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"Blood of Steel" Version Update Announcement – August 1st

To ensure the game's stability and enhance overall service quality and user experience, "Blood of Steel" will undergo maintenance on August 1st from 09:00 to 13:00 (UTC+8). During this period, the game world will be temporarily closed, and game matchmaking will be disabled around 08:45. Additionally, comprehensive maintenance and backup of the account database will be performed. Please notice that the maintenance time may change based on specific work conditions. We kindly ask all players to plan the game time accordingly.

Update Content:

I. New Features:

1. Battle Pass Overhaul:
a. Core rewards have been adjusted to include: Inherited Hero Roxana of Alexander*1, Kaihime Skins*2, Main and Secondary Weapons for Kaihime*4, Soldier Costumes*4, and Self-selected Horse Chest*3. For detailed rewards, please log in to the game for more information.
b. The price of the Normal Battlepass has been adjusted, while the price of the Advanced Battlepass remains unchanged. Activating any Battlepass will grant you 2 exchange privileges in the "Battlepass Store - Soldier Return."

c. The "Lide Reward" for purchasing the Advanced Battlepass has been changed to a [Frame Voucher] and a [Soldier Costume Voucher], which can be exchanged in the Battlepass Store for any Battlepass Frame (including new Frames of the current period) and Soldier Costume; the Soldier Costume Voucher does not count towards the purchase limit.

d. "Battlepass Awakening" has been fully upgraded to the【Battlepass Store】, where you can use Battlepass Tokens to exchange for any rewards, including 22 returning Soldier Costumes, Self-selected Battlepass Skin Chest, and Self-selected Battlepass Weapon & Cloak Chest (the returning Soldier Costumes will refresh with the season). The original "Battlepass Awakening" entry is now closed.

e. The "Awakening Rating" in "Battlepass Awakening" will be converted at a 1:1 ratio to "Battlepass Crystal Shards." Please claim them via mail after maintenance. Additionally, Battlepass Crystal Shards can be exchanged for Battlepass Tokens in the "Other Products" section of the Battlepass Store. "Battlepass Crystal Shards*100" can be synthesized into "Battlepass Crystal*1" in the warehouse.
f. The Battlepass Crystal Store has been moved to the "Battlepass Store" and will not refresh with the seasons in the future.
g. The output of Battlepass Tokens from some in-game Chests has been adjusted to other valuable items.
h. During this Battlepass period, any player who unlocks advanced rewards (purchasing either the Normal Battlepass or the Advanced Battlepass) can receive the【New Season Pack】in the "Activity Center - New Season Gift" event. Upon use, you can choose to receive either a "Battlepass Voucher (1000 YCP)" or "Battlepass Tokens*100" (the Battlepass Voucher is valid for 120 days and can be used for the next Battlepass deduction).


2. The Rank-legion (with map changes), Territory War, and Elite Contest seasons are concluding and will be followed by the start of new seasons.

3. A new replay function has been added to 5V5 Legion Rank Matches and City Rank Match. Players can download their matches from the Match History and view them in the "Video Hall."
4. The New Season Store's featured skin is Melisende's【Pirate Series】. With the currency adjustment for this season's store, the new season's skin will be available for redemption in the following season. The store currency has been unified and adjusted: any unspent currency from the current season will automatically be converted into historical currency when the new season begins. The Season Store is divided into the Historical Season Store and the Current Season Store, where corresponding currencies can be used for redemption.

5. Base Heroes and Inherit Heroes now share a common mount, meaning that Base Heroes can equip the horses of Inherit Heroes, and vice versa. This applies to heroes including: Huang Zhong and Huang Wudie, Alexander and Roxana.

6. The Reputation cap has been extended to 15,000, with the addition of the new Reputation rank【God Emperor】.

7. For all players who have obtained the Koxinga【Red Gallbladder Lonely Loyalty】skin, we will send a matching horse【Elegant Ink Blood】, on the day of maintenance. Players who have already received this skin should check their in-game mail at that time; for those who will obtain the【Red Gallbladder Lonely Loyalty】skin later, we will compile the list every Thursday and distribute the horse via email.

8. The visual presentation of the Edinburgh map has been revamped.

9. The Main World Rank-legion season is concluding, and a new season will be initiated.

10. The Main World Battlepass has been updated.


II. Optimizations and Adjustments:

1. Hero Reworks:
a. Temujin:
- Reclassified from Bow Horsemen to melee cavalry units, with corresponding numerical adjustments.
- Melee weapon changed to a two-handed knife, ranged weapon arrows change to 8 shots, and the troop now has blue armor.
- New Hero Passive Ability: Starts with 100% initial focus points, which gradually regenerate over time.
- Unit Passive Ability adjusted to: Using the [Mangu's tactics], for each enemy soldier put into [Rage], Temujin's focus regenerates by 1.5%.
- Q skill [Bolas] cooldown increased to 45 seconds; if no targets are hit, the cooldown is reduced to 5 seconds.
- Army skill [Mangu's tactics]: The army regains 8 arrows, switches to longbows, and performs [Harassment shooting] (Effect: Long-range shots at enemy troops, shots that are defended against or hit will accumulate 1|2 layers of [Angry] for enemy soldiers. When [Angry] reaches 4 layers, the soldier enters [Rage] status, at which point the soldier no longer obeys orders and attacks for 15 seconds).
- Army skill [Cantabrian Circle]: Consumes 80% of focus to activate, resets the cooldown time of [Mangu's tactics], and summons 6 Bow Horsemen to perform [Cantabrian Circle], lasting up to 30 seconds.
- Army skill [Line Archery]: Commands the army to form a line, increasing attack power.

b. Hua Mulan:
- Skill [Iron Eagle] reset.
- The Iron Eagle remains active and automatically attacks targets within range, following the main general's head by default. It can be controlled with F5.
- While the Iron Eagle is active, using the Secondary Weapon throwing daggers to hit an enemy will mark them. Only one mark can exist at a time, lasting 30 seconds. The Iron Eagle prioritizes attacking marked targets and doubles the lock-on attack range.


2. Hero Balance Adjustments:
a. Edward I:
- Added Blue Armor mechanism, removed Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- Added [Rapid March] skill: Increases movement speed for the hero and troops for 30 seconds.

b. Yi Seong-gye:
- Focus points adjustment: Removed focus gain from hero attacks, initial focus set to 100%, recovery rate increased from 0.3% to 1% per second; when Poison Arrow target dies, hero regains 3% focus.
- [Herbal Mist] skill: Now lasts for 10 seconds, heals once every second, sharing 120 healing points (up to 30 points).
- [Poison Arrow] skill: Now costs 80% focus to activate.

c. Wang Yangming:
- Added Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- [Flying Crow Rocket] skill cooldown reduced to 60 seconds.

d. Liang Hongyu:
- Added focus points mechanism: Initial focus 100%, recovery rate 1% per second; extra focus gained when hitting enemies.
- [Oil Arrow] skill: Now costs 50% focus and creates a Fire Circle with reduced damage over time.

e. Inahime:
- Reduced health consumption rate: The health cost every 5 seconds is decreased from 40|20 to 30|15 for the hero and soldiers, respectively.

f. Margaret:
- Added Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- Added [Ammunition] skill: Costs 60% focus point to replenish 3 rock shots.

g. Richard I:
- Added Blue Armor mechanism.
- Skill [Steady]: duration extended to 30 seconds.
- Rage trigger conditions adjusted: Activated when health and Blue Armor combined reach half of the total.

h. Diao Chan:
- Adjusted to recover 1% of focus points per second, with additional focus points gained when the entire army is attacked.
- Skill [Shield Rush] adjusted: Costs 60% of focus points, and using it refreshes the Q skill [Victory Rush].
- Skill [Turtle Formation]: now tighter, melee damage reduction increased from 15% to 20%, and ranged damage reduction increased from 15% to 50%.
- Skill [Echelon Formation]: increases movement speed, changed from reducing defense to reducing attack power.

i. Victoria:
- Added Blue Armor mechanism.

j. Caesar:
- Significantly increased the damage reduction against ranged attacks for the skill [Testudo Formation].
- Skill [Throw] adjusted to consume 80% of focus points.

k. Leonidas:
- Reduced the amount of rage gained when Leonidas hits or kills enemies.
- Skill [Targe Array] adjusted to decrease the defensive effective range when soldiers are out of position.
- Skill [Javelin] increased the focus point cost to 40%.

l. Zhuge Liang:
- Added Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- Skill [Decoy] now costs 40% of focus points, with a reduced cooldown to 1 second.
- Skill [Arbalest] cooldown reduced to 1 second.
- Skill [Daoist Magic] cooldown increased to 90 seconds, lasts for 20 seconds; during Daoist Magic, Zhuge Liang's Repeating Crossbow shots do not consume ammunition for 20 seconds.

m. Lagertha:
- Added Blue Armor mechanism.
- Skill [Odyn's Fury] now includes shield replenishment: when activated, it can replenish damaged shields for both generals and soldiers, and also replenish health for undamaged shields.
- The heavy attack of the double-handed axe now adopts a non-interruptive mode.

n. Da Qiao:
- Skill [Oil Pot]: The explosion damage of the Oil Barrel is halved, and the burning damage is reduced to 3 points per second.
- Skill [Flame Crossbow] (Q ability): [Panic] can now stack up to 3 times, with damage values adjusted from 2|4|6 to 2|3|5, and the burn duration reduced from 15 seconds to 12 seconds.

o. Kaihime:
- Increased the base attack of the main weapon.
- Skill [Hell March] duration increased to 10 seconds; during this time, soldiers' attacks will knock down enemy soldiers; when the rage meter is full, the cooldown of Hell March is reduced by 10 seconds.

p. Liu Bei:
- Added Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- Removed the effect of reducing the cooldown of [Inspiration] and gaining more Focus when Liu Bei kills an enemy.
- The passive ability [Indoctrinator] is adjusted: Gaining Focus when hitting a target, with long-range hits granting double Focus.
- Skill [Inspiration] is adjusted: After use, Liu Bei performs an AOE healing and provides a buff that increases the attack and both armor types for allies within a certain range for 20 seconds. Allies with this buff increase Liu Bei's Focus when they deal damage.
- Skill [Indoctrination] now has an additional effect: It reduces the cooldown of [Inspiration] by 8 seconds when used.
- Skill [Reinforcement] now has an additional effect: It reduces the cooldown of [Inspiration] by 5 seconds when used.
- Adjusted the heavy attack mode of the double-wielded sword.

q. Qi Jiguang:
- Added Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- Skill [Wolf Spear] now has an additional effect: When the general defeats an enemy, the cooldown of [Open Fire] is reduced by 4 seconds.

r. Cai Wenji:
- Added Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- Skill [Sky Lantern] adjusted: Now costs 40% of Focus to release, and deploys two Sky Lanterns at once.
- Each time a Sky Lantern hits a unit, it reduces the cooldown of [Blessing] by 0.5 seconds.
- Skill [Blessing] adjusted: Reduces the pre-cast time of Blessing, healing now only affects the general, restoring 240 health points and 80% of Focus after activation.

s. Cecilia:
- Added Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- Sepulcher Keepers no longer trigger effects from being attacked or killed (such as gaining rage or reducing cooldowns).

t. Alexander:
- Skill [Phalanx Formation] now provides 50% damage reduction against ranged attacks.
- Increased the striking frequency of [Phalanx Advance].

u. Sarutobi Sasuke:
- Shadow Clones no longer trigger effects from being attacked or killed (such as gaining rage or reducing cooldowns).

v. Napoleon:
- Added Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- Added an effect where artillery hits on enemies return Focus Points based on the number of enemies hit.
- Increased ranged damage reduction when Napoleon is on the vehicle, optimizing the real hit area when the general is reloading. After the adjustment, the reloading action's hit area will be covered by the artillery's hit area, effectively blocking long-range damage coming from the front.
- Increased the knockdown time and blast distance of artillery shells.

w. Deng Ai:
- Increased the ranged attack power of the skill [Diamond Formation].

x. Catherine:
- Added Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- Enhanced the base recovery speed of Focus.
- The general's musket kills can now also trigger the terror effect.

y. Joan:
- Added Out-of-combat Recovery mechanism.
- The passive skill [Victory Banner] is adjusted so that when Joan or soldiers defeat enemies, it reduces the cooldown of [Bless] by 6 seconds for Joan and 3 seconds for soldiers.
- Using the legion skill [Bless], the [AID] effect is adjusted so that when released, it provides a shield that absorbs up to 80 points of damage for a certain number of allied troops around, lasting for 30 seconds; while the shield lasts, the protected will not be interrupted by attacks.

z. Huang Zhong:
- Passive skill [Focused Shot] adjusted so that when the general hits or defeats a target, the cooldown of [Rapid Shoot] is reduced by 3 or 10 seconds, respectively.

3. Weapon Mechanism, Combat Operation, and Presentation Optimizations:

a. Two-handed hammer and two-handed mace have had their attack level changed to 3 and defense level changed to 4.

b. UI optimization: After an attack on an enemy is parried or blocked, the damage number area next to the target will display the corresponding defensive icon.

c. Calibration of weapon (one-handed sword, one-handed knife, one-handed axe, one-handed hammer, two-handed sword, two-handed knife, two-handed axe, two-handed mace, two-handed hammer, spear, fighting spear, long-handle blade, poleaxe, hand sword, halberd, fishgig, rod) hit accuracy.

d. Some generals' weapons have added a combo move for enhanced normal attacks:
- The next attack after the first normal attack can trigger an enhanced normal attack as long as it's not in the opposite direction.
- Enhanced normal attack: +1 target | noticeable change in the attack motion.
- Involves generals and weapons such as Caesar with one-handed sword, Diao Chan and Ling Tong with one-handed sword, Zhang Bao (Zhang Xingcai) with one-handed knife, and spear.

e. Shield mechanism changes:
- All shields have increased base health recovery rate.
- Supply points can replenish shield health, even for destroyed shields.
- After a shield is destroyed, using F1 or F2 will cause shieldless soldiers to swap positions with soldiers who have shields.

4. Balance adjustments have been made to the Hulao Town Siege (6V5) and Crac des Chavaliers Siege (6V5/10V8) maps to improve gameplay fairness and flow.

5. Graphic settings have been optimized by removing the rendering mode selection and adding an "Image Enhancement Technology" option. Players can now choose settings based on their hardware (NVIDIA cards can use DLSS, AMD cards can use FSR) to enhance their visual experience.

6. The T key action voice playback rule has been modified: pressing the T key at any time will play the action voice, and other actions can interrupt the animation, but the voice will continue to play. Players can now hold still to play the full action animation.

7. Joan's special slash action has been restored, adding a unique touch to her gameplay.

8. The Changle Palace map has been added to the Ranked Legion, providing a new environment for competitive play.

9. The Constantinople Siege map has received a Respawn Point protection mechanism. A green barrier has been added around the defender's respawn points, preventing the attacking side from crossing through it.

III. Bug Fixes:

1. Fixed a bug where Huang Wudie's bow accuracy was not as good as Huang Zhong's.
2. Resolved an issue that Zhu Rong's dog would become uncontrollable while being commanded.
3. Corrected a bug that caused empty player icons to appear for Inherit Heroes when they were disabled.
4. Addressed a bug where Napoleon's cannon would cause camera stutter when rotated using the AD keys.
5. Fixed a bug in the Babel Tower map of the Main World where some objects in the Old Valley did not have collision.
6. Resolved a bug that could cause abnormalities when Arthur and Victoria performed their slash actions.
7. Fixed a bug where Cai Wenji's lanterns would not explode normally when released from the gate tower.
8. Adjusted the slash actions for Da Qiao, Cai Wenji, Joan, Cecilia, and Agrippina when using a Two-handed Sword to ensure they are performed correctly.
9. Corrected the slash actions for Huang Yueying, Sun Shangxiang, Diao Chan, Xiao Qiao, Zhen Ji, Isabella, Octavia, Inahime, and Margaret when using a Sword and Shield to prevent any anomalies.