Raven 2 kicked off its pre-festival event series alongside the August 5 update, and frankly, the adjustment to existing event missions is a godsend. Players who previously struggled to engage with certain content are finally seeing some relief as the difficulty curve has been flattened. You do not want to miss this window of opportunity. I have broken down the changes and rewards below, so dive in and start clearing those missions.

Q. Is there any way to awaken skills without venturing into the Rift?
A. As it happens, a new event has just launched that addresses exactly that.

Let's take a look at the 'Bartram's Skill Growth Support' event, which launched in late July. It tasks you with completing six missions for a final completion reward. While individual missions grant High-Grade Skill Enhancement Stones, the final prize is a Rare Heavenstone Abrasive. The real hurdle here is the first mission: 'Attempt Skill Awakening 1 time.' The necessary material, Skill Awakening Stone fragments, drops in the 8th Dimensional Rift or higher. Given the 1,900+ Combat Power requirement for entry, this has been quite a burden for lower-spec players.

Thankfully, the August 5 update has effectively lowered this barrier. The '[Pre-festival] Gratitude Supply Mission' provides 15 Skill Awakening Stone fragments. It consists of five missions, each granting three fragments upon completion. When combined with the 14th-day reward from 'Bartram's Special 14-Day Attendance,' you hit exactly 20 fragments. You can then navigate to 'Crafting - Materials & Consumables - Growth Materials' to craft a 'High-Grade Skill Awakening Stone' and finish your awakening.

To tackle those [Pre-festival] Gratitude Supply Missions, you will need to open 40 'Gratitude Supply Boxes' obtained from other events. You get six from the '[Pre-festival] Stella Support Mission' and 15 from the '[Pre-festival] 7-Day Attendance,' which, at 21 total, leaves you short of the goal. Fortunately, the pre-festival series and Bartram's Skill Growth Support run until 4:59 AM on August 19. It is likely more events will be added, so focus on the current ones and keep an eye out for further updates.

Q. I want to craft Heroic gear as quickly as possible.
A. The developers have modified mission 63 of the Special Agent Growth event.

Back in May, Raven 2 introduced the Special Agent Growth event, a tiered mission structure that allows players to hoard Heroic gear. However, mission 63, 'Participate in a Contest 1 time,' was a massive roadblock, as these are high-level competitive events. With the August 5 update, this has been changed to 'Reach Floor 15 of the Tower of Chaos.'

If you log in after the update and find the mission incomplete despite already being on floor 15 or higher, simply clear that floor again to trigger the completion.

With the wall of mission 63 torn down, the path to the final rewards (missions 64-70) is open. These include a Heroic Saint/Familiar/Stella/Weapon Resonance Summon Ticket, a +7 Dazzling Relic Selection Box, a Radiant Heroic Armor 3 Selection Box, and a Heroic Re-creation Bead.

The Radiant Heroic Armor 3 Selection Box is particularly interesting. Opening it allows you to choose between the Sacred King’s Boots, Twilight Guardian’s Boots, Dream Judge’s Slippers, Sacred King’s Cloak, Twilight Guardian’s Cloak, or the Dream Judge’s Cloak. While these require two Heroic Armor Crafting Blueprints and aren't quite top-tier, they are a godsend for light or low-spec players. For the high-spec crowd, they at least serve as useful fodder for transmutation.

If you aren't reading the patch notes with a fine-tooth comb, you might miss this. Raven 2 added a 'Pre-festival' tab to the 'Shop - Items' page following the August 5 update. There are five types of items available until 4:59 AM on August 19. They cost a mere 100 Gold each, which is a steal. Just note the purchase limits: Special Agent Gratitude Box (Normal/Enhancement Stone) can be bought once daily, while the Special Agent Magic Stone Selection Box and Top-Grade 11x Saint/Familiar Summon Selection Box are once weekly. The Special Agent Gratitude Box (Rare) is limited to one per server.