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2nd Anniversary Raven 2: "Shaking Up the Stalemate in the Zero World"

TL;DR (2-3 Sentence Summary)
Launched in May 2024, Raven 2 quickly climbed to the top of Google Play's revenue charts, achieving initial success. Two years later, the game now needs a change of pace. Various growth elements have accumulated, raising the entry barrier, and server-specific competition has become entrenched, leading to benefits concentrated within specific guilds. These factors combined have made Raven 2 an MMORPG that is difficult for new and returning players to approach. To address these issues, a special server called 'Zero World' was opened on the 27th.
▲ Raven 2 Zero Update Main Image (Photo provided by Netmarble)

Launched in May 2024, Raven 2 shot straight to the top of Google Play's revenue charts, marking a successful debut. Now, as the game approaches its second anniversary, a breath of fresh air is needed. The accumulation of growth elements has raised the entry barrier, and server-specific competition has become entrenched, leading to a persistent situation where benefits are concentrated within certain guilds. These two factors combined have made Raven 2 an MMORPG that is increasingly difficult for new and returning players to get into.

To address these issues, a special server called 'Zero World' was prepared, opening its gates on the 27th. This new server offers higher experience gains and equipment drop rates than existing servers, with growth primarily driven by farming crystals obtained through field hunting. To mitigate the widening gap between players, the 'Mythic-grade' Seong-ui, Familiar, and Weapon Resonance, which have been cited as major contributors to the disparity, have been excluded. The accuracy balance has been adjusted to minimise 'miss' judgments, while significantly reducing damage taken by higher-defense players in PvP.

This 2nd-anniversary initiative aims to shake up the stagnant competitive landscape, inject new tension, and provide a fresh playing field that new and returning users can enter without feeling overwhelmed. We sat down with Netmarble Monsters' Head of Development, Jo Doo-hyun, and Development Director, Joo Han-jin, to get the inside scoop.

▲ Netmarble Monsters Head of Development Jo Doo-hyun (left) and Development Director Joo Han-jin (right) (Photo provided by Netmarble)

Q: Raven 2 is celebrating its second anniversary. What are your long-term goals for the game, and what are the top priorities for achieving them?

A:Our first priority is to ease the entry burden for new and returning users. Second, we aim to secure the sustainability of our business model while reducing reliance on paid currency. Third, we're focused on clearly establishing the rules for PK and competitive content. Finally, we want to expand combat diversity through new classes. These four objectives have been incorporated into the 2nd-anniversary update and subsequent seasons, prioritised accordingly.

Above all, our most important goal is to make Raven 2 even more enjoyable for our 'Special Operatives' (users) together, starting with this 2nd-anniversary milestone. We believe the key to long-term service lies in how closely we can work with our users and how we evolve the game together.

Q: With these goals and priorities in mind, what has been prepared for the 2nd-anniversary update?

A:The 2nd-anniversary update concretises these four objectives into actual in-game content. To alleviate the entry burden, we've introduced Zero World, increased item drop rates and experience gains, and adjusted the accuracy balance. The sustainability of our business model is being addressed through an expansion of in-game farming areas, centred around Farming Crystals.

PK and competitive content have been streamlined, with PvP now restricted to field boss areas for level 60+ players and specific days (Wednesdays and Sundays) within the Abyss. Combat diversity is being enhanced with the new Warlord class and corresponding class balance adjustments. We expect the Warlord to introduce more strategic and varied combat patterns, moving away from the somewhat monotonous repetitions seen in large-scale battles.

▲ New 'Warlord' class (Source: Raven 2 2nd Anniversary Developer Broadcast)

Q: The Warlord is described as a melee character wielding a spear, a commander concept that protects allies on the front lines and leads the team with powerful buffs. How do you expect this to change the existing combat dynamic?

A:The Warlord isn't just another 'high-damage new class'; they are designed to dictate the flow of battle. Using their spear, they can disrupt enemy formations and create openings for allies to engage. Simultaneously, they provide various buffs to the team, accelerating the overall pace of combat. While previous combat often centred on individual firepower, we anticipate a shift towards 'who you fight with and in what combination' becoming increasingly important.

Q: How will the balance between existing classes and the new Warlord be adjusted?

A:We are avoiding a scenario where existing classes are unilaterally weakened with the introduction of a new one. Instead, we've focused on synergy, ensuring that the strengths of existing classes are further highlighted when paired with the Warlord. For example, some classes might become more efficient by capitalising on the Warlord's engagement opportunities, or specific skill combinations might be re-evaluated. We plan to meticulously analyse data post-update and continuously fine-tune specific values to ensure no single class is at a significant disadvantage.

▲ Key features of the special server 'Zero' (Source: Raven 2 2nd Anniversary Developer Broadcast)

Q: There have been criticisms that server competition has become entrenched over time. Is Zero World intended to address this?

A:We, the development team, take the criticism about entrenched competitive structures during long-term operation very seriously. Zero World isn't designed to forcibly dismantle the existing competitive structure of the current servers. Rather, it's conceived as a 'parallel track' – a separate arena where competition can recommence under new rules. Whether this choice is the right one remains to be seen, and we will verify it through user feedback and evaluations after the launch. We are prepared to humbly accept the results and make necessary adjustments.

Q: In Zero World, the exclusion of Mythic-grade Seong-ui, Familiar, and Weapon Resonance limits the growth gap between users. What was the reasoning behind this decision?

A:These three elements have been consistently pointed out as core factors contributing to the cumulative gap over the course of long-term service. We determined that if these elements remained, even with adjustments elsewhere, the 'limited growth gap' concept that Zero World aims for would be difficult to fully realise. It was a tough decision, but to clearly define Zero World's identity, we boldly excluded them. The void left behind has been redesigned into a growth structure that can be filled through farming and cooperation.

Q: Is the increase in hunting experience gain and field equipment drop rates also a decision made with new and returning users in mind?

A:The biggest concern for new and returning users is often 'Can I catch up if I start now?'. Therefore, we've increased both experience gain and equipment drop rates to allow for smoother progression up to a certain point. Our goal is to lower the barrier to entry for core content, enabling players to experience the true fun of Raven 2 more quickly.

▲ Enhancing the fun of growth through gameplay and mitigating structures where a select few monopolise rewards (Source: Raven 2 2nd Anniversary Developer Broadcast)

Q: There are concerns about botting related to 'Farming Crystals.' What measures are in place to address this?

A:Farming Crystals cannot be directly traded on the marketplace. We determined that allowing large-scale distribution through the marketplace could lead to value distortion and exploitation. However, we've designed it so that a certain amount can be converted into free crystals via exchange tickets, ensuring that legitimate players can still feel the benefits.

Q: PvP is prohibited outside of field boss areas for level 60+ players. While this rule aims to reduce PvP pressure, some predict it might have limited practical effect, as items considered valuable by users are dropped in these high-level fields.

A:Certain competitive areas may still be intense. However, we have provided ample alternative avenues to acquire exclusive rewards. Through Hero equipment acquisition via Guild Stronghold Summon Bosses and the Heavensone Alchemy system, players can grow sufficiently without needing to monopolise specific field bosses. Please view this as a structure that allows for growth through a much wider variety of paths than before.

▲ PvP is also restricted to specific days in the Abyss (Source: Raven 2 2nd Anniversary Developer Broadcast)

Q: How will matching content between Zero World and other servers be handled?

A:Since Zero World and the existing servers have fundamentally different starting points and growth structures, their matching content will operate separately. The Rift of Dimension, Ancient Citadel, and Conquest Battles will all be matched within Zero World only, ensuring competition under identical conditions.

Q: Are there any support measures for users on existing servers?

A:We have prepared various complementary measures to ensure that existing server users do not feel a sense of relative deprivation while experiencing Zero World. Notably, we plan to operate a 'payback' event where certain benefits will be returned to existing servers during the process of using Zero World.

Q: Enemies based on top-ranked players appear in the 2nd-anniversary event dungeon. What was the reasoning behind this concept?

A:We wanted to pay homage to our top players who have been with us for a long time. The biggest challenge was translating their actual playstyles into enemy patterns, and the process of distilling their core characteristics into patterns was incredibly engaging for us internally. During testing, we received feedback like 'It feels like watching actual gameplay,' indicating a high level of satisfaction.
 
This news was translated by AI.