Greetings, Adventurers!    This is DFO Head Director Jong.   It’s already been three months since the launch of the Sunken Depths update. Time truly flies! I hope all of you have been enjoying the new season. Even though a vast amount of changes were introduced, I imagine many of you have now become experts of this new era—especially with the release of Venus and the Infinite Florescence content.   When Sunken Depths first arrived, it was still freezing here in Korea. But just like the warm breeze that swept in with the Infinite Florescence update, the weather has gradually changed, and suddenly summer has already arrived (in Jeju Island, at least!). And if summer is here, that must mean it’s time for DFO’s summer season to begin as well.   In today’s Director’s Note, I’d like to walk you through the upcoming Raid against the Artificial God, which will arrive with next Tuesday’s update. On top of that, I’ll also be sharing a preview of what we have in store for the rest of DFO’s summer—and maybe even a little glimpse of what’s beyond.   We’ve got a lot to talk about—the Nabel  Raid, the summer update, and more—so let’s dive right in!

 

Sunken Depths Recap (So Far)

Before we dive into the new updates, I’d like to take a brief moment to look back on our Adventurers' journeys since the launch of the Sunken Depths season on March 18th.

Let’s take a look at some interesting data.

 

When the Sunken Depths season opened on March 18th, it didn’t take long for many of you to step into the depths of Disciple of Doom. In fact, the very first Primeval Equipment drop was recorded just 38 minutes after the update went live. The second and third drops followed shortly after at 43 and 46 minutes in, respectively. Perhaps the owners of these drops are reading these notes out there as we speak! I hope that these first pieces of Primeval gear gave a meaningful boost to your setups.

 

Then let’s take a look at the next bit of data.

 

Here are the most favored sets in Sunken Depths so far (based on items equipped by characters able to enter the Venus Legion!). Interestingly, all three of the initial Primeval drops we mentioned earlier belong to sets that are currently ranked in the top 5 by usage rate. It seems I didn’t even need to wish you luck with your setups..! With that in mind, shall we take a closer look at the Disciple of Doom—the primary source of these powerful items?

 

As the key dungeon of the Sunken Depths season, we expected high engagement...

 

And as expected, those numbers are absolutely staggering. For context, the most active account at the time of data collection had entered the dungeon enough times that it would require running it roughly 536 times per day to reach that total.

 

These incredible milestones were made possible not only by that one dedicated Adventurer, but by the passion and commitment shown by all of you. I want to express my deepest thanks for the enthusiasm everyone has poured into this season.

 

Now, to wrap up this section, let’s take a look at the hottest topic in recent weeks: the Venus Legion and its Advent difficulty.

 

Looking at the Week 1 clear rates for Venus Level 1 and Level 2, I could once again sense just how experienced and capable our DFO Adventurers are. As for Advent... well, I guess it lives up to its reputation. Still, I believe that many of you are now handling the encounter far more smoothly than during that first week.

 

To those who are still falling in battle against Venus, I offer my condolences. I am sure that the number of deaths she has brought upon DFO is rising even at this very moment. But know this: the day will come when you defeat her. Stay strong!

 

As of June 10th, most players are deciding to farm Level 2, followed by Level 1, with the fewest venturing into Advent. All I can say to that is that seems to be a wise choice!

 

On Other Topics...

Seeing how passionately everyone has been engaging with the Sunken Depths season truly brings me joy as part of the dev team. It’s clear that you’ve all been diving deep into the new content with dedication.

That said, we’ve also been keeping a close eye on the areas where our Adventurers have been less enthusiastic about for this season.

 

This brings us to a topic many of you have been asking about: network stability. While a separate notice regarding the issue and due compensation was posted, I felt it was important to personally address this matter and offer my sincere apologies to all Adventurers once more.

Following the system maintenance on May 20th, a series of unexpected server issues began to occur. I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience this caused during your gameplay experience. We are continuing to take and explore measures to reduce the impact of network-related disruptions, and we will make sure to do everything we can on our end to ensure that no player has to go through the same frustration again.

 

Once again, I thank you for your patience and understanding.

 

 

Another topic that’s been coming up frequently among Adventurers is the current state of Gold acquisition. We completely understand the feedback regarding reduced Gold income compared to past seasons. However, we also ask for your understanding in this aspect as the Seon season saw a significant spike in Gold inflation, and the current balancing was necessary to stabilize the game economy. While we may not be adjusting this directly through content changes any time soon, we are looking at ways to ease this through other means—such as distributing Repair Coupons or providing Materialized Malefic Clues through events. In addition, the upcoming Bleeding Mines content will award Malefic Residue—which can be used in place of Gold in certain systems—as a clear reward. I’ll go into more detail on that content in the latter segments of this note.

 

 

The last common feedback we’ve observed is fatigue and frustration with the RNG farming nature of the current season. To put things plainly, this RNG was factored in to play a role in the lifespan of this season's content, and as such cannot be disregarded too easily. However, we are also fully aware—thanks to your heartfelt feedback—of the specific pain points our Adventurers are experiencing. To help ease this, we are actively considering ways to increase the availability of Void Souls, which would help reduce the impact of RNG by enabiling reliable progression. While nothing is finalized just yet, I wanted to let you know that these discussions are happening—and once plans are set, we’ll make sure to inform you through the proper channels as soon as possible.

 

On that note, let’s wrap up our reflections on the Sunken Depths season and move into the main topic of today’s note—the upcoming new content.

I'll now give our Adventurers a quick recap on the story leading up the Forged God, Nabel Raid.

 

Previously...

Just after being defeated by the Adventurer, the Goddess of Beauty is taken away by the Maleficent and Vanitas ambushers, leaving our protagonist and company in a state of loss, as they had been on the brink of persuading Venus to turn away from her previous wrongdoings.

 

Transported before the incubating Makia, who is revealed to be none other than Apostle Delezie, the Goddess of Beauty, now both powerless and bitter, is convinced by Lundior into offering her little remaining power to the toxic cocoon, which is just enough to awaken the Apostle of Plague once more.

 

With the Apostle now in full power, Delezie of Plague swallows Inae whole. But just then, a light shines from within the City of Promise. Mu, God of Mist and Memory arrives to protect Inae but it seems her power will not hold for long.

 

The Adventurer must now enter the suppressed memories of the God of Mist's past in order to find the answer to resolving the dire circumstances before them before it's too late; before the city is consumed by Delezie's raging plague.

 

Project TEANA

Mu's hidden recollections reveal the planet of Terra, a brilliant civilization of unimaginable technological prowess.

 

This is the setting of Mu's past, her birthplace. Technology has advanced to the point that it resembles the magic of Arad. Developed and fueled by the ambitions of Terra's superpowers, the Artificial Gods have now broken free of their human captors and are wreaking havoc on the planet. It is during this crisis that Research Director Eldirh of the Teana Science Institute commences Project Teana, an initiative to empower gifted young girls from the 12 nations of Terra to combat the artificial threats. Will it be enough? And what will become of the fate of the Artificial Gods and Terra?

 

Check out the "Project TEANA" Webtoon on the English DFU website to find out!

 

If the language displayed is not in English, scroll down to the very bottom right of the page and click "KR" → "EN"!

 

 

 

Research Director Eldirh

 

Eldirh, the renowned director of the Teana Research Institute. Her genius outshines the brightest of minds even among those of the brilliant civilization of Terra.

 

A meister of the laboratory, this mysterious figure is credited with the successful development of the Artificial Gods. Though known to be cold and calculating, there is an endearing quality in her eyes as her gaze on Artificial God No. 2: Anima is reflected on her glasses, though what this could mean is known by none other than herself.

 

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.

 

Artificial God No. 3: Nabel

Artificial God No. 3: Nabel is the product of a collaborative project between the nation of Climmat and the Teana Research Institute.

 

Nabel is especially prized for the trait of "ignorance" - the ability to forget - making her the only controllable Artificial God. Unlike the unruly others, No. 3 does not retain any memories, meaning not only that she has no preferences or a sense of right or wrong, but she can also be subjected to experimentation which borders along the lines of torture without repercussion.

 

It is for this reason the researchers conducted such inhumane experiments on Artificial God No. 3, simply to test and push the limits of her physical aptitude and combat capabilities.

 

As a result, Nabel has come to possess a virtually indestructable body in addition to powers of planetary proportions, namely the ability to control the weather; everything from summoning frost, flame, lightning, fire, and even covering the planet in mist.

 

It will be her that the Adventurer shall challenge in the first Raid of the Sunken Depths region! Come face to face with the power of the Forged God and unveil the past secrets that transpired on Terra to protect the future of Inae.

 

Forged God Nabel Raid

Now then, let's get right into the basics of the in-game Nabel Raid. 

 

This Raid is divided into 4 different modes as you can see in the above image. In addition to the typical Normal mode and the challenging Hard mode, we added Solo and Matching modes this time around. The Recommended Fame for Solo and Matching modes are lower than Normal/Hard modes, and so it's relatively easier and less stressful to farm Raid materials. Due to the lower difficulty, the amount of Raid reward materials and equipment farming speed is lower than Normal mode. But if you're a new Adventurer who is nervous about typical Raids, a strictly solo-play-only Adventurer, or a veteran player who wants to start powering up lots of characters at once, these modes have been designed as a method for you to earn Raid reward materials as well.

 

In particular, the Solo and Matching modes have unlimited automatic revives enabled so you can play without any worries. Now I'm sure you're curious about the difference between Solo mode and Matching mode. In terms of rewards, there is virtually no difference aside from a slight distinction in the "Expected Reward Ratio." In terms of the play method, Solo mode is played alone and on a smaller map, whereas in Matching mode, you enter a queue to be grouped automatically as a team of up to 12 players on a bigger map than Solo mode but with the same objective of defeating the "Barrier of Nonvolition." In contrast, the objective of the Normal/Hard modes is to defeat "Nabel, Evil of Ignorance."

 

Hard difficulty is content that isn't necessary for progression, but is available for veteran Adventurers who want to experience content that's a bit of a challenge. You can think of it as similar to what the Advent difficulty was for the Venus Legion dungeon!

 

As with other content that have varying difficulties, please carefully check the rewards and entry/play requirements of each mode and choose the one that matches your play style, current setup, and the rewards that you want to obtain as the reward count is shared across all modes. I'll explain regarding the rewards in detail a bit later.

 

Now that we know about each mode, let's move on to talking about the main gimmick of the Forged God Raid.

 

Guard can be activated by pressing the Dungeon Special Key and is a feature that allows you to block all monster attacks and even perform a counter attack for certain monster attacks. Using Guard can cancel any of your character's actions, with the exception of Awakening skills and certain statuses, and Guard itself can be canceled with the Jump key. 3 charges of Guard will automatically be gained over time and when you block certain purple/white warning area attacks, you can recover 1 charge immediately. There are also additional benefits in the case of purple/white attacks. If you make a habit of using Guard to neutralize purple/white attacks as much as possible, it will help with clearing the dungeon quite a bit.

 

Now since there are so many monsters, gimmicks, and systems in the Forged God Raid, we'll leave the details for how to defeat each monster to future guides to come. Please also keep an eye on our Youtube channel as we will be releasing a fundamental video guide to the Raid with more details!

 

Lastly, it's time to talk about rewards. I'll start by showing you an overview table that you can see below and continue by explaining about where to use the main rewards obtainable from each difficulty.

 

For starters, the materials that can be obtained from all modes, Solo/Matching/Normal/Hard, are Shattered Nightmare Fragments and Ignorant Might Remnants. The main guaranteed rewards only obtainable from Normal/Hard modes are the Unique or Epic Set Pot Part Selection Boxes, while Auction Coins are chance-based rewards that can be obtained according to a set rate.

I'll talk about the rewards you get from all modes first.

 

Shattered Nightmare Fragment is a new Fusion Stone material and can be used to purchase Nabel Fusion Stones, which is the main reason for clearing the Forged God Raid. It can be used to change a Fusion Stone you already have or upgrade a Unique Fusion Stone into an Epic Fusion Stone. Again, think of this as a similar material as the Scattering Silk of Praise which was used for Venus Fusion Stones. These Fragments can be earned without fail from all difficulties, as you can see in the table above, but in Normal mode you can get additional, account-bound materials called, "Condensed Nightmare Crystals." Speaking of Shattered Nightmare Fragments, now let me explain a bit more about the closely related Nabel Fusion Stones.

 

You can obtain new Fusion Stones for Accessory and Special Equipment parts through the Forged God Raid. These Fusion Stones can be divided into Set and Distinct Fusion Stones. As with Venus Fusion Stones, Set Fusion Stones have base stats and additional Set Points, while Distinct Fusion Stones do not provide any Set Points but have better flat stats than Set Fusion Stones.

 

Gearing up with the new Fusion Stones by farming for this material in Solo/Matching modes can be done but it will take a bit longer. This is because (as shown in the reward table) Unique or Epic Set Pot Part Selection Boxes are not guaranteed in these 2 difficulties. Consequently, the difference in rewards can be seen from the speed at which one can gear up with the new Fusion Stones. However, as mentioned in the Raid Solo/Matching modes section, please note that this mode was added based on our belief that it's meaningful to add a method to obtain main Raid materials and improve equipment, regardless of the differing circumstances of each individual Adventurer and in the hopes that this would help you to power up in one way or another.

 

The next common material I'll talk about is the Ignorant Might Remnant.

 

Ignorant Might Remnants can be consumed through an NPC to "Liberate Engraved Memories." This is a power-up that imbues additional options to Lv. 115 weapons. All you have to do is simply pick and choose which option to apply once you have gathered the required materials.

 

The last main reward is the Forged God Auction Coin which can be obtained at a set rate only from the Normal/Hard modes. 

 

Auction Coins give you a chance to obtain rare items so you should definitely try clearing the Normal/Hard modes if you are the type that values these Auctions! Just remember, the Auction Coins are not guaranteed clear rewards for either mode.

 

In addition, although Auction Coins can be obtained at a set rate from Normal/Hard mode, there is also a chance that an Auction will be held after clearing Hard mode, regardless of whether Auction Coins were obtained. If the Auction does not happen after clearing, a guaranteed Auction Coin Fragment is obtained. Collect 4 of these to exchange them for 1 Auction Coin which can be used to participate in an Auction. 

 

There are many other rewards that you can get other than the main probability/guaranteed/Auction rewards mentioned above. It's just that there are so much to talk about when it comes to all the rewards, so we hope you'll check out the content notice which will be posted along with the update next week if you're curious about them all!

 

Last But Not Least, Fast-Tracks!

So far, we've covered the story, play method, and rewards of the Forged God Raid. As this is the first Raid of Sunken Depths, we hope lots of our Adventurers will step up to the challenge and have fun playing this new content.

The next updates planned for June 24th are some fast-tracked Advanced Dungeon improvements!

 

Various QOL improvements will be fast-tracked in order to ease the fatigue of our Adventurers regarding Advanced Dungeons. There's a lot that we'll be improving, so the examples above are just a few among many changes. You can check out the rest of the improvements to be added in the update notice which will be posted next week, so please refer to our web page if you're wondering about the details. Personally, I think one of the biggest improvements that was especially noticeable was the shortening of various transition scenes!

 

Finally, we've got our last notice regarding the June 24th update. This isn't a major QOL improvement necessarily, but we wanted to mention it in this note as sort of a PSA to all our Adventurers to prevent any confusion that may come due to this change.

 

We applied the above improvements because we felt the need to unify the features regarding Dungeon Special Keys due to its use in ever-more various content. We hope that this will reduce the confusion for our Adventurers regarding the Special Keys.

Well, that about wraps up the content update for June 24th. Aside from the Forged God Raid and fast-track plans, there are tons of other events and sales we have prepared for June 24th. We'll cover all that in the Exstream where this Director's Note is introduced, so I'll leave those details for the stream.

Here's to hoping that our Adventurer's will enjoy the June 24th Forged God update...

 

Crank Up the Heat!

..And also the July 8th update!

Since the Artificial God Raid is coming very soon and you’ll be experiencing it firsthand shortly, I wanted to take this opportunity to share a more detailed preview of the summer update that will follow. We’ve prepared a vibrant, festival-like season this summer, and I’m excited to give you a glimpse of what’s in store.

 

First up, the Summer Boost Up event will gift you two Starter Boost Capsules. One capsule is usable for all classes, and the other is specifically for Buffer classes only. With the summer vacation and summer holiday season upon us, this is designed to support you in leveling up new characters quickly. These capsules will help you reach max level in no time and provide essential gear and consumables needed for your character’s growth. Whether you’re returning to DFO or starting fresh, I highly recommend (re-)starting off by jumping into this event!

 

The second event is Miracle’s Summer Vacation Planner, which is similar in style to the mission-clearing and level-gauge-increasing event we held when the Sunken Depths season first launched. You’ll be completing various daily and weekly missions and earn rewards as you reach cumulative milestones in the form of a level gauge. The event currency you collect can be used to purchase even more rewards in the event shop. What makes this event especially exciting is that the higher your “Plan Score,” the more exclusive items you can earn—like special cosmetic Titles! If you’re aiming to show off a unique look, be sure to participate diligently in Miracle’s Summer Vacation Planner.

 

The remaining two events are Dunchelin Challenge! and Digming’s Fun in the Sun.

 

In Dunchelin Challenge!, you’ll take part in a restaurant management mini-game where you serve a variety of drinks and dishes based on customer requests. Your efficiency and accuracy will directly affect your satisfaction rating, score, and the amount of event currency you earn. These tokens can then be used to expand or improve your establishment's operations. The event will feature both a stage-based mode for event mission participation and an infinite mode for freestyling, so you can look forward to plenty of fun. And of course, I’m sure you’re already excited about the wide array of both end-game worthy and cosmetic rewards waiting for you!

 

Finally, we have the Digming's Fun in the Sun event. Complete various missions to earn points, then donate those points to help Digming fully enjoy his summer. As the DFO community comes together to support Digming, the event gauge will fill up and unlock rewards for everyone. I hope all of you will unite to claim these shared event rewards. Don’t forget to take advantage of the free buff granted throughout this event as well! As our Adventurers are always curious about the extent of event buffs, we've added a list of content in which the buff is not applied or is limited in the slide above.

 

Phew! It seems this summer is shaping up to be a hot one for DFO—and so I'm sure you’ll need the perfect outfit to match!

 

Starting with the July 8th update, we’ll be releasing a new package: the Lifeguard Package. You’ll be entrusted with keeping Arad’s beachgoers safe as they escape the summer heat. And don’t worry—Ella is here to help you with your lifeguard duties! Let’s get ready for some Bay... I mean, DFOwatch action!

 

We also have some news about community events.

 

The Character Strategy Event, which began on June 10, will conclude on July 6. We encourage all Adventurers to check out the character guides submitted by your fellow players for the Sunken Depths season—especially as you'll be wanting to put those Starter Boost Capsules from the June 8th Summer Boost event to good use! Since many strategies, builds, and playstyles have evolved since the start of Sunken Depths, these guides should be a valuable resource as you level-up new characters for this season. I’d also like to take this moment to sincerely thank everyone who submitted their guides. Please make sure to review these excellent guides and conquer both the summer heat and the Artificial God Raid with confidence!

 

Additionally, starting June 24th, we’ll be kicking off a special community event. Since it’s a surprise event, I can’t reveal many details just yet—but I promise it’ll be something worth looking forward to! The only hint I can share is that it’s connected to Arad Friends. So, if you have friends who are thinking about starting DFO, be sure to check out the announcement after the June 24 maintenance. After all, DFO is always more fun when we play together!

 

 

More Summer Content!

Looking ahead to August, we’re excited to introduce two new weekly dungeons: Unshackled Nightmare and Bleeding Mines.

 

Unshackled Nightmare is a brand-new Advanced Dungeon where you can adjust the difficulty based on your own gear and spare Soul resources to earn extra rewards. Alongside this, we’ll be launching the Unshackled Nightmare Challenge—a highly challenging mode where your performance will be ranked and duly honored with special rewards. I want to emphasize the phrase “highly challenging” here—be prepared!

 

Bleeding Mines is not an Advanced Dungeon but a new type of weekly content where you’ll use your Explorer Club roster in a “tag team” style to clear dungeons across different fame tiers. This is somewhat reminiscent of the old Elite Unit system, but designed so that you'll be controling each character consecutively. This content aims to help you farm additional materials and equipment according to your roster’s situation.

 

Then, in September, get ready for the long-awaited Skill Evolution system(AKA Skill VP system) and the new Paramedic and Chimera Advancements!

 

With the Skill Evolution update, it will finally be time to say goodbye to the Talisman system. The additional skill effects that used to be provided by Talismans will now be fully integrated into the Skill VP system—allowing you to freely customize and choose various skill effects without needing to farm or purchase specific items. Beyond replacing Talismans, this system will also include options from previous Culmination Weapons and completely new effects for skills. We expect this update to spark a wave of experimentation and in-depth customization among our Adventurers.

 

Next, the new class Paramedic is the fifth Female Gunner Advancement and a Buffer class. Equipped with cutting-edge tech powered by Empyrean science and armed with pistols, Paramedics analyze battlefield data to lead their allies to victory.

 

Chimera, the fifth Archer Advancement, is an eccentric inventor from Sunken Depths. Using unique inventions and self-crafted weapons like Compound Bows, Chimera is known for being perpetually strapped for research funds and looks like she's always caught in a pinch.

 

Fun fact... the following character is technically a Chimera too! Being a Chimera isn’t about looks—it’s a way of life.

I believe these updates are what many of you are most excited for in the second half of this year. We’ll do our best to ensure you enjoy the summer festival to the fullest and then meet the new classes without missing a beat.

Let’s make this a summer to remember!

 

Summer Plans Recap

To wrap things up, here’s a summary of the summer update highlights so far.

 

While this isn’t a full roadmap for the entire second half of the year, I wanted to give you an overview—especially focusing on the summer season events and the highly anticipated new classes and Skill VP system. We've put together the above image for your convenience.

Additionally, be sure to look forward to another DFO Merchandise Giveaway event planned for this October. Halloween in DFO is shaping up to be something special!

 

Wrapping Up...

With that, I’ll conclude our Director’s Note for the 2025 DFO Summer Season.

 

I want to sincerely thank all our passionate Adventurers who continue to pour their love into Dungeon Fighter Online, and the community members who never hesitate to lend their support.

Thank you for taking the time to explore DFO's summer events and the new Raid with us. Stay safe from the heat (or the chill, depending on your region!), and I look forward to seeing you again soon in Arad!

 

 

Sincerely,

DFO Head Director Jong