The AFK Journey version 1.1.14 update went live after a maintenance window on May 10 from 7:00 to 9:00 UTC. During that period, players could not log in, and the patch delivered the new Song of Strife season along with additional progression systems, competitive modes, and a long list of refinements.
Season Access and Progression
For servers that had been active for at least 42 days, the Song of Strife season became available to players who reached Resonance Level 240, cleared all AFK Stages, and completed the quest The Last Leg. After meeting those requirements, players could accept the main quest in Holistone to unlock the season map and begin exploring its story content.
A free Ravaging Cleave cosmetic for Brutus could be obtained after completing the season's main story quests. Entering the season map also unlocked Season AFK Stages, and all available Instant AFK attempts were reset at that moment. The new Season Dream Realm featured six bosses, including four original encounters and two new ones, with updated difficulty rewards. A District leaderboard offered exclusive ranking rewards, while the existing server leaderboard remained unchanged. To access Season Dream Realm, players needed to be on an eligible server and have claimed all stage rewards from non-season bosses on Endless difficulty.
The Season Legend Trial introduced four towers and new floor rewards. Access required an eligible server and completion of all non-season Legend Trial floors. The update also added Season Resonance Level, Season Skills, and Season Equipment, all unlocked upon entering the season map. Players were advised to level every class equipment piece to 240 before venturing into season content for the best experience.
Artifacts, Magic Charms, and Competitive Modes
Six Season Artifacts became available in version 1.1.14: Lightheal Spell, Cyclone Spell, Quickblade Spell, Full Moon Spell, Evocation Spell, and Cascade Spell. Each could be upgraded to Level 30 within the season. Magic Charms could be equipped by all heroes except Chippy and Hammie, offering additional stats and set bonuses. They were primarily earned through Dura's Trials, a new mode that unlocked on the ninth day after a season started on a server. Dura's Trials featured different towers each day, with each tower boosting different heroes to help players handle high-difficulty challenges. It was recommended for players with a Season Resonance Level of 190 or higher.
Supreme Arena allowed players to compete against others from the same District every Wednesday through Sunday, with generous daily rewards. The Season Growth Path opened alongside the season map and offered the exclusive Mountaineer cosmetic as part of its reward track.
District Changes and Non-Season Adjustments
During Song of Strife, servers were organized into Districts. Rankings for Battle Drills, Arcane Labyrinth, and Honor Duel switched from server-based to district-based. Desolate Grounds became the new Battle Drills battlefield, with its first round opening on the eighth day after a season began on a server.
Area Rewards in the Exploration Journal for non-season areas were adjusted, replacing Equipment with Diamonds, Hero Essence, and Gestures. Compensation for this change was calculated based on claimed exploration rewards and delivered through in-game mail. Arena was reclassified as a non-season mode, meaning seasonal enhancements such as Magic Charms and Season Artifacts no longer applied there. Arena rankings also remained server-based rather than district-based.
Quality-of-Life Improvements
Auto Battle was added to Legend Trial and Trial of Abyss, and the Trial of Abyss interface received an optimization. Arena Weekly Quests changed from requiring a specific number of wins to requiring a specific number of matches played. The Battle Modes page was reorganized and gained an entrance for AFK Stages.
Season Essence was added to Daily Quest rewards once players entered the season map. If Daily Quests had already been claimed before entering the map, the system compensated players with the appropriate amount through in-game mail. Hero Affinity gained a notification dot for available rewards, and the Resonating Hall was rearranged so heroes that could be unlocked appeared at the top.
Equipment recycling was improved: after all non-season class equipment reached Level 240, additional non-season class equipment rewards from AFK Stages were automatically recycled into Gold. The skip function for hero intro animations was adjusted so that a hero's first acquisition animation would not be skipped. A freeze issue caused by changing titles was also fixed.
Cairn Postings received message preview bubbles, allowing players to see part of a message when passing by postings. Players could also earn Pal-Coins for leaving messages or liking others' messages, with a daily limit of 10 Pal-Coins. Notification dots for Keith's Store and Ironhoof Forge were optimized, and nearby player display settings were improved. A District chat channel was added, a mute button appeared on the login screen, tablets gained portrait and landscape switching, and iOS memory-related crashes and lag were reduced.
Combat and Hero Fixes
Artifact damage was corrected to be affected by the allied team's DMG Boost stat. In Season Dream Realm, bosses had a slower increase in Phys DEF and Magic DEF as they lost HP, but their DMG Reduction increased faster as HP decreased.
Cassadee's Tidal Strength now correctly prioritized the allies behind when she was placed in the Arena defense formation. Damian's chariot and emergency support abilities were fixed in rare situations, including a directional issue with Emergency Support. Smokey & Meerky could no longer be blocked from creating aroma by non-interruptive control effects such as immobilizing or blinding.
Florabelle's Protective Blessing now gained stats correctly at Level 4, its activation cooldown was removed, and Smashy's HP restoration was corrected when using Pounding Blow with all three Bulbsprites on the field. Seth's Shadow Strike no longer pushed targets away on impact. Vala received several fixes for Notice Beforehand, Night Maneuver visuals, and targeting while immobilized. Necrodrakon's Abyss Crest duration no longer decreased during ally Ultimate animations. Alpha Bear's Honey Ball could target summons, and Igor's long-range normal attacks restored energy properly.
Honor Duel Update
Honor Duel became a permanent mode after the event countdown and Beta label were removed. Fourteen new pieces of equipment were added, along with color labels for different equipment quality levels. Heroes began displaying their equipped cosmetics. The Dawn Antlers Artifact was temporarily removed. The hero pool changed with Walker, Florabelle, Rhys, and Koko added, while Korin, Eironn, Satrana, and Shakir were removed. All ongoing Honor Duel challenges were terminated during the update, and affected players received one Duel Letter as compensation. The Duel Letter purchase flow was also streamlined through the Play Now button.
Honor Duel Balance Adjustments
| Hero | Change |
|---|---|
| Antandra | Damage Taken reduced by 10% |
| Brutus | Damage Dealt increased from +10% to +15% |
| Hewynn | Healing reduced by 10 points |
| Odie | ATK SPD increased by 20 points |
| Cassadee | Damage Dealt increased by 10%, Haste increased by 10 points |
| Lyca | Haste increased by 15 points |
Overall, version 1.1.14 added a large seasonal framework, expanded competitive and cooperative options, and polished many underlying systems for players heading into the Ashen Waste.