Tag: Bad Guitar Studio

In the Pigment Realm, the traditional pre-match strategy is being replaced by real-time adaptation. Lancers will no longer use pre-configured card decks from outside the game. Instead, they must rely on an in-game card backpack, where power is earned through combat.

“We wanted the growth to feel organic to the fight,” says Xin. “Every monster you defeat has a chance to drop a card, and that drop rate actually scales with the number of players in your team. It encourages a squad-based momentum where you are constantly picking up and activating new abilities on the fly.”

To deepen this system, the team introduced several layers of strategy:

The Shard Card Crafting System: Players can spend Crystals to draw and select new Shard Cards. Unlike traditional modes, these cards have no usage limits or resource restrictions — if it’s in your hand slot, it’s active.

Card Synthesis: Lancers can combine three cards of the same name and level to create a more powerful version. The system even allows for “direct synthesis” from the ground if a dropped card completes a three of a kind with cards already in your hand.

The Blessing System: After completing a set number of waves, players must choose one of three powerful blessings to further define their build.

Strategic Exploration and Resource Management

The map itself requires resources to unlock gradually. In the Pigment Realm, certain zones are restricted at the start. “Venture forth and explore every uncharted zone to your heart’s content!” Xin encourages. This creates a tactical trade-off: do you spend your Crystals on drawing new Shard Cards, or do you use them to open up the map? Notably, enemies will not spawn in an area until it has been officially unlocked, giving players some control over the flow of the battle.

Persistent Growth: The Out-of-Game Build

While the in-game experience is about immediate survival, the new Perk System ensures that every match contributes to a Lancer’s long-term power. Each character now has a dedicated Character Level that can only be increased by using that specific hero in PvE mode.

“The progression is designed to reward your time and skill,” Xin explains. By leveling up, players earn Talent Points used to develop a permanent out-of-match talent tree. According to the developers, three key factors determine how much experience you gain:

Hero Used: Experience is character-specific to the hero played in that match.

Match Duration: The longer you survive, the more experience you accumulate.

Waves Cleared: In Endless mode, your progress is directly proportional to the character experience earned.

3 brand new maps (Acme Underpass, Art Town, Collège Alpin) will be used for Pigment Realm, and also a new map (Caesarea) for Shard Clash!

Meet Wildstyle 

While the Pigment Realm offers new ways to play, the new Lancer, Wildstyle (Melody Lovelock), offers new ways to win. Despite her prestigious family background, she is a legend in the underground graffiti scene, a fact the Lancer Association keeps a “quiet” secret. Her kit is built around the “Stained” effect:

Coat of Many Colors: Wildstyle sprays paint on herself or her teammates, granting 15 extra HP. This extra health continuously regenerates for the duration of the skill.

Spray Paint: Wildstyle fires paint from her graffiti gun that splatters on the ground. Enemies who enter the paint zone are slowed, exposed, and take increased damage. This Stained effect persists for a short period after leaving the paint zone, and the zone itself is temporary.