Masters of the Book,

As the once gentle breeze begins to feel colder, we hope you stay healthy during this change of the seasons and enjoy the rich autumn vibes with ASTRA: Knights of Veda.

In this upcoming update on 10/30, the Judge Shadow Howl will make his appearance. Born from the Tree of Death an incomplete vessel called the “Half-King,” Edwards desire to become a true king clashes with the doubts cast upon him. As he is consumed by the power of the Book of Life however, he loses his own will and becomes Shadow Howl.

Now begins the story of the rightful king of Boden.

This update also introduces a new region that continues the main story, alongside a new Hero’s Mission featuring Shadow Howl himself.

The Hall of Fame will also be introduced alongside some adjustments to some of our existing Knights and changes to the Reward Decrees.

Finally, to celebrate the impending spooky season, we’ll also be releasing a Knights Robe for Bianca.

Want more details regarding all these? More information is available below:

■ Knight of Veda
* The true king arrives! Shadow Howl is the featured 5★ Knight of Veda.

“My power must be absolute.”

He was a prince who dreamed of becoming the perfect king but crumbled under the weight of his own imperfections. He tried to prove his worth through "absolute power," but destiny had other plans, drawing him deeper into its web. Should he ever break free from these shackles, he will return as the true king of Boden.

- Shadow Howl is a Blood and Water-type Melee DPS who wields a Longsword. He weakens enemies' combat ability with the “Overpowering” effect on every attack and deals additional DMG proportional to ATK with “Descent of the Book.”

- His Normal Skill “Soul Liberation” strikes all enemies in a straight line. Upon a hit, the “Soul Devouring” effect activates, boosting his ATK and CRIT DMG at the same time.
- With his Signature Skill “The Absolute One's Uncertain Future”, he can leap forward and slam his sword into the ground, striking enemies and manifesting “The Absolute One's Aura,” which greatly increases DMG dealt upon skill cast. Hitting an enemy activates the “Liberated Soul” effect, which removes all enemy buffs.

- Shadow Howl alongside his Signature Weapon “Crimson Howl” can be obtained via Call of the Stars. While his Signature “Destiny-defying Halo” and Signature “El Cid of Unstable Crown” can be obtained via “Mark of the Sworn Loyalty” and “Fragments of the Painting” respectively, which can be found on the “Guidance of the Goddess” menu.

* Bianca, who only feels truly alive when in danger, chaos, and instability, returns in this Call of the Stars.


- Bianca is a Dark-type Melee DPS who uses a Large Club. Each hit of her massive hammer applies “Dopamine Index” to herself, gaining increased ATK and ATK SPD.

- “Bianca” alongside her Signature Weapon “Once Sacred” can be obtained via Call of the Stars. While her Signature Halo “Dark Natured Halo” and her Signature El Cid “El Cid of Game” can be obtained via “Mark of the Sworn Loyalty” and “Fragments of the Painting” respectively, which can be found on the “Guidance of the Goddess” menu.

* Elegance and Power collide in this new Knights’ Robe for Bianca!


- A new horrifying Knight’s Robe, “Condottieri of the Night” for Bianca will now be available.
- As with the previous Knight’s Robe, while “Condottieri of the Night” is equipped, Bianca's appearance will change, and her skill effects will be changed too to match the new look.
- A Name Card and Profile Icon will come with your purchase of the Knights Robe.
- As a special Halloween bonus this October, purchasing the outfit also grants you the Mark of Sanctity “Wicked Tricks Mark” and the Pristine Wings “Wings of Amusement Mark”.

■ A new Adventure Zone, “The Ruins of Forgotten Creation” resurface!


- North of Trondheim lies the new Adventure Zone called “The Ruins of Forgotten Creation” which lies in the region of Noatun.
- In this lush, overgrown region where ancient ruins lie dormant and sealed, hidden truths will begin to surface one by one.
- Once you’ve cleared Chapter 10, “Trondheim, The Land of Dormant Beasts”, you’ll be able to immediately enter Chapter 11.

* A brand-new journey on the uncharted land of Noatun.


- The story continues in this new Adventure Zone, alongside the introduction of new Quests, Achievements and Missions.

* Twelve (12) new Adventure Stages will be available in this Zone. 


- The new Adventure Zone will consist of the usual eleven (11) Standard Stages and one (1) Boss Stage.
- As your adventures on Planis continue, the dangers and challenges ahead increase. But with the increased difficulty comes opportunities for better rewards, including the new Relic Set “Fate-slashing Judge!”

■ With the new Adventure Zone, comes a new Nightmare Stage, “Roar's Nightmare Sanctuary.” 


- Clearing all twelve Adventure Stages of the new Adventure Zone alongside clearing the Veda’s Nightmare “Nightmare Lift of Fall” will unlock the new “Roar’s Nightmare Sanctuary” stage.
- Defeating Shadow Howl in this Veda’s Nightmare stage will reward you with weapon ascension materials alongside a chance to obtain the new Relic Sets, “Free Spirit Madness” and “Fate-slashing Judge.”
- The Nightmare of the Abyss version of this stage will drop Goddess Armor for Tanks.

■ Two (2) new Relic Sets make their debut~


- The “Free Spirit Madness” Relic Set is focused on increasing Darkness-attribute DMG, ATK and CRIT DMG for Melee attacks.



- The “Fate-slashing Judge” Relic Set focuses on increasing Blood-attribute DMG and Blood-attribute DMG from Normal and Signature Skills.
 

■ Hero’s Mission for Shadow Howl


- A new Hero’s Mission focusing on Shadow Howl will be available with this update!
- Following the mission instructions, you’ll be heading to Trondheim to discover a new locale.



- In this Hero’s Mission, Death Crown is summoned to a strangely familiar place where you encounter Shadow Howl, who demands something of him…
- Please note that this Hero’s Mission can only be completed once.

■ The “Hall of Fame” will be added, allowing you to compare and review the strength of your owned Knights of Veda.


- The new Hall of Fame can be accessed with a button located on the Belle Menu.



- The Hall of Fame displays the rankings for both Total Combat Power and Guild Combat Power for all Masters of the Book who have logged in after the 10/30 Update. It also has a section to access all the other leaderboards currently in-game.
- Total Combat Power is determined by the combined Combat Power of your top 10 Knights of Veda. while the Guild Combat Power is based on the total combined Combat Power of all of a Guild’s members.
- Rankings are shown up to the Top 100 while your Personal Combat Power and your current Guild’s Combat Power will be displayed at the bottom.



- By selecting categories on the left, you can check the top rankings for each content type.
- Rankings for both the current season and previous season are available, with up to the top 100 displayed per content.

■ What’s your power? Your Combat Power?


- Combat Power is calculated based on the stats of your Knights of Veda and the enhancement levels of their equipment.
- Your Total Combat Power will be displayed in the Player Info section of the Belle menu.
- Your Support Knight of Veda’s Combat Power will also be displayed in the Profile section of the Belle menu.
- Other Masters of the Book can also see the Combat Power of each of the Support Knights on their list.

* Is it over 9000? Check each of your Knights Combat Power on the Book menu.


- You can view the individual Combat Power of all of your Knights of Veda on the Book menu, as well as the total Combat Power of your current party. The Combat Power can also be checked on each Knights Detailed Info screen.

* You can also see your enemy’s total Combat Power on some content’s Party Formation screens.


- In content where parties can be formed such as in Nightmare of the Abyss or Shadow Waters, you will be able to view the Combat Power of your configured party to assess its strength.
- In PvP content like in Battlefield of the War Gods, you can preview the opponent’s Combat Power in advance, allowing to make more informed decisions on how to progress.

■ More Rewards for your Reward Decree!


- We’ve added the following benefits to Neejarem Reward Decree:
 - Maximum Shoe Charge increased by 20.
- We’ve added the following benefits to your Blessing of Neejarem:
 - Maximum Shoe Charge increased by 60.
 - Shoe Charge Time will be reduced by 72 seconds.
 - 20% Gold Gain Bonus in Adventure Stages / Nightmare (Abyss)
 - Memories of the Stars exchange limits doubled.
- No changes to the items previously granted upon purchase will be made and all the new benefits will remain active until the Reward Decree expires.



- A “Master of the Book Benefits” icon will be added next to the name of the Reward Decree at the top for you to be able to check your current benefits.
※ Please note that the benefits from Neejarem Reward Decree and Blessing of Neejarem DO NOT stack.
 

■ Balance
* Another batch of Knights of Veda will be up for adjustments.


- In this update, the Knights of Veda Rhynara and Bianca will be adjusted.
- Going forward, we plan to make these Knight of Veda adjustments more regularly through our monthly updates.
 

■ Content & System Improvements
* The Machine Age looms? Bots will be added to assist with matchmaking on certain content.


- In Adventure Stages, Veda’s Nightmare and Nightmare of the Abyss, bots can now be assigned as Co-Op partners when matchmaking takes too long.
- The system will then fill up the Co-Op slots, which means your party will now consist of one (1) Master of the Book and two (2) Bot companions. Rewards will be given out as with normal full three-player parties.
- The Battle will end if the Master of the Book’s team is wiped out, even if both of the AI teams are still active. Make sure to stay alive!

* Guild Siege party formation will be improved.


- You will now be able to swap Party 1 and Party 2 with each other on the party formation screen.
- If a Knight already assigned to another party is selected, an error message will notify you of the situation and will automatically move the Knight to the current party if agreed to.
- You’ll also now be able to remove all assigned Knights of Veda at once.

■ Events and Seasonal Content
* Why have just one Rift when you can have two? Both Rift events will be active this update cycle!


- Battle various bosses entering this world through the various rifts in the “Distorted Rift” and “Shattered Dimensional Rift” events!
- Distorted Rift will run from after the 10/30 Maintenance until 11/13 03:00 AM UTC / 11/12 08:00 PM PDT
- Meanwhile, the Shattered Dimensional Rift will run from 11/13 06:00 AM UTC / 11/12 11:00 PM PDT until before the 11/27 Maintenance.

- During their respective event periods, complete missions and earn rich rewards from the “Rift Pass” and “Dimensional Pass” which can be accessed via the buttons located at the bottom of the main event screen or through the Guidance of the Goddess screen. Purchase the Goddess’s Reward Decree and earn the “Unsullied Remnants of Accessories”, allowing you to select a Mythic Accessory with the highest possible stat for your desired Main stat.



* The "Harold's Lost Knowledge" event will reward you for helping Harold with research materials.
- Collect the materials Harold requires to write his research log from the Adventure Zone stages and submit them to him in Todburg to receive rewards.
- The "Harold's Lost Knowledge" event will be unlocked progressively, with one log entry opening each day, and you can check your progress in the Research Log.
- The "Harold's Lost Knowledge" event will run from 11/13 06:00 AM UTC / 11/12 11:00 PM PDT until before the 11/27 Maintenance.

* A new “The Fruits of Adventure” Daily Attendance event is upon us!
- Receive various rewards depending on the number of days you logged in.
- “The Fruits of Adventure” event will run from 11/01 06:00 AM UTC / 10/31 11:00 PM PDT to 12/01 06:00 AM UTC / 11/30 11:00 PM PDT.

* The "Blessing in Adventure" event is back to shower everyone with more rewards!
- During the event period, you can earn double the rewards from Adventure Dungeons up to the daily limit.
- The double rewards event for Adventure Dungeons will run from after the 10/30 Maintenance until 11/13 03:00 AM UTC / 11/12 08:00 PM PDT.

* The Calydon’s Blessing event will be there to sate your hunger for Gold!
- During the event period, your Calydon’s Hideout rewards will be doubled!
- The Calydon Blessing event will be held from after the 10/30 Maintenance until 11/13 03:00 AM UTC / 11/12 08:00 PM PDT.

* Veda’s Nightmare deepens as the rewards for braving its halls increase, the “Blessing in Nightmare” event returns!
- During the "Blessing in the Nightmare" event, you can earn double rewards from “Veda's Nightmare” and on “Nightmare of the Abyss” up to the daily limit. 
- The "Blessing in the Nightmare" event will run from 11/13 06:00 AM UTC / 11/12 11:00 PM PDT until before the 11/27 Maintenance.

* A new Reward Decree season will start.
- The new Reward Decree season will begin on 11/01 06:00 AM UTC / 10/31 11:00 PM PDT, and will run until 11/30 06:00 AM UTC / 11/29 11:00 PM PDT
- When you purchase Neejarem’s Reward Decree you will be able to obtain up to Ruby x2,280, Crystal of Fate x30, Solvent of Prayer x2, and the new Masters of the Book Benefits!



* A new season of Arena will begin.
- During this Arena Season, you can earn rewards such as Emotes and Insignia based on your progress.
- This Arena Season will end before the regular maintenance on 11/27.

* Battlefield of the War Gods gets a much-needed refresh!
- Battlefield of the War Gods rankings will be reset, and season-highest ranking rewards can once again be obtained!
- This season will end before the regular maintenance on 11/27.

* A new season of Portrait of Thierry will be starting.
- After the maintenance, the attributes of the monsters on each floor of Portrait of Thierry will be changed.
- The new Portrait of Thierry season will end before the regular maintenance on 11/27.

* A new season of Nightmare of the Abyss will be starting.
- With the new season, a new set of Abyss Trials will be applied to each stage.
- The new Nightmare of the Abyss season will end before the regular maintenance on 11/27.

* A new season of “Beast Battlefront” arrives.
- A new featured boss will arrive in this refresh of Beast Battlefront!
- "Beast Battlefront" content will be held twice during the season. The schedule is as follows:
 - 1st Round: 10/30 06:00 AM UTC / 10/29 11:00 PM PDT ~ 11/11 06:00 AM UTC / 11/10 11:00 PM PDT
  - Settlement until 11/13 06:00 AM UTC / 11/12 11:00 PM PDT
 - 2nd Round: 11/13 06:00 AM UTC / 11/12 11:00 PM PDT to 11/25 06:00 AM UTC / 11/24 11:00 PM PDT
  - Settlement will be until before the 11/27 maintenance.

■ Store
* A new set of store packages have arrived to help you on your journey!
 
- The “Halloween Budget Pack” offers the best bang-for-your-buck when you’re on the hunt for more Crystals of Destiny!
- Need more? Get 500 (yes) Crystals of Destiny plus essential Relic enhancement materials with the “Halloween Relic’s Destiny Pack.”
- If you want those Crystals of Destiny AND Crystals of Fate, the “Halloween Destiny & Fate Pack” has you covered!
- These packages will be available until 11/13 03:00 AM UTC /  11/12 08:00 PM PDT.

* In celebration of Shadow Howl’s release, we’ve prepared a couple of packages to help you set him up!
- A Halo, El Cid package that will help you in getting the relevant equipment.
- A Growth Package with items to help you level him up plus some Crystals of Destiny will also be available.
- A special package with the needed enhancement materials for Shadow Howl will also be available!

■ Bug Fixes
- An issue where selecting the “Blessing in Adventure” button will transfer you to the incorrect Adventure Guide tab will be fixed.
- An issue where the notification icon remained on the Contents Overview even after clearing Sealed Prison will be fixed.
- An issue where display errors sometimes occur when checking the gems from the Legendary Gem Summon Box result screen will be fixed.

We will continue to listen to your feedback to ensure an even more enjoyable adventure in ASTRA: Knights of Veda.

Thank you.