[Notice] Developer Letter

[p][/p][p]Hello Survivors,[/p][p][/p][p]It’s been a while since we last reached out through a Developer’s Letter.[/p][p]Through the past several updates, we have been striving to deliver a better experience to all our Survivors. However, we recognize that up until the Season 5 update, we have not been able to fully satisfy your expectations with meaningful new content or improvements. We sincerely apologize for that.[/p][p]With this letter, we’d like to share the upcoming updates planned until the end of the year and address some of your questions regarding the future direction of DARKEST DAYS.[/p][p][/p][h3]\[Upgrade System Improvements][/h3][p]We understand that for our long-time players, the upgrade system has caused more stress than we anticipated.[/p][p]To reduce that stress and create a more reasonable growth experience, we are working on restructuring the upgrade system by breaking down upgrade levels and adjusting the overall success rates.[/p][p]The way upgrade materials are obtained will also be changed, allowing players to attempt lower-level enhancements more frequently and without burden.[/p][p]Additionally, we plan to completely remove the feature where upgrade levels decrease upon failure.[/p][p]This feature has long been a major source of frustration, making the upgrade process feel like its punishing players.[/p][p]A new Upgrade Point System will also be introduced.[/p][p]Each time an upgrade fails, points will accumulate. Once a certain threshold is reached, the upgrade success will be guaranteed.[/p][p]This ensures that consistent effort will always lead to eventual success and reduces the sense of loss from failure.[/p][p]Finally, this overhaul will be implemented without penalizing players who have already invested in the current upgrade system.[/p][p]Your existing progress and investment will be taken into account and adjusted accordingly to the new system.[/p][p]We ask for your understanding as we work to make upgrades a more rewarding and less stressful experience.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]\[Growth System Improvements][/h3][p]Our team realized that many of the most enjoyable aspects of DARKEST DAYS are only accessible after reaching level 40, which may discourage newer players.[/p][p]To address this, we are planning a complete overhaul of the early-game leveling experience.[/p][p]Instead of requiring Community Quests to level up, we are shifting focus to Main Story Quests as the core leveling path.[/p][p]This will allow new Survivors to reach level 40 more quickly and enjoyably by progressing naturally through story content.[/p][p]We are also preparing a renewal of the Adjustment System, which was originally introduced at Global Open Beta but temporarily removed due to design limitations.[/p][p]The renewed version will provide more engaging and diverse ways to experience growth and progression.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]\[Business Model Structure Rework][/h3][p]This rework gave us an opportunity to deeply reconsider what DARKEST DAYS should fundamentally offer to our players.[/p][p]We concluded that the core enjoyment of the game lies in continuous farming, growth through effort, and the thrill of obtaining rare items through that effort.[/p][p]To reinforce that, we will be removing the Lucky Boxes that made equipment too easy to obtain. Instead, we’ll increase item drop rates to ensure players are fairly rewarded for their gameplay efforts.[/p][p]Although Lucky Boxes will be removed, players who still wish to acquire equipment quickly using Red Diamonds will be able to do so reliably through the Exchange, which will be closely monitored to maintain economic balance.[/p][p]With the removal of Lucky Boxes, our team will focus on a more user-friendly BM structure centered around cosmetic items and pass products.[/p][p]We plan to release more diverse and higher-quality cosmetics in the future.[/p][p]At the same time, existing Lucky Coupons and Event Lucky Coupons will be converted into appropriate box-type items corresponding to their intended use when the Lucky Box removal takes effect.[/p][p]Further details on this process will be provided in a separate notice.[/p][p]Throughout the Global Open Beta, there have been many changes.[/p][p]We sincerely thank all Survivors who have continued to support DARKEST DAYS despite the shortcomings.[/p][p]We understand that this is yet another major rework and we apologize if these frequent large-scale updates may have caused confusion.[/p][p]However, as DARKEST DAYS is still in its global beta stage, we believe that listening to player feedback and adjusting our direction accordingly is the right approach.[/p][p]We deeply appreciate your understanding and patience.[/p][p]Your feedback in the community and in-game chat has been invaluable to us.[/p][p]We thank you once again and promise to continue doing our best to deliver a more enjoyable experience for all Survivors.[/p][p]Sincerely,[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]DARKEST DAYS Development Team[/p]