Chapter 1: everything that changed

Chapter 1 — Land of Sand and Frost landed on 1 July 2026 and it's the biggest update since the November launch. If you've read guides written before that date, a good share of the numbers in them no longer hold.

The six biggest changes#

1. Level cap 50#

From 45 to 50. It isn't just a number: from level 45 onward every level-up grants an Advanced Stigma Shard, the currency for pushing a stigma skill past level 20.

From 45 to 50 you collect five in total. The stigma skill cap rose from 20 to 25, so five shards are exactly enough to max one single ability. See the stigma guide for the full reasoning.

2. The Brawler#

The ninth class. Martial arts, an exclusive weapon (Gauntlets) and the Rampage skill set: seven abilities including Flurry, Roundhouse and Exploding Fist.

It's been reworked twice in three weeks — on 22 and 29 July, the latter revising Full Force so it scales with the Rage it consumes. Translation: at western launch it will probably differ from how it plays today.

3. Eltnen and Morheim#

The two new regions, one per faction: Eltnen for the Elyos, Morheim for the Asmodians. Both split into two sections that unlock in sequence.

4. New equipment slots#

• Pendant — a new slot, with gear obtained from regional quests.
• Arcana — four new types: Key, Hourglass, Dice and Lantern. Only Key and Hourglass are available now; Dice and Lantern arrive later.

These stack on top of the Brooch slot introduced on 27 May. Gear progression has widened considerably in three months.

5. Guaranteed inheritance#

Inheritance now succeeds 100% of the time, with no attempt caps. Advanced Inheritance has a fixed maximum cost of 50,000,000 Kinah.

6. Five-player parties#

Party size moved to 5 players, which invalidates every composition recommended in older guides. The new expedition, the Citadel of the Fallen Daeva, has three difficulty tiers.

In the Sanctuary the final-boss requirement dropped from 2 kills to 1, with rewards doubled to match.

The Abyss#

Chapter 1 added Reshanta Surface, with entry requirements inverted from what you'd expect: you get in only with item level 4300 or below and Combat Power under 400,000. Up to 300 players per faction, without Artifact mechanics.

It's a zone for players who aren't fully geared — a way to give mass PvP to people who would otherwise be flattened.

Then on 15 July the Abyss Rift Zone was reworked into faction-integrated 300 versus 300 matching, alongside a server rematch.

Balance is in motion#

This is the part that matters most if you're planning a build for September.

Five balance interventions in five weeks. The 30% PvP damage cut is the most consequential: it lengthens fights and shifts value from burst to utility — control, interrupts, mobility.

The rest, briefly#

• Trial Vakron Sky Island (15 July), new trial content.
• Tattoos in character customisation.
• Server transfer, the first such service (22 July).
• Transparent Map, a new overlay.
• AMD FSR 4 and NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 on the graphics side.
• Atreia Summer Festival, seasonal event.