8.0.101 Update Notes

8.0.101 Update Notes

Hello, this is The Spike Cross team.

With the start of Season 3: Elite Stage, new content and major improvements have been added.

Here are the details of the 8.0.101 update.

[Update Schedule]

The update is scheduled to be released on September 16, 2026 (Wednesday) on all platforms.

※ The update schedule may change depending on the review process. The time when the update becomes available may also be different for each player depending on the app store.

[New Content]

1. Season 3: Elite Stage Begins

Season 3: Elite Stage is here!

For more details, please check:

https://www.reddit.com/r/thespikegame/comments/1wgakf0/season_3_elite_stage_update/).

2. New Rewards Added to Early Chapters

A "Beginner Player Recruitment Ticket" has been added to the rewards for the early chapters.

Players who have already cleared these chapters will receive the reward through their mailbox.

3. Spike Power Changes & Spike Critical System Added

The spike power system has been changed to reduce the difference in spike power and make it easier to see when a powerful attack occurs.

Previously, spike power was randomly set between 95% and 125%. After the update, normal spike power will be between 100% and 103%.

When you successfully spike with perfect timing, there is a 32% chance to trigger a Spike Critical, increasing spike power by 24%.

This change reduces the random power difference from the previous system. Normal attacks now have more consistent power, while Critical Spike can be clearly identified through special visual and sound effects.

4. New Match Rule: "Elite Rules"

Elite Rules will be applied to Chapter 13 and Elite Stage matches. You can also select this rule in Practice Matches.

Defense

The amount of Mentality damage taken will vary depending on the timing of receives and slides. You can use the Receive button to tell your AI teammates when to defend.

• The PERFECT timing window is 1 frame for receives and 3 frames for slides.

• A PERFECT Receive cancels the attack and performs an A Pass. It also restores 40% of the player's maximum Personal Stamina and Mentality. These resources cannot be restored while Exhausted, and a PERFECT Slide does not restore them.

• Slides reduce the Mentality damage from the timing result by an additional 50%, but the ball may bounce in a more unpredictable direction.

• Even with a GREAT timing result, the player may fail to defend if they do not have enough Personal Stamina.

Personal Stamina & Mentality

• Each player has Personal Stamina and Mentality. The lower the Mentality, the more Stamina damage the player takes. If Stamina is depleted, the player may fail to defend.

• During a rally, both teams' players who are not Exhausted will normally recover 10% of their maximum Stamina each time the ball is touched. The amount recovered may vary depending on related Traits.

• Mentality does not naturally recover by default. Players can gain the ability to recover Mentality through related Traits.

• When Mentality is depleted, the player becomes Exhausted for 16 seconds and cannot recover either resource during this time. If the player fails a Receive or Slide while Exhausted, the remaining Exhausted time is reduced by 5 seconds.

• When Exhaustion ends, Mentality is fully restored to 100%. Personal Stamina is not fully restored at the same time.

Jump Float Serve & Critical

Unlike normal attacks, a Jump Float Serve deals damage based on the defending player's maximum Mentality.

When defending with a Slide, the damage above is reduced by 50%.

For attacks over 120 km/h, there is a base 5% chance to trigger a Receive Critical, which increases Mentality and Stamina damage by 1.5x. This chance may vary depending on related Traits.

※ Receive Criticals are calculated separately from Spike Power Criticals. They do not apply to PERFECT defenses, the fixed Mentality damage from Jump Float Serves, or balls that bounce back after hitting an opponent's block.

Direct Attacks & Defensive Positioning

• Direct Attacks increase the ball's speed by 25%. When the same player continues the combo, the increase becomes 35%, then 45%, increasing by 10 percentage points each time.

• During a Time Out, you can set each player's defensive position to Front, Middle, or Back, and recover their Personal Stamina and Mentality.

• When making a normal player substitution, the resources and Exhausted status of players who remain on the court are maintained.

[Changes & Improvements]

1. Blocking Animation & AI Improvements

Blocking animations have been improved to match the actual blocking timing.

• Blocking animations will now play based on the player's jump height and time in the air.

• Fixed an issue where the landing animation could play while the player was still in the air or the movement could stop midway.

• The timing of reaching the highest point of the block, when the player's hands go over the net, has been adjusted to match the timing of a Kill Block (Shutout Block).

The timing has been adjusted to stay as close as possible to the previous version. However, blocking timing may feel different depending on the player's jump height.

This change also improves the timing accuracy of Solid Blocking.

Blocking AI decision-making and reactions have been improved.

• The AI will now more accurately identify the spiker who is about to attack during out-of-system set situation.

• Fixed an issue where improvements to blocking accuracy based on Defense and Speed were not properly applied.

• Adjusted the AI's reactions to quick attacks, which were happening too often.

• To prevent the improved accuracy from making matches too difficult, random variation has been added to the AI's reaction timing. This keeps the overall difficulty similar to before.

These improvements also apply to our team's AI players.

2. Match Screen & Controls Improvements

• A new UI showing the requirements for earning Stars has been added for each match.

• When the setter makes a quick set, the ball's trajectory will be shown in yellow.

• The VICTORY screen can now be skipped faster after winning a match.

• The Time Out screen UI has been improved for easier use, and a player skin change feature has been added.

• A new option has been added to [Settings] to optimize the display of character illustrations on the Time Out screen.

3. Player Recruitment Screen Changes

The Player Recruitment screen has been updated.

4. Sound Effect Adjustments

Sound effect volume has been adjusted to fix an issue where some sound effects could play with distorted audio on Android and iOS devices.

6. New Trait Added for Jaehyun and Yongsup.

A new Trait , "Steel Mentality," has been added to Jaehyun and Yongsup.

7. Debuff Level System

A Debuff Level system has been added to some traits that apply harmful effects to opponents.

[Bug Fixes]

Matches and Traits

• Fixed an issue where quick sets were aimed slightly below the contact point of a user-controlled Middle Blocker.

• Fixed an issue where the displayed set trajectory did not align with the ball’s actual position.

• Fixed an issue where the trajectory display disappeared after the ball hit the net or was tipped.

• While Absolute Block is active, a ball touching the blocker’s fingertips will no longer result in a block-out.

• Fixed an issue where Heeseong did not attempt a blocking jump when moving to the front row to prepare a block under the effect of Absolute Block.

• Fixed an issue where Tania’s Speed Set trait icon was not displayed during matches.

UI and Text

• Fixed an issue where parts of the profile customization UI were displayed incorrectly at certain resolutions.

• Corrected some player names and mistranslated text.

Stability

• Fixed an issue where unnecessary server requests caused stuttering during matches.

• Fixed an issue where the game would close unexpectedly when entering the Chapter 2 Tutorial while the last controlled position was Middle Blocker.

• Fixed an issue where the game would close unexpectedly when entering Training Mode if the selected player’s position differed from the last controlled position.

• Fixed an issue where the game would close unexpectedly when pausing Serve Training and exiting to the menu.

[Please Note]

• The update schedule may change depending on the review process.

• Update availability may vary by user depending on store conditions.

• The announced update details are subject to change.

We look forward to your continued support for Season 3: Elite Stage and this update.

Thank you.