The first regular season of Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, titled 'Northern Banner Selection: Frost and Steel', has already entered its second week. After a week of testing the waters in fierce house rivalries, players are now busy crafting their point-farming strategies and scrambling for that sweet spot on the leaderboard.

The race for the top 'Chief' tier remains as intense as ever. However, for those aiming for the 'Greatsword' rank—just a notch below—the climb has slowed down significantly. We are looking at entry points anywhere from 20% to 50% lower than last week's cutoffs.

The community seems to view this shift as a calculated tactical maneuver. Many are intentionally keeping their scores low to lull rivals into a false sense of security before dropping a massive point bomb right before the season ends. Plenty of players are holding onto their 'Season Tokens' and leaving solo content like 'Season Worm Path' or 'Beyond the Season Wall' untouched. They are essentially saving these as a late-game turbo boost. It will be fascinating to see if these underdogs can actually shake up the top-tier hierarchy.

The Combatant set, introduced with the season update, has become the undisputed golden child among players. Currently, the local servers are finding it much tougher to stack critical-related stats compared to the North American servers, largely because relic performance was tuned down and gear tier expansions are still in their infancy. In this climate, the Combatant set—offering both 'Critical Hit Chance' and 'Critical Hit Damage'—is a godsend. Its rising popularity is hardly a surprise.

A word of advice from those who played on the North American servers: treat the Combatant set as a bridge. Its efficiency naturally dips once you reach a point where crit stats are easier to come by. But for now? The set remains leagues ahead, so use it without hesitation.

※ [Game of Thrones Tips] Analysis of the new 'Combatant' gear set efficiency [Link]

After building hype with the 'Duel Festival Eve Attendance' event early in July, the 'Banner Duel Festival' has finally pulled back the curtain. This festival functions as a regional event that opens at specific times—much like the existing 'Raid Defense'—and tasks players with dueling NPCs across three rounds.

The initial verdict from the player base is, well, mixed. While many have praised the NPCs' fresh combat style—like using ranged sub-weapons to harass players from the get-go—those hoping for a brutal, edge-of-your-seat brawl have complained that the difficulty is disappointingly low.

The primary culprit for this lack of challenge is, once again, the aforementioned 'Combatant' set. Once the set’s unique 'Exhilaration' buff hits 5 stacks, enemies can barely react to basic attacks and heavy combos. It has reached a point where you could practically clear it using only basic attacks. Add the seasonal 'Adrenaline' mechanic to the mix, and any shred of tension evaporates, leaving those who crave a truly tactile combat experience wanting more.