Information regarding the upcoming Shadow Raid 'Death's Preceptor, Velgardin' and the new 'Gauntlet' equipment was released on the 29th (today) via Lisha's Letter. The update, including Velgardin and the Gauntlets, is scheduled for August 5.

The Shadow Raid 'Death's Preceptor, Velgardin' is a weekly endgame content for 8 players. It consists of two gates and can be attempted once per week per character. There are three difficulty levels: Normal, Hard, and Nightmare.

Entry item levels are 1750 for Normal, 1770 for Hard, and 1780+ for Nightmare. To enter, players must first complete the Kadarum Island main quest 'After the Echo Fades'. A prologue quest available starting the 29th provides a preview of the story leading into the raid.

In the first gate, players face 'Death's Preceptor, Velgardin'. A new defense system, 'Holding Just Guard', is introduced. Velgardin performs multiple consecutive attacks; by holding the G key, players can block all follow-up attacks and create an opening for a counterattack.

Once Velgardin is stopped, his true form, 'Death's Founder, Phetus An Kragma', emerges. Gate 2 takes place in 'Kragma's Deathland', a place that consumes all life.

Phetus An Kragma uses four arms to unleash continuous, erratic attacks. During the battle, cultists perform various rituals by sacrificing themselves. The raid party must identify the ritual type to stop the human sacrifice or eliminate the cultists before they deliver blood to the boss.

In the latter half of the battle, a massive manifestation descends, drastically changing the combat flow. Players must then overcome the combined onslaught of Phetus An Kragma and the manifestation. A new Shadow Skill battle item, 'Shadow of Phetus An Kragma', is added for use in specific Gate 2 mechanics.

The core reward for this Shadow Raid is the new 'Gauntlet' equipment. Gauntlets combine weapon and armor traits, providing both Attack and Defense. Unlike existing equipment, they do not have item levels or quality, nor do they provide Arc Passive points.

Clearing Gate 2 of Velgardin for the first time grants a Epic grade Gauntlet, regardless of difficulty. Players can then hone them like existing gear and perform 'Limit Breaking' at specific stages to increase the equipment grade, eventually reaching Ancient grade level 25.

Honing Gauntlets requires Shillings, Gold, Fate Shards, Fate Destruction Stone Crystals, Fate Guardian Stone Crystals, Great Fate Leapstones, and Superior Abydos Fusion Materials. Additional materials like 'Breath' and special transfer stones can also be used, and the honing success rate and Artisan's Energy systems apply as usual. Honing increases base stats, while Limit Breaking increases both equipment grade and base Attack.

Epic grade Gauntlets can be honed up to level 10; Limit Breaking at level 10 upgrades them to Legend grade. They then reach Relic grade at Legend level 15 and Ancient grade at Relic level 20. At Ancient grade, they can be honed up to level 25.

Level 10 Limit Breaking requires 200 'Remnants of the Dead' (Normal) or 100 'Hands of Death' (Hard). Level 15 requires 240 Remnants or 120 Hands. Level 20, which upgrades to Ancient, requires 150 Hands of Death.

Limit Breaking materials for Gauntlets are obtained from Velgardin's gates. Normal difficulty yields 'Remnants of the Dead' for levels 10 and 15. Hard and Nightmare yield 'Hands of Death' for levels 10, 15, and 20.

Material acquisition amounts are identical across all difficulties: 12 from Gate 1 and 18 from Gate 2, totaling 30 materials per week. Additional materials may be obtainable through 'View More' rewards.

Hard and Nightmare difficulties have increased drop rates for Ancient Cores, along with a pity system that guarantees an Ancient Core after a certain number of lower-grade drops. Nightmare loot auctions may also yield a new MVP background. New crafting items related to Velgardin will be added to the Shadow Raid workshop.

Alongside the Shadow Raid update, the 6-week 'Velgardin Conquest' event will be held. The Conquest involves achieving various conditions such as raid clears, survival, and specific achievements to earn growth and prestige rewards.

Common conquest missions include clearing Gate 2 once, twice, and four times cumulatively. There is also the 'Invincible Raid' mission, which requires clearing Gates 1 and 2 without any deaths. Completing common missions on higher difficulties automatically completes them for lower difficulties.

Nightmare-exclusive missions are based on the entire raid party. The total number of times players are caught by Phetus An Kragma's grab attacks must not exceed a threshold, and the party must clear Gate 2 without any deaths.

Bonus missions for achieving 'Head-on Collision', 'You Shall Not Pass', and 'Need More Blood' are also available. Depending on the number of missions completed in Nightmare difficulty, players can receive exclusive party lounges and Relic/Legend titles.

Daily content for item level 1770+ is expanding. 'Chaos Rupture: Abyssal Backflow 3', 'Guardian's Remnant Stage 3', and 'Hal's Hourglass Stage 3' are being added, and Chaos Gates will also feature a 1770+ tier.

The new tier offers higher rewards than previous ones. The drop rate for Relic grade Sealbooks and the amount of gems obtained are increased. 'Fragments of Fate' found in this tier provide gold rewards starting at a minimum of 50k gold.

For characters at level 1770+ preparing for the Velgardin update, it is recommended to save up Rest Bonuses for Chaos Rupture, Guardian's Remnant, and Hal's Hourglass in advance.