March 13th was a weird day for Throne and Liberty players. It wasn't just another Wednesday maintenance. It was the moment the game basically shifted gears into its second act. If you were playing the Korean version back then or following the news like a hawk for the global release, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The 3/13/24 update was the birth of Tier 2.
Before this, we were all just kind of chilling in Tier 1 gear. We thought we were strong. Then NCSoft dropped the Dread Isle.
The T2 Gear Shift: Throne and Liberty Update 3/13/24
Honestly, the biggest thing about the Throne and Liberty update 3/13/24 was the introduction of 2-star dungeons. It changed the entire progression loop. Suddenly, everyone was scrambling to get into the "Dread Isle." Why? Because that’s where the Heroic Tier 2 gear lived.
It wasn't just a simple stat bump. This update introduced a whole new tier of equipment that required different materials and a higher level of sweat. If you wanted that shiny new Tier 2 gear, you had to start collecting Dimensional Soulstones from these 2-star instances. And let me tell you, it wasn't cheap. Opening a chest at the end of a 2-star dungeon cost 450 "Sign of the Pact: Dimension" tokens.
That is... a lot.
Luckily, they threw us a bone with the "Boost Festival" event, which temporarily knocked that price down to 300 tokens. It was a classic "get in while the getting is good" situation.
What happened to 1-star dungeons?
The devs didn't just leave the old content to rot. They added a "Challenging" difficulty to the 1-star epic dungeons like Reaper’s Abyss and Cursed Wasteland. They also categorized everything. Suddenly, your favorite level 50 dungeons were labeled as 1-star, and the new big boys were 2-star.
It made sense. It gave us a roadmap.
But it also meant some nerfs. Experience and Solant rewards for the older dungeons got slashed by about 20-30%. Basically, the game was telling us: "Stop hanging out in the easy zones. Go play the new stuff."
The Mechanics of Gear Transfer
The way you upgraded your gear changed significantly with the Throne and Liberty update 3/13/24. This is where things got a bit technical, but also kind of forgiving. If you had a piece of level 9 Tier 1 Hero gear, you could transfer it into a new Tier 2 piece.
You didn't lose everything.
Your Tier 1 level 9 gear would turn into a Tier 2 level 6 piece. It felt like a fair trade-off. You kept a chunk of your progress but still had room to grow. Plus, the update added a 10% chance to enhance traits when using old Hero gear as fodder. If you used Tier 2 gear? Boom, 100% success rate.
They also introduced "Blessing Points." If you failed a talent enhancement, you’d earn these points. Think of it as a pity system for those of us with terrible RNG. You could spend 10 points to increase your success rate by 1%. It's a grind, but a grind with a safety net.
New Bosses and Balancing Acts
It wasn't all just about the loot. The world felt a bit more dangerous after the 3/13/24 patch. Field bosses got some love—or hate, depending on how many times they killed you. Archbosses like Malandir saw a 50% increase in Max HP.
Fifty percent!
That’s a huge jump. To compensate, the loot drops were increased to four items. It made the fights longer, more tactical, and ultimately more rewarding for the guilds that could actually take them down.
Combat fixes that actually mattered
- Greatsword: Fixed issues with Devastating Smash and Guillotine Blade not firing during auto-move.
- Longbow: Zephyr’s Nock and Ensnaring Arrow finally started behaving themselves.
- Wand: Cursed Nightmare and Time for Punishment got some much-needed reliability fixes.
Basically, the game felt less "clunky" after this. If you’ve ever had a skill fail to go off while your character was trying to chase down a mob, you know how frustrating that was. This update addressed a lot of those tiny, annoying combat bugs.
Quality of Life (or lack thereof)
One thing people often overlook about the Throne and Liberty update 3/13/24 was the contract change. For 250 Lucent, you could buy 10 extra daily quests, up to four times per week.
Yeah, it felt a little "pay to win" to some.
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Forty extra contracts a week is a lot of extra resources. But for the hardcore players who were hitting a wall with their progression, it was a way to keep the momentum going.
The update also brought in the "Welcome Premium Pass" for new and returning players. If you had been away for a month, you could use a coupon and get a free weapon from the third level of the dungeon right away. It was NCSoft's way of saying "please come back, we have cool stuff now."
The "Dread Isle" experience
If you haven't run Dread Isle yet, it’s a trip. It was the first 2-star dungeon and it set the tone for everything that came after. It wasn't just about raw damage; you actually had to pay attention to the mechanics. The new Exploration Codex entries hidden in Paola’s Realm gave us more lore and, more importantly, more rewards.
Actionable Insights for Players
If you're looking at this update and wondering how it affects your current game, here is what you need to do:
- Prioritize 2-Star Dungeons: If you are level 50, don't waste your tokens on 1-star chests unless you are specifically hunting for a trait. The Tier 2 gear is where the real power is.
- Save Your Blessing Points: Don't just dump them into every piece of gear. Save them for the Tier 2 pieces that are notoriously hard to enhance.
- Check Your Soulstones: You need 80 Dimensional Soulstones to craft most of the new Heroic Tier 2 gear. Start farming Dread Isle and the subsequent 2-star dungeons (like Valley of the Slayers, which came later) immediately.
- Transfer Smartly: Don't scrap your old Tier 1 gear. Transfer it to get that level 6 head start on your Tier 2 pieces. It saves a massive amount of Growth Stones.
The Throne and Liberty update 3/13/24 was the moment the game grew up. It introduced the endgame loop that defined the title for the rest of the year. Whether you loved the new grind or hated the reward nerfs for older content, there’s no denying that this patch was the turning point for the Solisium we know today.
Final Thoughts on Progression
The transition to Tier 2 was messy for some, but it added the depth the game lacked at launch. By separating the dungeons into star levels and adding "Challenging" modes, the developers finally gave us a reason to keep logging in every day. The gear treadmill is real, but at least the scenery is nice.