1. Server and Client Stability Server and Client Optimization A client patch has been implemented during which we added multi-core support and improved the game’s server-client packet distribution processes. Currently we are at work to resolve further client crash issues and also have plans to provide a further optimize way the combat calculations are carried out in order to lessen the burden on our servers. We will continue with our efforts to make improvements and provide the optimum environment in which our players can experience the game. Synchronization of Player Positions The dev team is currently at work resolving an issue related to the synchronization of player positions in the game. We are using client-side prediction and server reconciliation mechanisms in order to resolve such issues to provide the optimum PvP experience for our players.



2. PvE Content More Varied Gear Farming





Currently, the content in which the players obtain end-level equipment is limited to the Velcoffer raid. Because of this restriction, many players who do not meet the requirements for the Velcoffer raid are barred from other end-game contents that are restricted by gear. We are planning to make it so that players will be able to obtain end-level equipment from the many different contents currently available in game.



Party Raid

The dev team is planning to release a new party raid that further emphasizes class roles and tactics in the first half of 2019. Hunting Grounds Bosses Starting with the new Hunting Grounds, Irredian Shelter, the dev team is planning to introduce new HG bosses continually in the future.

Field Farming In the current state of the game, players cannot farm for end-level gear while in the fields. This means that there is no reason for our players to visit the most of the available zones in the game as it is pointless to do so. In the future, players will be given the chance to acquire end-level loot from field farming and also various materials obtained from fields will be implemented into the new casual game content, planned to be introduced later this year. Who knows what wonderful things you may come across while questing? Content Entry Limit Expansion

The dev team has come to realize that limiting entries to different raids and other contents by character is no longer valid because equipment can be shared between the many characters belonging to a single Team. This only causes repetitive gameplay and fatigues the player.

This type of entry restriction also puts a lot of emotional pressure on the players because that players may feel that they have suffered a huge loss when not having participated in one of these contents. We are currently looking to improve our content participation so that entry limits are shared by all characters in a Team and to provide rewards that appropriately fit such changes in game mechanics. Goals for Current In-game Contents - Improve the contents that lack in polish and proficiency that have become overlooked by players - More varied means of obtaining new gear - Streamlined quest and level routes for new Saviors Our top most priority will be to improve on the existing contents. We will work at them one by one based on the usage statistics we’ve gained from our players.



3. PvP Content Rework and Expansion PvP Balancing The dev team is also focusing on balancing skills and character builds for PvP. We will base our works on data gathered from players to provide a more balanced PvP environment overall. Team Battle League While currently in its beta, TBL is planned to feature various tactical objects that players can take advantage of to come out the victor. It will be run by seasons and rewards will also be improved on.

Guild Territory Wars - UI for Displaying GTW Progress and Results

- Balancing

- Benefits for Seizing Guilds

- Honor Reward Expansion and Categorization The dev team is keeping a close watch in the current progress of GTW in order to provide greater immersion for players. While we are testing out the various items used in GTW, we are also tweaking the balance to make it so that it is more difficult for one guild to seize all three territories. Lastly, we are also looking to improve on the rewards that guilds can receive by participating in GTW by making them more fair and varied. PvP Sports

We’ve had sports contents in the past but only as events. We are outlining ways of integrating one such content to be featured regularly in-game due to their relative success in the past. We hope to make a brand new content based around teamwork and tactics rather than combat. 4. Casual and Character Content Guild Hangout Design The dev team wants to create contents that promote a sense of pride and belonging that unite players in a guild. We want this not only in contents such as GTW but also by providing alternative casual content for non-competitive players as well. - Introduction of functional objects in guild hangout (training dummies, guild shops)

- Research and development as content to unlock new guild hangout features

- Individual guild contribution system Many players hesitated from participating in guild contents because their rewards were not issued directly to the participating players. We are hoping to reform and create new guild contents that promote a more active participation on the part of the members with a new system that focuses more so on individual contributions.

Housing The new housing system will introduce various furnitures and accessories such as swings and other fun rides. The dev team is also planning to expand on the farming and other related contents. Casual Contents We are currently preparing archeology, collection, fishing and cooking as new casual contents. As we feel that it is a shame that the many of the game’s beautifully rendered maps remain unpopulated, our primary goal is to make the many field maps present in the game useful. Players will be able to take careers as archeologists, cooks and herbalists to explore every nook and cranny of the kingdom. Character Customization While there are many different costumes available in the game, we still do not have the option to change the skin tone of characters. The dev team has currently completed developing the changing of character skin tone and the feature will be implemented into the game as soon as the final touches are made.



5. Main Quest and Class Updates



Main Quest The dev team has plans for two main quest updates for 2019. In the first of the two updates, 11 new areas will be added and the current level cap of 390 will be raised to 420. This update will include new main quests, subquests, around 40 new monsters, 7 new bosses and items. Your Next Adventure Awaits! The next main quest will take place in the northern regions of the Kingdom, near the capital. There, you will meet those who had been guarding the Kingdom’s walls during Medzio Diena, meet their hero and head to Parias Forest to help the Goddess Medeina defeat the Demon King Kartas.







New Classes The dev team has plans for two updates, each introducing new classes to the game. Four new classes will be added in the first half of 2019. The detailed information on the new classes will be revealed later through our dev blog posts. This is the Tree of Savior’s development roadmap for the year 2019. We hope that you have enjoyed the time spent reading this post. We will do whatever it takes to provide our players with a satisfactory service even more so than the previous year. We sincerely thank you for your enduring love and support for the game. Regards,

The Tree of Savior Dev Team

Q. The difficulty for the game increased considerably in the early testing stages of the game, but then lowered again. Why is this, and are there any plans in the future for the difficulty to be raised again? A. Yes, the difficulty in our test servers was very high at first. While we were aware of the feedback that the game was too easy, we wanted to maintain a balance in the game’s difficulty to suit both the newcomers and core players of the game.



The difficulty was lowered for general field hunting because of this reason. We felt that the decrease in difficulty in this case was justified as the new players, who aren’t as well equipped, will be the ones who spend the most time in the fields. We wanted to make it so that these players did not have too much trouble progressing through the various quests. With this, the difficulty of the Challenge Mode has been lowered overall as well, but the monster attacks are definitely stronger at higher stages and there is no doubt that it will give seasoned users enough of a challenge still.



However, two of the game’s features had their difficulty raised with the recent Re:Build update: Unique Raids and the Saalus Convent. The monsters found in these two places now have higher attack and HP because the two are intended to be party-based content.



Before we move on to addressing our future plans for the game’s difficulty, there are two things we must let you know. The first is that, with the Re:Build update, we mainly focused on the player’s journey towards our current end-game content, in which a player’s build is completed with their fourth and final class advancement. We wanted to adjust the difficulty so that players did not face too many problems reaching the end-game while playing solo. However, we are looking to increase the difficulty of all content past this point in the game. At the current time, we are looking to have Lv. 400 as the point during which a player becomes reasonably equipped with a complete class build and attributes. The new level cap will be the point at which players will begin to feel like they can take on a new challenge with the game. There is no doubt that this challenge will be increased for all players with our future updates. Q. With Boruta being a large-scale GvG raid, players are worried about the content-exclusive rewards (i.e. Seals) being hogged by the larger guilds in-game who have a tremendous advantage when it comes to PvP. Is there anything that you have planned to prevent this from happening? A. The implementation of the Borutos Kapas GvG raid has been altered since it was first introduced in kTOS to prevent, as much as possible, the larger guilds from monopolizing the content. The biggest change is the starting time for the Boruta raid, which was changed from 6 AM to 7 PM during weekdays. The second would be the way in which rewards are given out for completing the Boruta raid. After a few weeks on kTOS, we have decided that it would be beneficial for all players to remove PvP as a way of earning contribution points in the raid and also have individual rewards extended to a maximum of 1,000 players. Also, the new Seal equipment will also be available through features that will be added later on in the game, so Boruta will definitely not be the sole source of Seals for players.

Q. One of the biggest topics amongst Steam TOS players was that of rods and staffs. Many players on Steam feel that rods are much more overpowered when compared to staffs, and staff users feel that they are forced into using rods with the arrival of the Re:Build update despite wanting to use staffs. A. Currently our intent is to have rods as weapons that provide quick casting, and staffs as weapons with high attack. Before you say that rods are better than staffs, let’s have a look at the following facts. With Lv. 380 Unique-grade weapons, staffs have a 4320 MAG ATK value, while rods have 3600 MAG ATK. When transcended to stage 10, the difference in MAG ATK is increased to 1440. Also, socket-wise, staffs have 5 socket slots while rods have 6 sockets in total, 3 on the rod itself and 3 on the shield. So while rods do get one more socket compared to staffs, even with this taken into account the MAG ATK difference between the two weapons will be 1065, if both equipment items have full 10-star blue gems. This difference in MAG ATK value increases even further with Legend-grade gear such as Velcoffer. Taking these calculations into account, we came to decide that the current casting time bonus with rods is sufficient in bridging the MAG ATK gap between the two weapons.



Also, there are many skills in the Wizard tree that are instantly cast. From the available Wizard tree skills, there are more skills that are cast instantly than those that have a casting time. If a player’s build does not include many (or even any) skills that have casting times, the 50% casting time bonus becomes rather redundant and the only benefit that rod users enjoy in the end is that of being able to equip a shield in the other hand. Looking at the numbers and the general availability of different types of skills in the Wizard tree, we believe that the 50% casting time bonus for rods is reasonable. Nonetheless, there is always room for improvement and we will continue to keep our ears open to player opinions in order to make both rods and staffs an equally valid choice for players.

Giltine_illust

NEW CONTENT



1. Guild Hangout Raid 1-1. Overview The Guild Hangout Raid is, just as the name suggests, a new raid content that can be enjoyed in the comfort of your own Guild Hangout.

Players can now summon bosses in their Guild Hangout and join forces to defeat them. 1-2. Background The refugees of the Kingdom have been suffering greatly at the hands of the monsters that entered our world through the many dimensional cracks that appeared following Medzio Diena. Sage Envoys have been deployed all across the Kingdom in order to seal the cracks but they are in need of help. The Kingdom has decided that the Sage Envoys devise a way to relocate the dimensional cracks to various Guild Hangouts present within the Kingdom to have the guilds help in dealing with the invasion of monsters.

Guilds can now participate in private boss raids through the Sage Envoys located in their Hangout to defeat the invading monsters for bounty. 1-3. How to Play Talk to the Sage Envoy NPC in your Guild Hangout to start the raid. 1-4. Rewards Rewards can be obtained from the Sage Envoy NPC after the raid time is reset every Monday at 6:00 AM server time. Rewards are issued as Silver, which is determined by the player’s contribution in defeating the raid boss.

2. New Hunting Grounds: Irredian Shelter 2-1 Overview Irredian Shelter is a new high level Hunting Grounds populated by level 390 monsters and two level 400 boss monsters. 2-2. Background The three rulers of old Nicopolis had run the city with an iron fist as their influence grew. The Archmage Irredian had created a shelter for the citizens of Nicopolis to take refuge in. Preparations for siege and various experiments to create a magical barricade that blocks off Nicopolis from the rest of the Kingdom took place at the shelter. 2-3. How to Play The new Hunting Grounds is populated by powerful level 390 monsters. Hunting down these monsters unlocks a portal to new areas that are more densely populated by powerful monsters or even a solo raid with a special boss monster. 2-4. Rewards New necklace items have been added as reward. New seals are also introduced as a part of an obtainable reward.

Rewards and Convenience Updates

Along with the two new features introduced this week, we will also be providing revisions for rewards and introducing convenience updates with the game’s next major update. Read on below for details!

1. Guild Quest - The rewards obtained from Guild Foundation quests will be increased by fivefold. Players will be able to earn up to 5,000 attribute points by partaking in a Guild Quest. - Guild Foundation quests do not require special initiation processes and will begin as soon as a Guild Quest is started.

2. Gemstone Feud - New NPCs will be added to each of the major cities (Klaipeda, Orsha and Fedimian) that will let players enter Gemstone Feud sessions. - The number of Goddess’ Blessed Gems that can be traded will be increased from 1 to 2 per day and the number of badges required will be reduced by half. - The following are the new badge requirements for rewards obtainable in the Gemstone Feud.

3. Collections - Players will be able to register new collections without having to visit the Magic Association NPC.

4. Instance Dungeon: Level Dungeons - Some lower level dungeons will be integrated for better matchmaking. The level difference penalty will be alleviated for lower level dungeons.

5. Uphill Defense - The weekly entry count will be reduced and the rewards will be improved instead.

6. Remnants of Bernice - Rewards will be overhauled. The current ranking data will be reset with the coming update. - Attendance reward will be given as attribute points to promote players’ continued participation. - Attendance rewards can be obtained by clearing the first stage. - Stage rewards will consist of more useful items. They will be issued once per Team depending on the highest stage that the player has reached. - Rank rewards will also be improved to include useful items and not honor rewards. - Rank rewards will be given out for each of the class trees and there will be no rewards for overall ranking.

6. Earth Tower - The difficulty will be adjusted to fit the changes that were implemented in the Re:Build update. - The progression of the Earth Tower will be adjusted to provide faster pacing. - Earth Tower will be divided into units of 5 floors each, and players will be free to choose which floors they wish to challenge.

TPP : Would you like to introduce yourself to our readers? rjgtav: Hello! First of all I'd like to thank you for inviting me, it's an honour to participate on the Popolion Post. I loved reading every issue so far!



I'm Ricardo (also known online as rjgtav) from Portugal, and I'm a casual player from Fedimian. However, you may know me better for being the guy behind TOS.GURU. TPP : Could you tell us more about TOS.GURU for our readers who may not be familiar with what TOS.GURU is? rjgtav: TOS.GURU is a new and open-source database for Tree of Savior, which is still under active development. It currently contains information regarding Attributes, Classes and Skills plus Books, Cards, Collections, Cubes, Equipment, Equipment Sets, Gems, Items, Recipes and Monsters. Besides being a database, it also provides a build simulator for players to test out different builds. Everything has already been updated to the Re:Build patch. Also, in terms of regions, TOS.GURU supports iTOS (Steam), jTOS (Japan), kTOS (Korea), kTEST (Korea Test server) and twTOS (Taiwan). Feel free to ping me in case you want me to add another region! TPP : That sounds very handy! How did you come to decide that you wanted to create a database for TOS? What was your motivation behind starting this project? rjgtav: It all started one day when I caught a post on Reddit mentioning that TOS.NEET had stopped updating around July, 2018. I was taking a break from the game back then, but it touched me seeing that even the staff (kudos to STAFF_Bob) were worried and they were trying to contact the original author. TOS on Steam had always suffered from some lack of communication issues but in 2018, in particular, that was improving a lot.



At the time, I was looking for a new project idea in order to learn some new tools that I needed for work (Angular 6 and TypeScript in this case). One day, when chatting with a friend I wondered whether I could build a database for TOS as a learning exercise. After googling around for a couple of days, I found some projects on GitHub which provided the tools for decrypting and extracting the game files and, in a couple of weeks, I had managed to build a small demo for processing some datasets... And the rest is history!

TPP : So you were not an active player when you started working on TOS.GURU? When was it then that you first began playing TOS? rjgtav: I believe I started on the 2nd CBT for Steam back in the days when founder's pack DLCs started at just 10 euros. I came across TOS via a YouTube trailer, if I'm recalling correctly, and I immediately fell in love with the art style, which looked so different from what I was used to in terms of both the character and the world design! TOS also introduced me to MAGGI, the art director for the game, and I became a big fan of all her work. I highly recommend everyone to follow her on Twitter for some additional art pieces. TPP : Yes, we agree with you. The art is arguably the most eye-catching feature of the game for newcomers. Was there anything else about the game that you were drawn to? rjgtav: Besides the art, I also love the soundtrack of the game. It's not often that we get to listen to some great trance music while farming some Vubbes in the mines. I love that IMC keeps releasing new soundtracks with every new episode and every new class.



And finally... Along with the unique class system, I'd like to highlight the gameplay and the overall combat. Controlling the character and killing mobs has something very satisfying about it in this game.

TPP : Let’s get back to talking about TOS.GURU. With TOS.NEET’s recent comeback, I’m guessing TOS.GURU has some serious competition. What are your thoughts regarding this? rjgtav: Well, I must confess, initially I got a bit worried as TOS.NEET is a much more complete and reliable database than TOS.GURU. I was afraid everyone would leave as soon as the news got shared around. Some weeks have passed since then, and interestingly the usage of TOS.GURU doesn't seem to have been affected as much so it seems like TOS.GURU has enough to differentiate itself to remain on the market as an alternative.



Since then, I've also received some wonderful messages from players showing their support, which gave me additional motivation to continue with my project. Looking back now, I can say TOS.NEET's return helped take some weight off my shoulders. Previously, I had always been under some pressure in order to implement all the missing information as soon as possible, which led to bugs and messy code in some sections. As a result, I can now focus on what makes TOS.GURU stand out, like a more polished UI, being open-source, serving more regions of the game and constantly taking player feedback into account during the development. TPP : Are there any other conveniences apart from the features that you have already mentioned? Also, could you give the readers a sneak peek at what’s in store for future updates? rjgtav: Besides being open-source and having a more polished UI, TOS.GURU offers a dark theme and it also works when you’re offline so you can keep theory-crafting on the go. It is also available as a Progressive Web App, which means that it can be installed via your mobile web browser instead of downloading it from the iOS/Android stores (it will be available in the app stores as well later!). Also, TOS.GURU directly uses the game formulas and scripts for features like skill damage and attribute unlock, which leads to a more accurate simulator.



Regarding the roadmap, I am currently working on adding the Maps and NPCs datasets and I’m taking inspiration from the other major databases: the ability to view each NPC’s spawn position (like TOS.NEET), a user-friendly minimap with icons for things like collections, statues and NPCs (like TOSBASE.com) and a proper world map (like TOSCAMP.com). Afterwards I’ll be working on adding Buffs, possibly Quests and I’ll continue working towards closing the gap between TOS.GURU and TOS.NEET. TPP : Care to explain why your character is only 180? We are not pleased! rjgtav: Hahahah. My highest levelled character is level 339 and I have another one at level 327. However due to Re:Build, all characters got reset, and currently this is my only character with a presentable outfit. IRL I’m working on my thesis, working full time at my job and I spend most of my nights working on TOS.GURU, which leaves me with barely any time to play. I can’t wait to get back to playing the game! TPP : Thank you for the detailed explanation of your circumstances. I guess we will let you off the hook… For now. But in all seriousness, thank you for your time and your hard work, servicing the community with a helpful database such as TOS.GURU. We’ve had a great time talking to you and we at IMC wish you all the best in the future rjgtav: Hahah thanks for having me! Let's all work together towards making TOS a great success for the years to come! If you have any further question or feedback regarding TOS.GURU, Ricardo can be contacted through the official TOS forums (@rjgtav1), reddit (@rjgtav) and TOS.GURU's Discord.

New Quests, New Locations Episode 11 will include 11 new areas, new NPC’s, new monsters and demon lords. The current level cap of 390 will also be increased to 420. The Remains of the Astral Tower The Astral Tower awaits your return. You will carry on the legacy of the Astral Tower alongside the surviving Schaffenstar members and Lakers in Barynwell 27 Waters. The Last Remaining Gateway to The Capital The outer walls that protected the Kingdom’s Capital had worn down following Medzio Diena. The brave soldiers that manned the walls had gone missing and only the wounded survivors remain within the wall’s limits, hidden away from the prying eyes of demons. The story of the Kingdom’s survivors start here at these very walls. The Last Revelation and the Goddess Medeina Despite being under the watchful eye of the Demon King Kartas, the Goddess Medeina has decided to reveal herself to the Savior in order to pass on the Last Revelation. The Demon King Kartas is scheming to bring Medeina, the Forest Goddess, under his captivity behind the Demon Goddess Giltine’s back. This story unfolds in the northern regions of Parias Forest.

Continued Character Growth through Quests The dev team is aware of the feedback that there should be better ways for the players who want to immerse themselves in the TOS world to level their characters, not having to resort to hunting the fields. We wanted to make completing quests a worthwhile investment for our players by providing equipments and items that will assist their characters in reaching the new level cap. This feature had been implemented previously with the Re:Build update and we will continue to do so with our future updates as well. Pajauta The Guardian of the People Pajauta is the new NPC who has saved the people from the wrath of Medzio Diena. Even before Medzio Diena, she had played a major role in the investigation of demon cults and many other problems that plagued the Kingdom behind the scenes. Some had even went as far as to call her the second coming of Lydia Schaffen, but in the end she had given up all hopes as the situation in the Kingdom got worse after Medzio Diena. In her moment of despair, she had heard news of the Savior and set out to find you in order to ask for your help in returning order to the Kingdom’s northern regions. The dev team has prepared a prerequisite quest for Episode 11 to help players ease into the new content without too much trouble. You will travel the northern regions of the Kingdom with Pajauta at your side and she will guide you towards the last revelation. The New Raid Boss and the Main Quest New demon lords await you in Episode 11. Players will be able to preview the attack patterns of the new raid bosses while playing through the new quest lines.

Item Changes in Episode 11

Acquisition of Legend-grade Items Legend-grade items can now be acquired through many different contents. This will reduce the time and effort it takes for players to reach the level at which they can partake in the game’s most densely populated contents. Players will still be required to upgrade their items, but we will now provide a larger variety of ways in which the base items can be obtained. Field Drop Legend-Grade Items Players will now be able to obtain Legend-grade equipment by hunting monsters in the fields. Monsters will drop the materials required in crafting the new Legend-grade equipment and the crafted equipments will be given random stats. The set bonuses will be predetermined and new equipments will be categorized by different attack properties. Raid Bosses, Field Bosses and Hunting Grounds Bosses

Raids The materials required to craft items earned with previous raids had to be earned in the fields. The abundance of the materials were high in comparison to the actual drop rate of the recipes because they could be obtained relatively easily through Challenge Modes, which made the Raids feel more like a grind. The new raids will be developed so that they drop legend recipes, unique recipes and finished legend items that can be traded. Also, the required materials for crafting new equipment from acquired recipes will be reduced as to make the process quicker. Field Bosses Field Bosses provide a competitive PvE experience for players. However, they have not been of great importance because of the reward system that is based on the grade of the Field Boss and lacking reward content. We are planning to introduce new Unique ~ Legend grade items as Field Boss rewards with set bonuses that are different to the equipment acquired from general Raids. Hunting Grounds Bosses Seals, magic stones and various tradeable Unique and Legend-grade items will be provided through a 1:1 battle with the Hunting Grounds Bosses. The difficulty of the new bosses will be much higher than the bosses available in Irredian Shelter. In Summary The items below the Unique-grade can be used to extract Ichors, while 2-4 different types of Legend-grade set bonuses will be available for each of the different content.

Transcendence, Random Options and Awakening

Transcendence of Unique Items Transcendence of items below the grade-level of Unique will be lowered. Players have a difficult time in deciding whether to transcend their Unique weapons or not since Unique weapons are currently considered to be weapons that will eventually discarded. Unique weapons will now come pre-transcended. Unidentified items will vary in their initial transcendence level by random and items crafted from recipes will have a set base transcendence level, and, of course, players will be able to invest in these items to transcend them even further. Raids The upper-level raids will have their entry limits increased and have different requirements or rewards to compensate for the changes. For example, if the Velcoffer raid can be entered 2 times per week per team, its reward will be increased by nX fold. Not only will the rewards be increased, but the finished items and recipes acquired in the raid will also be made tradeable. The raid rewards will also not be issued via cubes but from treasure chests that players can open after they have defeated the raid boss. Random Stats The maximum values of the random stats that appear upon identification will be increased as well as the increased occurrence of useful options such as increased critical rate. Awakening Rework You can use additional materials at the Alchemist shops to add Awakening bonuses with greater effects.

Favorite Place Telsiai/Aeta

Rest day! Klaipeda/Furaru

Round 3 Telsiai/Artsy_Ink

How Things Have Changed Telsiai/Shiseptiana

The Last Bite! Klaipeda/Lovkin

Anniversal Cannon Fireworks Klaipeda/Suweeka