ArcheAge’s Summer Update welcomes never before seen transformation system, the Daru
After the incredible ArcheAge Spring Update, Kakao Games and XLGAMES are excited to announce their second huge content update for the MMO in 2023. The Summer Update will include a completely new transformation skill, the Daru, with game-changing abilities, 10v10 flag wars, and a global arena beta that lets players from around the world battle it out. Coming June 22nd,this update will change how players see and play ArcheAge for a long time to come, also bringing a host of quality of life improvements and skill balancing!
Stealing the headlines are the adorable Daru, ArcheAge’s newest transformation skill. The Daru hate to fight, love money and boast a diverse range of abilities that allow them to excel in trading, farming, livestocking, operating auction houses and much more. Players can utilise these skills with the ‘Daru Transformation Scroll’ (which players will gain from a key quest) and once activated players take on the appearance, stats, and style of the Daru. Becoming one of these adorable blue-skinned pacifists will allow players to:
- Shapeshift into the Daru
- Increase Movement Speed while riding a Donkey mount and equipped with the Trade Pack
- Breathe underwater
- Increase their swim speed by 20%
- Use the Daru Speciality Preservation Bag 7 time per week
- Deal additional damage for “Big Reel In” at the Mirage Isle Fish-Fest
But these benefits come at the cost of previous racial skills, the use of combat skills (except basic skills), and the ability to enter instances. Perfect for players looking to appreciate the world of ArcheAge, the Daru are suited for exploration, gathering, mining, farming and so much more. It will give players an entirely new perspective of ArcheAge — quite literally.
Check out the costume below:
Factionless Flag Fury
It won’t just be the Daru coming to ArcheAge. When players are done exploring the world, Flag War will pit two teams of ten against each other. No factions, just flags, as players are divided into Red and Blue teams automatically when they enter the arena.
Flags will appear at specific areas when the game begins and it’s up to players on either team to grab the flag and score points by taking it back to your base. Taking the flag will decrease movement speed, prevent players from using Gliders and Magithopters, although they’ll still be able to dash to avoid their enemies.
The first to 250 points wins, with each flag return giving teams 10 points and every enemy kill earning them 2 points. Players will also be able to gain buffs from the Blessing area (randomly allocated from movement speed increase, damage reduction, debuff immunity and invincibility), and can also hide inside glowing stealth bushes, keeping them from being seen by their enemies and potentially giving them the upper hand in combat.
Global Reach
The “Make a Splash” global arena beta service will be available in June as well, where players from the four service regions of Korea, Asia, North America, and Europe can make teams and participate in the arena together. The global arena will be marked as a globe icon within the Instances UI. Once the beta comes to a close, the arena will be improved and instances expanded so that adventurers spanning a variety of regions may enjoy the content.
For more information on ArcheAge and the Summer Update, please visit the official site. You can also follow ArcheAge on Discord.
About Kakao Games
Founded in 2016, Kakao Games is a leading publisher of online and mobile games, responsible for releasing titles including: Pearl Abyss’ Black Desert Online (serviced in North America and Europe until early 2021), KRAFTON’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (serviced in Korea), XLGAMES’ ArcheAge, Survival MOBA Eternal Return (serviced in North America, Europe and Oceania), Kong Studios’ Guardian Tales (serviced in North America, Europe, Latin America and Oceania), Cygames’ World Flipper and XLGAMES’ Moonlight Sculptor (serviced in North America and Europe).
About XLGAMES
XLGAMES was established in 2003 by Jake Song, the developer behind the classic MMORPG, Lineage. In 2006, it developed XL1, an online racing game, and in 2013, the online MMORPG ArcheAge, currently in service worldwide. In 2019, Moonlight Sculptor was released in Korea, based on the light novel The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor, successfully reiterated into a mobile game. Moonlight Sculptor was released globally in 2021. XLGAMES has a vision of linking the beginning and the end of RPG games, and hopes to achieve its mission of enriching lives through its games.