2.0.2 In-depth analysis of my playthrough (List of all issues encountered and all story progression events in chronological order) + Suggestions for Gray Haven

[Mana]

As tradition, i started a new game from the beginning with the release of the new update.

I am very happy to announce that i was able to fully complete the game, i didn't encounter any progression issue during my playthrough.

I was able to unlock all endings and all achievements.

The following is an in-depth analysis of my playthrough, i listed in chronological order all the issues (at least those that i was able to find) and story progression events (such as residents recruited and subquest cleared) of my playthrough.

I wrote this analysis by following this structure:

<> (Issue type 1): Minor issues that do not affect the overall experience, gameplay or progression (such as character positioning, animation glitches or menu typos)

<><> (Issue type 2): Features, mechanics or gameplay elements that do not work properly or as intended

<><><> (Issue Type 3): Issues that worked fine before but arose after the release of the new version (these issues could range from minor to important)

<><><><> (Issue Type 4): Issues that break the overall experience and should not happen (such as glitches, crashes or freezing)

---> (Story progression): Elements of the main campaign are cleared (such as dungeon end level boss defeated, resident recruited or sub quest cleared)

Number of issues encountered during my playthrough:

<> (Issue type 1): 9 issues encountered

<><> (Issue type 2): 13 issues encountered

<><><> (Issue Type 3): 4 issues encountered

<><><><> (Issue Type 4): 2 issues encountered

[Mana]

Part 1 / 4

###My playthrough settings###

. Version 2.0.2, English version

. Start from beginning / Begin a new game
. View all
. Challenge / Enemies are stronger; extremely hard mode

###Black Memory / Tutorial dungeon###

<><> (Issue type 2 #1): If you completely mute the game's audio (all audio settings to 0), you can still hear some sound effects.
Such as the sound effect when you open or progress a dialogue (sound similar to a turning page), Dayna's shield activation, sound after claiming a red orb reward and cutscenes scenes sound effects (such as the tutorial battle against Mei, you can hear Mei running and when she performs the flying sword attack)

<><> (Issue type 2 #2): Issue previously reported, Attack commands with a controller (unusual way to input attacks).
If you hold the light attack or special attack button and repeatedly press the directional buttons of the left analog stick, the player will perform an attack (depending on the type of attack button you are holding)

<><> (Issue type 2 #3): Issue previously reported, camera point of view.
1) The game does not retain the same camera point of view when leaving the pause / inventory menu.
For example, if the current camera point of view is fully zoomed-out and you enter the pause / inventory menu, the camera point of view will zoom into the character.
When leaving the pause / inventory menu, the camera point of view will return to the default point of view, however, the game will treat this point of view as a fully zoomed-out point of view (infact, if you scroll down on the mouse wheel, the camera point of view will not zoom-out).
To properly zoom-out you must first scroll up on the mouse wheel and then you must scroll down on the mouse wheel

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372538449

2) The game does not retain the same camera point of view when entering a new dungeon floor (or entering a resident house in the Gray Haven).
For example, if the current camera point of view is fully zoomed-out and you enter a new dungeon floor, the camera point of view will return to the default point of view.
Similarly to the previous issue, the game will treat this point of view as a fully zoomed-out point of view (infact, if you scroll down on the mouse wheel, the camera point of view will not zoom-out).
To properly zoom-out you must first scroll up on the mouse wheel and then you must scroll down on the mouse wheel

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372538964

---> (Story progression): Mei defeated, cleared the Black Memory / Tutorial dungeon

###Introduction to Gray Haven###

<> (Issue type 1 #1): Issue previously reported, inside Dayna's house, after talking to Hagenith the player will be in a floating idle pose and will be able to move (this issue fixes itself by jumping or leaving Dayna's house)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372542840

<> (Issue type 1 #2): Inside all resident's house and the player's house, the prompt on the exit says "Quit" instead of "Gray Haven"

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391000766

<> (Issue type 1 #3): Issue previously reported, different camera point of view after leaving a resident house.
Leaving an house while zooming-out the camera point of view (scroll down on the mouse wheel) will change the camera perspective to a side view (this fixes itself by changing the camera or opening the inventory menu)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372548619

###Three Ways and Altar of pride###

<><> (Issue type 2 #4): Issue previously reported, enemies and bosses have the same HP value when changing difficulty on the altar of pride.
It doesn't matter what difficulty you choose on the altar of pride, enemies and bosses have the same amount of HP on all difficulties (the "Enemy HP: + %" buff is not applied)

###Nightmare of Mei dungeon###

---> (Story progression): Manshin defeated, cleared the Nightmare of Mei dungeon

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Built Mei's house

---> (Story progression): Mei's sub quests are available

---> (Story progression): Built a small tent house

---> (Story progression): Mei's quest "Abundant feast" cleared

###Realm of despair###

<><><> (Issue type 3 #1): Issue previously reported, when selecting Dayna's memory in the altar of memory, it is not clear when Dayna's shield is active (this didn't happen before the release of version 2.0).
In previous versions Dayna's memory worked as intended, it was clear when Dayan's shield was active (the golden aura always sorrounded Dayna when the shield was active and, when Dayna received damage, the shield disappeared and then reappeared after 30 seconds).
In the current version, when the shield is active, the golden aura around Dayna lasts for a couple of moments and then fades away (however, the shield is still active).
The issue happens when Dayna takes a hit after the shield vanished, Dayna won't receive damage, the golden aura around Dayna will immediately reappear, will last for a couple of moments and then will fade away, however, if Dayna takes a hit a second time, Dayna will receive damage.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372784847

<> (Issue type 1 #4): Issue previously reported, Greater shade strange defeat animation

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3361995929

<><><> (Issue type 3 #2): Dayna's 3D model, clipping on the chest area when she performs different animations (this didn't happen before the release of version 2.0).
In version 2.0.1 the clipping happened only with Dayna's model of the Gray Haven / village, in the current version, the clipping also happens with the player's model (when selecting Dayna's memory in the altar of memory)

1) Player's model:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391220426

2) Grey Haven / village model:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3370766225

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391519009

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391633330

---> (Story progression): Nik01 defeated, cleared the Realm of Despair

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Built Nik01's house

---> (Story progression): Nik01's sub quests are available

---> (Story progression): Mei's quest "Masked secrets" cleared

---> (Story progression): Nik01's quest "Loss of principles" cleared

###Realm of obsession part 1###

<> (Issue type 1 #5): Issue previously reported, on entrance of floor 4, some floor tiles will disappear if you step on a specific floor tile

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372856499

<><> (Issue type 2 #5): Issue previously reported, on Floor 4 battle room 2, if you enter this battle room in a specific way (entering by jumping to the right side of the room), enemies will not spawn (to spawn enemies, you must step on a specific floor tile on the entrance of the battle room)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372860688

<> (Issue type 1 #6): Issue previously reported, strange tiles in:

1) Depth of obsession:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372828637

2) End of obsession:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372834481

---> (Story progression): End level enemy wave defeated, Realm of obsession part 1 cleared

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Stein's house built

---> (Story progression): Stein's sub quests are available

---> (Story progression): Mei's quest "Bloodline with red arm" cleared

---> (Story progression): Stein's quest "Something's missing" cleared

[Mana]

Part 2 / 4

###Realm of obsession part 2###

---> (Story progression): Eddie defeated, Realm of obsession part 2 cleared

<><> (Issue type 2 #10): Eddie boss battle, it may happen that after destroying one of Eddie's laser cannons a beam of light (one of the enemie's attack graphic effect) will be visible all over the areas / maps of the game (to fix this issue you must reload your save file)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391891992

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Eloney's house built

---> (Story progression): Eloney upgrades Shade Arms into Shade Arms +

---> (Story progression): Eloney's sub quests are available

<><> (Issue type 2 #6): It may happen that the icon of ground picking items will turn invisible (items such as harvested items).
I noticed this issue when i was walking into an empty area where i had previously planted some harvest items, suddenly, i picked up some harvest items (such as potatoes and tomatoes)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391454058

---> (Story progression): Nik01's quest "Logical error" cleared

---> (Story progression): Nik01's quest "Brotherhood of steel" cleared

---> (Story progression): Stein's quest "Training like a real battle" and "Excessive training" cleared

---> (Story progression): Eloney's quest "Missing link" cleared

---> (Story progression): Eloney's quest "Source unknown techniques" cleared

---> (Story progression): Eloney's quest "Intervention of third parties" cleared

---> (Story progression): Eloney's quest "Doppelganger" activated

###Realm of obsession part 3###

---> (Story progression): "The black searchers" defeated, Eloney's shelter unlocked

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Eloney's quest "Doppelganger" cleared

---> (Story progression): Eloney's quest "Invasion in the future" activated

###Schema dungeon, Destroyed laboratory and Schema boss battle###

---> (Story progression): Schema dungeon cleared

---> (Story progression): Eloney's quest "War of crebas" activated

---> (Story progression): Destroyed laboratory cleared

---> (Story progression): Eloney's quest "Of the Eloney, by the Eloney, for the Eloney" activated

<><><> (Issue type 3 #3): Schema boss battle (second phase), during Eloney's quest or the first time you fight Schema, this boss doesn't fight (Schema doesn't attack and doesn't summon enemies).
This didn't happen in the previous version

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391477618

---> (Story progression): Schema boss defeated

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Eloney's quest "Of the Eloney, by the Eloney, for the Eloney" cleared

###Realm of eros part 1###

<><> (Issue type 2 #7): Issue previously reported, snake enemy that spits 3 acid projectiles, if you defeat this enemy while it is starting its spitting attack animation, this enemy will not perform the defeat animation and will just disappear

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3373195268

---> (Story progression): Queen mother of the swarm defeated, Realm of eros part 1 cleared

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Apis house built

---> (Story progression): Apis converts the player small tent into a medium sized house

---> (Story progression): Apis sub quests are available

---> (Story progression): Stein's quest "Things left behind" cleared

---> (Story progression): Stein's quest "Broken horn" cleared

---> (Story progression): Nik01's quest "Hidden data file" and "Protective barrier" activated

###Encrypted memory###

(Notice) Encrypted memory has only one floor (i remember that before the release of version 2.0, this dungeon had more floors)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3373240213

---> (Story progression): Encrypted memory cleared, Nik01's quest "For Ella" activated

###NK-01's memory###

---> (Story progression): Martian security chief cyber-zombie defeated, entered cold storage room

###Mars space station###

---> (Story progression): Nik01's quest "Nik-00" activated

---> (Story progression): Ella defeated, Nik01's quest "Nik-01" activated and Mars space station cleared

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Nik01's quest "Nik-01" cleared

---> (Story progression): Eloney's quest "LP tape" and "Family..." cleared

---> (Story progression): Apis quest "My role" cleared

---> (Story progression): Apis quest "Imaginary friend" cleared

---> (Story progression): Apis quest "Health for exercise!" cleared

###Realm of eros part 2###

---> (Story progression): Met Kukul in the Depth of Eros

---> (Story progression): Kukul defeated, Realm of eros part 2 cleared

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Kukul's house built

---> (Story progression): Kukul's sub quests are available

---> (Story progression): Introduction to Kukul's blessings

---> (Story progression): Used the bed iside the player's hous and introduction to the Realm of Death

---> (Story progression): Opened the gate to the Realm of Death

###Created a Backup to unlock all available endings###

[Mana]

Part 3 / 4

###Path towards the true ending (all resident quests cleared)###

---> (Story progression): Kukul's quest "Nine tenth rule" cleared

---> (Story progression): Kukul's quest "Kukul cola" cleared

---> (Story progression): Kukul's quest "Skeleton hunt" cleared

---> (Story progression): Mei's quest "In search of Mei's lost memory", "Nightmare specialist", "Mei's apology", "Mei's nightmare" cleared

---> (Story progression): Oni's castle unlocked

###Oni's castle###

---> (Story progression): Mei's quest "Acting clan leader" activated

---> (Story progression): Crimson oni defeated

---> (Story progression): Akane defeated, Oni's castle cleared

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Mei's quest "Kukul's consolation" and "The pact of the demon lord and the serpent" cleared

---> (Story progression): Hot spring built

---> (Story progression): Mei's quest "Warmth" cleared

---> (Story progression): Stein's quest "Gray area" activated

###Noctus Arena###

---> (Story progression): Entered the realm of obsession (from the beginning) and reached Stein's camp

---> (Story progression): Reached the arena entrance, talked to Albus and Stein's quest "Challenger" activated

<> (Issue type 1 #7): Strange floor tile at the entrance of each areana stage

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391685528

---> (Story progression): Cleared arena stage 15 with Helena

---> (Story progression): Defeated Noctus (while playing as Stein), Noctus Arena cleared

###Return to Gray Haven###

<> (Issue type 1 #8): Issue previously reported, there are some issues during the event cutscene after clearing Noctus arena / Stein's quest "Challenger":

1) Only during the cutscene, you will find Mei's model at the center of Three ways

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391716731

2) Dayna's model is not displayed during the "punishment" cutscene

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391719305

---> (Story progression): Stein's quest "Challenger" cleared

---> (Story progression): Apis quest "Mental issues" and "Lost friend" activated

###Realm of eros part 3###

---> (Story progression): Entered the realm of eros and reached Apis nightmare

###Apis Nightmare###

---> (Story progression): Vespa defeated, Apis nightmare cleared

---> (Story progression): Apis quest "Lost friend" cleared

---> (Story progression): Apis quest "Long live the queen" activated

###Return to Gray Haven###

---> (Story progression): Apis quest "Long live the queen" cleared

---> (Story progression): Vespa recruited

---> (Story progression): Vespa's sub quests are available

---> (Story progression): Kukul's quest "Offer your heart", "Eighteen attempts", "Kukul plan", "For tomorrow", "Heretic hunt" and "Path of the heretic hunter" cleared

###Realm of eros part 4###

---> (Story progression): Entered the realm of eros and reached the depth

---> (Story progression): Kukul's quest "Black temple" cleared

###Black temple###

---> (Story progression): Kukul's quest "Heretic hunt" activated

---> (Story progression): Black serpentes defeated, Black temple clear

###Return to Gray Haven###

<><><><> (Issue type 4 #1): GLITCH, after watching the event cutscene inside Dayna's house, you will be teleported to Kukul's house and she will start the last dialogue of her quest, however, during the entirety of the dialogue the player will endlessly fall outside of the map / house (losing health in the process).
Eventually, in the middle of the dialogue, the player's HP will reach 0 and the revive menu will open (this will happen multiple times).
In order to proceed smoothly without complication (and at the end of dialogue receive the beachwear gear and Kukul's essence of memory), you must select the "Revive instantly" option every time.
Even after selecting this option, the player will keep falling endlessly outside the map (but at least you can fast forward the dialogue).
Once the dialogue is over and you receive the beachwear gear and Kukul's essence of memory, wait until the player's HP reaches 0 and select the "Retry (with half HP)" option in the revive menu.
The player will be teleported inside Kukul's house in the correct place

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391836483

---> (Story progression): Kukul's last quest cleared

---> (Story progression): Vespa's quest "Vespa's concerns", "The queen's choice", "Time to think", "Wedding day" and "Entrance" cleared

---> (Story progression): All resident's quests cleared

###Nik01 cyberware###

<> (Issue type 1 #9): Issue previously reported, circulation implant "Absorbtion assist device".
The description says: Max HP +40, Max Stamina -20, the actual effects are the following: + Max Stamina, - Max HP

###Weapon issues###

<><> (Issue type 2 #8): Issue previously reported, upgraded Shade Arms (+ / ++ / +++).
The character will move excessively forward when you quickly press light attack into special attack (while holding the analog stick in the current direction of the attack, in this case while holding right with the analog stick), also when performing the special attack you can hear the "out of stamina" sound effect (but your character still has plenty of stamina available): This happens only with an upgraded Shade arms (so Shade arms +/ ++/ +++)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372929736

This should be the correct way, unupgraded Shade Arms light attack into special attack (while holding right with the analog stick)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3372930648

<><> (Issue type 2 #9): Issue previously reported, Weapon attacks commands with a controller, special attack into a light attack (this one, aimed into a different direction).
The character when performing the light attack will not face into the intended direction.
In the following gifs, i performed a special attack (to the right) and a light attack (to the left)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3373699329

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3373699628

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3373699933

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3373700377

The character performs the light attack in the same direction as the special attack (so both attacks to the right), however, the cursor below the character points to the correct direction when performing the light attack (it points to the left).
This happens with weapons such as: Mantis Blade, Shade great sword, Commander blade and Maquahuitl

###Accessory issues###

<><><> (Issue type 3 #4): During my playthrough, i wasn't able to find a single copy of these two accessories

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391906056

Before the release of version 2.0, you could find these accessories while fighting Eddie in the realm of obsession (you had to destroy the laser guns).
In the current version, i fought Eddie many times (even on Nightmare V difficulty), but unfortunately, i wasn't able to find a single copy of these two accessories.

<><> (Issue type 2 #11): Issue previously reported, during my playthrough, i was able to get only a single copy of the "White serpent head ornament" accessory (you get this accessory only after defeating Black serpentes the first time)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3391910547

If i may give a suggestion, the player should be able to get copies of this accessory as a reward for defeating Black serpentes on Stage 6 of Peak of Black Temple

###Stein's shop issue###

<><> (Issue type 2 #12): Stein doesn't sell pumpkin seeds.
In the 2.0.2 announcement there is a gif that shows pumpknins as a new harvest item, during my playthrough, i wasn't able to find this new kind of seed (even as a selectable reward in the red orb after defeating a boss)

[Mana]

Part 4 / 4

###Realm of Death###

<><> (Issue type 2 #13): Upon entering the Realm of Death, it may happen that the player will lose some health (i guess it receives fall damage).
This issue usually happens only the first time you enter the portal after loading your save file

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3392148584

---> (Story progression): Met Clovis at the entrace of the Realm of Death

---> (Story progression): Received the "Vampire Dress" gear

Suggestion: The enemies in the Realm of Death should drop souls and items

---> (Story progression): Met and defeated Ragnar

Suggestion: Ragnar boss battle, she should start her attack patterns as soon as the boss battle starts.
In the current version, upon starting the boss battle, Ragnar will slowly run towards the player and only if she gets close enough she will start her attack patterns.
Needless to say that with this kind of enemy behavior, she is very easy to defeat with a range weapon.

---> (Story progression): Reached the Realm of Hagenith

---> (Story progression): Selected the "Stop Hagenith" option

---> (Story progression): Final battle started

Suggestion: First phase boss battle, against 3 player clones.
They are too passive, similar to Ragnar, they should start their attack patterns as soon as the boss battle begins.
In the current version, these enemies will only attack if they are very close to the player.
In my personal opinion, these enemies should start their attacks much earlier (or at a greater distance from the player).
They should not wait until they are very close to the player to start their attacks.

---> (Story progression): Hagenith defeated, true ending unlocked

###Bad ending route###

---> (Story progression): Reached the Realm of Hagenith

---> (Story progression): Selected the "Restrain Dayna" option

---> (Story progression): Bad ending unlocked

---> (Story progression): Reloaded my save file after unlocking the bad ending

---> (Story progression): The player is completely trapped inside Thanatos, can't use the "give up" option, can't fall outside the map and can't use the portal on the right

(Personal note regarding this ending)

I LOVE IT!!!

I really like the idea to truly punish the player for choosing the bad ending, that is some true hardcore stuff.

However...

I can imagine many players will get extremely frustrated over this ending (especially players that played Gray Haven for the first time and maybe they don't know how to make a backup of the game's save file).

So objectively speaking, i think there should be a way to keep playing the game even after unlocking the bad ending.

But let's keep this between us, this ending is RAD!!!
Well done Ninehectare.

###Normal ending route###

(Loaded a save file where all resident quests are not cleared)

---> (Story progression): Reached the Realm of Hagenith

---> (Story progression): Selected the "Stop Hagenith" option

---> (Story progression): Hagenith defeated, normal ending unlocked

###Revive / invincibility glitch after ending###

<><><><> (Issue type 4 #2): GLITCH after completing the game (defeated Hagenith in the realm of death the first time), if you reload your save file, defeat Hagenith once again, enter a dungeon and use the "give up" option / or the player's HP reaches 0, the player after fainting on the ground will immediately respawn at full hp (this happens with true and normal ending).
This glitch makes the player invincible.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3392174957

###Miscellaneous###

(Notice) I equipped Dayna's essence of memory

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3393349741

I just noticed that the player's 3D model (on the right) is different from the NPC's 3D model (on the left).
Please Ninehectare, when equipping Dayna's essence of memory, can the player's 3D model be like the 3D model on the left?

Thank you very much

[Mana]

###Gray Haven: Suggestions for the current content###

Hopefully these suggestions can meet an acceptable standard.

A faster way to plant harvest items

In the current version, when the player plants an harvest item (for example, far away from the player), the preview of the next harvest item will always appear from the current position of the player.

My suggestion would be the following:

After planting an harvest item, would it be possible to make the preview of the next harvest item appear next to the newly / just planted harvest item?
This would make planting harvest items a faster process.

Essence of memory of other characters

The player should be able to get the essence of memory of the following characters:

. Akane
. Nikola (both quest costumes)
. Ella
. Martian security chief cyber-zombie (sub boss)
. Eloney 19 and future Eloney
. Noctus and Albus
. Corrupted Kukul (Boss battle Kukul)
. Black serpentes
. Clovis (masked and unmasked)
. Ragnar

The ability to exchange souls into Kukul coins

This feature could be an option in the Kukul Tithe, for example, one Kukul coin could cost 150 souls (since Dayna can sell one accessory for 300 souls, this accessory is worth 2 kukul coins)

Defeated bosses on stage 6 of Peak of Black Temple should drop items

The only boss that drops items on stage 6 is Kukul

Peak of Black Temple: Loops and Reward multiplier

Before i tell my suggestion i need to explain the following:

During version 2.0.1 i grinded a LOT

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3392220256

I grinded in all available dungeons on Nightmare V difficulty (by using the give up option and selecting "retry" on the revive menu).
The most efficient way to earn souls and items (to exchange into kukul coins) is to repeat over and over the following boss battles:

1) Ragnar boss battle in the Realm of Death

If your damage stat is high enough to defeat Ragnar pretty quickly and use the "retry" option in the revive menu to repeat the battle, you will be able to gain in around 7 minutes and 15 seconds (435 seconds) a total of:

. 1.092.832 souls (2.512 souls per second, this includes items sold to Dayna)
. 180 kukul coins (0,41 coins per second, this includes accessories exchanged in the Kukul tithe)

resources earned in one hour of grind (3.600 seconds)

. 9.043.200 souls
. 1.476 kukul coins

2) Kukul boss battle in the realm of eros

If your damage stat is high enough to defeat Kukul pretty quickly and use the "retry" option in the revive menu to repeat the battle, you will be able to gain in around 19 minutes and 33 seconds (1.173 seconds) a total of:

. 1.590.000 souls [1 million + around 590.000 by selling items to Dayna] (1.354 souls per second)
. 3.166 kukul coins (2,69 coins per second, this includes accessories exchanged in the Kukul tithe)

resources earned in one hour of grind (3.600 seconds)

. 4.874.400 souls
. 9.684 kukul coins

Although this is, hands down, the most efficient way to gain resources (to later upgrade your character's stats through the Hunter's path), in my personal opinion, this way of playing the game is extremely boring.

In my honest opinion, clearing the Peak of Black Temple should be the most efficient way to gain resources, unfortunately, even with the release of the current version this is not the case.
If your damage stat is high enough to defeat enemies and bosses pretty quickly, you should be able to clear all 6 stages of the Black Temple on Nightmare V difficulty in around 391 seconds (from 6 minutes and 30 seconds to 7 minutes), you will be able to gain the following resources:

. 221.375 souls [39.337 souls with the red reward orb + 182.038 souls for defeating enemies and selling items to Dayna] (566 souls per second)
. 387 kukul coins [60 kukul coins with the red reward orb + 327 for items and accessories exchanged in the Kukul tithe] (0,32 coins per second)

resources earned in one hour of grind (3.600 seconds)

. 2.037.600 souls
. 1.152 kukul coins

I would like to suggest an idea to make the Peak of Black Temple the most efficient place to gain resources, the idea involves Stage loops and a reward orb multiplier (tied to the selected difficulty on the altar of pride).

Stage loops

Pretty straightforward, after defeating Black serpentes in the final floor, add a portal that brings you back to stage 1 of the Black Temple.

Reward orb multiplier (tied to the selected difficulty on the altar of pride)

The idea is to add a multiplier to the current red reward orb system, each time you defeat the Black Serpentes and enter the portal that starts a new loop, the value of the multiplier will increase (depending on the difficulty selected on the altar of pride).

Reward multiplier values:

Victim: each time you defeat Black Serpentes the reward multiplier increases by 1
Survivor: each time you defeat Black Serpentes the reward multiplier increases by 2
Explorer: each time you defeat Black Serpentes the reward multiplier increases by 3
Surveilant: each time you defeat Black Serpentes the reward multiplier increases by 4

Nightmare I: each time you defeat Black Serpentes the reward multiplier increases by 5
Nightmare II: each time you defeat Black Serpentes the reward multiplier increases by 6
Nightmare III: each time you defeat Black Serpentes the reward multiplier increases by 7

Slayer: each time you defeat Black Serpentes the reward multiplier increases by 8

Nightmare IV: each time you defeat Black Serpentes the reward multiplier increases by 9
Nightmare V: each time you defeat Black Serpentes the reward multiplier increases by 10

Of course, you can stack the value of the multiplier only on the current Black Temple "run", once you are defeated or you choose to go back to the Black Temple entrance, the current multiplier value will be resetted to 1.

So for example, let's say i clear the peak of black temple five times in a row on Nightmare V difficulty:

* Loop 1 (current red orb reward multiplier set to 1)

After defeating Black Serpentes i gain:

. (39.337 red reward orb souls) + (182.038 extra souls) = 221.375 souls
. (60 red reward orb kukul coins) + (327 extra kukul coins) = 387 kukul coins

* Loop 2 (current red orb reward multiplier set to 11)

After defeating Black Serpentes i gain:

. (432.707 red reward orb souls) + (182.038 extra souls) = 614.745 souls
. (660 red reward orb kukul coins) + (327 extra kukul coins) = 987 kukul coins

* Loop 3 (current red orb reward multiplier set to 21)

After defeating Black Serpentes i gain:

. (826.077 red reward orb souls) + (182.038 extra souls) = 1.008.115 souls
. (1.260 red reward orb kukul coins) + (327 extra kukul coins) = 1.587 kukul coins

* Loop 4 (current red orb reward multiplier set to 31)

After defeating Black Serpentes i gain:

. (1.219.447 red reward orb souls) + (182.038 extra souls) = 1.401.485 souls
. (1.860 red reward orb kukul coins) + (327 extra kukul coins) = 2.187 kukul coins

* Loop 5 (current red orb reward multiplier set to 41)

After defeating Black Serpentes i gain:

. (1.612.817 red reward orb souls) + (182.038 extra souls) = 1.794.855 souls
. (2.460 red reward orb kukul coins) + (327 extra kukul coins) = 2.787 kukul coins

Total gains after clearing 5 loops in a row on Nightmare V difficulty

Time estimated (if your damage stat is high enough to defeat enemies and bosses pretty quickly): 1.955 seconds (32 minutes and 35 seconds)

Souls: 5.040.575 (2.578 souls per second, the gain is on par with Ragnar boss battle)
Kukul coins: 7.935 (4,05 kukul coins per second, the gain is much higher than Kukul boss battle)

[Mana]

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[NINEHECTARE]

Hello Mana,

First of all, I wish you a fantastic 2025!
I am always grateful for your reports and suggestions!

I took some time to rest and recharge from Christmas through the end of the year, and I've carefully reviewed your proposals and reports.

First, Your Proposal:

Regarding Weapon Balance
Weapon balance is one of our biggest challenges. Instead of nerfing weapons across the board, we aim to maintain the strength of their final upgrades while addressing issues where they are overly strong in their early stages.

Through this approach, players will experience weapons that are comparable in strength to others early on, but that become significantly more powerful as they are upgraded.

Pulse Rifle and Mantis Blades:
The first-stage versions of these weapons have been significantly nerfed. To acquire the powerful and refined versions of these weapons, players will need to go through four levels of upgrades.

Gauntlet:
On the other hand, some weapons, like the Gauntlet, are too weak. While its fast attack speed and strong airborne abilities are advantages, it is challenging to fully utilize its potential.
We plan to modify the Gauntlet so that energy will be emitted with each upgrade. Once all upgrades are complete, it will become a highly powerful weapon!

Regarding Content

We are always striving to improve our content. Some features undergo cycles of reduction and enhancement to optimize the experience.

However, this process means not all changes make it into the patch notes. Below are the updated contents:

Nik-01 Nightmare Trap Map:
This map received poor reviews from most players, so the number of versions has been reduced from three to one.

Depths of the Nightmare:
Only three maps will appear instead of four, and the selection of maps is now randomized.

End Stage Traps:
Getting trapped in the ending stage is an intentional design choice. While we understand this can feel harsh, as a fan of old-school RPGs, I believe a "bad ending" should feel truly punishing. I’m glad you enjoyed it—at least one person likes it, which is more than I expected!

Temple of the Black Serpent:
This will be improved. For now, we’ll focus on stability and bug fixes until the next update. Per your request, if players return to the first stage from the final stage, the difficulty level will automatically increase by one step.

Bug Fixes

We’ve resolved numerous bugs, though unfortunately, our development process has introduced some significant new ones.

While delaying updates for months in the name of “polishing” might seem appealing, we believe regular updates, even if imperfect, are the better approach. Bugs will persist, but we are committed to addressing them consistently as we move toward a more complete game.

Floor Texture Issue:
This stems from the Unity engine. Although we attempted to fix this by upgrading the Unity Editor, the delay is due to persistent issues with the engine itself.

Dungeon Issues:
We discovered that items sometimes don’t drop or dungeon mechanics fail to function correctly. These problems were largely caused by data entry errors, and we will address them quickly.

Dialogue Issues:
On lower-spec systems, the game occasionally freezes during dialogue. This occurs when additional input interrupts the loading of dialogues. We plan to overhaul the input logic to eliminate this issue.

Lastly

In the next patch:

Apis and the Workbench:
Furniture crafting options will be further refined.

Temple of the Black Serpent:
If feasible, we will revamp this content as well.

Cyberware vs. Kukul Hunter’s Path:
To differentiate these two paths more distinctly:

Cyberware: Will focus on health, stamina, and speed upgrades.
Hunter’s Path: Will focus on attack power, defense, and critical hit stats.
We will continue to update the game and fix any bugs that arise.

Thank you so much for your dedication.
Wishing you a Happy New Year! 😊

[Mana]

Hi Ninehectare.

I wish you a wonderful new year, may this year brings you lots of happiness and success.

I'm very happy you had a good and refreshing holiday.

Thank you very much for always taking the time to read my feedback and suggestions, hopefully the new structure implemented in this analysis / report was helpful.

Also, thank you very much for providing so many details in your reply, i really appreciate it.

Weapon balancing: I totally agree with how you want to manage weapon balancing, i like the idea of ​​giving players the ability to further adjust their playstyle and game difficulty through weapon enhancements.
Currently, my favorite weapon is the Mantis Blade and, according to your description, i'm sure i will keep this weapon unupgraded in the next upgrade.
In the current version, i personally find the properties of its special attack way too powerful (a moving attack that can block incoming enemy attacks and has increased damage), hopefully with an unupgraded Mantis Blade, you will not be able to move your character when perfoming the special attack (since the movement during this attack, is my personal reason why this wepon is way too powerful).
I'm sure many players will appreciate the freedom and versatility of the new weapon balancing.

Nik-01 Nightmare: Thank you very much for the clarification, i didn't realize that the number of floors were reduced intentionally.

Depths of the Nightmare: Please excuse me Ninehectare, but there is something that i do not understand (maybe something was lost in translation).

"Only three maps will appear instead of four, and the selection of maps is now randomized".

Isn't the Depth of the Nightmare the middle floor of the dungeon (the floor where the player can go back to the Gray Haven)?
Are you referring to another dungeon (maybe the Realm of Death)?

Bad ending: As i said in the previous comment, i really like the design choice of the bad ending.
That is some true Hardcore stuff and i personally like it.

Peak of Black Temple: I am very happy with the current version of this dungeon, it is, without a doubt, my favorite dungeon to play.
I just wish this dungeon was (objectively speaking) the best place to gain resources to exchange in the Kukul Tithe (repeating the Ragnar and Kukul boss battle over and over is not fun).
That is why in my previous comment i suggested stage loops (because i would like to play this map over and over) and a system to multiply the Black Temple rewards (based on the number of loops the player is able to clear in a row).
I am confident that you will come up with a better system and you will definitely improve this, already awesome, dungeon.
I look forward to it.

Thank you very much Ninehectare