On May 11, New Empires will be rising, and many items and systems will change with this update. Today, we want to give an overview of these changes. You can read the Patch Notes for a more detailed account of what’s new.

New Weapons and Weapon Tier: Upsurge Weapons

We’re adding new weapons to the game for all classes to enjoy! They also correspond to the new top tier of weapons in the game.

The Upsurge Weapons are a departure from previous dungeon weapons as you will not upgrade them in various stages. Progression for these weapons happens via mythical enchantment only, but there’s a twist! The mythical enchantment level will not decrease upon failing the upgrade.

The enchantment process will use Premium Transformation Stones, Transformation Stone, Upsurge Essence, and Gold. The Premium Transformation Stones are not needed for True Upsurge Weapons, but the quantity of items required is higher.

You will be able to obtain Upsurge Weapons in this update as drops from the new dungeon, Hall of Trials. You can get one randomly from the dungeon boss at stages 6 to 20, or 8 to 20 for the True Upsurge Weapon. You can also obtain it from the Upsurge Weapon Chest reward the first time you clear Stage 8. The Upsurge Essence required to upgrade the weapon also drops in the Hall of Trials dungeon, between levels 5 and 20 from the Boss or as a reward for clearing stage 14.

Succession System

The Succession System is a way to ensure that you can transition your existing gear into the new Upsurge Weapon Tier. We’ve created an upgrade path for top-tier weapons and accessories that will allow you to choose the best upgrade path for you.

You will be using an existing Upsurge weapon and a Shadow Fury weapon at Mythical Enchantment level (+11 or above) to obtain a new Upsurge weapon of the same level. The same upgrade path exists for your Skystealer Ring to become Starcross Ring and Skystealer Earring to Starcross Earring. Using a True Upsurge Weapon during that upgrade process works the same way but with different costs for the items required.

To upgrade, you will need enchantment stones and gold in varying amounts depending on the item levels, and the upgrade is guaranteed to succeed!

Enchantment Bonuses

In addition to the before, weapons and accessories at the new tier can get new enchantment bonuses . Each enchantment bonus provides a random enchantment effect that can boost your character stats, for example HP, Mystic, or Critical Damage.

The number of enchantment bonuses per item type and the level required to unlock each are as follows:

If the enchantment effect you get is not ideal for your character, you can re-roll it for a cost via the "Reset Effect" tab in the "Manage Equipment" UI.

Evolution Progress

We’re also introducing the Evolution Progress system to make upgrades smoother for weapons and accessories of lower tiers than Upsurge. You will now gain Evolution Progress Points when failing to enchant your equipment. Once the Evolution progress meter reaches 100%, your next upgrade attempt will be guaranteed. You can check the Evolution Progress via the "Current Equipment" icon in the "Manage Equipment" UI.

The Next Soul and Pet Aura Tiers

Souls and Pet Auras also get a new tier with this update, called respectively Manifest Soul and Uproar Pet Aura.

Your True Heavenspark Soul and True Netherspark Souls can be upgraded to Manifest Soul for 30 gold and 12 Sacred Vials. The Psyches are transferred during the process.

To go from the Unleashed Supernatural Pet Aura tier to Uproar Pet Aura, you’ll also use 30 gold and 12 Sacred Vials. The Psyches will be transferred, but the gem slots will be reset upon upgrading.

Gildstone and Gildstone Sockets

With New Empires, we’re adding new sockets to some accessories. These Gildstone Sockets will be available on the new Starcross Ring and Earring. The Gildstones for each are respectively Radiant and Shadowed. Gildstones add a few stats and can also be upgraded.

The new Hall of Trials dungeon will drop Hall of Trials Gildstone Chests when you clear stages 6, 11, and 13. The rewards from other dungeons have also been updated to include Gildstones.

New Mythical Accessories

We’re introducing two new mythical accessories to the game: the Starcross Ring and the Starcross Earring/True Starcross Earring. Like the Upsurge Weapon tier, Starcross tier accessories can only use mythical enchantment. The new Gildstone can be used on these accessories.

You can obtain these new accessories via the new Weekly Challenges, rewards for defeating the boss of the new Hall of Trials or completing certain stages, and rewards from older dungeons.

True Skystealer Ring

We’ve modified the True Skystealer Ring's stats to make it match the True Skystealer Earring's ones. As a part of this update, the base, mythical enchantment, and effect stats were increased accordingly.