Greetings, Rune Hunters.
I'm Dusup Shin, the newly appointed PD of UNDECEMBER.
Together with the development team, I will continue to further develop UNDECEMBER's unique brand of fun,
and I will listen sincerely to the diverse feedback you, our Rune Hunters, share with us.
As I greet you all from this new position, I'd like to first say that I look forward to working with you.
"The Forge" Season is gradually approaching its final stretch.
I find myself wondering whether you, our Rune Hunters, have been enjoying your journey through this season.
While our development team works to bring "The Forge" Season to a stable close,
we are also accelerating our preparations to showcase expanded combat and growth enjoyment in the upcoming new Season.
In this Developer's Note, we would like to introduce some of the key changes we'll be unveiling through the new Season.
[New Season Content, "Eroded Boundary"]
In this new Season, we will be introducing the new content "Eroded Boundary" (tentative name).
"Eroded Boundary" combines a Wave Defense format, in which you hold off a relentless onslaught of enemies, with roguelite elements.
Each time you break through a wave, you'll be presented with choices carrying different risks and rewards,
and you, our Rune Hunters, will design your own strategy by weighing the current state of battle against how things may unfold afterward.
Choices that carry greater risk offer more powerful rewards in turn,
demanding careful judgment between challenge and stability at every moment.
New rewards designed to raise the challenge value of this new content are also in development.
This includes 4 new Essences obtainable from "Eroded Boundary", as well as Transcendent grade Link Runes and Unique Gear currently in preparation.
Detailed acquisition methods and use cases will be introduced in more detail through a future Developer's Note.
[Major Overhaul of Channeling Skills]
To provide a more dynamic and differentiated combat experience,
we are adding new Channeling Skills, dedicated Link Runes, and Zodiac Specializations,
while also undertaking a major overhaul of the existing Channeling Skill system.
The new Channeling Skill Runes are being designed to combine convenient handling with powerful damage performance,
and the 5 existing Channeling Skills will be reworked so that each skill's characteristics and usage method come through more clearly.
In particular, skills that previously had to be used while standing still will be changed to allow continuous casting while moving
enabling you to respond more flexibly to enemy attacks without breaking the flow of combat.
Through this, we aim to ease the tendency toward concentrated adoption of specific skills,
and support a wider range of build compositions utilizing Channeling-exclusive Link Runes and Zodiac Specializations.
Detailed information on the new Channeling Skills, the specific changes to existing skills,
and the dedicated Link Runes and Zodiac Specializations will be introduced in a future Developer's Note.
[Official Launch of the Card System]
The Card System introduced during "The Forge" Season will become official content starting with the new Season.
In line with its official launch, we are restructuring the system into a more intuitive structure where collecting Cards directly translates into growth.
You, our Rune Hunters, will be able to clearly feel your stats increase as you collect more Cards,
and you'll also be able to obtain special effects that become central to your build by completing specific combinations.
The Card System is set to transform from simply collecting Cards
into content where you can consider which abilities to secure and which direction to grow in.
We will continue to refine the content so that the sense of accomplishment from collecting leads into the enjoyment of build crafting and optimization.
[Major Overhaul of the Constellation of Time]
The Constellation of Time, which many of you, our Rune Hunters,
have voiced concerns about, will undergo a full-scale overhaul that removes most of its existing structure.
The core combat and reward elements previously offered through the Constellation of Time will be folded into the Chaos Dungeon,
allowing you to experience them naturally during regular mapping without any separate, complicated entry process.
Duey, the researcher who studied the Constellation of Time, will remain in Saluto and continue his existing work.
He will continue to be in charge of appraisal engraving for Zodiac Stones, and will be waiting for you, our Rune Hunters.
[Zodiac Pass Special Material Improvements]
We will also be improving the utility of the special materials granted through the Zodiac Pass.
We are increasing by 100% the Essence acquisition rate bonus applied when using dedicated materials such as this Season's 'White Night Crystal,'
and Essences obtained through this effect will be improved so that they all drop in a tradeable form.
We will restructure the system so that Zodiac Pass rewards provide tangible utility during the mapping process,
allowing you to feel a clearer sense of reward when using dedicated materials.
[Upcoming Schedule for the Next Season]
We'd like to share the schedule for the update and detailed reveals for the new Season, which we know you, our Rune Hunters, are most curious about.
2nd Developer's Note Release: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Official Update Notes Release: Early September 2026
New Season Update: Thursday, September 10, 2026
Additionally, the Pre-Season Eve Attendance Event will run starting Thursday, August 6.
Participating in this event will earn you a variety of rewards that will help with rapid growth in the early stages of the new Season,
so please be sure to check the attendance calendar and participate without missing a day.
[We Await Your Feedback, Rune Hunters]
If you have any feedback on the update direction shared in this Developer's Note,
or anything else you'd like to tell us, please reach out through our official community, official Discord, or Support.
While it may be difficult to reflect every piece of feedback immediately,
we will carefully review each and every one, and use them as valuable reference material in determining the update direction not only for the new Season but for future Seasons as well.
[To conclude,]
Beyond what we've covered in this Developer's Note, a variety of new elements and improvements are being prepared for the new Season.
Details we haven't yet had the chance to introduce will be shared in sequence through upcoming Developer's Notes.
Through new content, an expanded growth system, and overall quality-of-life improvements,
we hope the new Season will be remembered as a meaningful journey for you, our Rune Hunters.
We sincerely hope you'll join us for the upcoming Season as well,
and all of us on the UNDECEMBER development team, myself included,
will continue to think deeply and work tirelessly to provide you with an even better gameplay experience.
Thank you for your continued support.
Thank you.