Hello, this is DEV Allanon.
After Bound Gold was announced in our previous Dev Note, we received a lot of feedback. Two concerns came up most often: that rewards felt smaller because there was less tradable Gold, and that applying Bound Gold to every tier at once was too much of a burden. We went through your feedback one by one and took another look at how Bound Gold is applied.
(* All English terminology is not final and can change in the update.)
Why We're Introducing Bound Gold
Over time, the amount of Gold flowing into the market keeps growing, and Marketplace prices are rising along with it. Bound Gold is a way to set aside the Gold used for character growth. The goal is to ease the burden of equipment enhancement for players who are growing their characters, while slowing the rate at which Gold flows into the Marketplace.
This direction isn't changing. However, we found that applying it to every tier at once would significantly disrupt the way you currently play. So, until the level cap increase in March, we'll use the rates in the table below. After the level cap increase, we'll apply Bound Gold gradually, tier by tier.
Planned Changes
■ Eriu Tier – No Change from Current Rewards
- Bound Gold will not apply to Eriu Raids.
- Completion Gold will be awarded the same way and in the same amounts as it is now.
■ Orna to Eriu Tiers and Special Dungeon – Lower Bound Gold Rates
| Content | With Core Boost | Without Core Boost |
|---|---|---|
| Ardri Raids | 70% (no change) | 85% (no change) |
| Orna Raids | 60% → 50% | 80% → 65% |
| Uaithne Raids | 40% → 20% | 65% → 40% |
| Eriu Raids | 5% → 0% | 50% → 0% |
| Special Dungeon | 50% → 20% | 50% → 40% |
- Rates are shown as originally 'planned → adjusted.'
- The rates in the table are the percentage of your final Gold earnings that will be given as Bound Gold. The rest will be given as Normal Gold.
- Space Time Distortion, Royal Army, Red Moon's Energy, Niflheim, Redeemers, and normal battles will stay as originally planned.
■ Easing the Enhancement Burden During Progression
- The Enhancement +1 Coupon (Complete Binding) will be added to the Seal of the Journey Shop. It will be available as six bundles of three coupons, for a total of 18.
- You can take the +12 Orna equipment you receive upon reaching level 115 straight to +15 using only Enhancement Coupons.
- However, unlike before, items enhanced with Enhancement Coupons can no longer be traded.
- You won't need Superior Enhancement Elixirs, which were the biggest burden at this stage.
What's Next
This adjustment is the first step in introducing Bound Gold. Going forward, we'll set its scope and rates through the following process.
- After Bound Gold goes live, we'll monitor how actual Gold flow, Marketplace prices, and growth speed change.
- In line with the level cap increase in March, we'll redefine the scope and rates for each tier and let you know in advance.
Some of you were also concerned that Bound Gold might just pile up with too few ways to spend it, or that it might actually become harder to get the resources you need for growth. Since equipment growth requires both Gold and materials, we'll make sure you can earn enough of both through play.
For materials, we'll make Hero's Leap, which is planned to run in January, permanently available to keep them in good supply. For Gold, Bound Gold will make sure the Gold you earn from battles alone is enough for smooth growth.
Please keep sending us your feedback. We'll listen closely and take it into account.
Thank you.
