AFK Journery – Talk with Designers: Hero Rental & New Season

Hello, Magisters! Thank you for joining us for today’s Talk with Designers! The AFK Journey x Fairy Tail crossover event kicks off today, and we’d like to take this opportunity to share some of our future plans. We’ll be covering post-event plans for the crossover heroes, as well as upcoming improvements and changes in the Echoes of Dissent season. Let’s dive in, shall we? (And don’t forget to grab the redeem code at the end!)

I. Dimensional Hero Rental

After the limited-time crossover event ends, we’re introducing a new system in Version 1.4.2 that lets you rent Dimensional Heroes from limited-time events to use across different game modes and continue developing them! Here’s how it works:

Rental Rules

1. You can spend Diamonds to send a rental request to a friend or fellow Guild member who owns the Dimensional Hero. If they accept, the rental goes through; if they decline, your Diamonds will be refunded.

2. Each successful rental lasts for 1 month. After renting a certain number of times, you’ll unlock free rentals, allowing you to borrow Dimensional Heroes from friends and Guild members at no Diamond cost.

3. There’s no limit to the number of Dimensional Heroes a player can rent or lend each month.

4. There are no restrictions on where or how often you can use rented Dimensional Heroes.

Progression Rules

1. When you rent a Dimensional Hero, you receive the base version of the hero. Any progress made by the owner will not carry over to the rented hero.

2. You can develop rented Dimensional Heroes just like regular heroes. Their Soul Sigils can be purchased with Diamonds, though at a slightly higher cost than during the crossover event.

3. When the rental period ends, the Dimensional Hero will be locked and cannot be used, but all your development progress will be saved. If you rent the hero again later, you can pick up right where you left off.

II. Season Phases & More Rewards

In our last Talk with Designers, we mentioned that the new season, Echoes of Dissent, will be split into 3 phases. The goal is to make the gameplay more streamlined and organized, eliminating long stretches of time with little to do.

To support this new season structure, we’re introducing phase rewards that give you a clear sense of direction for each part of the season. By playing actively, you’ll easily earn these rewards by completing the objectives for each phase. With these changes, the previous Season Settlement Rewards will be adjusted as well. But don’t worry—the total value of rewards will actually increase, and some will be available earlier as phase rewards.

And here’s a sneak peek: In addition to core rewards like the Hypogean & Celestial Chests and Essence, you’ll be able to earn Rosy Jewels through phase rewards to help speed up your hero progression.

III. World Exploration and Story Improvements

Many players have mentioned that the daily exploration and story content in the first version of the season felt sparse, making the story experience feel disconnected. We’re making adjustments in the new season to address this.

The world map will be more compact, making it easier to gather resources. Plus, the Voyage of Wonders will be available right from the start of the season. There will be more domains to explore, each offering a broader variety of themes. Every domain will introduce new challenges and surprises, ensuring each exploration is exciting and rewarding!

The storyline will feel more cohesive, allowing you to dive deeper into the world of Esperia and uncover mysteries along the way. Building on the Easter egg gameplay from the Chains of Eternity season, the new season will feature even more hidden surprises for you to discover!

IV. New Features and Gameplay Optimizations

Sunlit Showdown

1v1 showdown where precise control can turn the tide of battle

Sunlit Showdown will be available in Version 1.4.1. Besides the basic rules introduced previously, it will support manual control. Precise timing of skill casts will be crucial and could ultimately decide the outcome of the fight!

Sparring Grounds

Choose your difficulty in 3v3 battles and fight with everything you’ve got

In Version 1.4.2, we will introduce a new 3v3 competitive event called Sparring Grounds (tentative name), where you can select your preferred difficulty level. You’ll match up with other players to fight for honor and rewards.

Here’s what to expect:

1. Matchmaking for this 3v3 competitive event will cost Stamina. The match result, number of surviving heroes, and time remaining at the end of the battle will all determine how much Stamina is refunded.

2. The event will offer different difficulty levels. You can choose the one that best matches your heroes’ strength.

3. The event will consist of multiple phases, each with a different pool of available heroes. It’s time to test your skills and strategy!

4. Your hero development progress will carry over into Sparring Grounds. Each difficulty level will have varying restrictions on heroes’ development, with higher difficulty levels offering more lenient limits. If your heroes are strong enough, aim for the higher difficulties and show off what you’re capable of!

Business Simulation

Manage and grow your own business in this exciting new feature!

After sharing our plans for a business simulation mode last time, we received many positive feedback and creative ideas. We’re still refining the mode based on your suggestions, but we’re excited to give you a sneak peek at some highlights! Be sure to follow our official channels for the latest updates!

Clashfronts Adjustments

Earn rewards through individual raids, giving your Guild leadership more strategic options.

To better align Clashfronts with players’ expectations, we’re making several changes based on community feedback about point earning and matchmaking. In the new season, we’ll ensure that the system matches Guilds of similar strength, making battles more balanced and competitive. Winning or losing will have a greater impact on your points, and Guilds ranked higher within their tier will earn more points as a reward for their efforts.

To make Clashfronts even more engaging and strategic while offering more rewards to Guild members, we are introducing a new feature called Raids in Version 1.4.3.

In each round of Clashfronts, every member will have a chance to Raid a member of another Guild. During a Raid, you can earn individual rewards and collect Supplies for your Guild. Guild admins can then spend these Supplies to purchase battle mechs that can be deployed in Clashfronts.

Will your Guild leaders unleash devastating attacks, sabotage rival Guilds, or forge powerful alliances to topple the toughest Guild? The battlefield is wide open — we’ll find out once the feature goes live!

The Raid feature also offers great rewards, including Soul Sigils for specific heroes. This means you can improve your personal strength while helping your Guild achieve more victories! (Please refer to the official version for finalized feature names and details.)

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Thank you once again, Magisters, for your continued love and support for AFK Journey! We’re always listening to your feedback and welcome your thoughts and suggestions at any time. Plus, we’ve prepared a special gift for you below!

Redeem Code：amwhrvsbsz

Contains: 10 Invite Letters

Redemption period: Now through May 15, 2025, 15:59 UTC