Pearl Abyss pulled back the curtain on its winter-to-spring roadmap during the '2025 Calpheon Banquet' on the 12th. The event was streamed online, reaching players across the globe in nine languages, all in an attempt to gauge the immediate pulse of its international community.

Live service director Jae-seok Jang and game design lead Wan-soo Yang took the stage to walk us through the updates. The headline act? The reveal of the 31st class, 'Seraphim'.

Set to arrive on Korean servers on the 17th, with console and global versions following suit, 'Seraphim' is a female class wielding a massive two-handed greatsword. Unlike the traditional setup, she ditches the strict divide between 'Succession' and 'Awakening'. Instead, she utilizes her main weapon, 'Covenant', alongside her awakening weapon, 'Condemnation', and a sub-weapon called 'Seal'. Depending on her state of divinity, her look and skill set shift accordingly.

When triggering the Black Spirit's Rage, players can choose between 'Light Infusion' and 'Dark Infusion'. The former focuses on speed and combos, while the latter leans into slower, heavy-hitting area-of-effect attacks. It’s a nice bit of tactical flexibility. Plus, the passive skill 'Unwavering Will' lets you maintain combo strings for a longer duration, keeping the momentum of combat flowing.

Pearl Abyss also teased a major overhaul for PvE content, focusing on three pillars: expanding endgame challenges, boosting perks for veterans, and streamlining the growth path for newcomers. This means a complete structural reshuffle of hunting grounds and their loot tables.

For instance, 'Star's End' and 'Sycraia Underwater Ruins (Deep)' are getting a facelift. Expect tougher monsters and new mechanics, but don't worry, the loot will be adjusted to match the increased difficulty. Additionally, a new 3-player party zone is coming to the Zephyros Castle area near Edania.

To help players settle in after graduating from the season servers, the devs announced the 'Olvian Academy'. It’s a curriculum-based system that guides players through combat and life skills. Finish the course, and you'll bag rewards like a PEN (V) Blackstar weapon choice box and Cron Stones.

Progression is getting a tune-up, too. Once you hit a certain AP threshold, you'll receive a growth hammer, and Cron Stone sources are expanding to include Dark Rifts and Atoraxxion. For the newbies, the season server structure has been simplified—Naru gear is being scrapped in favor of a faster, Tuvala-focused progression path.

Looking ahead to 2026, the studio plans to take its offline events global. To mark the 10th anniversary of the North American and European services, they're planning a 'Heidel Banquet' in North America. They also confirmed a Korean 'VOA' (Voice Of Adventurers) event for May 30th next year.

They also dropped news of a collaboration with 'Crimson Desert', set to launch on March 20th. Every player will receive 10,000 collaboration Cron Stones, and those who pre-order 'Crimson Desert' will get exclusive gear, a Tier 4 pet, manor furniture, and the dream horse 'Arduanatt' upon release.

To wrap things up, we have a new idol-inspired costume called 'Spotlight' and a mountain of in-game loot. Everyone gets five Transcendence Hammer choice boxes, 20,000 Cron Stones, and advice of Valks (+400). A special attendance event will also kick off after the banquet ends.