This Throne and Liberty update is a dense one: a time-boxed maintenance window, a Lunar event with currency-based rewards, meaningful weapon balance adjustments, and several quality-of-life upgrades that directly impact how fast you can gear and how efficiently you can sell drops. Below is a practical breakdown of what’s coming, what it changes in day-to-day play, and what to prioritize once servers come back online.

Where it makes sense, this guide also calls out the progression angle: which changes help you generate more tradable value, which reduce wasted time, and how to think about your premium currency budget (whether you earn it via trading or supplement it with Throne and Liberty Lucent for convenience).

Maintenance timing and what to expect

The update is delivered via a scheduled downtime (roughly four hours in the source notes). Plan your last-minute tasks accordingly:

• Spend time-sensitive entries before downtime (daily/weekly activities, raid lockouts, and any event pass chores).
• Clear inventory space so you can immediately claim event rewards and pass items after the patch.
• If you flip items on the market, take note of current trait prices; the Auction House changes below can shift supply quickly.

Lunar event arrives: rewards, coins, and what’s actually worth grabbing

The update confirms the Lunar event and its reward pool tied to New Year coins. Expect a familiar structure: earn event currency through participation and login/attendance, then exchange for a mix of progression materials and cosmetics.

Notable Lunar rewards to prioritize

• Raid materials: typically low quantities, but still valuable if you’re finishing a weekly upgrade breakpoint.
• Unlock Stones: consistently useful because they translate into broader progression flexibility (especially when you’re filling out collections and system unlocks).
• Conversion Stones: valuable for smoothing out RNG when you’re trying to land specific outcomes on systems that allow conversions.
• Solvent and housing items: often not “power” on paper, but housing crafts can become tradable value depending on your server economy.
• Attendance and timed login rewards: two-week attendance plus “time in-game” rewards, including new food options that can replace older consumable habits.

Practical tip: if you’re limited on playtime, treat the event as a “materials top-up” rather than a full grind. Grab the most universally useful items first (Unlock/Conversion Stones), then decide whether you want to push for cosmetics or housing pieces based on your market.

Weapon balance adjustments: what changed and who feels it most

This patch includes targeted changes that primarily affect PvP pressure points and a couple of oppressive interactions. If you’re planning your next respec, trait purchases, or mastery direction, these are the notes to read twice.

Dagger: Thundering Bomb rework (bonus damage interaction nerf)

Dagger’s Thundering Bomb is being reworked so it no longer scales into extreme multipliers via bonus damage interactions (the source calls out cases where it effectively doubled or even tripled output in PvP depending on counter-stat interactions). In practice, this is a heavy damage normalization pass.

• PvP impact: burst windows become more manageable; targets have more room to respond with defensives, positioning, and peel.
• Build impact: dagger players who leaned on that interaction may need to re-evaluate trait priorities and how they secure kills (more emphasis on setup, CC layering, and follow-through rather than one overloaded hit).

If you were holding expensive purchases to finish a dagger burst setup, this is a good moment to pause and see how the post-patch performance settles before committing a large progression budget.

Snow Daggers’ petrify behavior is being adjusted to match the intended timing. The key change is that the petrify check is no longer happening faster than described, giving players a more reasonable reaction window.

• Players should have closer to a full second to move out before petrify triggers, instead of an overly punishing half-second window.
• Evasion and petrification resistance become more meaningful because fewer checks means more chances to avoid the effect over the duration.

Net result: the skill remains threatening area control, but it should feel less like “instant punishment” when it’s placed under you.

Staff: Mana Shield defense scaling capped (big survivability nerf at high mana regen)

Staff’s Mana Shield interaction is being capped so that extra defense gained does not continue scaling past a threshold (the source references 3,500), effectively limiting the defense bonus to around 700.

• Why it matters: high-sustain staff setups that stacked mana regeneration and leveraged strong uptime conditions (like certain weather interactions) lose a chunk of “free tankiness.”
• What doesn’t change: the shield remains a defensive tool; it’s just no longer an outlier that can reach obscene values in optimized conditions.

For staff users, this is a reminder to diversify survivability: positioning, CC timing, and defensive cooldown discipline matter more when raw mitigation is normalized.

War Games gets Battlegrounds as a custom lobby option

Battlegrounds being added into War Games (custom lobbies) is a big deal for organized PvP and practice. It enables:

• Guild training nights without relying on queue randomness
• Testing team compositions and counterplay against tank-heavy or stealth-heavy setups
• Practicing objective play and rotations without the pressure of ranked outcomes

If you lead a group, this is one of the highest “hidden value” changes in the patch because it improves consistency and skill development over time.

Skill scaling adjustment for lower-level skills (PvE smoothing)

Lower-level skills will now have monster damage scaling based on the level of that skill, with no effect at maximum level. This mainly helps:

• Leveling and early progression where you’re experimenting with skills before fully investing
• Off-weapon skills that you keep at lower ranks for utility but still want to feel functional in open world PvE

It’s not a late-game power spike, but it reduces the “dead skill” feeling during the climb.

Siege visibility update: stealth readability improvements

Siege visual effects are being updated so certain units remain more visible even when stealth is involved (as described in the source). The intent is readability: large-scale PvP is already chaotic, so clearer visuals reduce frustration and improve counterplay.

Take a look at: a deeper breakdown of the Thundering Bomb bonus-damage interaction

Auction House QoL: trait searching for Tier 3 items

One of the most impactful economy changes is the Auction House improvement that lets you search traits you want to sell on Tier 3 items, similar to how Tier 2 and below already work.

• Seller benefit: faster listing decisions and fewer mispriced items due to clunky searching.
• Buyer benefit: more targeted shopping, which usually increases market liquidity.
• Economy effect: expect more Tier 3 trait supply to hit the market quickly, which can push prices down on common traits while stabilizing “best-in-slot” demand.

If you rely on trading for progression, this is a strong patch to your Throne and Liberty money making routine: it reduces time-per-listing and makes it easier to turn drops into a steady currency stream.

Additional Lithograph Book entries are being added, which means spare gear can translate into more Unlock Stones. This is a quiet buff to players who:

• Run lots of dungeons/raids and accumulate extra pieces
• Maintain multiple weapon setups and frequently replace gear
• Like completing collections for long-term account power

Post-patch habit: don’t auto-dissolve everything. Check whether a piece fills a new entry first, then decide whether to extract, list, or break it down.

Raid Good Exchange: weekly Entropy Shards pouch for a guaranteed heroic extract

A new item is being added to the Raid Good Exchange merchant: once per week, you can exchange 30 Entropy Shards for a guaranteed heroic extract item.

Why this matters:

• Consistency: guaranteed heroic extract reduces the “weeks of nothing” feeling when chasing specific heroic traits.
• Market pressure: more heroic extracts entering circulation can lower prices over time, especially for less-desired traits.
• Build completion: even if you don’t hit the perfect trait, the guaranteed weekly pull increases your odds of finishing key slots sooner.

This is also a good moment to think about Lucent for gear upgrades in a measured way: if heroic trait prices soften, you may be able to finish a slot with less currency than before. Conversely, if you’re short on time, supplementing via buy Lucent can be a way to capitalize on early-market volatility right after the patch—without having to grind extra hours.

Amatoi Expeditions: Abyss token income increased

The patch increases Abyss tokens received through Amatoi Expeditions (the source references a jump from earlier values up into the mid-30s to mid-40s range depending on expedition). Remember the practical constraints:

• You can run multiple expeditions concurrently if you have enough Amatoi capacity.
• You must select the correct expedition types to receive the improved token rewards.

This is a straightforward buff to passive progression. It also makes expedition planning a stronger part of Lucent planning for long-term progression because more tokens typically means more consistent access to the content or exchanges that those tokens feed into.

New Battlegrounds merchant glide morph and housing additions

A new glide morph is being added to the Battlegrounds merchant, costing 2,800 combat coins. For players who live in PvP, this is a clear long-term goal item.

Housing also receives new additions (including flying whale-themed items referenced in the Korean notes). Even if you don’t care about decorating, housing crafts can matter because:

• Some items become tradable and can convert materials into market value.
• Patch-day demand spikes often create short windows where crafters can profit.

If your server’s economy supports it, housing crafting can be a surprisingly solid piece of open world Lucent income—especially when new recipes land and collectors rush to complete sets.

Cosmetics: random option added

A random selection option for cosmetics is being added. It’s a small feature, but it helps players who have large wardrobes quickly rotate looks without manual swapping. This is also one of the few areas where spending premium currency is purely convenience and style, so it’s worth budgeting separately from power progression.

Artifacts: stat conversion now shows probabilities

Artifact stat conversion is getting a transparency upgrade: you’ll be able to see the exact probability of different stat tiers during conversion. That matters because it:

• Sets realistic expectations before you commit resources
• Helps you decide whether to settle for “good enough” or keep pushing
• Reduces the feeling of being tricked by hidden odds

If you’re the type to chase perfect rolls, this is a strong quality-of-life win—and a reminder to manage your conversion resources carefully rather than burning everything in one session.

Tower of Greed is receiving multiple changes aimed at cutting downtime and making orb-carry mechanics less frustrating.

What’s changing

• Transition cutscenes and the hallway-of-light sequence are removed or skippable when moving between rooms within a floor.
• You can sometimes skip the second room entirely while progressing.
• All cutscenes can be skipped.
• A new Scurry skill is added: while carrying an orb, you can boost movement speed by 100% for a short duration.

Take a look at: our Tower of Greed efficiency tips for weekly planning

How to use Scurry effectively

• Save it for moments where you’d otherwise be slowed in a dangerous lane or while crossing open sightlines.
• Coordinate with your group so peel/CC lines up with your speed window.
• Don’t waste it early if the real threat is at the final handoff or objective point.

These changes won’t automatically make Tower of Greed “easy,” but they do make it less time-wastey, which improves your overall weekly throughput.

Event pass shop additions: recovery crystals and stellarite

Rare recovery crystals and stellarite are being added to the catalyst event pass shop. That means if you complete extra pass activities, you can convert that effort into more targeted progression items.

This is a good patch for players who like structured checklists: do the pass tasks, buy the items that unblock your next upgrade step, and avoid spreading resources too thin.

Bug fixes and functional corrections (important for specific weapon cores)

A handful of fixes target situations where effects weren’t behaving correctly, especially when using skill cores and swapping or weaving non-primary weapon skills.

• Longbow Whirlpool: expected to function for its full duration (not cutting out early).
• Staff Aridus: no longer drops off when using a non-staff skill if it’s equipped as a skill core.
• Orb corruption effect: fixes cases where the corruption effect didn’t reliably trigger due to skill core and secondary weapon interactions.

These are the kinds of fixes that quietly raise performance for players who already “should” have been getting full value from their setup.

Post-patch priorities: what to do first after servers return

• Check the Lunar event vendors and map out coin spending (Unlock/Conversion Stones first for most players).
• Review your dagger/staff PvP setup if you were leaning on the nerfed interactions; adjust expectations and test in practice lobbies.
• Run your weekly raid routine with the Entropy Shards exchange in mind; plan to hit 30 shards reliably.
• Update your Auction House listings and take advantage of Tier 3 trait search to price faster and more accurately.
• Re-evaluate housing crafts if new items are tradable on your server; early demand can be profitable.

If you’re trying to keep momentum without adding more grind, this is also a good time to decide whether you want to rely purely on trading or smooth the process with how to smooth out Throne and Liberty progression using additional Lucent—especially when patch changes create short-lived market opportunities.

Will the dagger changes significantly reduce PvP burst?

Yes for builds that depended on the bonus-damage interaction. Dagger still has strong kill potential, but it should require cleaner setup and follow-up rather than a single overloaded hit.

Is the weekly Entropy Shards pouch worth prioritizing?

If you’re chasing heroic traits, it’s one of the best consistency upgrades in the patch. A guaranteed heroic extract each week reduces variance and can lower your overall currency spend.

How does Tier 3 trait searching change the market?

It makes listing and shopping faster, which typically increases supply visibility. Expect more Tier 3 traits posted quickly after raid/dungeon sessions, with prices stabilizing sooner.

What should I buy first from the Lunar event shop?

For most players: Unlock Stones and Conversion Stones first, then raid materials if they complete a near-term upgrade. Cosmetics and housing are best picked based on your preferences and server demand.

If I’m behind on upgrades, is it better to grind or use premium currency?

It depends on time. Trading and farming can cover a lot, but if you’re short on playtime, where to buy Throne and Liberty Lucent for players with limited playtime becomes relevant as a way to keep pace with gear and trait costs—without forcing marathon sessions.