On August 14, Director Jeon Jae-hak hosted a special livestream to commemorate Kazeros. Introduced alongside Lisha’s Letter, the broadcast unveiled the Kazeros teaser trailer, new PC café events, the Kazeros Raid, and related updates. The stream lasted about an hour in total.

The program began with a review of the summer update, followed by detailed information on the Kazeros Raid, the new Arc Grid system, Kazeros growth events, and PC café benefits. Director Jeon declared with confidence, “We’ve prepared the Kazeros Raid to blow away the summer heat.”

Quick Summary of the August 14 Livestream

1. Balance Update

• Adjustments focused on top-tier performance metrics.

• Major structural reforms would be inappropriate before The First.

• The Arc Grid system will fundamentally change character builds.

2. Kazeros Raid

• Surpasses Kamen in quality.

• Difficulty set at roughly Egir level for Act IV, and Mordum level for the finale.

3. Act IV, Gate 1: Echidna

• Simple, straightforward raid with no excessive burden.

• Designed for quick, easy enjoyment.

• Charm status can be removed via keyboard input.

• Involves an intervention by a “special being” (not Morphe).

4. Act IV, Gate 2: Armoche

• Features a top-down style mini-game.

• Contains one-on-one duel-like combat mechanics.

• Falling deaths possible, but avoidable with keyboard inputs.

5. Finale

• The earlier Act IV is just a warm-up; the finale offers the most spectacular fights yet.

• Incorporates every battle system used so far.

• Introduces Word Command (언령), a new mechanic where Kazeros issues orders that force corresponding player actions.

• Includes Clashes (격돌), though presented more as cinematic flourishes than traditional mechanics.

• Falling deaths occur via sinkhole-style terrain collapse.

• A hidden Alliance Skill was painstakingly designed as the climactic flourish.

• Represents the culmination of all accumulated development expertise.

6. The First Progression

• Same structure as previously announced (titles, statues, rewards, etc.).

• Clearing The First unlocks normal and hard versions of the finale.

• Director estimates world-first clear within 7 days, internal prediction closer to 5.

• To ensure fairness, The First will not use the Arc Grid, though time-attack rules still apply.

• Account boosting (“proxy play”) will be punished severely; TOS revisions already in place.

7. Arc Grid: Cores

• Comprised of six cores and nodes.

• Emphasizes endgame farming fun, with RNG-based acquisition.

• Consolidates existing systems (Transcendence, Special Honing, Elixirs) into a unified growth framework.

• Rewards continue beyond Act IV and the finale.

• One slot unlocks weekly from the moment the Arc Grid is obtained.

Core Details

• Divided into Order (class-specific) and Chaos (universal) cores.

• Each consists of six option-effect groups, character-bound.

• “Pity” system allows players to craft essences into cores.

• Essences can be crafted up to Relic grade, with a chance to proc Ancient grade.

• Enables diverse build variations such as simplified casting, altered skill damage ratios, and enhanced Identity mechanics.

8. Arc Grid: Gems

• Equipped as Order or Chaos gems.

• Willpower is the key gem stat, determining cost and activating core effects.

• Gems can be refined to increase their effects, similar to Ability Stones.

• Can be reset once using special currency.

• Three gems can be combined, yielding higher or lower grades at random.

• Tradeable gems will also appear.

9. Content Expansion

• Guardian Raids, Chaos Dungeons, Chaos Gates, and the Ebony Cube expand to item level 1720.

• New Guardian Crathios added.

• Gems drop starting at 1700+, and also from Fragments of Harmony content.

10. Warboard Event

• Final reward: Kazeros wallpaper for the character selection screen.

• Secondary rewards (at stages 2, 4, 6) apply difficulty-adjusting debuffs to weaken Kazeros.

11. Kazeros Challenge Event

• Similar structure to the previous Kamen Road event.

• Designate one character at item level 1680+.

• Receive rewards for reaching milestones up to 1730.

• Rewards distributed at roster level, with options to assign to alts.

• Includes Karma, Special Honing mats, and gems.

• No “Refining Compression” bonus this time.

12. PC Café Benefits Upgrade

• One-time PC café-exclusive Resonance Energy upon first login per character.

• Rental access to PC café-exclusive outfits and mounts.

• PC café-exclusive Lucky Box (same contents as current version).

• Extra “bonus chest” rolls for Kazeros raids up to Act III.

• New PC café events with rewards like Quality Selection Tickets and block-style pets/mounts.

13. Issues in Proving Grounds

• Being monitored; no major violations detected yet.

• Any incidents discovered will be met with exemplary punishment.

14. Next Broadcast

• Scheduled after The First event concludes.

Summer Update Review: From Valkyrie to “Path of Destiny”

Before new announcements, the director briefly reviewed summer update metrics.

• Valkyrie Balance: In Act III Mordum, DPS characters accounted for 45%, supports for 54.9%.

• Kamen Extreme: Achieved 71% participation in Normal, 83% in Hard, with stable success rates over 90%.

• Gold Economy: Despite the introduction of bound gold, spending increased and balances decreased quickly, proving gold-sink events effective.

The Path of Destiny storyline received mixed feedback. While praised for visuals and staging, many criticized it as vague and frustrating for withholding answers. Director Jeon responded that this arc is meant to weave together Lost Ark’s seven-year-long narrative, asking players to wait until the finale. He also cited the Season 2 achievement title, “One Who Faces the End of the Abyss.”

The finale arc consists of three stages: beginning with Path of Destiny, continuing through the Kazeros Raid, and concluding with Truth of the Abyss.

Lore teasers revealed Kazeros’s true objective and prophecy involve the Adventurer, making their confrontation essential to him. Diaspero’s role is to transform the Star of Life into a Star of Death—a space created for Kazeros’s goal of forging new order from chaos.

Kazeros Raid: Act IV at Egir Level?

Director Jeon admitted Kazeros Raid development carried heavy pressure because of Kamen’s reputation as the pinnacle of raid design. Ultimately, he said, the team succeeded in surpassing Kamen by creating a raid that synthesizes past mechanics while introducing entirely new combat.

Difficulty, however, is deliberately moderate: Act IV roughly matches Egir, while the finale aligns with Mordum. Only The First version is tuned harder than Kamen.

• Echidna (Gate 1): Simple, accessible raid; Charm removable via keyboard; intrusion by a unique being.

• Armoche (Gate 2): Features a top-down mini-game and duel-like combat; falling deaths avoidable via input.

• Finale: Showcases every battle system to date, with twists—wire-action appears in new form, clashes presented cinematically, Word Command forces responses to Kazeros’s orders. A hidden Alliance Skill caps off the fight in spectacular fashion.

Arc Grid: A New Era of Farming

The Arc Grid is a new progression system replacing Transcendence, Elixirs, and advanced honing. Initially obtainable only from Act IV and finale, future content will also award it.

• Structured with six cores and nodes.

• RNG-driven farming experience, unlocking slots weekly.

• Cores divided into Order (class-exclusive) and Chaos (universal).

• Craftable via essences up to Relic grade, with a chance for Ancient.

• Powerful effects include skill damage boosts, streamlined casting, and altered rotation dynamics.

Gems:

• Equipped into cores, divided into Order and Chaos.

• Willpower stat total determines activation of core abilities.

• Refinable, resettable once, and combinable.

• Some gems will be tradeable.

Events & Content Expansion

The Warboard Event’s final reward is Kazeros wallpaper. Secondary rewards weaken Kazeros, indirectly lowering raid difficulty after patch cycles.

Content expansions raise Chaos Dungeons, Guardian Raids, Chaos Gates, and the Ebony Cube to 1720. A new Guardian, Crathios, arrives. Gems now appear from item level 1700+, and Fragment rewards add gems without reducing gold rates.

Kazeros Challenge Event

Following the format of Kamen Road, players can designate a 1680+ character to receive milestone rewards up to 1730. Challenge mission rewards are bound to the designated character, but milestone rewards are roster-shared. Rewards include Karma mats, Special Honing mats, and gems. No honing compression this time.

PC Café Benefits: Major Overhaul

PC café perks are being enhanced dramatically:

• One-time Resonance Energy per character.

• Rental outfits and mounts exclusive to PC café access.

• Exclusive Lucky Box drops upon login.

• Additional bonus chest rolls for Kazeros raids up to Act III.

• Brand-new PC café events with rewards like Quality Selection Tickets and block-style pets/mounts.

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