Greetings, Adventurers!    This is DFO Head Director Jong.   I hope you have all sent off 2024 well and have been enjoying 2025 since our last notes. This year feels particularly special to us, as we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of DFO. As our developers have probably already mentioned, reaching this milestone is entirely thanks to you, our Adventurers, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude as well.   We thank you for your continued love for DFO over the past decade, and we will strive to provide you with many more anniversaries to come. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the ongoing 10th-anniversary events and look forward to the subsequent events as well!   Of course, 2025 is a significant year for us for more than just the anniversary. We are now also launching the "Sunken Depths" update, which I’m sure many of our Adventurers have been eagerly awaiting. Introducing Sunken Depths update will also be the main topic of today's notes. While the Sunken Depths update will cause a slight delay in the second part of our 10th-anniversary events, we hope you won’t mind as this is due to the new season update.   I know everyone will have many questions about Sunken Depths, so let's just skip the introductions and dive right into it. Without further ado, here’s our deep dive into Sunken Depths!

 

Journey into Sunken Depths

Previously...

In the previous season, our Adventurers arrived in the fabled lands of Seon by discovering a long-forgotten path to it at the Westpeace Lighthouse, and successfully protected Clearmist from the God of Mist’s doomsday oracle after thwarting the plans of the Maleficents and the Vanitas to disrupt harmony.

 

Sunken Depths Prelude

As seen in the Sunken Depths prelude quests, they succeeded in purifying the Forest of Awakening, but then came to learn about the ominous machinations of Delezie and the Vanitas. At this time, we get a glimpse of not only the Vanitas but also the Maleficents's plans for Sunken Depths.

 

Thanks to Michelle, we are also able to learn about the true nature of the Anti-Enbi, and based on information about the location of the threatening aura detected by the God of Mist, we head to a place called the Fount of Tribulation to stop their plans and the resurrection of a very vengeful Delezie. The Fount of Tribulation is located in the the deepest part of the Empty Sea in Sunken Depths.

 

This is how the Adventurer sets out to find Sunken Depths, and thus we begin the Sunken Depths season.

 

 

What is "Sunken Depths?"

Sunken Depths refers to an area located above the Empty Sea, which is an ocean with a seemingly endless pit right in the middle of it.

 

It was originally an area that could be accessed via airship from the White Ocean, but for some reason, increased violence and aggression of the Horn Beasts have made this impossible.

 

To reach Sunken Depths, the Adventurer will begin the Sunken Depths season by heading to the Shimmering Archipelago after the last quest of the previous season.

 

 

Shimmering Archipelago

In the Shimmering Archipelago, the Adventurer will meet Adras, who disappeared with Michaela during the Black Crusade. Adras has, for whatever reason, joined an organization of Knights of Usir in Seon called the Death’s Sentinels.

 

The Death’s Sentinels had been fighting against the increasingly powerful forces of the Maleficents. Important characters such as Flawless Death Vissima, the leader of the Death’s Sentinels, and Kind Death Cenir, a knight who admires Vissima, await your aid in solving the mysteries of the islands.

 

However, foes await you as well. Rubra the Profane, one of the Five Maleficents of Tribulation, is a twisted Maleficent who wishes for nothing less than the suffering of the Death’s Sentinels and the Adventurer. Considering that Largo was also one of the Five Maleficents of Tribulation, you can guess how powerful and cruel Rubra is.

 

In addition, a mysterious person is regaining their strength in the Temple of Death where the Death’s Sentinels reside... If you're curious as to who it might be, please check out the next Sunken Depths DFU webtoon that will be added during the update!

 

 

Azure Main

After bidding farewell (or good riddance!) to your new acquaintances in the Shimmering Archipelago, the Adventurer will soon arrive at Azure Main.

 

You will meet new companions such as Circuit Engineer Nerimo and Rayron the Maleficence Slayer of the Maleficence Raiders (after a fight, of course), and recapture the Bluehawks’ huge mothership “Azure Main” that was taken by the Maleficents to prepare for your future battles.

 

You will once again encounter the Bluehawks, whom you may be familiar with from the Solidaris Advanced Dungeon of Seon, and their 1st Battalion crew members who now roam the Azure Main after being corrupted by Malefic Energy. You will also face the scheme of Mahnarval, the third of the Five Maleficents of Tribulation.

 

For the Bluehawks, it will be a heartbreaking battle as they must grant the mercy of eternal rest to their former comrades—Crassimor, Huleeze, and Meliona—and all the other crew members who have succumbed to Malelfic Energy under Mahnarval’s influence.

 

However, if you overcome these trials, this will bring not only the Bluehawks but also the Maleficence Raiders to rally around you as their unifying force.

 

 

Moon-Submerged Lake

Finally, you will enter the Moon-Submerged lake, which was the home of the Vigilante Advancement, although she had to leave after experiencing Malefication. You will discover that this home of the Moon Hunters is under threat of Malefic Beasts.

 

Once revered as Sacred Beasts that coexisted peacefully with the Moon Hunters, these beings have now become monsters under the influence of malevolent energy. Defeat enemies such as Grailo the Logger and Cheshire the Copycat.

 

By following the Guiding River, you will uncover the long-lost Path to Demise, which leads to the land of the Maleficents. If you manage to track down Zermio the Assailant along this path, you will finally be ready to set foot in the Fount of Tribulation—bringing you one step closer to Delezie.

 

Will you finally reach the Path of Doom? And what fate has befallen Camerin, the Keeper of the Land who once stood by your side at the beginning of Sunken Depths?

 

In this expansion, the story will not only delve into Sunken Depths but also revisit the story of the Apostles, Bakal’s Legacy, and even greater beings beyond them. You may have already sensed it, but while the Apostle-related storylines remained somewhat in the background of Seon, they will take center stage in Sunken Depths.

 

If you have been eagerly awaiting their return, this upcoming narrative will be especially captivating for you.

 

 

Content

All the regions mentioned in the story will be introduced as dungeons in Sunken Depths.

Before discussing these new dungeons, however, it is important to first introduce the newly added equipment and related systems.

 

Understanding these new equipment mechanics will help clarify the purpose of progressing through each dungeon and the rewards that await you within them.

 

 

Equipment Rarity & Set Points

With the addition of a large number of Lv. 115 equipment, the first thing to understand is the newly structured equipment rarity and Set Point system.

 

Unlike Lv. 110 equipment, where Epic rarity was the standard, Sunken Depths reintroduces a system where rarity directly represents an item’s actual value. This makes the value of acquired equipment more intuitive within the Set Point system.

As shown in the table, each piece of equipment has versions of multiple rarities. While rarity affects base stats, the key difference lies in their Set Points.

 

Each rarity tier increases Set Points by 50, and accumulating Set Points is the core of this season’s progression. Upon reaching specific Set Point milestones, additional options are unlocked—boosting stats, significantly increasing Fame, and even activating special effects unique to each set.

 

Additionally, there are Distinct Equipment pieces that do not belong to any set but contribute to the highest active Set Point total. While they may have slightly lower damage, they offer flexibility in set adjustments, which you will be able to make good use of for optimizing Set Point milestones. That’s because the damage increase from reaching these milestones is substantial.

 

 

Tuning & Promotion

Now that you understand the importance of Set Points and their milestones, let’s discuss the Tuning and Promotion systems, which are designed to provide a smoother progression experience.

 

 

Tuning

Tuning allows you to spend materials to increase the Set Points of an item within its current rarity tier. Each item can be Tuned up to three times, increasing its Set Points by 10 per upgrade, for a total of 30 additional Set Points.

If you acquire a higher-rarity version of a Tuned item while farming, you can reset the Tuning and receive a refund for the Souls spent.

 

However, please note that Gold costs used in this system will not be refunded. This system is useful for efficiently reaching the next Set Point milestone when you’re just shy of a few points.

 

Promotion

Promotion upgrades an item’s rarity to the next tier. After Tuning an item three times, you can consume Souls and other materials to Promote it, granting it the Set Points of the higher rarity.

The main benefit of Promotion is that it allows you to work towards a guaranteed upgrade when a higher-rarity version of a specific item stubbornly refuses to drop during farming. In other words, it helps prevent any “last item syndrome” that might stem from bad RNG.

 

However, keep in mind that Souls used for previous Tuning are not refunded when Promoting equipment, making this a high-cost decision. Consider both the advantages and trade-offs of Promotion very carefully before deciding.

Lastly, as Primeval Equipment is at the top of the rarity hierarchy, this means it cannot be upgraded through Tuning or Promotion.

 

 

Early Sunken Depths Farming Tips

So, how should you approach farming efficiently?

 

Since you won’t acquire a full set of equipment immediately, observe your loot progression before committing to a specific set. Of course, if you already have particular set effect in mind, you can try aiming for it from the start.

Set Points grow stronger as you accumulate them, so consistently upgrading a single set is a valid strategy. However, as explained above, there is no single "correct" way to progress.

 

One pro tip: Until you reach 1,200 Set Points, your damage may still be higher with the previous season’s Custom Equipment (under the assumption they have favorable options) or Records/Traces Equipment.

If you lack those, equipping higher-rarity Lv. 115 equipment regardless of set synergy may yield better results.

 

However, this may vary from case to case. But now, when in doubt, you can use the new Equipment Simulator to quickly test and determine the best setup for your character!

 

 

Equipment Simulator

The Equipment Simulator allows you to instantly view changes in damage, skill cooldowns, and Fame when equipping different items. You can test not only your current equipment but also simulate equipping any Lv. 115 item by simply searching its name within the simulator.

 

This tool helps you determine the most effective combinations at any given moment and can help you plan for future builds. Seeing the actual damage increase in green numbers from trying on a specific item can also motivate you to really go the extra mile in farming for that piece.

 

However, even if the Equipment Simulator offers flexibility, it would not help at all if actually making adjustments to your build was limited by costs and restrictions. That’s why Sunken Depths introduces the Armory System, which will make equipment management even more convenient.

 

 

Armory

The Armory system serves as a storage function for all Lv. 115 equipment. Previously, equipment had to be kept in your inventory or safes for future use, but in the new Sunken Depths update, you can now freely register or disassemble equipment without any worries.

 

Once registered, equipment can be retrieved later through conversion, though players must pay back the same rarity Soul they obtained from disassembling it. With the Armory, Adventurers will be able to organize and secure some extra space in the inventories and storage spaces much more easily. 

 

Also, say goodbye to customer support recovery requests! As long as you have the required Souls, you will be able to restore your equipment yourself through the Armory.

 

Additionally, if you need to swap multiple pieces of equipment or entire sets, the Equipment Conversion System within the Armory allows for quick and easy bulk replacements. The UI displays Fame changes, Set Points, and the required Soul costs, ensuring a seamless equipment transition.

 

Now that the primary equipment system and upgrade methods in Sunken Depths have been covered, let's take a look at where and how to obtain this equipment.

 

 

New Dungeons!

The Sunken Depths update introduces three new regions and towns, adding six normal dungeons,
five Advanced Dungeons, two resource dungeons, one Hell Party dungeon, and one monthly dungeon.
Since this marks the beginning of a new season, a significant number of dungeons are being introduced.
Let's go over each in more detail.

 

 

Disciple of Doom

A new Hell Party dungeon, Disciple of Doom, will become available in the Sunken Depths update. This dungeon will serve as an important part of this season, making it a key point of discussion.

Entry to this dungeon requires a material called Doom Oracle, which will likely be the primary material that you will be gathering throughout this season.

 

Advanced Dungeons provide this material along with equipment, which creates a (perhaps oversimplified but not inaccurate) farming loop of 1. Clearing Advanced Dungeons → 2. Obtain Doom Oracles → 3. Clear Disciple of Doom.

 

While Advanced Dungeons are the main source, additional acquisition methods include various in-game shops, such as purchasing it from the new Soul Shop.

 

The other reason Disciple of Doom is a core component of the update is that its clear rewards will be used as the baseline for the Expected Reward Ratio system across Sunken Depths.

 

For example, if an Advanced Dungeon lists a reward multiplier of "x17," it means clearing it provides equipment rewards equivalent to clearing Disciple of Doom 17 times. The higher a dungeon's required Fame, the greater its reward multiplier. This system is not limited to Advanced Dungeons but will extend to future Legion and Raid content as well.

 

As a result, the content of rewards are now independent of a characters progression, reducing FOMO (fear of missing out) due to being less farmed. While high-difficulty dungeons still offer better farming efficiency, less farmed players can still aim for lucky drops, while more progressed players can enjoy quicker and more consistent farming.

 

Given its significance, Disciple of Doom has been designed to be a vast improvement over previous Hell Party dungeons. These improvements include features such as automatic re-entry, buff retention upon re-entry, and lucky bonuses!

 

These additions aim to make the repeated runs required for Hell Party farming feel smoother, faster, and more enjoyable. While some bonuses will be more common and others rarer, all are intended to reward and add fun to repeated runs.

 

However, this dungeon remains, at its core, a Hell Party dungeon that provides random item drops. Consequently, the Abyss: Disciple of Doom, which is an upgraded version of the standard dungeon, was added to assuage any concerns about RNG in equipment farming for this season.

 

 

Abyss: Disciple of Doom

This version restricts the pool of sets that can drop, allowing players to target specific ones. Additionally, at least one Legendary piece of equipment is guaranteed to drop in order to help out with meaningful Set Point progression.

 

Entry will require Abyssal Doom Oracles, primarily obtained from the regular Disciple of Doom dungeon. As such, we hope you will be able to reap the benefits of this dungeon that was designed as a bonus reward system for players who consistently clear the main Hell Party dungeon.

 

And so, I feel that we are now all familiar with the core Hell Party dungeon for this season. Now, let's move on to the equally important Advanced Dungeons.

 

 

Advanced Dungeons

The Sunken Depths’ Advanced Dungeons are weekly farming dungeons.

 

They are the  Moon-Submerged Lake, Azure Main, and Temple of Death. 2 additional Advanced Dungeons, categorized as Memories of White Ocean dungeons, are also available for new/returning Adventurers or for veterans creating lower-power alts.

 

Unlike previous Advanced Dungeons, where progress only meant unlocking the next difficulty level within the same dungeon, the new system eliminates difficulty settings. Instead, players enter dungeons appropriate to their Fame level, with each dungeon featuring unique bosses, enemies, and mechanics.

 

This ensures that progression in Fame provides the excitement of unlocking completely new content while also allowing players to feel their growth within the same dungeon. Additionally, those who are sufficiently equipped can clear the dungeons significantly faster, reducing the fatigue of weekly content.

 

Among the five Advanced Dungeons, the two with lower Fame requirements (Memories of the White Ocean variants) resemble White Cloud Valley and Solidaris from the previous content cycle. These have been simplified to help new/returning players quickly integrate into Sunken Depths through useful rewards. Returning players can rely on their past experience with Advanced Dungeons, while newcomers will find these dungeons intuitive and not too difficult.

 

Players can select two Advanced Dungeons suited to their Fame and receive rewards from each once per week, for a total of two weekly rewards. Because these are weekly content, the rewards are substantial, but since each dungeon has Fame requirements, rewards will vary accordingly. This aligns with the Expected Reward Ratio system discussed earlier, ensuring higher-spec players benefit from greater farming efficiency.

 

 

Normal Dungeons

Next up are the Normal Dungeons. Six new Normal Dungeons will be added in the new area, and this season, each dungeon will feature additional elements designed to enhance the gameplay experience.

 

However, Normal Dungeons do not follow the Expected Reward Ratio system, meaning that dropped rewards are limited to legendary equipment.

 

Instead, players can obtain consumable items called "Digming’s Fur Ball" and "Digming’s Fluff Ball," which can be exchanged for other useful rewards.

 

Each dungeon offers bonus rewards or unique mechanics that assist less-geared characters in clearing them. Since the features vary by dungeon, be sure to explore them all during your daily runs.

 

Additionally, Normal Dungeons will play a more significant role this season due to the introduction of the Gaze of the Maleficents system. This system functions as a limited daily mission within the revamped DFO Missions.

 

Every day, two Normal Dungeons will be randomly selected as "Gaze of the Maleficents" dungeons. Clearing them not only grants daily mission rewards but also provides an additional reward equivalent to the x1 Expected Reward Ratio from Disciple of Doom, along with Digming’s Fur Balls.

 

Essentially, this allows each character to complete two daily Disciple of Doom runs for free, but keep in mind that this mission is limited to 20 characters per account. There will also be a wider variety of daily and weekly mission options beyond what is shown in the preview image, so be sure to check them out in-game after the update.

 

The required Fame for entering these missions is relatively low, set at 13,195, which corresponds to the Expert difficulty level of Normal Dungeons. However, for characters with no proper gear setup, clearing them may still take some time.

 

To ensure that alternate characters can complete the daily missions smoothly, the "Gaze of Malefic Energy" system will be applied to these dungeons.

 

This system can be tracked via the gauge displayed in the top left corner of the screen. It activates 25 seconds after encountering a named or boss monster, and as time passes, the monster’s received damage gradually increases.  entering the dungeons. (*EDIT: Good news! The improved version of the Gaze of Malefic Energy will be added in the global version of the Sunken Depths update. We've edited the relevant details and guide image above accordingly.)

 

This means that characters who take longer to defeat bosses will automatically gain a damage boost. The system is designed to reduce stress while completing daily missions and to facilitate the growth of multiple characters.

 

Instead of rushing to clear Gaze of the Maleficents dungeons as quickly as possible, it may be more efficient to wait for the gauge to fill at the first boss as this can lead to faster overall clears in the long run.

 

 

Gold Dungeons

That concludes the equipment-related dungeons in the new area, but equally important are the Gold dungeons. Two new Gold dungeons will be introduced this season.

Before discussing them, let’s briefly address the current in-game Gold production.

 

The Gold output from the previous season’s Gold dungeons will be adjusted because ongoing monitoring of Gold production and consumption indicates a continuous increase in Gold supply.

As a result, balancing the total amount of Gold in circulation has become unavoidable. However, to minimize the impact of this change on gameplay, measures have been put in place, including the introduction of the new dungeons "Track Malefic Energy" and "Annihilate the Maleficents."

 

We do wish to mention that additional methods that are tailored to our DFO server will be implemented to prevent economic destabilization, such as making various items being provided through different channels compared to the Korean server.

There has also been concern over the increased Gold cost of Card fusion affecting new players and the removal of Repair Coupons from Joah Ferrero’s Voyage dungeons. Regarding Card fusion, this system primarily targets players with larger Card inventories, so it is not expected to significantly inconvenience newer players. However, we will make sure that this is something that we will continue to monitor.

 

As for Repair Coupons, they will be added to Canna’s Limited Sales Shop, and they will also be available for purchase using "Malefic Residue," a new currency obtained from this season’s Gold dungeons.

Given the significant role Gold plays in gameplay, rest assured that the economy will be closely monitored, and appropriate measures will be taken as needed.

 

Returning to the dungeon itself, the first of the two new Gold dungeons is "Track Malefic Energy."

 

Due to the adjustments mentioned earlier, its Gold output per Fatigue Point is lower than that of its predecessor. However, it provides additional rewards in the form of "Malefic Residue," which can be used in place of Gold in various enhancement systems. This system is designed to reduce the burden of Gold consumption, thereby mitigating the impact of the Gold production adjustments.

 

"Annihilate the Maleficents" offers a larger Gold reward than "Track Malefic Energy" and can also grant various tradable items. However, entry requires a special ticket called " Materialized Malefic Clue." These tickets can be purchased from the newly introduced hidden shop, "Courier Bannibou Shop."

 

Once acquired, Adventurers can choose to either spend Fatigue Points to farm additional Gold by using the ticket or sell the ticket in the Auction Hall if they do not wish to farm for Gold directly. Unlike previous seasons where Gold dungeon entry tickets could only be obtained from specific content, this season they can be acquired from Normal Dungeons, Advanced Dungeons, Hell Parties, and Track Malefic Energy. This change prevents Gold farming from being concentrated in a single type of content.

 

While the overall Gold production volume will decrease, these changes aim to correct the previous imbalance where a subset of players could generate large amounts of Gold through dedicated farming, while others who played regularly but did not focus on Gold farming found it difficult to earn Gold.

 

Courier Bannibou Shop

Courier Bannibou Shop, as mentioned earlier, has a chance to appear upon clearing Normal, Advanced, Hell Party, or Track Malefic Energy dungeons. This may sound famililar as Bannibou will ultimately function similarly to the Gabriel Secret Shop in Sunken Depths dungeons.

 

The shop offers the entry ticket for Annihilate the Maleficents as well as various other items, so be sure to check the available items as Bannibou’s wares will differ depending on the dungeon.

 

 

Additional Updates

Discussing the new content for the upcoming update has already made this quite a long note, but along with these major additions, a number of more minor but still noticeable improvements will also be introduced.

 

One of them is the "Adventure Navigator," which will be helpful for both new and returning players, as well as even some veteran players.

 

The Adventure Navigator can be accessed from the ESC menu and provides recommendations on which content is best for the current character, which aspects of equipment setup require improvement, specific details and direct links/buttons to guide you to gaining more Fame, and how much Fame can be gained by acquiring specific items.

 

Essentially, it serves as a starter guide to help players track their character’s growth and accumulate Fame step by step before challenging higher-level dungeons.

 

Many other quality-of-life improvements and visibility enhancements will be included, so be sure to check the update notice when it is posted on March 18!

 

 

See You in Sunken Depths!

The past few months have been incredibly busy, but the excitement of bringing this new update to our Adventurers made the hard work worthwhile. We know many of you have been eagerly anticipating the new season, we wanted to let you know that this is just the beginning.

 

As previously mentioned, the March 18 update will be followed by the Venus Legion dungeon in April and the Artificial God Raid in June. While we are thrilled to finally deliver the Sunken Depths update, we are also already hard at work preparing the Venus Legion Dungeon to ensure a smooth launch for our Adventurers.

 

On a side note, we noticed that some players who have thoroughly researched the content have raised concerns about the "Venus Auction Tokens" due to differences in the global environment. We hope these Adventurers can rest assured since we are looking into proper adjustments such as extending the expiration period of the tokens or keeping the auction open for a longer duration.

 

Additionally, we are pleased to announce that a new chapter of content called "Infinite Florescence" is scheduled for May in DFO! The first test server version was recently released in Korea, and we are working to bring it to the global server quickly and seamlessly, just like the Venus Legion.

 

We look forward to sharing more updates with you in the future and hope you enjoy what’s coming up next. For now, get ready for the Lv. 115 Level Cap Expansion and Season 9 Act 1 – Sunken Depths: The New Wave, which will be live on servers next Tuesday.

 

 

Thank you for your continued support and love for DFO. We will also always be here, cheering on your adventures in the new region!

 

 

Sincerely,

DFO Head Director Jong