[img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/4Jit64TAvuyRrkcVoRpuM4/a0f198944b68801eec38cd87d54fa8ef/Brelshaza_LA_Academy_1920x1080.jpg[/img] Heroes of Arkesia, The April Update brought the cunning and ruthless Phantom Legion Commander Brelshaza back, stronger than ever, in a more challenging version of the 8-player Legion Raid. Hard mode increases the difficulty and increases the rewards, ushering in the new Ancient quality of gear & accessories. With the first weekend of raiding quickly approaching, we wanted to share some words of encouragement from veterans who’ve battled Brelshaza before. Find some tips and tricks about Brelshaza and Ancient gear from Lost Ark legends [url=https://www.twitch.tv/saintone]Saintone[/url] & [url=https://www.twitch.tv/atk]ATK[/url] below, along with links to their channels for those looking for full raid guides. [h1]Saintone[/h1] Greetings Adventurers! The battle against Brelshaza reaches greater heights as you prepare to challenge her Legion Raid in Hard mode! Unlike previous Hard modes, the reward for Brelshaza's Hard mode rewards a new material which allows you to craft Ancient-quality weapons and armor. Ancient gear provides a smidge more stats, but more importantly, they allow you to hone beyond +20 (Item Level 1590) and go all the way up to +25 (Item Level 1615). Each hone beyond +20 increases the item's overall level by just 5, so do bear in mind that the gain is lesser at these stages for a higher cost. As for the set bonuses, these new Ancient items share set bonus with their Relic counterpart, so if you have partial Relic and partial Ancient of the same set, they both count towards that set, so you don't have to worry about losing your set bonus as you're replacing your pieces. Moreover, once you transfer your Relic Brelshaza gear over to Ancient, you'll be left with a shell item that you can then dismantle for a full Relic material refund, which you can then exchange for Chaos Stones if you want. [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/SyXl0Rzn1uLn5hOtEkCN7/3201d856233aae07f3e04ec5b355e8de/LA_April_Press_Screenshots_Brelshaza__5__1080.jpeg[/img] In the raid, you'll find the individual fights to feel mostly familiar, but pose a few new challenges in each gate. While most of the major mechanics work the same way, patterns and gimmicks in general have been strengthened in such a way that will throw a wrench or two into the existing strategy you may already be familiar with. For example, in the first gate, in Normal mode, you're required to counter the boss multiple times in a row as it rotates. Typically, the group gathers together and everyone launches their counters together, and one is bound to land, repeat ad nauseum until the pattern ends. In Hard mode, any player that successfully counters the boss becomes silenced for the remainder of the pattern and must intercept ghost arrows from reaching the boss while the rest of the party continues landing counters. Many of the mechs may defeat your party once or twice during your progression, but don't worry! Most of the differences are simple enough to understand that after you experience death by them once, you'll have a good enough understanding of how to handle it moving forward. One more thing I think is worth mentioning— be prepared for attacks to hurt, especially if you're entering at Item Level on a class with lower defense and HP! Many DPS players who over-enhance their weapon and hone their armor just enough to enter may find that some of the patterns that were easy to brush off in Normal mode hurt a lot more in Hard mode. You should be a little bit more cautious in what skills you muscle through and which ones you actively dodge. As for my fellow Sorceress players, if you are playing this raid in a public group, please know you are expected to a counter skill for Gate 1 and Gate 6. It's good etiquette to make accommodations for your party for these gates! [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/30574swDPLtHZYGO2Oha7o/3de197a0455eec65f6f6339368e7af52/LA_April_Press_Screenshots_Brelshaza__8__1080.jpeg[/img] [h1]ATK[/h1] Hello friends, it is great to hear our global friends in Arkesia are about to fight Legion Commander Brelshaza in Hard mode. This was my personal milestone goal when I first started this game in Korea. If you clear this raid 5 times you will receive a cute Brelshaza pet, and 10 clears gives a different color version. This pet made me try hard and grind this game, and here we are now. Super excited to hear my new friends to experience the same. My friend Mr. Saintone explained the basics well, but here’s a few things I’d like to add! You are unlocking 'Ancient' quality gear, which also includes accessories. These will give you up to +6 and +3 engravings with additional main stats like dexterity, strength and intelligence. These won't provide additional combat stats, so those of you worried about the next set of accessory upgrades— don't worry, it's not mandatory as they will start at a low supply and may not be worth the investment. Focus on selling them to help your gold income. Personally, my first Ancient accessory were used around 3 months after the release. For those who want premium builds with a 5x3 plus 1 engraving setup, it's actually possible to build it with just 1 or 2 accessories, so don't worry too much. [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/4kB5j9GKZGeDb4Up3lWgJI/58c363baa90ed234c8bde1ec1428a6f3/LA_April_Press_Screenshots_Brelshaza__10__1080.jpeg[/img] As for future preparations, +20 on all equipment will be 1590, but 1600 will require you to have +22 on all gear. Unless you are pushing higher for a different reason, I personally recommend to park your characters between 1580 to 1590 and save your resources for upcoming content or focus on other powerups like gems. Lastly, like Mr. Saintone said, Brelshaza Hard mode (and onward) is where things start to hurt... a lot... so never forget to upgrade your armor to the raid requirement. Armor upgrades still give you some damage increase, so don’t just upgrade your weapons, efficiency is key! Also, try to increase your armor quality to at least mid greens, you will notice a huge boost on your total HP to survive hits that you wouldn’t survive otherwise. Supports can help here, and if you happen to be a Bard, there’s a tripod in ‘Heavenly Tune’ that can decrease the boss's attack power. Along with that, make sure to add more shield skills than usual to increase survivability and resulting in healthier progression. If you’re interested in a raid guide, find mine here, on YouTube: [list][*] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDTCrcQuWxg]Gates 1-4[/url] [*] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96ioX23Gf9w]Gates 5-6[/url] [/list] Thank you everyone and good luck! [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/11FROVcRkxGZ0fipXzo3gd/741dbf13348a009adebf7524838cd684/LA_April_Press_Screenshots_Brelshaza__7__1080.jpeg[/img] [h1]For More Tips, Checkout Saintone & ATK[/h1] We could supply nearly endless tips for these difficult raids, but know that some players want to progress blindly and not encounter spoilers. For those looking for more advice, make sure to follow Saintone, and ATK for more raiding tips, guides, live high-level Lost Ark gameplay, and other original content on their Twitch and YouTube channels, found here: Saintone - [url=https://www.twitch.tv/saintone]Twitch[/url], [url=https://www.youtube.com/c/Saintone]YouTube[/url], and [url=https://twitter.com/saintoneLIVE]Twitter[/url] ATK - [url=https://www.twitch.tv/atk]Twitch[/url], [url=https://www.youtube.com/c/ATKYoutube]YouTube[/url], and [url=https://twitter.com/NotATK]Twitter[/url] Thanks for joining us for this Lost Ark Academy, and we wish you luck in your battles against Brelshaza, your honing taps, and your Ancient accessory drops!