The first few weeks battling Ogandor caused quite an uproar across the realm. Many Adventurers struggled against his brutal attacks, and countless runs ended in defeat. But as players adapted, refined their builds, and improved their skill, we've started to see a major shift. Ogandor still claims lives, but he's no longer the unstoppable force he first appeared to be.
In fact, a recent Discord challenge hosted by Yaboi showcased just how far players have come. Adventurers Sovereignjosh, Emathz, and Capoeira each proved that, with enough patience and mastery, Ogandor can even be defeated using nothing but their fists.
As part of the challenge, Yaboi generously rewarded each winner with 30 days of Membership. A huge thank you to him for supporting the community and creating fun challenges for players to rally around.
While today's update may appear to be a minor patch on the surface, its impact reaches much further than a typical balance adjustment. That's why we've dedicated a small blog to these changes, to ensure everyone understands not only what has changed, but also the larger direction and philosophy behind them.
With the launch of the fourth Expedition, we expanded the Descending Nightmare drop table and increased overall drop rates. To help balance the additional rewards entering circulation, we initially increased the cost of Nightmare Keys. However, after reviewing gameplay data and listening closely to community feedback, it became clear that this wasn't the right solution.
Rather than simply reverting the change, we took the opportunity to step back and look at the broader gameplay ecosystem as a whole. The result is a more fundamental set of adjustments aimed at improving long term progression and gameplay variety.
Our data consistently shows that most player time is spent inside adventures. While that's an important core part of Lost Relics, we also want alternative progression paths and gameplay loops to feel rewarding and worthwhile. This philosophy has already shaped several recent changes, including the removal of gathering from adventures, the introduction of upgradable armor and tools, expanded Expedition and weekly goals, and the addition of systems like Breach and Titanfall.
The objective is simple: more variety, more specialization, and more meaningful choices in how players spend their time.
With today's adjustments, we believe Descending Nightmare now sits in a much healthier position, offering a compelling and viable gameplay loop alongside the growing range of activities available throughout the world of Lost Relics.
It became clear that players prefer potions lasting the entire run (until exiting the mode) and lower key prices.
We will continue monitoring potion pricing and usage and adjust where needed.
Descending Nightmare and Descending Hellfire are now strong options for XP grinding, especially if you've reached level 70 Breach, where double XP feeds directly into your Prestige progression.
Current values:
The Nightmare Vault now offers a chance for additional XP boost through the Ancient Tome of Combat, granting 200,000 character XP.
Other rewards include Elixirs, Gold Coins, and the chance to obtain collectible staves or artifacts.
As seen in the updated Nightmare Vault, Arcane Fragments have been removed from these modes. This is intentional.
Descending Nightmare and Hellfire are no longer sources of Arcane Fragments. No more Arcanix, no more Void Satchels.
These modes are now focused on:
We've restructured Waygate Orb rewards.
You can still obtain them in adventures, but at a slower pace. For a consistent and faster supply, Descending Nightmare and Hellfire are now the primary sources.
Adventures
Descending Nightmare
Previously, Axiom Sigils could be exchanged for containers containing Arcane Fragments. These have been removed.
New exchange:
The Primeforge Shard (L) exchange remains unchanged.
We've also removed the option to exchange Shattercores for Arcane Fragments. The main structure remains intact: saving up for the Shatterfest Orb, Valor Triad (T), or Shattercleaver (T).
We've added additional options for those who prefer to spend smaller amounts of Shattercore, or for players looking to save some gold. You can now purchase Echoes of Time Keys using Shattercore.
The crafting requirements have been updated. Make sure to visit the Altar and check out the changes!
With the reworked status effects and damage over time systems, maintaining Health below 600 during adventures became far more difficult. To address this, we've updated how the Amulet of the Deathly Howls and Darkheart Medallion function.
Instead of requiring your Health to remain below 600, each artifact will now permanently reduce your maximum Health by 1000 while granting its respective buffs. If your base Health is high enough, you can still equip both artifacts together.
This change removes the need to constantly manage your Health threshold during runs, and the effects will no longer deactivate from small heals or regeneration. The buffs will remain active at all times, with the tradeoff being a lower maximum Health pool.
Combined with the new Armor Perks system, we believe these artifacts will once again offer strong and viable build opportunities.
Let us know your thoughts, and as always; we'll keep monitoring and adjusting where needed.