Hello, everyone. This is Tomo.
We have a lot of news today as well. From Ereb’s Awakening Update to Total Battle Power Formula Improvement, the update direction that we plan to head in until next year, and the 16:9 resolution improvement, we have a lot to cover. I hope players enjoy a cup of tea while we cover the topics here.
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【Ereb ‘Awakening’ Update】
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◼︎ Ereb’s Gameplay and Performance Improvement
On September 2nd, when Ereb’s Awakening Update hits, we plan to improve Ereb’s gameplay and performance based on player opinion and actual data.
First, we will be increasing Ereb’s dungeon command damage. We will also be adjusting other characters who uses command attacks to gain resources in the Awakening expansion update. Ereb will have his command attack damage to be adjusted to the new standards.
Other than that, we will make additional adjustments to make Ereb a more appealing choice to play. The dev team wants to put an emphasis on Ereb’s shield counterattack and the Ruin Blade.
We have extended the frames for counterattack so that it is easier to make counterattacks. Also, we have increased the Ruin Blade Gauge and other effects that come with counterattack so that successful counterattack is more rewarding and appealing. Also, we made differences in the visual effects so that players can tell the frame window for counterattack as a visual cue.
We have also adjusted Ruin Blade as well. Players can now dash to dodge enemy attacks while attacking, allowing players to continue the combo while dodging. Players can move freely up or down and continue their combos. Also, we have added a forced shutdown key where players can use the ‘Apocalypse Blade’ attack of their choice then chain with the Transform Key (C) to end it quickly. We expect this will make the attack rotation more smooth.
◼︎ 2 New Skills
With the addition of the Awakening, we will be adding 2 new skills.
▸ New 4th Bar Special - Cataclysm. Ereb accepts the powers that he long rejected, instantly unleashing the powers in an explosion to empower the Ruin Blade. Using the skill makes Ereb force the Ruin Blade state, extending the duration to 15 seconds. Also, this enhances the ‘Apocalypse Blade’ when ‘Apocalypse’ Gauge is full. Ereb transforms into the ‘Forgotten One’ upon using ‘Apocalypse Blade’ to slash away at a large area, causing an explosion to deal even more damage to big monsters. However, using Cataclysm will prevent the use of Ruin Blade for 15 seconds, so watch out.
▸ Awakening Special - Ruination Edge
Ereb, free from the temptations of the Forgotten One, uses his true powers of the Ruin Blade to slash away at a large area.
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【Total Battle Power Formula Improvement】
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◼︎ What Changes?
The Total Battle Power Formula Improvement changes three things overall.
First, we have included the new stats that were added after open, but not included in the Total Battle Power. We have done this change so that players feel a sense of achievement from how their “actions for growth” actually gets translated into “battle power increase”. Property Change, Skill Rune Item Farming, Chaser Point Acquisition are some of the cases that fall under here. In details, Received Critical Damage Reduction, Hell Spear related properties, Back Attack and Skill Damage properties, Boss Damage properties, Skill MP/AP Cost Reduction, Skill Cooldown Reduction are the properties that fall under this change.
Second, we tried to improve so that the Total Battle Power accurately represents the actual dungeon clear capabilities. Before, stats such as MP Recovery and other stats weighed more towards the Total Battle Power. This led players to opt for Attack and Special Attack as a better judgment factor over Total Battle Power in recruiting for dungeons. This meant that the Total Battle Power was not displaying an accurate representation of actual strength. On the other hand, things like Back Attack weren’t even included in the Total Battle Power at all.
Third, we have renamed some stats that were mixed and confusing so that players will be able to understand how they work with more ease. This has different issues depending on the translations, but we believe the changes were needed since certain stat names were very easily misunderstood.
◼︎ I ask for some understanding from some players.
with the changes to the Battle Power formula, I hope players understand that some characters may lose the Total Battle Power. I apologize in advance that this may happen to some players.
At least, I hope players do realize one thing. This only changes the “display” of the Total Battle Power. This changes nothing about the actual battle performance. However, players who have invested heavily into MP Recovery and Critical Rate may go through a big loss in the Total Battle Power. On the other hand, some players who had low Total Battle Power may go through a significant increase on their Total Battle Power.
I hope the players understand that this change is to turn the direction of growth towards a more healthier direction. We tried to adjust things with as little side effects as possible, but I do understand that some players may feel bad about losing the Total Battle Power. I will keep that it mind as we continue to fine tune the situation.
We have prepared an event for scrolls so that players can work towards the newly adjusted Total Battle Power. We will continue to provide items related to property change consistently with other events so that players will have an easier time switching over to the new standards. We will continue to keep a watch on what happens and fine-tune the operation and systems for the better.
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【Update Direction until 2027】
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◼︎ New Big Update and After
We are preparing awakening expansion for 25 characters, new continent and story, new Job Update for the base character in the center. This will be a big update that compasses over all 3 of the contents. It will be something similar to the Solene Update centered around Iris and Ereb. We believe this update will finish by the end of the first half of 2027.
Afterwards, the dev team are working tirelessly towards preparing to deliver more contents int eh following year. After the update for the existing character’s job, we plan to continue using the structure for the update for other characters’ jobs. This isn’t just about adding jobs. Our goal is to deliver a rich story that allows the character to be loved even more by the players.
However, we do need as much time as a new character to create a new job with skill tree at the rate of our development. So, this may take longer than the players’ expectations. We hope players understand the limitations we are faced with. We are attempting to find ways to shorten this time. Since we do have our sights set on shortening the job update for existing characters, we hope to achieve that together in near future.
Do note that although we have not yet revealed the first character to go through a job change, it is already determined internally. We are already working on the story and dungeon progress as well. We hope to deliver great updates soon.
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【16:9 Resolution Improvement】
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◼︎ Why are we switching to 16:9?
Currently we are working on 16:9 Resolution Improvement. We are working on the problems that arise from the switch.
Before, all development was based on 4:3 resolution. We used to offer other resolutions than 4:3, but stretching the screen to fit different resolutions caused deformations in characters or UI image. So, this caused all sorts of issues where characters would be oddly stretched or playing with an odd dynamic of the screens. Certain players thought this was the original resolutions how GrandChase is supposed to look.
We wanted to display GrandChase in the most beautiful look that it could offer, so we decided to fix our resolution to 16:9, the resolution most commonly used nowadays. Even if we fix to 16:9, GrandChase can still be launched in monitors of other ratios.
Once we started working on this, we quickly realized that we had to work so that all game screens had no problems with display in 16:9 one by one. We had to work with effects and icon location and and had to adjust dungeon and world map background.
Long term, we will improve all major UI. However, right now we are trying to improve what we can with the current UI. We will also standardize the old style UI and font so that things are more consistent throughout the game.
We have a lot ahead of us, but we will give a sneak peek on how things will look once the 16:9 resolution change kicks in.
Preview
1. We have adjusted the World Map to 16:9 Resolution.Although the screenshot does not display the full changes to the 16:9, we will be improving the environment effects to the World Map. With the widened width, the Base Main UI will also be lengthened, allowing players to access more menu. We will be placing more icons below.
2. We have increased the horizontal slots so that players can see more items in a single glance. The Stat Window and Character Window will be bigger, allowing players to use a wider area. I hope players look forward to these changes.
3. We are planning on adjusting the width of the camera display in dungeons.
This will improve the battle by showing more content on screen, allowing players to react to enemies’ attacks better. When we tested the gameplay, the larger screens felt so much better. We are continuing to fine-tune, adjusting the camera area carefully for each dungeon.
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【Closing】
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◼︎ Coupon
For those who have read the teatime to the end, we have a small gift prepared for players.
Coupon: CHASEARISE
Coupon Period: Until Maintenance on September 2, 2026 (Wed) (UTC+0)
Coupon Item: Rune Secondary Stat Reset Scroll x1
Today’s teatime ends here.
We had a lot to cover, from Ereb’s Awakening to thoughts on next year’s update. Thank you for reading to the end.
I’d like to talk more, but we’ll push that to another day.
We will continue to strive for a fun experience in GrandChase.
Thank you.
Director Tomo
◼︎ Coupon Code: CHASEARISE
◼︎ Use Period: Until September 2, 2026 (Wed) Before Maintenance (UTC+0)
◼︎ Coupon Item: Rune Secondary Stat Reset Scroll x 1