36th Developer Notes: New Characters and September Update

by

Hello, this is Jun-hee Lee, project director of BrownDust2.

With the thrill of our summer updates and activities starting to subside, it’s now autumn, signaling a change in seasons. Since the release of our 2nd anniversary update, we have felt deeply appreciative for your continuous love and support.

One simple rephrase: Showing our gratitude to you comes naturally through continuously offering exciting and beneficial enhancements, and rest assured, we are dedicated to delivering on this promise at each stage.

For the period from September through our 2.5-year anniversary in December, you can expect a wealth of fresh content and updates. So, keep an eye out for what’s coming next!

New Season Event: Stigma of Dreams            

The new season event is Stigma of Dreams.
It’s set in a brand-new space with brand-new faces.

Accompanied by Darian, Sonya departs from the Cocytus facility and makes her way towards the soothing embrace of Mother. The destination she reaches is an ethereal room furnished with a dozen seats.

These seats are designated for Mother’s chosen ones, known as the Reveries, and Sonya is assigned one among them. Not all are receptive to her presence, however. One of the seat holders objects to Sonya and chooses to challenge her.

The question remains: will Sonya be able to pass these trials and secure a place among the Reveries? The Stigma of Dreams promises an experience like no other. We can’t wait for you to delve into it!




New Costumes

Shadowed Dream Sonya

Our latest addition to the roster is Sonya, a character with two unique facets to her personality, often referred to as Shadows-and-Dreams Sonya!

As a cunning Dark-type mage, I morph into diverse shapes when specific conditions are met, providing me with strategic advantages on the game’s battleground.

Prophetic Dream Darian

As a devoted fan, I couldn’t help but notice when the enigmatic and powerful Water property attacker known as Prophetic Dream Darian made her grand entrance in Blade’s tale! With her ability to launch far-reaching assaults that leave her primary target reeling, she’s certainly added an exciting new element to the story.

Starlight Guardian Tyr

A new character introduces herself: Tyr, a girl enshrouded in mystery and beaming like sunlight itself, who goes by the title Starlight Guardian. Her backstory unfolds further in the Season Event stories.

As a Wind-based Physical attacker, Tyr is renowned for her ability to unleash wide-range attacks with immense power. However, this comes at a cost as she suffers from an affliction that boosts her Special Point (SP) consumption.

Greta

You might have spotted the golden arena battle map during the event showcase; it belongs to Greta. Greta is a warrior with a golden hue and is known as the “Dream of Desire.” Please note that in this update, Greta will not be available for play.

Skill Cutscenes

Next are Skill Cutscene images.

Shadowed Dream Sonya

Art Team Comment: Will Sonya own ya? 

Prophetic Dream Darian

Upon Blade’s search for her long-lost sister, an enigmatic USB arrived via post. To her surprise, the contents of this USB included a startling video with a recognizable figure.

Starlight Guardian Tyr

Art Team Note: From the Developer’s Diary – Although we didn’t include a ‘smell’ feature in the game, players seem to be enjoying it as if they can still catch a whiff!

Code Name A Rafina

The long-awaited Code Name A Rafina’s skill demonstration has finally been incorporated into the game. We appreciate your patience while we fine-tuned this feature, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay. Currently, we are diligently working on the skill cutscenes for the remaining five characters, and they will be released one after another in the coming updates.

Art Team Comment: What truly counts is appearing stylish rather than operating as an inconspicuous, proofless secret team!

Pickup Info


In September, Sonya and Tyr’s usual two-week breaks commence. On the other hand, Darian’s vacation starts a week earlier, coinciding with the autumn festival from October 2nd to last for three weeks.

Fiend Hunter

As a seasoned gamer, here’s how I’d put it: “Starting from week 1, you’ll find me – Abyssal Moon Shadow Tanya – lurking around. This version of me is all about the Light, strategically weakening your Magic Resistance to deal some serious damage.

In the third and fourth weeks, we’ll introduce a new villain called the Frenzied Wolf. This water-based creature causes ongoing damage with each hit it takes, becoming increasingly powerful.

Next are system additions and improvements.
These roll out across September 11 and September 25.

Ability Skill Improvements (Sep 11)

Initially, we’ve made enhancements to the user interface (UI) of the Ability Skill slots. Now, you can quickly view the Experience Points (EXP) and determine if you’re eligible to rank up for each ability, all within a glance. Plus, there’s an option for one-click rank up when qualified.

A third quickslot tab will be added, making it easier to manage your setups.

Moreover, you can now effortlessly adjust the placement of your pre-set abilities by simply dragging them horizontally within the Ability Skill Editing interface.

We have also added a Revert Settings option.

Following that, we enhanced some specific Ability Skills for better performance. Now, Gloom Glutti can be eliminated even without using a dash while employing Overpower, and its visual impact has been modified to align more closely with its actual range.

When activating Stealth, you’ll evade field monsters and Gloom Glutti, ensuring no collisions occur. Furthermore, the chance for a Bargain will always be set to 100%.

Fiend Hunter / Guild Raid UI Improvements (Sep 11)

The interface for Fiend Hunter and Guild Raid battles has been revamped. Now, you can easily comprehend the boss’s skills and upcoming abilities due to their more intuitive display. As understanding conditional skills is crucial for new players, the UI has been reworked to make them clearer.

Key information such as Fiend weakness percentages and buff/debuff icons are now always visible without needing a tap. For Guild Raid bosses, an Overdrive marker has been added to the HP bar to help you identify when they enter the Overdrive State more effortlessly.

Additionally, Fiend Hunter boss stats have been rounded off to the nearest thousand for improved readability-for instance, 456,789,123 would now appear as 456,000,000.

Draw Tab Separation / Sorting Update (Sep 11)

To ensure that the Draw interface remains uncluttered, it has been divided into two distinct sections for easier navigation: “Draw Costume” and “Draw Gear”.

Food Eating and Inn Improvements (Sep 11)

The maximum HP cap for feeding food to deployed/all characters will be increased from 90% to 100%.

Furthermore, characters who are already at full health (100%) can now also utilize the inn.

Recommended Formation Improvements (Sep 11)

As a passionate gamer, I’m excited to share that from now on, my preferred formations will automatically arrange based on the lowest Combat Power. Plus, there’s no more waiting period when toggling between Combat Power sorting options!

Last night, the display updated to show how many costumes are not yet owned, which simplifies identifying formations that are feasible given your current collection.

Guild Raid Full Season (Sep 25)

The much-awaited Guild Raid will officially debut as a complete seasonal gameplay mode!

Now, you have the opportunity to test your skills in mock battles featuring Invasion Defense and Boss Defense scenarios throughout the entire season.

Additionally, players are free to adjust Lancelot’s level for these training sessions.

An important reminder: only in official contests will rewards and scores be validated.

The new boss for the third Guild Raid now features – a formidable foe with a steampunk aesthetic named Doomsday Machina. As suggested by its armored appearance, it boasts an impressive defensive strength, yet it’s particularly weak against magical attacks.

As a gamer, here’s my take on explaining the new Overkill system in a first-person perspective:

From now on, when a level 10 boss battle ends in a tie, an Overkill system will come into play. Instead of stopping the fight once the boss reaches zero health, we’ll keep going until everyone in the turn has finished their actions. Any damage I deal after the boss hits zero HP, up until the end of the turn, is now considered Overkill damage.

The Overkill system only applies to level 10 boss battles. At the end of each month, our guild will select the top three players with the highest Overkill damage scores in these epic encounters. The total Overkill damage from these top scorers will be combined and compared among all guilds. The guild with the highest combined score will receive a higher ranking, making it clear who reigns supreme in our games!

New guild emojis are also being added.

The upcoming Guild Raid is scheduled to commence on September 25, following a 6-week hiatus. This break was intended for prepping the entire seasonal launch. During this 2-week period without raids, each member of the guild will be given rewards equivalent to half the Deed of the top-tier guild, Mercenary Alliance, multiplied by 9,400 Dia and an additional 1,500 Dia.

Home Menu Improvements (Sep 25)

Among the highly demanded improvements, we’ve incorporated a zoom-and-pan function. This feature can be found discreetly on the home screen and functions similarly to the Interaction UI for easy navigation. After customizing your view, you can set it as your personalized home screen layout.

On the Home screen, a new option allows you to personalize the backgrounds for your standalone illustrations. You can now choose unique backgrounds for each illustration using the ‘Background Settings’ tab. Additionally, there’s a ‘Preview’ button that enables you to view your Home screen layout before applying the changes.

1. The addition of a new Wallpaper feature lets you display main titles from seasonal events and pack images as your Home screen’s background.

2. In the Sounds Settings, there’s now an option to activate sound effects for scenes on the Home screen that resemble cutscenes.

Ability Skill Effect Improvements (Sep 25)

Instead of showing the animations for specific Skill Abilities like Search, Danger Detection, Absorb, and Assemble when you’re moving, they will be played automatically without delay.

Additionally, an update will include a feature that lets your in-game character maintain its current state during the application of Ability Skills. Consequently, you’ll be able to utilize Ability Skills without having to change your active field character.

Lastly, when you designate a character as your active character, the skill animations associated with abilities will no longer appear.

Hunting Grounds UI Text Update (Sep 25)

In the game Quick Hunt, you’ll find the name of each hunting area displayed below its symbol now. You can easily see how many resources you currently possess by looking to the right side of your screen.

★5 Guaranteed Draw: Tap-to-advance Update (Sep 25)

In the past, the results screen automatically moved forward after 10 games. Now, you’ll have to tap to proceed, and there’s an option to reactivate auto-advance if preferred. Furthermore, the ★5 result animation has transformed into a vibrant rainbow effect.

UR Guaranteed Draw Improvements

The guaranteed UR gear draw system is getting an upgrade.

If you get a UR gear for a three or four-star character, it won’t reset the count towards your guaranteed Ultimate Rare (UR) gear draw. Once the tally hits 100, you’ll be rewarded with a guaranteed five-star UR gear instead.

In our upcoming update, we’re planning to give out one “UR Exclusive Gear Guaranteed Draw Ticket” for every 100 draws you’ve previously made, as discussed in the previous livestream.

These tickets can be used in a special draw and will guarantee you a 3★–5★ UR exclusive gear.

August Satisfaction Survey

Here are some highlights from the August satisfaction survey.

Which recent content, system, or quality of life updates do you like best?

In July, we introduced several quality-of-life enhancements. The top improvement focused on character development, while the Glupy Diner improvements and the update to the Gear Upgrade Score user interface followed closely behind. Other highly requested changes included the ability to select levels for the Fiend Hunter before battle, added combat indicators for knockback, and an expanded view for costumes.

Did you find the story from Story Pack 18: Salvation engaging?”

“Did you enjoy the narrative of the Season Event Going Home?”

Both sentences convey the same meaning, but the second one may sound more appropriate if the story is part of a larger season or event rather than just a pack.

Hey there, fellow gamer! I’ve got a quick question for you regarding two recent stories we’ve added to our game: Story Pack 18 and the Season Event Going Home. Just to clarify, this survey is aimed at those who have actually dived into these stories themselves.

For Story Pack 18, about 39% of us absolutely loved it, while another 47% found it quite enjoyable. On the other hand, for Season Event Going Home, around 37% gave it a thumbs-up, with 51% saying they enjoyed it quite a bit. That means Story Pack 18 has a slight edge in terms of overall enjoyment! So, your feedback matters, and we’d love to hear more about your experiences with these stories. Thanks for playing along with us!

The latest survey centered around romantic aspects of both male and female character portrayals, a subject that ignited fervent discussions among gamers worldwide.

If the romance between male and female characters was changed, which direction would you prefer?

After observing a rise in negative feedback concerning male character portrayals, we decided to conduct a survey to gauge player opinions. The responses were diverse, piquing our curiosity about the outcomes. According to the survey results, approximately 36% of players found the male-female romance elements acceptable, with another 22% holding neutral views. On the contrary, around 6% wanted all existing romantic content eliminated, and about 12% preferred no new romance additions. Interestingly, 20% of respondents suggested transforming all male characters into females. Since we had encountered similar requests before, we included this option to better understand players’ intentions. However, with such a drastic idea, concerns arose once the survey was released. If the “make all characters female” response had been higher, we would have given it more thoughtful consideration. However, with 20% being the final result (higher than anticipated but not sufficient to overturn the expectations of players attached to the existing characters and narrative), we opted to stick with our current direction and proceed with development as planned. We will disclose further details about our future plans in the following section.

What are your thoughts on including male characters in the story?

The study was carried out following diverse viewpoints expressed on whether to feature male characters. The findings revealed that about 53% of players had no issue with males appearing in the game, and around 17% were neutral. This means approximately 70% did not have a strongly negative stance. Nevertheless, nearly 30% did express some negativity. Consequently, we are contemplating reducing the frequency of male characters, unless they play a vital role in the narrative.

How do you feel about the main characters or costumes from our story being featured as Special Visitors?

Or,

What are your thoughts on the romantic characters from the narrative making appearances as Predestined Guests?

In the following surveys, we mainly concentrated on the topic of Fated Guests. Previously, I discussed during my stream that incorporating primary story characters or those with romantic undertones as potential love interests for the Master might make some players uneasy, which was why we were cautious. However, after Olivier’s update, many players expressed interest in her Fated Story, and more voices began to challenge our initial approach. To gain a clearer understanding, we conducted a survey. The results revealed that less than 10% of players had negative feedback, with over 90% stating they were comfortable with it. Due to this, we now feel more confident in exploring this direction further in the future.

Here’s a possible way to rephrase it in clear, natural, and easy-to-read language:

The feedback and suggestions below are some open-ended comments made by players regarding BrownDust2, grouped based on their frequency of mention.

Preserving and Expanding the Role of Male Characters:

Players have expressed strong reservations about modifying or eliminating male characters like Lathel and Gray, as they believe this could compromise both the richness of the storyline and the complexity of the characters. They are keen on maintaining the significance of these male characters in the narrative, while also encouraging further growth and interaction among them for future developments.

2. Player Preference for Unchanged Storylines and Characters Interactions

Majority of players expressed a preference for preserving the current storylines and character relationships, with particular emphasis on the main romantic connections. They voiced concerns that alterations might diminish the game’s charm and overall quality.

Among the players of BrownDust2, opinions varied concerning the sexual aspects of the game. Some players found the sex appeal to be a significant draw, while others expressed concerns that an excessive focus on this aspect might detract from the game’s other attractive features.

4. Game System Problems and Technical Glitches

– A few users mentioned encountering app crashes and extended loading periods on specific devices, requesting improvements.
– What they particularly asked for was a more intuitive user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) during combat scenarios and gear management.

The design and artwork were commended by many, particularly for the enhanced depiction of intriguing and complex characters. However, a few warned against overemphasizing this appealing aspect.

Players have expressed a desire for more diverse in-game content, including reoccurring collaborations from the past. Furthermore, they’re interested in acquiring new outfits or costume options.

7. Player Feedback and Developer Balance
– Players were happy that developers considered their input and showed a desire for improvement.
Yet, some argued that developers should not accept an excessive amount of feedback, risking the game’s unique identity.
They encourage developers to stay committed to their creative vision, focusing on story and character design in particular, while not succumbing too much to player suggestions.
Some players pointed out that while listening to user feedback is valuable, there seems to be confusion regarding where such feedback should be applied.
They accepted that it’s acceptable to incorporate user opinions for convenience features or system improvements, but they believe the fundamental aspects of the game (story and world-building) should remain consistent regardless of player feedback.
They also voiced concerns that the current approach might imply that even the core elements of the game could be altered based on popular demand.

Generally speaking, players expressed satisfaction with the character designs, plot, and game mechanics, and anticipate upcoming enhancements and updates.

Players also requested a wider range of adorable or diverse character styles, enhancements to the user interface, increased opportunities for cooperative gameplay, and expressions of appreciation and encouragement towards the game. Given the limited number of such comments, they weren’t listed separately. In general, players showed significant interest in the evolution of character designs and storylines, hoping that developers will take these recommendations into account when making future updates.

Future Story Direction

Drawing on the surveys above, we set our approach to romance in upcoming stories.

To maintain the current romantic aspects in our content, we plan to avoid introducing any new romantic elements moving forward. In upcoming updates, we’re considering a slight toning down of romantic expressions for a more balanced narrative.

We’ll keep our current male characters and introduce new ones only if they’re essential to the plot. They might also show up as secondary characters, but their screen time will be minimal for now. No further additions planned at this stage.

As a devoted admirer, I wanted to share this exciting tidbit with fellow enthusiasts: We’ve heard from many of you that characters who captivate us, whether they appear in the main story or have romantic connections, can be considered “Fated Guests.” In other words, their allure is so strong that we can’t resist bringing them into the narrative. So keep an eye out for these intriguing figures!

Renewed Story Pack Plans

As mentioned in prior streams and notes, we are preparing renewals for several Story Packs.

In simpler terms, while we’ve received numerous queries related to romantic aspects, we intend to enhance the initial appeal and make the ending more consistent, based on previous audience reactions.

In simpler terms, we plan to preserve the general feel of the original stories while making minor adjustments or tweaks to certain parts, rather than completely altering them. This means that most of the emotional impact for those who loved the originals should remain intact, but there may be some changes in specific scenes.

In a thorough examination, we delved deep into the intricacies of the survey. The survey was rich in narrative-oriented queries. To capture feedback from those content and those unsatisfied with the ongoing narrative, we posed some thought-provoking questions. While our focus leaned towards dissatisfaction voices, we regret if this sparked concerns among players who are currently enjoying the storyline.

During my examination of the survey, I spent quite some time contemplating on it deeply. Rest assured that we’ll keep assessing comments from every region thoughtfully before determining our policy directions.

Thank you sincerely to everyone who took the time to participate.

August Offline Event Recap

Wrapping up, I’d like to offer some reflections on the gatherings we participated in during August. As previously discussed, we were excited to create numerous chances for face-to-face interactions with our fans.

From August 9 to 10, the Busan ILLUSTAR FES 8 will take place.

From August 16 to 17, the Tokyo Comiket c106 will be held.

From August 21 to 24, New York Anime NYC 2025 is scheduled.

From August 22 to 24, Taipei Fancy Frontier 45 will occur.

This paraphrase aims to present the information in a clear and easy-to-understand manner while maintaining the original meaning of the text. The dates have been kept consistent with the original, but the event names have been rephrased to make them more readable and understandable for those who may not be familiar with these specific conventions or acronyms.

Being able to meet fans every weekend was a true joy, and it gave us a tremendous amount of energy.

Watching our items and offerings fly off the shelves at such a rapid pace showed us just how far we’ve come, and it further motivated me to ensure that future gatherings are even more welcoming and delightful for all attendees.

We hope the experience brought you pleasant memories. If anything went wrong, please accept our sincere apologies. Rest assured that we’ll keep striving to make things even better next time we meet.

That wraps up today’s update.

As always, we would like to close this Developer Note with a gift.

[Developer’s Gift]
– 600 Dia units
– 40 servings of cooked rice
Note: You can collect this developer gift from your in-game mailbox before Sep 12, 2025, at 14:59 (UTC).

In the paraphrased version, I have added clarity by explicitly stating that the items are parts of a “Developer’s Gift,” and I have also explained that these items can be collected from an in-game mailbox. This makes the text more readable for users who may not be familiar with the original abbreviations or terms used.

Thank you.

Read More

2025-09-08 15:47