Greetings, Lords!

As we enter the final month of 2025, we are bringing you our fifth Dev Letter.

Through our previous four Dev Letters, we shared LORDNINE's vision and concrete plans for improvement, and many of those commitments have steadily been brought to life in the game.
 This December, LORDNINE reached another important milestone.

That milestone was the successful launch of the Medea server. It provided a shared space where Lords from Japan and Southeast Asia could begin a new journey together. We were encouraged by the passion and enthusiasm shown by so many of you. That said, we would like to first offer our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused by three unexpected emergency server maintenance periods during the launch process.

For Lords who were eager to begin their journey on a brand-new server, the repeated interruptions were understandably frustrating, and we sincerely apologize for the disappointment this caused.

In this fifth Dev Letter, we would like to provide a detailed overview of the issues encountered during the Medea server launch, the improvements made since then, as well as the January 2026 update schedule and our major content plans. As we bring the year to a close, we hope this letter offers a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the past and prepare together for the year ahead.

First, we would like to openly address the issues and maintenance problems that occurred during the Medea server launch.

◆ Server Congestion Issues

The level of interest and excitement surrounding the Medea server far exceeded our expectations. 
 Immediately after launch, a sharp surge in simultaneous login attempts caused many Lords to remain stuck in login queues or, in some cases, made it difficult to connect to the server at all.

For Lords who waited with excitement to begin a new adventure, being unable to log in at all and facing only error messages was deeply frustrating, and we take full responsibility for that experience.
To address this issue, we urgently expanded server capacity to ensure smoother and more stable access to the game.

◆ 1st Emergency Server Maintenance - NEXT Market Mission Issue

After the connection issues had largely stabilized, we discovered an issue where missions in the NEXT Market were not functioning properly. Because this error prevented mission progression, we carried out the first emergency maintenance to resolve the issue.
 
The progress update error affecting NEXT Market Relic missions has been fixed.
Lords who were unable to receive their rewards properly due to this issue have been granted their rewards sequentially. In addition, we are aware of the difficulties certain Lords are experiencing when receiving items via in-game mail after making purchases from the Item Shop, and we are working to resolve these issues as soon as possible. 

◆ 2nd and 3rd Emergency Server Maintenance - Character Display Issue

Certain Lords experienced an issue where, despite creating their characters and actively playing,
their characters did not appear on the character selection screen.

We sincerely apologize for the confusion this caused for Lords who suddenly found their characters missing despite having created and played them. 

To resolve the character display issue, we carried out a second and third round of emergency server maintenance.

We apologize for the frequent maintenance and the confusion it caused.

At this time, we have confirmed that all characters are now displaying correctly and remain fully intact.

We will continue to work toward providing a more stable and reliable gameplay experience.

▣ January Update Overview

As we close out the year and head into the new one, LORDNINE is preparing a major update for January that will deliver new challenges and exciting content for our Lords.

◆ PvE Content - World Raid "Yama" Added

A calamity awakened from forgotten history

[Discovered]
 The existence of a giant once concealed by Marek. 
 By following Lindris' research and traces uncovered by the Shaug and the Dragons, 
 Lords will arrive at a Forgotten Temple where no one has ever set foot.

 There, they will discover records left behind by Pavila, the mother of Orphe.
"If you seek the power of the giants and an era of peace, then revive them."
Clinging to the hope of restoring an era of peace, they gather Dragon's Tears, Shaug Blood, and Dark Mana to perform a resurrection ritual.

 The ground split open, and a young giant awakened. 
 However, this was not the ending we had hoped for.
 A being missing its lower body, crawling like a monster as it began to destroy everything in its path. 
 A horrific tragedy born from tainted Shaug Blood and Dark Mana. 
What was revived was not peace, but destruction.

Its name is "Yama."
 
LORDNINE's first-ever World Raid Boss awaits the challenge of our Lords. 
It is time for us to stop the calamity we awakened with our own hands.

Difficulty Challenge System

The World Raid is structured around three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, and Hard, allowing Lords to choose the challenge that best matches their skill level and preparation.

- Easy: A beginner-friendly difficulty that lets you learn Yama's basic patterns and get comfortable with co-op play

- Normal: A standard difficulty that requires teamwork and strategic decision-making

- Hard: An extreme challenge that demands flawless coordination, advanced tactics, and top-tier gear

Essence of Co-op Play

This is a large-scale co-op experience for up to 10 players. 
 By fully executing individual roles and coordinating different strategies, 
 Lords can experience the true thrill of teamwork as they take on a powerful boss together.

Epic Rewards

Exclusive World Raid gear and rare items await,
 with Lords who clear the Hard difficulty earning top-tier rewards.

◆ Improvements to Ability Book Acquisition

- The difficulty of obtaining Ability Books will be improved

→ Ability Book Piece System

Monsters that previously dropped Ability Books will now also drop Ability Book Pieces. 

Even if luck is not on your side and you are unable to obtain a full book directly, you can collect Pieces over time and craft a complete Ability Book once you reach the required amount

Rather than relying solely on chance, this system provides a guaranteed way  to obtain the Ability Book you want by investing time and effort.

→ Craft Level 68 Passive Skillbook Added

Level 68 Passive Skillbooks, which were previously difficult to obtain due to their high rarity, 
 can now be obtained through Craft. 
 
 Our goal is to provide our Lords with a fairer and more transparent path for progression.
 

◆ New Dungeon - Garbana Underground Waterway 3F Added

Venture deeper into the darkness as

Garbana Underground Waterway 3F opens beyond 1F and 2F. 
 Home to even more powerful monsters, 3F is a new hunting ground for Lords seeking a greater challenge.

New Boss Added - "Tumier"

Deep within Garbana Underground Waterway 3F, a new boss, Tumier, awaits our Lords. Having slumbered in the darkness for a long time, Tumier wields power far beyond that of the bosses found on 1F and 2F, and offers valuable rewards worthy of the challenge.

▣ Closing Remarks

Thank you for reading this long letter to the end.

In this fifth Dev Letter, we discussed the emergency maintenance issues that occurred during the Medea server launch, along with our plans for the January 2026 update. We once again sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by these unexpected issues, and we will do everything we can to ensure that this does not happen again.

Since LORDNINE's global launch in July 2025, our journey has already reached nearly the six-month mark. Thanks to the passionate support and constructive feedback you have shared with us along the way, the Lord's Arena has opened, Kransia Continent has been unveiled, and the Medea server has launched.

Not every moment has been perfect. At times, issues arose, and we regret that we fell short of our promises. 
 
Even so, you showed patience and understanding, and continued to support us with a shared commitment to building a better LORDNINE together.
 

In 2026, starting with the World Raid, we are preparing an even richer lineup of content and improvements. Building on the experience we have gained over the past year and the valuable feedback from our Lords, we will continue to evolve LORDNINE into a more polished and complete game.

We sincerely thank all our Lords across Japan and the many regions of Asia for being with LORDNINE throughout 2025. As we look ahead to 2026, we ask for your continued support and enthusiasm, and we look forward to welcoming you back with an even better experience in our first update of the new year.

We wish all our Lords a warm and joyful holiday season, and we sincerely hope the new year brings you happiness and good fortune.

Thank you.