Smilegate announced on Wednesday (Jan. 7) that it has updated Korea’s leading MMORPG Lost Ark with a new Shadow Raid: Serka, the Witch of Pain.

In this update, players will encounter the Primordial Being(s)—an existence that began to fully reveal itself following Part 1’s ending story episode, “One Who Confronted the End of the Abyss.” Adventurers who travel to Shushire to mourn Ice Priest Sian will come face to face with Serka, the Witch of Pain, a Primordial Being who has raided Frostpeak Temple.

The battle takes place in Frostpeak Temple, once a calm and sacred site devoted to the ice god Sirius. With the coming of twilight and Serka’s appearance, however, it has been transformed into a horrific scene of slaughter.

Looking at each gate’s defining features: in Gate 1, Serka—who takes pleasure and exhilaration from the suffering of others—fights adventurers using ten different instruments of torture. In Gate 2, Corbus Tul Lark, who wields darkness and blood, appears, and the battle proceeds in a way that provokes and amplifies the adventurers’ fear.

This new raid category, Shadow Raid, is characterized by shortened combat time per gate, allowing adventurers to enjoy a dense, high-intensity combat experience in a shorter window. A range of new systems has also been applied. The Brawl System has been added, converting the existing Stagger Gauge into a gauge that triggers a brawl. The gauge can also be reduced through interactions with the monster—such as executing pattern mechanics—and once the gauge conditions are met, the party moves to a dedicated space to continue the fight.

In addition, the Brave Hearts System has been introduced. Unlike the previous approach, where each person had a fixed number of revives, revive counts are now shared at the party level. Shadow Skills, which can be used in the form of battle items by channeling the power of the Primordial Being(s), have also been added.

To enter Serka, the Witch of Pain, players must complete the “Inherited Will” quest. Item level requirements are Lv. 1710 for Normal, Lv. 1730 for Hard, and Lv. 1740 or higher for Nightmare difficulty.

Notably, clearing Hard difficulty or above grants materials required for new gear inheritance, as well as materials needed for Limit Break, which supports additional growth beyond Honing +20.

New content, Chaos Rift and Hal’s Hourglass, has also been added. Chaos Rift features a play style similar to the existing daily content, Kurzan Front. Adventurers increase progress by defeating monsters, and can clear the content once progress reaches 100%. Chaos Rift is played solo and can be entered using Aura of Resonance and the Rest Bonus. Rewards include gems, Relic Engraving Books, Great Fate Leapstones, Fate Shatterstone Crystals, and Fate Wardstone Crystals, among others.

Hal’s Hourglass, which can be entered once per week, can be tackled solo or in a party of up to four. The content is structured around fighting a continuous succession of bosses that keep spawning within a single room. Upon completion, players can obtain gems, Relic Engraving Books, Lava’s Breath, Glacier’s Breath, and Great Fate Leapstones, among other rewards.

Beyond this, Smilegate plans to introduce a variety of updates across the game overall, including an overhaul of the Guardian Raid system and an expansion of Chaos Gate content tiers.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.