Faction Wars Hard Mode Rebalance and New Frontier Event Coming to RAID
Plarium has revealed two major changes coming to RAID: Shadow Legends. Faction Wars Hard Mode is getting balance changes across Updates 11.80 and 11.90, and a brand-new Frontier Event is on the way.
The Faction Wars changes target some of the toughest Crypts first. The Frontier Event is a much larger addition, introducing an exploration-style map packed with Outposts, Quests and rewards.
Here is everything we know so far.
Faction Wars Hard Mode Rebalance
Plarium will tackle the Faction Wars Hard Mode rebalance across two updates.
Update 11.80 focuses on enemy difficulty. Plarium plans to reduce the HP, ATK and DEF of enemies in five Faction Crypts. The affected Factions are:
These Crypts have proven among the hardest for players to complete. The announced changes focus on HP, ATK and DEF rather than stats such as SPD, ACC or RES.
Faction Wars Challenges Change in Update 11.90
Update 11.90 will target the Challenges found within Faction Wars Hard Mode.
Plarium says some Challenges will receive complete reworks. Requirements for other Challenges will be lowered.
This change targets one of the main pain points within Hard Mode. Certain Challenges can force players into restrictive team setups rather than simply asking them to beat the stage.
The full list of revised Challenges has not been revealed yet.
What Is the New Frontier Event?
The Frontier Event is a new event format built around progressing across a map.
Each Frontier map contains five Zones based on RAID’s Champion rarities:
- Uncommon
- Rare
- Epic
- Legendary
- Mythical
Each Zone contains several Outposts. Players work through these Outposts and collect rewards as they progress towards the main reward in the Mythical Zone.
The screenshots shown by Plarium are placeholders. The map, Outpost locations and displayed rewards can all change prior to release.
How Frontier Outposts Work
There are four types of Outposts.
Standard Outposts require players to finish every Quest in an adjacent Outpost. Some will require a set number of Frontier Points based on the Zone’s rarity.
Time-Limited Outposts remain locked until a timer expires. Players must still meet the adjacent Outpost and Point requirements.
Hidden Outposts remain invisible until players complete an adjacent Outpost. Point requirements can still apply.
Final Outposts only unlock after every other Outpost on the map has been completed.
This structure means players will not simply follow one fixed path. Different routes and locked Outposts can shape progression through each Frontier Event.
Every Outpost Has Four Quests
Each Outpost contains four Quests.
Completing one Quest grants one Point. Those Points belong exclusively to that Outpost. You cannot move unused Points to another Outpost.
The example shown by Plarium included tasks such as:
- Clear Stage 12 or higher of Ice Golem’s Peak 10 times
- Rank up a Rank 3 or higher Champion
- Win 10 Classic Arena Battles
- Get a Rare, Epic, Legendary or Mythical Champion
The Quest pool becomes much harder at higher levels.
What Frontier Quests Can Appear?
Plarium provided a huge pool of possible Quests. The exact selection will change between Frontier Events, and more tasks can join the pool later.
Dungeon Quests range from Stage 12 clears through to Stage 10 Hard Mode clears. They cover Dragon’s Lair, Spider’s Den, Fire Knight’s Castle and Ice Golem’s Peak.
Other PvE tasks include Minotaur, Potion Keeps, Phantom Shogun’s Grove, Sand Devil’s Necropolis, Campaign and Demon Lord.
PvP Quests include Classic Arena and Tag Team Arena alongside Live Arena. Higher-level versions include:
- Win 50 Classic Arena Battles
- Win 30 Tag Team Arena Battles
- Win 30 Live Arena Battles
Artifact tasks cover upgrading, ascending, crafting and Glyphs. Champion tasks cover summoning, ranking, Ascension, Awakening and skill upgrades.
Relics and Gemstones feature too.
Some High-Level Frontier Quests Are Extremely Demanding
The highest-tier Quest pool contains requirements that players should know about early.
Possible tasks include:
- Use Glyphs to increase an Artifact’s SPD substat by +5 or higher
- Craft 30 Rank 6 Artifacts at the Forge
- Craft 30 Legendary or Mythical Artifacts at the Forge
- Craft 30 Mythical Artifacts at the Forge
- Get a Legendary or Mythical Champion
- Get a Mythical Champion
- Upgrade a Mythical Champion’s skill
- Awaken a Legendary or Mythical Champion
- Get a Legendary or Mythical Relic
- Rank up a Rank 4 or higher Relic
- Get a Legendary or Mythical Gemstone
- Clear Stage 10 of a major Dungeon on Hard
These requirements make resource management far more relevant. Glyphs, Forge materials, Skill Tomes and Relic resources can all appear within the Quest pool.
That does not mean every Frontier Event will contain these Quests. Plarium has confirmed that Quest selections can vary between events.
Basic Rewards and the Explorer Pass
Frontier introduces two reward categories.
Basic Rewards are free. Players unlock them by earning the required Points within an Outpost.
Explorer Rewards require the paid Explorer Pass.
An Outpost can contain Basic Rewards, Explorer Rewards or a mixture of both.
We do not yet know the Explorer Pass price or the final split between free and paid rewards.
Should You Start Saving Resources?
The published Quest pool gives players an early idea of resources that can appear in Frontier Events.
Glyphs and Forge materials stand out. Some Quest requirements ask for high Glyph rolls or large numbers of high-rarity Forge crafts. Champion summons, Skill Tomes, Awakening resources, Relics and Gemstones feature in the pool too.
There is no guarantee that these harder Quests will appear during the first Frontier Event. Still, spending scarce resources now has another event format to account for.
Frontier Rewards and Map Are Not Final
Plarium has stated that the rewards, reward balance, number of Outposts, Outpost locations and visuals shown in the preview are placeholders.
Players should not treat individual rewards shown in the screenshots as confirmed prizes for the first live event. The final Frontier Event can look quite different.
Two Big RAID Changes Are on the Way
Faction Wars Hard Mode changes start with Update 11.80. Dark Elves, Orcs, Banner Lords, High Elves and Ogryn Tribes will receive reduced enemy HP, ATK and DEF.
Update 11.90 then tackles the Hard Mode Challenges themselves.
Frontier Events introduce a separate progression system built around Outposts and four-Quest objectives. The possible Quest pool ranges from straightforward Dungeon runs to demanding endgame tasks involving Mythical Champions, Forge crafting, Glyphs and high-level PvP.
The Explorer Pass adds a paid reward track to the format, but Basic Rewards remain available without purchasing it.
The biggest unknown is the final reward structure. Plarium has made clear that the current map and rewards are placeholders, so the first live Frontier Event will give us a much better picture of the format.