Hello, I’m Ryu Myung-Sang, UNDECEMBER’s director.

About a month has passed since the start of UNDECEMBER’s first Season Mode and globally integrated service.

Due to the significant changes introduced by the update, the UNDECEMBER service was temporarily unstable when the update first came into place.

To help stabilize the game, our development and operations teams have been working on updates for the past month, with a particular focus on game stability and bug fixes.

We are working hard to quickly resolve remaining issues, and although there are still many areas that need work, we are prioritizing the stabilization of our service so that Rune Hunters can play the game in a stable environment.

Many Rune Hunters have expressed their interest and support since the introduction of Season Mode.

We would like to thank you for your generous encouragement and for your opinions on how we can make the game better.

Our development team also had concerns about introducing Season Mode, but as mentioned in my previous letter, it is one of the cornerstones for ensuring that UNDECEMBER continues to stay by Rune Hunters for a long time in the future.

Fortunately, we have received many positive responses since the Season Mode update, and it is now establishing itself as a central part of the game.

In today’s letter, I will focus on the improvements that will be made based on user opinions, as well as some key information on the new modes that will be introduced in Season 2.

There’s also information about a small event in the middle of the letter, so even though it may seem long, please take the time to read through it carefully.

1) Improvements to Auction House and Combined Trading Post

With the Season Mode update, items that can be traded at the Auction House were increased and a Combined Trading Post for global trading was opened.

In line with this, features for improving the convenience of trading were also added. But when we checked user trends, we found that many users found the waiting time for receiving Rubies the most inconvenient.

Although we deeply empathize with this, we ask for your understanding as this feature was added as a measure against illegitimate Ruby transactions, and therefore, the waiting time cannot be immediately reduced at this point in time.

I would like to describe the improvements we are preparing to minimize the inconveniences experienced when using the Auction House/Trading Post.

The currency that is used for trading in UNDECEMBER’s Auction House is the Ruby.

There are two types of Rubies – Paid Rubies, which are obtained with Diamonds bought through in-app payments, and Free Rubies, which can be received through Auction House trade.

In the future, as Paid Rubies are the ones affected by illegitimate transactions, we will be making changes so that the waiting time for Rubies will only be applied to Paid Rubies.

Since more than 80% of Rubies used in trading are Free Rubies, we hope that this improvement will significantly reduce the inconvenience experienced by users.

This change will be made immediately with the update in mid-June.

In addition, we are planning on improving the convenience of the Auction House search functions for Season 2.

For example, we will be adding a function that will allow users to search for items and option conditions directly from item tooltips.

By linking features from the Item Compendium, Alchemy, and user gear details, Rune Hunters will be able to find the items they want more easily.

2) Season Mode’s Episode Progress

We also found that users wanted a feature that would allow them to quickly skim through episodes and quests in Season Mode.

One of the aims of Season Mode is to allow users to start from the beginning together, but with the progress rate being in accordance with the fact that scenarios are of great importance in the game, we understand why users may find playing through the game’s stories again repetitive.

With new Acts to be added in the future, users may hesitate to start the long journey all over again every new season.

Therefore, we plan to reduce the initial stages to 30% so that the first section can be completed more quickly.

We are aiming to apply this change from Season 2.

Moreover, we are considering various ways of speeding up users’ progress through stories that have already been completed, such as a skip function.

We will review various options from all angles so that we can increase the speed of the game in a way that aligns with UNDECEMBER’s vision.

3) Item Drop Rates

Some users have expressed concerns that item drop rates seemed to have changed after the Apr. 27 update and more recently, but we would like to reassure users that this is not the case.

Item drop rates have remained the same since the update until now, and in fact, the drop rates of some items have been increased during maintenance and updates.

Although there were some bugs that meant items appeared differently or did not appear at all, these issues have now been resolved.

It is our policy not to proceed with patches that alter item drop rates without informing users first through our official community, and we promise that this will not change.

For Season 2, we are working on making it easier for users to view item information more accurately, including information on sources and drop rates for key items, so please look forward to that.

4) Skill Skins

‘Skill Skins’ were added as a new Beauty item after the Apr. 27 update, and users have expressed a desire to see skins for skills that do not have them yet.

The skill skin equip rate has been steadily increasing, and as a new fun element that users seem to be enjoying, we will continue to update them in the future.

For those who use skills that do not have any skill skins at the moment, we have prepared a surprise event!

Vote for the skill skin you wish to see in the next Season with the voting link below!

The skill skin with the most votes will be added first in the next Season update.

👉 Vote for a Skill Skin!

5) Crusade of Glory

We have received many inquiries about when the PVP content ‘Crusade of Glory’, which was scheduled in pre-update plans, will be opening.

With the balance for Crusade of Glory being so important, we are currently focused on internal tests, and will be releasing a pre-season version with the update in July. (Edited on 6/13 13:30 UTC+9)

Below is an overview of the changes that will be in effect for the Crusade of Glory pre-season:

- Battles will be changed from free-for-all to team battles. Accordingly, the roles of characters will be important, and strategic battles between teams will be required.

- The received damage decrease in the current game’s balance will not be applied, and instead, a PVP-exclusive balance will be applied. The skills that can be used will also be limited to PVP-exclusive skills. This decision was deliberately made for the sake of balance as some skills are not suitable for PVP. We will continue to adjust the balance through future patches so that more skills can be used.

- There will be grades and rankings, and according to these, there will be exciting rewards provided every week to help further motivate users to participate (the grades for pre-season may be fixed). After testing the content’s balance through the pre-season during Season 1, we are aiming to release the official version for Season 2, so please look forward to that.

Finally, I would like to talk a little about UNDECEMBER’s Season 2, which is currently being developed.

For this next Season, we are aiming to make users’ Season play even more special.

* Hardcore Mode and Origin Mode

As partly revealed on the previous update page and Director’s Commentary video, Hardcore Mode and Origin Mode will be added to the next Season.

Hardcore Mode is a mode where users can no longer play content when their characters die.

As we are aware that not dying in UNDECEMBER is extremely difficult, special buffs and impressive rewards exclusive to Hardcore Mode will be provided, and these rewards will be available to trade at the Trading Post regardless of mode. 

Moreover, as a compensatory measure for content where it is impossible for characters not to die, users will not receive death penalties for special content such as Void Rift, Raids, and Spire of Barrier.

Even if you cannot play content due to death, you will still be able to log in to the game with your character, so you can still carry out activities such as changing Guild Masters, and retry content by moving equipped items to other characters.

Origin Mode is a mode where the use of some Essences is restricted.

Since the use of Essences is restricted, the mode maximizes the fun of combat and farming as most items are obtained from drops.

In Origin Mode, tiers of drop items will be adjusted so that they match the difficulty of obtaining them.

Users will be able to enjoy a more rewarding experience when obtaining new and amazing items, such as Legendary gear drops.

Moreover, the new Act 13 Hira region will be added to Season 2, along with more than 10 new Skill/Link Runes and other improvements to convenience, such as improvements for users who use game pads.

To explain the new area briefly, the Hira region is themed around the inner world of Ilya the Zodiac Master.

With the story of Ilya, who led an unfortunate life due to the outbreak of the Zodiac War, and the systemically organized graphic concepts, users will be able to experience a more vivid and complete story.

Please look forward to what destiny has in store for you and Canna!

With the green leaves of summer and welcome cries of cicadas fast approaching,

we wish you happiness and health as we await the summer.

Thank you for your unwavering support.

Ryu Myung-Sang.