Hello, Tamers. This is the <Dragon Village 3> Development Team.

Since yesterday's Developer Note, we have received extensive feedback on the proposed changes to Critical Damage Reduction values and the Bond system.

Our team has been promptly reviewing the feedback received since the update, and we have taken another close look at our approach to adjusting Critical Damage Reduction and how the Bond system is affecting the gameplay experience.

We believe it is important to respond promptly to your feedback and experiences in the live game and remain open to reconsidering and revising our plans whenever there is a better way forward, rather than simply pressing ahead with decisions we have already announced. 

Today, we would like to share the results of this further review and the direction we intend to take.

1. Revised Plans for the Critical Damage Multiplier

■ Withdrawal of the Bond System Stat Adjustments

Critical Damage Reduction

 ● The existing value of 1% will remain unchanged.

We added this effect to the Bond system to avoid a drastic change in how the game feels that could result from suddenly changing the base critical damage multiplier, and we believed that providing a way to partially offset critical damage would be an appropriate means of reducing it.

However, addressing this issue through the Bond system would create a new task: unlocking and developing specific Bonds to obtain Critical Damage Reduction.

Your feedback has reminded us that a measure intended to ease the pressure of critical hits in combat could instead create another burden by making the Bond system feel mandatory.

We will therefore withdraw the increase to the Bond system's "Critical Damage Reduction" value announced yesterday.

■ A New Stat That Increases with Dragon Level

Critical Damage Reduction

 ● Critical Damage Reduction increases by 1% per Dragon Level. (Up to 50%)

With the Bond system adjustments being withdrawn, we plan to introduce a new way to obtain Critical Damage Reduction more easily.

We will update the game so that Critical Damage Reduction can be gained by leveling up Dragons, which is more accessible than the existing Bond system, allowing you to obtain this effect naturally as you raise your Dragons without the pressure of having to unlock specific Bonds.

The issue we are seeking to address is the excessive damage dealt by critical hits, which can make combat feel unfair or frustrating.

However, adjusting the base critical damage value itself would lower the expected critical damage of all Dragons. This could directly affect not only PVP content such as the Arena, but also the difficulty of PVE content wherever critical hits apply, including Adventure, Dungeons, Underground Castle, Raids, Treasure Plunder, and World Boss.

For now, we therefore believe it is more appropriate to mitigate excessive damage through the Critical Damage Reduction stat rather than lowering the base critical damage value of +150% itself.

2. A Comprehensive Review of the Bond System Effects

The Bond system is the area that has prompted the most reflection within our team during these discussions.

The Bond system was introduced to provide long-term motivation and a sense of progress as you collect and raise Dragons.

However, our ongoing review of your feedback has shown that the impact of Bond system effects on combat outcomes has created a greater burden than we originally intended.

This differs somewhat from what we wanted to achieve with the Bond system.

We believe Bonds should be a long-term reward for owning and raising a wide range of Dragons, but should not force you to invest time and effort simply to compete on fair terms.

Our team has therefore decided to comprehensively review the effects of the Bond system.

We will retain the Bond system itself, but refocus it so that it goes beyond simply increasing combat stats and adds meaning and a sense of achievement to the process of collecting and raising a variety of Dragons.

We will share further details in a separate notice once the specific design and update direction have been decided.

3. About Balance Patches

For this balance patch, we are continuing to review additional targets and values for adjustment beyond those already announced. Some details may change, and further adjustments may be added as we conduct testing and review metrics before the update.

We also do not believe that a single balance patch can fully resolve every issue in the game. These adjustments may not produce results that satisfy every Tamer, and unforeseen new issues may arise after the update.

Rather than expecting one balance patch to resolve everything, we intend to continuously monitor and maintain the combat environment by reviewing actual PVE and PVP gameplay data and your feedback after the update.

Our general plan is to release regular balance patches approximately once per quarter, while making additional adjustments whenever we determine that an issue requires urgent attention between patches. Through this approach, we will continue to build a healthy game environment where diverse options can coexist, without particular Dragons or strategies becoming too entrenched.

We recognize that reconsidering the plans first shared in yesterday's Developer Note and providing further information just a day later may cause confusion among Tamers.

However, we believe that listening to your feedback from the live game and reconsidering areas where we identify problems is more important than implementing every announcement exactly as originally stated.

We will continue to acknowledge our mistakes and actively make changes whenever there is a better direction to take.

We will keep working to make <Dragon Village 3> a game where you can enjoy exploring different Dragons and combinations and progressing in your own way.

Thank you to all Tamers who shared your valuable feedback.

Thank you.

Sincerely, the <Dragon Village 3> Development Team