Right then, Raven 2 is currently in its 'pre-Balton' prep phase. The second week of March brought a flurry of events, offering you a shot at a Blessing Summon Selection Box and a Hero Stella Summon Scroll. Mind you, the timeline for these Balton entry missions is tighter than a drum. You'll need to manage your schedule with military precision to scoop up every reward. Fortunately, a lifeline has been dropped via the development commentary, which includes some crucial tips for your power-leveling. I’ve broken down the two key issues so you can get your event schedule sorted.

Q. How many Balton preparation rewards can I actually gather if I start now?
A. As of March 17, you can still collect 40 Supply Boxes.

Let's start with a mid-term check on the Balton preparation event series, which kicked off on March 11. Balton is the final region of Season 1, as announced by the developers during the New Year's live stream. Think of this event as the prelude to the big update. It spans four tasks—'Combat Supplies,' 'Guild Unity,' 'Hunting Training,' and 'Countdown Attendance'—all of which conclude on March 25 at 04:59 AM. With roughly a week left from March 17, it's high time to wrap things up.

The crux of the event is to collect and use 40 '[Balton Prep] Supply Boxes' (hereafter 'Supply Boxes') via attendance and mission rewards. This is essential for the Combat Supplies mission. The task is straightforward: just use the boxes. You'll snag a Blessing Summon Selection Box at 15 uses, and the Hero Stella Summon Box at 40. Naturally, your ultimate goal is that Hero Stella Summon Box.

As of March 17, let's tally up the available Supply Boxes. Guild Unity has 8 missions, granting 13 boxes upon full completion. Since there's a requirement for 20 guild donations, this will take 7 days. Hunting Training is a simple affair: kill 2,000 monsters in each of the three standard dungeons. It’s an easy chore, and finishing it nets you 17 boxes. Between the two, you're looking at 30 boxes over the course of a week.

The real variable is the attendance reward. The countdown attendance dishes out 12 boxes over 14 days, but it’s perfectly aligned with the update window. Latecomers won't be able to claim everything. Does that mean the Hero Stella Summon Scroll is out of reach? Not necessarily. Thankfully, players who start grinding their attendance and missions from March 18 can still hit that 40-box target.

Your lifeline is the development status commentary #72 released on March 13. Raven 2 has confirmed the Balton update for late March and announced extra login rewards to help players prepare. This runs from March 18 to 25, and you must claim the gifts from your mailbox between 12:00 PM and 11:59 AM the following day. Check the schedule in the image provided.

Don't miss the rewards for March 18, 19, 20, and 21—that's 4 boxes right there. By logging in from March 18 and completing every attendance and mission requirement, you'll reach exactly 40 boxes. Best of luck snagging that Hero Stella Summon Scroll.

Q. What information from the 2nd week of March developer notes should I keep an eye on?
A. Let's aim for item collection rewards using the new Heavenstone crafting recipes.

Moving on to the rest of the developer commentary #72, we're looking at improvements for the Abyss 4th floor boss, expanded NPC affinity levels, and adjustments to 'Monster Hunter' coin drops. For NPC affinity, they’re adding higher tiers and new gift items, and even the wandering merchant Comac will now have an affinity system. As it's pre-update, it's hard to judge, so I'll save the deep dive for later.

As of March 17, what really matters are the new Heavenstone crafting recipes. Raven 2 plans to add 'Rapid Spear - Pain Bullet - Dark Ejection' for High-grade, and 'Heavy Blow - Blunt Shot - Rock Strike' for Rare grade. The point here is the item collection. There’s a section where registering these six Heavenstones grants stat bonuses. We're talking useful options like Critical Hit Rate, Boss Monster Damage, Skill Damage Amplification, and Hit Damage Amplification.

When searching, I recommend using the 'All' tab rather than the specific Heavenstone tab. The Heavenstone page is split into High and Rare sub-tabs, which just clutters your search results. Searching in the 'All' tab is much more convenient. It’s also a smart move to bookmark these before the update and check back later to craft and register them.

Q. What if the collection rewards aren't that good after the update?
A. Even then, if you can craft them, it's worth it.

After hearing this, you might wonder, 'What if I check the collection rewards post-update and the stats are rubbish?' A reasonable question, indeed. However, if you have the materials to spare, crafting the Heavenstones is generally the better play for two reasons. First, the Heavenstone level. You can increase levels using polish or by re-rolling with the same Heavenstone. If the item you’re crafting is one you already use, this is your chance to aim for a better skill roll.

Second, the completion rewards for the item collection page. Every 10 completions, you get items like summon scrolls, enhancement stones, and magic crystals, along with stat boosts. The rewards include highly practical stats like Attack, Defense, and Accuracy, plus guaranteed Rare and Hero summon scrolls.As the saying goes, 'every little helps'—completing as many item collections as possible is always going to be to your benefit.