Director’s Comment | Development Update Notice (Updated)

Today we’d like to share the March update details along with some upcoming changes currently in preparation. With the first reset approaching, we would like to provide an overview of the major updates that will be applied beforehand, as well as the current direction of development.

March 12

DUO MODE CHANGED TO TRIO MODE

• Duo Mode will be added later as a standard game mode in a future update.

March 19

DATA RESET

• All data will be reset except for existing characters and character nicknames.

IMPROVING GAME TEMPO THROUGH INTERACTION TIME ADJUSTMENTS

• Interaction times for most objects will be removed or reduced.

Previously, both interaction time and searching time were applied simultaneously, and many players felt that this slowed the overall gameplay tempo. With this update, interaction time will be removed from most objects except equipment chests and safes.Objects such as corpses or material crates can now be looted instantly without waiting, allowing for a smoother and more natural gameplay pace.

NEW WEAPONS AND ARMOR ADDED

• Crowbar and new armor will be added.

As previously announced in the roadmap, the Crowbar and a new type of armor will be introduced. Future updates will also include: A new ranged weapon, Shortbow and Sub-actions applicable to various weapons with Guard mechanic

MISSION DIFFICULTY ADJUSTMENT & EXPERIENCE TABLE REVISION

• Mission difficulty and progression pacing will be adjusted overall.

Some existing missions lacked clear path guidance or felt overly difficult compared to the effort required.As a result, the difficulty of several missions will be reduced and rebalanced. In the future, the mission system itself will also be redesigned to create a more natural and cohesive progression flow. Additionally, to address the issue where leveling required excessive time, the experience table will be fully revised. These changes aim to reduce unnecessary progression bottlenecks and provide a more stable growth curve for players.

BALANCE CHANGES

• Skills that mid- to high-tier players rarely use or that show low win rates will be adjusted.

• Trap installation time will be added.

Balance metrics will continue to be carefully tuned to allow faster and more accurate responses to gameplay data.

Detailed values will be shared in the patch notes.

• Brick

The Morning Star weapon is seeing healthy usage, but the Wrench is still overwhelmingly dominant.

Balance adjustments will be made to encourage greater weapon diversity.

Mobility will be adjusted to give Brick more opportunities to chase opponents.

• Crow

The Smoke Bomb pick rate and win rate have increased, but Quick Step and Weak point strike are still used more frequently.

Smoke-related passives will be buffed, and we are also considering allowing smoke bombs to be thrown to a targeted location in the future.

Adjustments are also being made to increase the usage rate of the Katana.

• Lockdown

Passive skill Headshot, which currently has both a high pick rate and very high win rate, will receive a minor nerf.

Traps that were previously instant-deploy will now require installation time to prevent unfair gameplay situations.

In the long term, additional gadgets will be introduced for Lockdown to provide more tactical opportunities.

• Bartender

Debuff-type Bartender drinks had their effects reduced several times in previous tests because they could cause excessive frustration for opposing players. However, with their effects weakened while their material costs remained high, they have rarely been chosen in actual gameplay.

As a result, the material structure between buff drinks and debuff drinks will be adjusted. Previously, buff drinks required Rosé Whiskey, a 1-cost material, while debuff drinks required Mint Vodka, a 3-cost material. After the adjustment, buff drinks will instead require Mint Vodka for crafting.

Through this change, maintaining powerful buffs will require more materials. At the same time, the drink crafting time will be reduced so that players can prepare drinks more quickly and use them when needed during combat.

Other Changes

• Shotgun weapon-type attack power increased

• Rifle weapon-type attack power slightly decreased

• Baseball Bat melee attack power increased

• Full-charge damage stat increased

• Rifle ammunition purchase cost increased

• Ingredient Bag purchase cost increased

• Lockdown’s default melee weapon changed to a Machete

• All classes now start with two Junk-grade Bandages

REGION SERVER ADJUSTMENT

• The North America region server configuration will be adjusted.

The following changes will be applied on March 19 or March 26

[PvE Mode Test] *March 19 or March 26

• A PvE mode test will be conducted, temporarily replacing Rookie Mode during the testing period.

This mode is designed to help new players focus on fighting zombies and adapt to the game. It aims to provide an experience similar to Rookie Mode, allowing players to obtain up to Rare-grade equipment with relatively low pressure. The initial version will be Trio-only, but players will still be able to play solo. This PvE test version is not the final form, but rather a step toward improving accessibility and gathering feedback from a wider range of players. In the future, this will evolve into PvE content with higher difficulty and clearer challenge objectives.

[Removal of the Group Matchmaking Waiting Area] *March 19 or March 26

• The matchmaking waiting area where all players gathered before a match will be removed and replaced with a new structure.

To increase the tension of the game and reduce the amount of information players can obtain before a match begins, the group matchmaking waiting area, which previously served as an in-game lobby, will be removed. Going forward, players will prepare in individual waiting spaces before entering the game. With this change, players will no longer be able to check other players’ equipment or even confirm their presence beforehand, creating a more unpredictable and tense experience. In the future, this system will be reorganized into a locker room–style waiting area, with matches starting from the outer areas of each floor. We are also preparing a system that will allow mid-match joining during the early stage of an active session.

We recognize that we were not able to resolve some of the issues players requested quickly, and we take the delayed response seriously.

The development team is currently reorganizing our development structure while continuing to improve the game and develop new content. We will continue refining the overall gameplay flow and play environment.

We are also actively addressing frequent crash-related issues. Additionally, we have identified that the issue where players are unable to perform any actions after entering the game is caused by a structural problem. The fix is nearly complete, and we will deploy a hotfix as soon as possible. In our next update, we will share the updated Q2 development plan and upcoming content currently in preparation.

Thank you.

3/11 UPDATE

We've reviewed player feedback and would like to further explain the intent behind our update plans and our future direction.

PVE MODE

The upcoming PvE is a test version that will take over the role of the existing Rookie mode.

This version aims to moderately limit farming efficiency and create a structure that naturally guides new users toward Survival mode, which is PvP. We are aware of the concerns about items obtained without risk in PvE mode affecting the existing market economy.

However, in the official PvE mode that will be introduced after the test period ends, we are planning a structure that minimizes impact on the existing market economy, where value is only recognized when based on risk.

Additionally, we will build it so that players can experience the unique fun that only PvE mode can offer.

SESSION JOIN-IN-PROGRESS

We are aware of the disadvantages players may face when entering an ongoing session through a join-in-progress system.

First, please note that join-in-progress is currently still in development and will not be implemented in the immediate future.

However, session durations may become slightly longer than before, and we are considering a structure that allows players to join only during the early stages of a session.

We also plan to limit player join-ins to an appropriate maximum capacity, and are considering temporarily restricting floor transitions during the initial phase of a match.

The development team's highest priority is to prevent situations where players who join a session late feel disadvantaged or that their efforts are meaningless. Appropriate safeguards and restrictions will be implemented to ensure a fair experience.

RESET

In order to develop new content and address issues caused by underlying structural problems, improvements such as database restructuring and core system overhauls are required.

A full reset became necessary to carry out these changes. While we had postponed this decision for some time, the issues caused by the existing structure have gradually continued to accumulate. We fully understand the impact that a reset can have on players. However, as it could no longer be delayed, we kindly ask for your understanding.

DUO MODE AND TRIO MODE

Due to an issue that occurred during the mode transition process, Duo Mode testing will be extended for one more week.

Trio Mode is scheduled to be available in the March 19 update. Recently, we have also been carrying out a restructuring of the development team's workflow, and we will continue working in crunch mode to further improve the game's overall quality.

The development team is deeply grateful for both the support and criticism from players, and we take all of it seriously. There are still many issues remaining, but we will address them one by one based on priority.

We sincerely thank Survivors all around the world.