There are a number of systems changes arriving with the Rise of the Gunslinger update. Stay tuned for the full patch notes which will provide more details on these and other changes coming to Blade & Soul on September 13.

General

As previously announced, alliances are now composed of two groups of 6 members for a new 12-member raid size. Midnight Skypetal Plains, Skybreak Spire, Dawn of Khanda Vihar, Temple of Eluvium, and Scion's Keep have had their difficulty, mechanics, and/or rewards adjusted for the new alliance size.

There are also a number of impactful changes that are being made for crafting guilds and recipes. Be sure to check out our recent Crafting System Streamlining article for details.

New Players & Alts

We’re making a few changes for new and returning players, and of course for those of you leveling a new Gunslinger.

To give some additional boosts to assist with leveling characters, additional random rewards (Soul Shields, weapon boxes, XP charms, rare upgrade materials, etc.) will now be provided the first 10 times you complete the following dungeons on Normal and Hard:

Desolate Tomb

Ebondrake Citadel

Naryu Foundry

Naryu Sanctum

Irontech Forge

Ebondrake Lair

You’ll also now receive an Unrefined Scaleburn Weapon when completing Act VII Chapter 1: The Mysterious Stranger—giving leveling players access to their first Legendary weapon as they progress through the story. You can upgrade it with either a Light Stone or Dark Stone to get a Seraph or Baleful weapon, respectively.

If you’ve already completed the quest, no worries, you’ll still be able to grab an Unrefined Scaleburn Weapon from Naryu Coin Exchanger Chayong at Grand Harvest Square, or Naryu Coin Exchanger Sun Giwon at Northreach, for 5 Naryu Tablets.

Weapon & Soul Upgrading

We’re continuing to refine and balance weapon upgrade costs, and there are a couple notable balance passes we’ve made in the Rise of the Gunslinger update.

We’re decreasing the upgrade costs of Seraph/Baleful Weapon Stage 1-11 slightly overall. When upgrading Seraph/Baleful Weapon Stage 2 you’ll be able to use Asura Weapon or Accursed Weapon, and Stage 9 will use a Gunwon Weapon now instead. Here’s a more comprehensive look of what the costs will look like after the update: Seraph/Baleful Upgrade Changes

We’re continuing to balance Sacred Oil use and availability, and with this update we’re significantly reducing the amount of Sacred Oil required to upgrade Hongmoon Energy Stage 1-10, Awakened/True Hongmoon Energy, and Awakened/True Ascending Soul.

Before

Hongmoon Energy Upgrade Void Fragments Transformation Stones Sacred Oil Stage 1 -> Stage 2 - - 1 Stage 2 -> Stage 3 - - 1 Stage 3 -> Stage 4 - - 1 Stage 4 -> Stage 5 - - 1 Stage 5 -> Stage 6 - - 2 Stage 6 -> Stage 7 - - 3 Stage 7 -> Stage 8 - - 4 Stage 8 -> Stage 9 - - 5 Stage 9 -> Stage 10 - - 6 Stage 10 -> Awakened Hongmoon Energy - - 14 Awakened Hongmoon Energy -> True Hongmoon Energy - - 25 Or Stage 10 -> Awakened Ascending Soul - - 14 Awakened Ascending Soul -> True Ascending Soul - - 25

New Price

Hongmoon Energy Upgrade Void Fragments Transformation Stones Sacred Oil Stage 1 -> Stage 2 5 15 - Stage 2 -> Stage 3 5 15 - Stage 3 -> Stage 4 5 15 - Stage 4 -> Stage 5 5 15 - Stage 5 -> Stage 6 10 - 1 Stage 6 -> Stage 7 10 - 2 Stage 7 -> Stage 8 10 - 3 Stage 8 -> Stage 9 10 - 4 Stage 9 -> Stage 10 10 - 5 Stage 10 -> Awakened Hongmoon Energy 20 - 8 Awakened Hongmoon Energy -> True Hongmoon Energy 40 - 16 Or Stage 10 -> Awakened Ascending Soul 20 - 8 Awakened Ascending Soul -> True Ascending Soul 40 - 16

Note: The 10 Gold cost remains for all upgrade stages.

Soul Shields

Overall with this update we looked toward making Legendary Soul Shields more accessible, and lowering some of the barriers.

We’re reducing the cost of Locked Sacred Longgui Soul Shield Chests as well as Sacred Longgui Keys from Midnight Skypetal Plains Exchanger Lee Shingum. They’ll no longer require any achievements, nor Moonlight Crystals to purchase them, and the amount of Lunar Twilight Flowers needed has been reduced as well. With the reduction in price they have also been removed from the Premium Membership tab in Dragon Express.

Similarly, the achievement requirements have been removed from the Locked Sacred Longgui Soul Shield Chests 6-8 from Celestial Basin Exchange Merchant Lee Youjin, and reduced for the Raven Soul Shield Chests 3-8 from Dragon Express or The Shadowless Exchanger Wei Ido at Khanda Vihar

And last but not least, you’ll have a chance to obtain Raven Feathers when salvaging Legendary Soul Shields from Skybreak Spire as well as Hive Queen's Wings when salvaging Legendary Soul Shields from Temple of Eluvium and Scion's Keep.

Pets

We’re condensing the Pet Aura upgrade path, as well as adding new stages to create a new Hongmoon Pet Aura path. Existing Pet Auras can still be used, but in order to be upgraded they must be converted to the new Hongmoon Pet Aura through the Evolve menu.

Hongmoon Pet Aura upgrades that can have multiple outcomes (e.g. Furious, Gusty, Loyal, Unleashed) are now executed through the Evolve menu instead of the Transmutation menu. You can press Ctrl+I in-game to view the Pet Aura Equipment Upgrade Path.

Pet Auras are now upgraded with a new Pet Pod item. You can make Pet Pods by Transmuting 30 Bravery Coins, 5 Moonstones, 8 Elysian Orbs, and 10 Gold OR with any Heroic Pet, 10 Soulstones, and 5 Gold. For your leftover Pet Enhancement Stones you can take those to the usual Antiques window, and for each you’ll get back 10 Soulstones, 20 Sacred Orbs, and 5 Elysian Orbs.