects were added on top of the dark fog, the play was somewhat limited. Therefore we made adjustments so while the debuff of the dark fog is applied, movement speed is increased and the damaging period the ”Powerful” Dark Fog was delayed approximately by 30 sec so players can remain inside the dark for a strategic play.
It also may have seemed that the game runs abruptly in the last 10 to 12 minutes where the dark fog continuously narrows down. Therefore, we added a maintenance time for players by having the dark fog narrow down at 10 to 12 minutes and then weaken for 1 minute in between before the dark fog narrows again at 12 to 13 minutes.
Additionally, Light of Ascension appears after 12 minutes have passed when the dark fog narrows in, allowing the team that is at an advantage to utilize it. The time that the dark fog narrows at the most is delayed to 13 min, and the of Light of Ascension phase is delayed so there can be a variable to the combat in between 13 to 15 minutes.

| Item
- Price of Consumable Items have been changed to the following.
> HP Potion : (Before) 150 tokens → (Now) 100 tokens
> Sandwich : (Before) 200 tokens → (Now) 150 tokens
> Beacon of Light : (Before) 200 tokens → (Now) 150 tokens
- ‘Chain Mail Armor’ item has been removed from the Shop.
- ‘Elixir of Thorn’ has been added to the Shop.
> Type : Consumable Item
> Price : 500 Tokens
> Effect : When used, DP +500 for 5 sec, attacking enemies HP -4%, movement speed +15%

[Dev Note]
Players may have felt that the consumable items were a bit pricey since the amount of tokens acquired has decreased compared to before. As a result, we have decreased the price of consumable items to relieve some of that burden. We are planning to make more changes to consumable items in the future so please stay tuned.
| Title
- Titles have been added to Challenges. The requirement of the new challenges are listed below.

| Blackstar Fragment
- Blackstar Fragment is divided into 2 types. They can be classified by size.

- Improved so the activated range of the Level 2 Blackstar Fragment effect is displayed.

- [Trio Mode] Changed so when obtaining the Blackstar Fragment (Level 2) located near the dark fog, AP or DP is increased by +10. (Before : increased +5)
- [Trio Mode] The number of appearing Blackstar Fragments near the dark fog have been changed to the following.
> 0~1 Minute : (Before) approximately 30 → (Now) approximately 25
> 3~4 Minutes: (Before) approximately 25 → (Now) approximately 20
> 6~7 Minutes : (Before) approximately 20 → (Now) approximately 15
> 9~1 Minutes : (Before) approximately 15 → (Now) approximately 10

[Dev Note]
We have decreased the efficiency of the fragment due to its growth dependent on time. So we divided the fragment into types and added a small version (Level 1) that can be be obtained simply by coming into contact with it. This fragment will appear in all regions so it is easy to obtain while huting on in combat. For players who wish to obtain additional power from the fragment, we recommend that you obtain a Level 2 fragment which is located near the dark fog.

■ Monsters

-Added an enraged status effect that appears on the Shadow Lords.
- Changed the Shadow Lord to no longer receive natural damage once their HP is less than 20%.
> Shadow Lords received natural damage over time until their HP was less than 10%.
- Changed the number of Goblin Thieves that appear at the Wheat Farm to 4.
> (Before) Total of 6 Goblin Thieves → (Now) Total of 8 Goblin Thieves
- Changed the items that can be acquired from defeating Goblin Thieves.
> Approximately 3%: High-grade items, rare items, boss defense gear (Before 1%)
> Approximately 20%: Low-grade items (Before 10%)
> Approximately 77%: Consumable Item
- Increased the HP of River Stoneback Crabs from 7000 to 10000.
- Increased the number of normal monsters that appear at Phase 3 (7 minutes)
> (Before): 50 monsters in all areas → (Now): 72 monsters in all areas
- Added to make approximately 30 Shadow Knights to appear in all areas 11 minutes into the game.
- Decreased the amount of HP recovered from the Tree Spirit’s blessings from 5000 to 3000.
- [Solo Mode] HP and AP of Shadow Lords have been changed to the following.

- [Solo Mode] HP and AP of Stoneback Crabs have been decreased to the following.
1) Mountain Stoneback Crab
> HP : (Before) 30000 → (Now) 25000
> AP : (Before)1000 → (Now) 800
2) Steppe Stoneback Crab
> HP : (Before) 40000 → (Now) 30000
> AP : (Before) 1200 → (Now) 1000
- [Solo Mode] The natural damage that the Shadow Lords receive over time has been adjusted as follows.
> HP : (Before) -4000 → (Now) -2000
> HP : (Before) -5000 → (Now) -2500
> HP : (Before) -6000 → (Now) -3000

[Dev Note]
In Solo mode, players have to fight rare monsters on their own which makes it difficult for them to attack first. Because elite monsters have high HP and receive natural damage over time, players will wait until the elite monster's HP is low enough to be defeated with a final attack. As a result, we have reduced the overall HP of rare monsters so that players who attack the rare monster before others can defeat it as quickly as possible. Shadow Lords, on the other hand, will no longer receive natural damage if they have less than 20% HP, in order to discourage players from obtaining items through final hits.
- [Solo Mode] Effects of certain items within the shop have been changed to the following.
- [Solo Mode] Effects of certain items within the shop have been changed to the following.

- [Solo Mode] The price of orb items have been changed as follows.

- [Trio Mode] Effects of the items have been changed to the following.

[Dev Note]
There were a lot of in-game changes in Solo mode, such as growth over time mechanic, harder-to-get tokens, and a different operating strategy. As a result, some of the item effects were out of balance. Therefore, rather than lowering the Ignore DP effect, we increased the HP Auto Recovery and recovered HP per hit and adjust the cost-effectiveness of some items. We will closely monitor how these new changes play out and make adjustments if needed.

■ Tutorial

- [1v1 Arena] Fixed an issue where some of the dialogs disappeared in some scenes during the tutorial.
- [1v1 Arena] Fixed an issue where Jordine Ducas immediately attacked after he appeared in the tutorial.

■ Event

- [Beta Season 6 Partner Influencers] Event has started.
> We’re giving early sign-up perks to thos who sign up early, so don’t miss out!
- The [Solo Match with GM] event has started.
> Event Period: August 5, 2021 (Thursday) - August 8, 2021 (Thursday), 20:00 (UTC+9)
> Play a Solo match with GM on the Asia Server and receive rewards!

■ Fixes and Improvements to the Official Website

- Improved the website’s cookie consent banner.
- Fixed an issue where the network bar did not appear when refreshing the top scroll area of the network bar.

| [Overview] > [Heroes]
- Added Mastery B Skill description for all Heroes.

■ Fixes and Improvements to the Pearl Abyss Website

* The following improvements and changes were implemented to the Pearl Abyss website as of August 4 (Wednesday).
- Improved to have the following message appear when changing the [Region of Residence] on the sign-up page.
> You have selected a region that does not match your region of residence. Please check if you have selected the region that matches your region of residence.
Region information cannot be charged once account creation is complete. Selecting a different region from your place of residence may limit your access to the game and its products.
- Fixed an issue where you could not line break some texts after OTP was removed in Spanish.

▶ Check out Currently Known Issues

Click the link above to view the known issues that are currently being investigated by the developers. We are currently working to resolve these issues, and we will update players through the linked page as soon as an issue is resolved.

Thank you.