[p][/p][p align="start"]Greetings from the Summoners War Dev Team![/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]Though summer is reaching its end, the midday sun is still strong in Korea.[/p][p align="start"]However, the breeze is getting cooler in the mornings and evenings, reminding us that the seasons are slowly changing.[/p][p align="start"]Even during this seasonal shift, the heat continues in Summoners War—thanks to SWC2025.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]Thanks to your unwavering support again this year, the SWC2025 Regional Qualifiers have been more intense than ever.[/p][p align="start"]The upcoming matches are also adding heat, and we hope you claim all the rewards prepared in the prediction event.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]Also, we thank all players who have given their all in their matches and those preparing for upcoming ones.[/p][p align="start"]We ask everyone to stay tuned until the end of the SWC2025 journey, from the Regional Cups to the World Finals.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]In this Developer’s Preview, we have prepared details about the update planned for September.[/p][p align="start"]The update includes the Trial of Ascension (Hell) revamp, addition of new floors to Challenge of Ascension,[/p][p align="start"]and the new World Arena content, “Challenge Battle."[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]Let's dive into the fifth \[Developer's Preview]![/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]<Trial of Ascension (Hell) Revamp>[/p][p align="start"]Currently, having to achieve challenge objectives on top of the high base difficulty for rewards is fatiguing many Summoners.[/p][p align="start"]Starting with the Trial of Ascension that resets on Sep. 14 PDT, we plan to lower the base difficulty of the Hell mode[/p][p align="start"]and ease the reward acquisition structure and conditions to reduce the overall gameplay burden.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]1. The base difficulty without challenge objectives will become easier.[/p][p align="start"]While preserving the identity of Trial of Ascension (Hell) as challenging content,[/p][p align="start"]the revamp will lower the base difficulty and provide a variety of challenge objectives for a more engaging field of challenge.[/p][p align="start"]We are also preparing new enemy teams to match the adjusted difficulty, along with a downward adjustment of enemy stats.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]2. The reward structure will be improved.[/p][p align="start"]The final reward (Legendary All-Attribute Scroll) in Hell mode currently requires 20 stars, which means clearing all 10 floors on base difficulty alone is not enough to claim the reward.[/p][p align="start"]We plan to improve the reward acquisition structure, lowering the hurdle for rewards and adjusting the reward tiers, so that the final reward can be claimed by clearing all floors on base difficulty alone.[/p][p align="start"]Additionally, to make clear points more useful, the ToA (Hell) rewards will be changed to a system similar to the Arena's Glory Shop, where items can be purchased with clear points earned from clearing floors and achieving challenge objectives.[/p][p align="start"]Furthermore, these clear points will not reset when ToA resets; they will carry over to the following month.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]3. The range of selectable challenge objectives will be expanded.[/p][p align="start"]ToA (Hell) will offer more freedom in selecting the challenge objectives, instead of presenting two fixed goals per floor.[/p][p align="start"]More options mean more diverse strategies and more opportunities to try out unique tactics.[/p][p align="start"]You will be able to set challenge objectives that are easier for you to tackle, or, if you prefer a more challenging experience, you can set many objectives at once and play accordingly.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]4. The targets affected by challenge objective effects will be distinguished between enemies and allies.[/p][p align="start"]The effects of challenge objectives that are currently applied equally to both allies and enemies will be clearly divided and applied as either enemy-only effects or ally-only effects.[/p][p align="start"]For example, the “Limits harmful effects to 1 turn" goal on 1F will be changed to an enemy-only condition after the update.[/p][p align="start"]At first glance, this change may raise concerns about increased difficulty, but our goal is to shape an environment where we can design stage balance more precisely, which will ultimately lower the difficulty of ToA (Hell) when paired with appropriate adjustments to enemy Monster stats.[/p][p align="start"]This modification will also be applied to Challenge of Ascension with the same intent.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]<Challenge of Ascension Improvement and Floor Expansion>[/p][p align="start"]To allow more Summoners to enjoy Challenge of Ascension in a properly balanced environment,[/p][p align="start"]we plan to lower the overall difficulty of CoA while also revamping the challenge objectives and ranking system.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]1. Difficulty adjustments and expansion of the top floors.[/p][p align="start"]Each Attribute Tower will be expanded from 30 floors to 40 floors, and Spires of Ascension from 100 floors to 140 floors.[/p][p align="start"]Along with the expansion, we are preparing balance adjustments to make CoA less demanding by adjusting enemy stats and changing the floors where certain challenge objectives appear.[/p][p align="start"]Our goal is to make lower floors clearable without burden, while higher floors require more strategic play to provide an adequate sense of satisfaction. Extensive stage balance tests are underway to that end.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]2. Ranking criteria will be changed.[/p][p align="start"]The ranking criteria currently based on the date and time of clearing a floor will be changed to the number of turns taken, so that the rankings reflect how efficient and well-executed a strategy was.[/p][p align="start"]While preserving the honor of Summoners who cleared the top floors first in the \[First Conqueror] info, the achievements of Summoners who demonstrated advanced strategies will be recorded in the rankings.[/p][p align="start"]Due to the criteria change, rankings will be newly tallied after the update; pre-update CoA ranking records will be preserved separately in a \[Hall of Fame] so that the records of current CoA rankers remain.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]3. A debate board for Challenge of Ascension will be added.[/p][p align="start"]A debate board will be added to CoA for sharing strategies on climbing the towers.[/p][p align="start"]Only Summoners who have cleared a given stage will be able to create posts on that stage’s board.[/p][p align="start"]Share your own CoA strategies and tips with fellow Summoners![/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]4. The Challenge of Ascension revamp will be introduced during the first update in September.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]<New World Arena Mode: Challenge Battle>[/p][p align="start"]\[Challenge Battle] is a new mode where battles are conducted using a fixed pool of Monsters provided, instead of your own.[/p][p align="start"]We hope this lets Summoners who lack certain Monsters or have not farmed Runes to enjoy RTA in the same environment.[/p][p align="start"]By providing a fixed Monster pool for battle, we aim to deliver a new World Arena mode in which strategic elements—such as understanding Monsters and building teams—take center stage.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]1. A preset number of Monsters will be provided.[/p][p align="start"]From a pool of around 30 to 40 Monsters, 12 to 16 Monsters will be assigned to either side at the start of battle.[/p][p align="start"]All Monsters will be 6★, Lv. 40, with MAX skill levels, and will have preset Runes and Artifacts engraved.[/p][p align="start"](The total Monster pool and the number of Monsters provided at battle start are still under final discussion and testing.[/p][p align="start"]We will share more details in a future update notice.)[/p][p align="start"]After proceeding with the pick & ban phase using the provided Monsters, the battle will begin.[/p][p align="start"]The base pool of 30 to 40 Monsters will remain unchanged throughout a season and be applied globally to all Summoners,[/p][p align="start"]while the 12 to 16 Monsters assigned for battle are determined randomly at the start of each battle.[/p][p align="start"]Monsters assigned to you will not appear for your opponent, meaning you will be able to infer your opponent's Monster pool.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]2. The \[Challenge Battle] season will proceed separately from the existing World Arena.[/p][p align="start"]We are carefully reviewing the season duration in order to provide a new Monster pool each season for diverse strategies.[/p][p align="start"]If the season is too long, \[Challenge Battle] may become repetitive within the same pool;[/p][p align="start"]if it is too short, the pool may change before deck guides or strategies can be established, stirring confusion.[/p][p align="start"]We are planning to set an appropriate length by observing the gameplay flow following the introduction of \[Challenge Battle].[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]3. \[Challenge Battle] continues until you record a total of three losses.[/p][p align="start"]In \[Challenge Battle], your goal is to record as many wins as possible before losing three times.[/p][p align="start"]There is no limit to the number of entries; you can play as freely as you wish.[/p][p align="start"]However, once you reach three losses, your number of wins at that time will be recorded as your performance record.[/p][p align="start"]If you choose to enter again, your record will reset to 0 wins and 0 losses and start anew.[/p][p align="start"]Who will record the most wins on each server? May the most creative strategies log as many wins as possible![/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]4. \[Challenge Battle] Reward Structure[/p][p align="start"]We are considering one-time rewards based on seasonal achievements.[/p][p align="start"]Most rewards will be relatively easy to get, as our goal is to engage more Summoners to enjoy the content without pressure.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]5. \[Challenge Battle] is targeted for a late-September update.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]That’s all for today’s Developer’s Preview![/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]We will continue to share new content and improvements and listen carefully to your valuable feedback.[/p][p align="start"]If you have any questions or opinions about this update, please feel free to share them anytime.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]The next Developer’s Preview will likely share news about the large-scale update scheduled for mid-November.[/p][p align="start"]Internally, we dubbed it \[Summoners War: Tomorrow] and are eagerly exploring ways to bring powerful changes to the game.[/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"][/p][p align="start"]We are truly grateful for all the love and support you send to Summoners War.[/p][p align="start"]Please look forward to more exciting updates!​​[/p]