Throne and Liberty

Next expansion leaks — NIX has been revealed

Item Gear (new per-equipment skill system), Frontier→Ramux tiers, Archboss T2 with Enraged phase and the Stellar Journey expansion.

SystemSkillArch BossBuildPvEImpact Critical
Published on May 18, 2026
Source: NIX Datamine · independent compilation · notion.so
Reading · 11 min
4538 changes
Next expansion's castle — concept art revealed in the NIX build
Next expansion's castle — concept art revealed in the NIX build

Quick summary — 6 key points

Tap each seal
Item Gear — new system

Equipment that alters or replaces existing skills. Counter Barrier turns offensive

Impact · Critical
New weapon: Gauntlet

Two modes: Gauntlet (stamina/tank) and Claws (bleed/DPS), swapped via Eclipse of Blood

Impact · Critical
New weapon tiers

Frontier · Frostbite · Annihilation · Ramux Ascended — full set across all 10 weapons

Impact · High
Archboss Tier 2 + Enraged phase

Queen Bellandir and Deluzhnoa with Enraged versions of Gravity Field and Vortex

Impact · High
Chaos Runes — armor runes

New rune class for 6 armor slots, in 3 rarity tiers

Impact · Medium
Stellar Journey expanded

Chapel of Madness joins as a new source of Stellar Memories

Impact · Medium
CHAPTER 01

Item Gear — skill that comes from the equipment

Skill

The heaviest discovery in the datamine is a new category of items: Gear Items. These are equipment pieces that alter or replace existing skills — they don't buff, they swap the whole effect.

Each of the 10 weapons (Sword and Shield, Dagger, Bow, Crossbow, Spear, Staff, Wand, Orb, Greatsword, Gauntlet) gained around 15 new items split into two families: Gear Items (alter skills) and Enchantments (boost the altered ones).

Counter Barrier → Attack Barrier

Sword and Shield · gear
⟳ Replaces skill
Before
Increases block chance + defensive counterattack
After
AoE damage 3m every 0.5s · each hit reduces Shield Strike CD

A Shot at Victory → Earth Strike

Sword · gear
⟳ Replaces skill
Before
Frontal single-target charge
After
AoE damage 3m + Sword Active Skill damage buff for X s

Cleaving Roar → Roar of Fury

Sword · gear
⟳ Replaces skill
Before
Simple cone taunt
After
Taunts up to 6 enemies within 10m · reduces Endurance and Heavy Attack Evasion

Cursed Nightmare → Nightmare trilogy

Wand · gear (Melody / Conductor / Crescendo)
▲ 3 stages
The skill gains three chained variants, suggesting an escalating combo system — Melody starts, Conductor sustains, Crescendo finishes.

Inner Peace → Thunder Shadow / Thunderclouds Explosion

Staff · gear
▲ Elemental variation
The mana skill gains lightning-themed versions. Suggests an elemental split applicable to several staffs.
  • Current builds based around specific skills become legacy builds on day 1
  • Counter Barrier was the hallmark of the defensive tank build — Attack Barrier repositions Sword and Shield as a hybrid bruiser
  • Roar of Fury taunting 6 targets instead of a short cone is a huge leap in raid tanking
  • The appearance of Gear Items for all 10 weapons indicates that no one escapes the build rework
  • Separate Enchantments suggest customization will be layered: pick the Gear → pick the Enchantment

Datamine ≠ official patch

⟡ Heads up
All content in this reveal came from a technical extraction of the test client (NIX build). Numeric values appear as X% because they haven't been filled in yet. NCSoft has not confirmed a release date and historically ~30% of datamined content never reaches the public version. Treat this as a forecast, not an announcement.
CHAPTER 02

New weapon: Gauntlet

Skill

Alongside the NIX datamine, independent leaks (credits to Kninebeat and Phlax) revealed the complete kit of the Gauntlet — the next weapon coming to Throne and Liberty.

The weapon has two modes that swap via the Eclipse of Blood skill: the base Gauntlet is stamina-driven and focuses on tanking/bruiser; the Claws mode is bleed-driven and focuses on sustained DPS. It works just like the Staff × Tome relationship: same weapon, different forms.

⟡ Gauntlet Mode (Stamina · Tank/Bruiser)

  • Fortitude Crustacean — turtle stance, +80 DR stacking up to 5×
  • Unshakable Stance — counter move, Block Chance up to +30%
  • Sweep (Bulldozer) — pulls everything in its path, with a Bind spec
  • Iron Mountain Blow — chained knockback, stun against walls
  • Taunt + Threat Boost — complete aggro kit for raids

⟡ Claws Mode (Bleed · DPS)

  • Chain Scratch — scales with Bleed stacks: 3 → 4 (50 stacks) → 5 (100 stacks)
  • Blood Spiral — leap + cross-slash 6m + 5 hits AoE 5m
  • Bloodstorm → Blood Talon — raid finisher combo
  • Blood Explosion — burst scaling with Bleed stacks
  • Evaporation — untargetable + AoE damage 3m, escape kit

Eclipse of Blood (Blood Feast)

Stance skill · swaps to Claws mode
⟳ Stance swap
Increases Attack Speed by X% and alters certain skills. Consumes X Stamina per second — ends when Stamina hits 0. Block Chance starts acting as off-hand weapon activation chance.

Critical Hit (Charge Attack)

Chargeable up to 100% bonus
▲ +100% at full charge
After Thrust, Smash Down, Unshakable Stance or Iron Mountain Blow, charge time drops 50%. Signals a predictable combo loop.

Chain Strike (Thrust / Uppercut / Smash Down)

Chain skill · up to 2 uses in a row
+ 3 finishers
Changes based on the previous hit of the basic combo: Thrust after Hit 1, Uppercut after Hit 2 (chance of Prone), Smash Down after Hit 3 (AoE 3m). During Eclipse of Blood it becomes Swift Claw.

Explosive Flurry (Gatling Attack)

11 frontal hits + 30% bigger finisher
▲ Frontal AoE 4m
Not usable during Eclipse of Blood. Specs: +2 hits, Stun on charge, Stamina recovery per hit.

Fortitude Crustacean (Turtle Stance)

Tank · stacks up to 5×
▲ +80 base DR
Each hit taken adds +10 Damage Reduction for X s, stacking up to 5×. A spec propagates the buff to the party — confirms a raid tank role.

One-Inch Punch

Stun + rear AoE
▲ 80% Stun chance
Closes in to 2m, deals X% damage + Stun for X s. After a short delay, hits a 60° cone behind the target at 200% of Attack Range. A spec applies Collision: Pull on 5 targets.

Trance (Battle Trance)

Survival cooldown
▼ -50% damage · DoT after
Reduces damage taken by 50% for 6 s. When it ends, it returns the reduced damage as a DoT over 4 s. Explicit risk/reward.

Bloodstorm (Blood Wind) + Blood Talon

Claws mode · finisher combo
▲ 8 frontal hits
After Bloodstorm, releases Blood Talon as a Chain Skill (AoE 4m). Main DPS combo in Claws mode.

Vampirism (Drain Life)

Claws mode · sustain
+ Self-heal
Recovers HP based on Bleed stacks on the target within 2× Attack Range — and consumes those stacks. Active DPS sustain.
  • Base Gauntlet: Consecutive Hits · Critical Hit · Eclipse of Blood · Mobility Strike · Chain Strike · Explosive Flurry · Fortitude Crustacean · Sweep · Earthquake · Unshakable Stance · Iron Mountain Blow · One-Inch Punch · Trance · Taunt · Threat Boost
  • Claws mode: Consecutive Claws · Chain Scratch · Vampirism · Pain Harvest · Evaporation · Absorbing Grasp · Blood Spiral · Bloodstorm · Blood Talon · Blood Explosion · Sharp Angle
  • Mechanic resources: Stamina (Gauntlet) · Bleed stacks (Claws) · Eclipse of Blood (stance swap) · Block Chance becomes off-hand chance during Eclipse
  • Expected role: main tank (pure Gauntlet), hybrid bruiser (swaps stances), sustained bleed DPS (pure Claws)
  • Leak credit: Kninebeat and Phlax — outside the NIX build, but aligned with the already mapped Gauntlet Items (Frontier · Frostbite · Annihilation · Ramux Ascended)

Third-party leak — outside the NIX build

⟡ Heads up
The skills below came from an independent capture, not from the datamined NIX build. The [X]% values mean the numbers aren't locked yet. Treat this as confirmed design direction, not final balance.
CHAPTER 03

New equipment tiers

Build

The datamine lists four complete new weapon lines, with a piece for each of the 10 weapon types. The naming suggests a clear progression — Frontier at the base, Ramux Ascended at the top, with Frostbite and Annihilation filling the middle.

Beyond those, Ascended versions of the already-known archbosses return: Pakilo Naru, Daigon, Deckman, Leviathan, Akman and Primal Brothers.

⟡ Craftable tiers

  • Frontier — entry, possibly open-zone farm
  • Frostbite — mid, affinity with Frost mechanics
  • Annihilation — high, pre-archboss
  • Each tier brings a set for all 10 weapons — no class favoritism

⟡ Archboss tiers (Ascended)

  • Ramux Ascended — complete set, new in the datamine
  • Pakilo Naru, Daigon, Deckman, Leviathan, Akman, Primal Brothers — Ascended versions return
  • Suggests the archboss cycle will expand, not replace
  • Expected drop: world archboss in weekly rotation

Frontier (10 weapons)

Entry tier · suffix `_010` to `_013`
+ New set
Craftable transition set. Includes Frontier Sword, Spear, Wand, Orb, Longbow, Crossbows, Daggers, Gauntlets, Greatsword, Staff.

Frostbite (10 weapons)

Mid tier · ice elemental theme
+ New set
Complete set. Implies affinity with Frost mechanics (see Ch. 04).

Annihilation (10 weapons)

High tier · suffix `_013` to `_016`
+ New set
High-end pre-archboss set. Includes Annihilation Sword, Greatsword, Staff, Wand, etc.

Ramux Ascended (10 weapons)

Top · suffix `_arch_006`
▲ Top tier
Ascended version of the archboss Ramux. Complete set across all 10 weapons — first archboss to receive a fully expanded line.
CHAPTER 04

NIX Field Bosses and the elemental system

Arch Boss

New field bosses prefixed Nix_FieldBoss bring brand-new elemental mechanics. The datamine cites six distinct elements with their own skills, suggesting an elemental system applied to field bosses — no longer bosses with a generic kit.

Cold Snap Erosion

Field Boss · Frost (2H Sword)
+ New skill
Ice erosion. Applies a Frost abnormal (`abn_WP_Item_Nix_FieldBoss_SW2_01`).

Tectonic Shift

Field Boss · Earth (Orb)
+ New skill
Ground mechanic — suggests area knockback or creation of a contested zone.

Thunder Call + Thunder Bombardment

Field Boss · Lightning (Dagger)
+ Combo
Two-stage skill: a lightning call that drips, followed by an area bombardment.

Wave Resonance + Storm Current

Field Boss · Water/Storm (2H Sword · Crossbow)
+ Synergy
Water skills that benefit from the Storm Current buff — a cross-elemental combo.

Crimson Echo · Circulation · Condensation

Field Boss · Blood (2H Sword)
+ Trilogy
Three skills on an escalating scale — Echo is the entry, Circulation sustains, Condensation explodes.
  • The prefix `Nix_Field` × `Nix_FieldBoss` × `Nix_Crack` × `Nix_ArchBoss` splits the content into four boss families
  • Nix_Crack suggests bosses tied to fissures/rifts — a possible new category between field and archboss
  • Each element has a base skill + an associated abnormal/debuff — bosses apply a specific debuff
  • Per-weapon suffixes (`_SW2`, `_ORB`, `_DA`, `_CR`) indicate the boss has affinity with a player type
CHAPTER 05

Archboss Tier 2 — Enraged phase

Arch Boss

Queen Bellandir and Deluzhnoa — the two most iconic Archbosses — received Enraged variants of their signature mechanics. It's not a new skill, it's a second phase of the existing skills, with IDs pointing to an archboss Tier 2.

Queen Bellandir's Gravity Field

Archboss · base skill
○ Phase 1
Classic mechanic: gravitational field that pulls toward the center.

Enraged Queen Bellandir's Gravity Field

Archboss · Tier 2 skill
▲ Enraged phase
Furious version. Suggests activation when crossing an HP threshold — probably below 30%.

Deluzhnoa's Vortex

Archboss · base skill
○ Phase 1
A vortex that rotates around the boss applying damage and pull.

Enraged Deluzhnoa's Vortex

Archboss · Tier 2 skill
▲ Enraged phase
Enraged version. ID `T2_GT_02` confirms tier 2 — a more aggressive second phase.

Dragon's Blessing

Archboss aura (Wand)
+ Raid buff
An aura that applies a buff to the party — suggests some raids will have a buff dropped by the boss itself, contestable between guilds.
CHAPTER 06

Chaos Runes — runes for armor

System

An entirely new rune class appeared: Chaos Rune. It applies to all armor slots (Helmet, Chest, Hands, Cloak, Legs, Feet) and comes in 3 rarity tiers — probably Common / Rare / Epic, judging by the internal suffixes `kA` → `kAA` → `kAA2`.

An item called Chaos Rune Selection Chest suggests it's obtained via an event or shop with a choice of slot.

Chaos Rune: Headpiece

Helmet · 3 tiers
+ New slot
kA · kAA · kAA2 — probably Common, Rare, Epic.

Chaos Rune: Top + Legs + Shoes

Body armor · 3 tiers each
+ 3 slots
Chest, legs and feet get a complete line.

Chaos Rune: Gloves + Cloak

Combat accessories · 3 tiers each
+ 2 slots
Hands and cloak close out the pack — 6 slots total.

Chaos Rune Selection Chest

Selectable pack
+ Shop/event
Lets you choose the slot — it's not random. Suggests acquisition via an event with a rarity economy.
CHAPTER 07

Stellar Journey — Chapel of Madness

System

The Stellar Journey (launched in the May 12 patch) received an expansion in the datamine. New Stellar Memory categories were listed: Adventure 2, Adventure 3, Exploration, Singularity, Relic Fishing — confirming that each source will have its own label.

The highlight is a specific Stellar Memory: Chapel of Madness. It's a named item with its own description, indicating the Chapel becomes content tied to the Stellar Journey — probably a separate raid or area.

Stellar Journey: Adventure 1, 2, 3

Memories per Codex chapter
+ Categorization
Each chapter of the Adventure Codex drops a labeled Memory — eases farm planning.

Stellar Journey: Exploration / Singularity / Relic Fishing

3 complementary sources
+ Own labels
Confirms that Traces and Relic Fishing have internal sub-categories.

Starry Memory: Chapel of Madness

Named item
+ New content
The Chapel of Madness starts delivering a Stellar Memory — suggests a new raid/dungeon tied to the system, possibly connected to the Altar of the Chaos Witch.
Opinion

Scaryel's take

Analysis
S

Scaryel comments

⟡ Creator's voice
“Strong datamine, but lower your expectations. Item Gear is the kind of change that rewrites the meta — if it arrives as-is, current builds become museum pieces on day 1. The Gauntlet is the most mature item in the package: Eclipse of Blood as a stance swap between stamina/bleed is solid design, very reminiscent of the Staff × Tome transition that already works well. I'm betting this one comes in whole, maybe still in 2026. As for Archboss Tier 2 with an Enraged phase, it's the predictable path to extend raid lifespan without inventing a new boss. What worries me: 4,538 changes in an internal build is a lot to process. In other MMOs, that volume usually comes split across 3-4 patches over a year, not all at once. My read is that NCSoft is testing directions — some will go to production, others will hit the bin. Specifically: high confidence in Gauntlet, Chaos Runes and the Stellar expansion. Medium confidence in Item Gear (likely, but with adjustments). Low confidence in seeing all of this ship together.”
Final verdict⟡ Massive datamine · Treat it as a forecast, not an announcementConfidence: 6.5/10
Impact

Impact on players

Community

What changes in practice

Datamine ≠ patch. KR history shows 2-3 months between datamined and public patch. The BR version adds +4 weeks. Don't buy a NIX tier list as if it already existed.

For guilds
Start planning Stellar Memory farm now — when Chaos Runes arrive, you'll need 6 slots × several pieces per player.
For solo PvP
Item Gear is a meta-shifter. Skills like Battlefield Frenzy and Battlefield Momentum appeared by name — they suggest specific buffs for ranked Battlefield.
For casual players
An expanded Stellar Journey with the Chapel of Madness is more slow-growth content. Good for those who play 1-2h/day and want permanent progress.
Summary

1-minute summary

System

⟡ For those in a hurry

01:00
  1. 4,538 changes leaked in the test build — 3,508 additions, 544 modifications, 486 removals.
  2. Item Gear: equipment that alters or replaces skills. Counter Barrier turns offensive, Cleaving Roar becomes a 6-target taunt.
  3. New Gauntlet weapon: two modes (Gauntlet stamina/tank · Claws bleed/DPS) swapped via Eclipse of Blood. 22 skills mapped (credits Kninebeat and Phlax).
  4. New tiers: Frontier → Frostbite → Annihilation → Ramux Ascended. Complete set across all 10 weapons.
  5. Archboss T2: Queen Bellandir and Deluzhnoa get an Enraged phase — Gravity Field and Vortex supercharged.
  6. NIX Field Bosses: 6 new elements (Frost, Tectonic, Thunder, Wave, Storm, Crimson) with their own skills.
  7. Chaos Runes: new rune class for 6 armor slots, in 3 rarity tiers.
  8. Stellar Journey: Chapel of Madness joins as a new source of Stellar Memory.
  9. Scaryel's verdict: strong datamine, but lower your expectations. Confidence 6.5/10.
Back to the CodexNext article