Behind the Scenes: Shadow Raids

Heroes of Arkesia,

We caught up with Smilegate to learn what went into creating the new Shadow Raid experience.

After the fall of Kazeros, the Primordial Beings have begun to stir. Serca, the Witch of Pain, makes her debut in Arkesia. Shadow Raids introduce three new mechanics that will change how players interact with raid combat: the brawl system, shadow skills and a shared resurrection pool.

Q: Serca's transformation into Corvus Tul Rak is visually striking. What inspired this dramatic shift from beautiful witch to horrifying Primordial Being?

The Primordial Beings are entities that exist in endless deficiency, parasitizing others by wearing their appearances. The drastic transformation in appearance from Serca to Corvus Tul Rak was the very first attempt to visually convey the deceptive nature of these Primordial Beings.

Serca's design was inspired by witches that appear in "grim fairy tales." One of the key design principles for her appearance was to retain the archetypal visual traits of a witch, while also including elements that would spark curiosity from the player's perspective. For example: "Why is she wearing such a large hat?" "Why is her hair so long?" "Why are her hands golden?" We believed that curiosity would naturally lead to interest in the character, and that such interest could ultimately be perceived as charm.

With that in mind, we made sure to clearly express the elements that were intentionally designed, while excluding additional decorative elements. As a result, the character's appearance became more intuitive; her appeal stood out more strongly, and she came to resemble an alluring host whose body the Primordial Being had taken over.

Because Serca had the appearance of a witch, we naturally felt that Corvus Tul Rak should take on a form that would appropriately correspond to that. This led us to begin with the appearance of a raven. Initially, we considered a sturdier, more solid bipedal form. However, given Shadow Raid's defining characteristics—dark fantasy aesthetics and the transition from a beautiful humanoid form to the true monstrosity—we felt there needed to be a much stronger visual contrast, and thus decided to revise the design.

From the hunched spine, bent under countless eons endured since the dawn of time, to multiple pairs of thin arms, tattered garments, and grotesquely twisted dead branches, we combined these elements in an effort to express the horror and discomfort befitting the Primordial Beings.

Once the character was brought to life through actual modeling, the dark background in which the Primordial Being appears, combined with Corvus's voice howling as if it might tear apart, finally made it feel as though the intended atmosphere had been fully realized.

Looking ahead, as a foundational step in establishing the identity of the Primordial Beings that players will encounter in future Shadow Raids—entities that are far beyond imagination—this felt like a very solid beginning.

Q: What makes Shadow Raid: Serca different for our global players compared to the Korean release?

One of the biggest differences between the Korean and Global versions of Shadow Raid: Serca lies in the rewards. In the Global version, players can obtain Agony Thorn even in Normal Mode. This is the most significant change compared to Korea, where Agony Thorn was only available in Hard Mode or Nightmare difficulty.

Since the release of the Kazeros Raid, we've continued to receive feedback from global players about the reward gap between Normal and Hard modes. Advancing Advanced Honing to level 20 required clearing Overture Hard difficulty, and many players expressed fatigue over having to learn new mechanics and compete for party slots just to progress. Because