Vortex Gaming

'Abrelshud' has returned to Lost Ark. Following Rohendel in 2019 and the Legion Commander Raid in 2021, this is their third confrontation (four times for Silian adventurers). Abrelshud, released in July 2021, shocked players with its six gates, numerous cooperative gimmicks, and a highly challenging final gate. It was a raid that frustrated many adventurers, holding a position similar to the current Thaemine.

Abrelshud was a raid that attempted various things, including 2-person detachments, 1-person internal gimmicks, boss battles with PVP rulings, maze finding, and tile puzzles, making it one of the raids that pushed 'cooperative gimmicks' to their limits. The problem was that all attempts to increase the difficulty of the gimmicks came as a significant burden. Take the 16-orb pattern in Gate 3 of Hard Abrelshud as an example. Eight people, with four having red and four having blue markers, had to clear 16 orbs, avoiding the 'Eyes of Illusion (Medusa)' that appeared during the process, and the markers even switched halfway through! Even if you perfectly executed all the gimmicks, one mistake by a party member meant a wipe, forcing you to start all over.

Thus, even by the current standards of highly advanced raid play, Abrelshud had many very difficult gimmicks. The 'Praise' pattern in Gate 6 and the cooperative stagger check in Gate 5 are considered the epitome of these gimmicks. Abrelshud's large and small cooperative gimmicks accelerated the problem of raid fatigue, earning it the nickname 'Cyber Yoo Gyeok'.

The difficulty of Abrelshud at the time can also be seen in the first clear records. Among the content released after Season 2, including the overtly difficult 'Hell' and 'Trial' difficulties, the 57 hours it took to first clear Abrelshud Normal ranks among the top 3 (excluding Season 1 records such as Velganos and Alberhastic). Abrelshud Hard, released after players were sufficiently skilled in the Normal gimmicks, had a faster first clear at 30 hours, but Abrelshud [Hell], released later, left a record of 4 days and 23 hours. The only Season 2 content to surpass this record is the legendary Thaemine the First and the early Valtan [Hell].

Abrelshud is also famous for its 'epic' production. The Ark Dungeon production in Rohendel, which can now be seen in Challenge Abyss, and the cutscenes and production of Abrelshud Gates 5 and 6 are considered to have surpassed the limits of Lost Ark raid production. The production that has become a symbol of Abrelshud in many ways is the movie 'Inception'. From the Palace of Dreams to Legion Commander Abrelshud, it showed a production where terrain and viewpoints were reversed. It remains to be seen whether similar production will appear in Kazeros Act 2.

Also, Abrelshud's signature move cannot be left out. Known as the 'Finger Beam (official name Dream Line Drawing)', it first appeared in the Palace of Dreams in Rohendel in the scene where she uses magic to scold Ephernea, who has regained her senses. This pose later reappeared in the Legion Commander Raid, leaving a great impression with its enhanced production and the viciousness of the 'Welcome' pattern. As it is a famous production symbolizing Abrelshud, it is likely that a related pose will appear in Kazeros Act 2.

Music cannot be left out when talking about Abrelshud. Abrelshud left behind famous music such as 'Dawn of Arkesia', which can be said to be its symbolic theme, and 'Dreamy Astalgia (User-coined Praise version)'. The intense solo of 'Dreamy Aria' in Raid Gate 4 left a great impression and is considered to have opened a new horizon for Lost Ark in terms of BGM. This part was later succeeded by Thaemine in the tenor version, leaving a great mark.

Abrelshud itself is deeply related to opera, and the names of all six gates before the gate deletion reorganization had titles symbolizing the beginning and end of an opera. From the Etude of Gate 0, which is a practice piece, to the Overture, Prelude, 'Oratorio', and 'Aria', the entire 'Dreamy Astalgia' can be seen as symbolizing a single stage. It is also fun that the 2-person combined boss, Gehenna Helkaser, plays an ensemble, and Ashtartote in Gate 3, who has flashy patterns, plays a dance.

And the name of Kazeros Act 2 is 'Requiem of the Floating Nightmare'. 'Requiem' is a mass music to comfort the souls of the dead (source: Wikipedia), giving the feeling of a sequel connected from 'Dreamy Astalgia', which was completed in a two-act composition. As Abrelshud is famous for its BGM, it may be a point to see if the entrance song or related parts, which are customary in Requiem, are implemented as BGM.

A requiem is a song for the dead. It is unknown what the floating nightmare means, but considering the ominous expression 'requiem', there is a possibility that it will be a raid symbolizing the end of Abrelshud.

This Kazeros raid is set to take place after Abrelshud's attack during the barrier operation. The elite forces to stop Abrelshud are Seikria and Rohendel. The Silins of Rohendel are a race that has had a long-standing feud with Abrelshud since the distant past.

Abrelshud is a Legion Commander who has threatened the 'Rohendel' forces throughout the long history of Arkesia. Although the plan has failed every time, it has given nightmares and fears to the Silins. During the Chain War, Abrelshud manipulated the Zenail Silins to run wild the magical source of Rohendel, attempting to cause a massive magical explosion. Although the plan failed due to the attack of Silin Queen Azena, this created the current 'Destroyed Zenail', and the division of the Silins led to the creation of the Vern Kingdom.

Abrelshud also appears in the Mage Prologue, intruding to steal the soul of 'Enviska', which will be bestowed upon the Silin adventurer during the coming-of-age ceremony. Fortunately, while Abrelshud is facing Azena, the protagonist (Silin) stops the ritual of Abrelshud's adjutant 'Belmorok', ending this invasion.

Next is the main story 'Rohendel'. At this time, Abrelshud is presumed to have targeted Radiche, the Ark of Wisdom hidden in Rohendel, deceiving Ephernea, the spirit of Rohendel, to weaken Rohendel's barrier, and finally descending her palace 'Palace of Dreams' in the shadow of Elzowin, plunging Rohendel into crisis, but is stopped by the protagonist adventurer.

Finally, there is the activity in the Legion Commander Raid, 'Dreamy Astalgia', which everyone knows. Abrelshud creates a dream space in Arkesia and collects sadness, anxiety, and fear to synthesize them into the material for the Red Moon. Although she suffers the humiliation of having one of her horns cut off after being defeated by the adventurer, the Red Moon is eventually completed thanks to Abrelshud's efforts.

In this way, Abrelshud has been in conflict with 'Rohendel', especially Silin Queen 'Azena & Inanna', throughout the story. As this raid is called 'Requiem', it is noteworthy whether the long and long feud between Abrelshud and Rohendel can end.

The name of the stage in Act 2, revealed in Risha's letter, is unique. It's 'Dreamy Apeiron', and if you search for the name Apeiron, you can find a philosopher. His name is 'Anaximander'.

Anaximander is a Western philosopher who is said to have first pondered the 'origin of things', and is the person who argued for 'Arche', which is the origin of things, and 'Apeiron', which is the fundamental element that makes up the world. According to Anaximander, Apeiron is something that is not defined, is infinite, does not mature or decline, is spatially infinite, and allows everything that perceives to arise.

Also, he is famous for explaining the birth of the world through 'Apeiron'. He says that the basic laws of the world were born from Apeiron. A 'pair of opposites' such as 'warmth and cold', 'humidity and dryness', and 'light and darkness' were born.

Looking at it so far, you can see that Apeiron is very similar to Lost Ark's 'Ark'. 'Arkesia', created by the chief god Rufeon, is a continent created by the Ark, and is an infinite power, the power to create everything. Also, the opposing structure that makes up the Lost Ark world is similar to Apeiron. The power of the Ark and Chaos, Arkesia and Petrania, and 'pairs of opposites' such as light and darkness exist in the world of Lost Ark.

However, it is also possible that Dreamy Apeiron does not mean the Ark. As long as Lost Ark's Arman is in the hands of Kazeros, there is no reason for the Legion Commanders to care about the Ark. Due to the nature of the Abrelshud raid, it is likely to be related to 'cube', 'the origin of the universe', etc. In particular, in the cosmology argued by Apeiron, the appearance of the universe is described as a cylindrical pillar floating in the air, so the dungeon where Abrelshud appears may look like that.

It's been a long time. Shouldn't the information on 'Hal' be coming out soon?

'Hal' is a race that 'disappeared' after being punished for stealing and using the Arks of the gods. Hal, who stole the Ark, was sentenced to be forgotten forever along with the creator god Antares.

There have been several clues that the disappeared Hal is operating secretly from beyond the dimension. The distorted dimensional island and the hidden space on the Island of Wisdom are representative examples. In particular, their authority has indirectly appeared in various places through the power to manipulate dimensions called 'cube'. The fact that Lauriel glimpsed the possibility of the future, Kadan's cube dialogue, and Abrelshud's cube.

It is well known that Abrelshud used the power of the 'cube' in Dreamy Astalgia. Abrelshud uses the power of the cube to collect the emotions of the people of Arkesia and turn them into the material for the Red Moon. During the raid, she summons a cube called 'Primal Nightmare' as a boss, or directly strengthens herself with the power of the cube, and shows the adventurer one of the future possibilities of the cube.

However, it is still unknown how Abrelshud was able to obtain and use the cube. The biggest basis for the Hal=Abrelshud theory is Abrelshud's horn. Horns are a symbol of demons, but Abrelshud is originally drawn as a character without horns. The 'Dreamy Horn' she is wearing on her head was merely a gift from Kazeros. If Abrelshud is a member of the Hal race, it would explain her unique intelligent schemes and the use of the power of the cube.

Like Hal's message, 'We have only become ashes, not disappeared', it may be time for Hal to reveal its identity and play an active role.

Lost Ark InvenChoi Min-ho Reporter
2024-09-20