Korean progression scenarios · About these guides
Upgrading Korea’s armguard equipment does not raise the character’s item level. It provides attack and defense, but does not contribute item level in the same way as ordinary weapons and armor. “Armguard” here describes the Korean system and is separate from bracelets; it does not confirm a North American release name.
That distinction prompted speculation about raid entry requirements after Belgardin: extend existing honing beyond 1780, retain the same entry level, or introduce another progression or transfer system?
However, the absence of item level on an armguard does not confirm an equipment or season reset. The scenarios below preserve the source’s outlook at publication. They are possible design directions, not a current roadmap or confirmed future entry requirements.
Armguards increase power without increasing item level
The new equipment combines offensive and defensive properties in an independent equipment category.
Korea’s official introduction specifies attack and defense, but no item level, quality, or Ark Passive points. It can be honed, with grade upgrades through its limit-break system at designated stages, up to Ancient grade +25. These are Korean system rules.
The basic properties are as follows.
| Property | Korean armguard |
|---|---|
| Attack | Provided |
| Defense | Provided |
| Item level | None |
| Quality | None |
| Ark Passive points | Not provided |
| Progression | Honing and limit breaks |
| Maximum progression | Ancient grade +25 |
An item-level 1780 character can become stronger by upgrading the armguard, but the armguard upgrade alone does not make the character 1785.
Increasing power for current encounters and meeting a later raid’s item-level requirement are separate goals.
The Korean Belgardin requirements: 1750, 1770, and 1780
The Korean Shadow Raid featuring Belgardin offers Normal, Hard, and Nightmare.
Its announced item-level requirements were these.
| Difficulty | Required item level |
|---|---|
| Normal | 1750 |
| Hard | 1770 |
| Nightmare | 1780 |
The encounter is an eight-player, two-gate endgame raid. The requirements above refer to that Korean version, rather than establish availability or matching rules elsewhere.
The source’s central question was how item-level progression beyond 1780 might work. The armguard itself does not answer it.
If a future raid requires more than 1780, that extra item level must come from another applicable progression route.
Possible choices include further honing on Serca weapons and armor, new transferable equipment, or another growth system. Keeping the highest entry requirement at 1780 is another possibility.
The +21, +22, and +23 discussion concerns ordinary equipment
This distinction matters when reading the speculation.
The source’s references to+21, +22, and +23 compare ordinary Serca weapon and armor honing, rather than armguard honing. They should not be read as armguard entry requirements.
Its simplified comparison treats similarly developed equipment around +21 as a 1780 setup, with one further level across the relevant pieces giving approximately 1785. That is a planning example, not a substitute for your character’s actual item-level calculation.
Real characters can have mixed weapon and armor honing levels.
It is therefore more accurate to discuss a hypothetical item-level requirement such as 1785 than to assume a raid would require every item at +22.
The source did not establish an official next-raid requirement of 1785 or any specific honing level.
Five possible progression directions after Belgardin
The source uses the armguard’s structure to consider five broad design choices.
All figures below are hypothetical comparisons, not confirmed next-raid entry conditions. They describe alternatives rather than predictions with assigned probabilities.
| Scenario | Possible approach | Main implication |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Keep 1780 | Retain 1780 for the next highest difficulty | Use combat-power gains such as armguards |
| 2. A modest increase | A requirement around 1785 | Further honing on existing equipment |
| 3. A larger honing target | A higher requirement such as 1790 | Extend the target for highly developed characters |
| 4. Stagger difficulty releases | Release Normal/Hard before the highest difficulty | Use earlier rewards to prepare |
| 5. Add another progression route | Introduce equipment transfer or new gear | Change the route through progression |
An actual update could combine more than one approach.
1. Retain 1780 for the next highest difficulty
The simplest scenario reuses Belgardin Nightmare’s 1780 requirement.
A new encounter does not inherently require a higher entry item level.
Different endgame encounters can occupy similar entry ranges while offering rewards that prepare players for later progression.
That could let players already at 1780 try the next encounter without another round of high-level honing first.
The design question would then be how to make existing power gains, including armguards, feel worthwhile.
New equipment or materials from the raid could also prepare characters for a later encounter.
2. Raise the requirement to roughly 1785
A second scenario asks for another step of ordinary equipment honing.
The source’s equal-honing example compares a roughly +21/1780 setup with approximately 1785 after another level across the applicable equipment. Actual mixed setups need their own calculation.
This does not mean 1785 is the announced requirement for the next raid.
It illustrates what a modest extension of the existing progression route could look like.
A five-item-level increase could extend existing equipment’s relevance while providing another preparation goal.
The practical cost cannot be judged from the five-point difference alone.
High honing levels can require much more gold and materials.
3. Require a larger increase, such as 1790
A third scenario raises the highest-difficulty entry point further.
With Normal, Hard, and Nightmare separated, it is possible to imagine another highest difficulty aimed specifically at the most developed characters.
A requirement beyond 1785, such as 1790, is one hypothetical version of that idea.
Relying only on existing high-level honing could make that route expensive quickly.
The number itself is not the whole design issue.
The intended audience and the available resources and progression routes matter more.
This article’s source did not confirm a next-raid requirement of 1790 or a particular honing level.
4. Release Normal/Hard first and Nightmare later
A fourth approach separates the release dates of difficulties.
Players could clear Normal or Hard, use those rewards to develop their characters, then prepare for Nightmare.
That provides preparation time even if the final entry requirement is higher.
The usefulness of the approach depends on the earlier difficulties’ rewards.
If they provide appropriate gear or transfer materials, the sequence becomes:
Enter the new raid → progress equipment → attempt the higher difficulty.
That would create a staged route.
For a future announcement, check both entry requirements and whether every difficulty launches together. Neither should be inferred from this example.
5. Add another progression route before the raid
This scenario is closest to the reset rumors.
Instead of extending Serca equipment honing indefinitely, a new gear or transfer system could raise item level.
For example, existing upgrades might transfer to new equipment, or another content reward could supply the materials for further item levels.
The important issue is not simply whether new gear exists.
It is how much existing progression carries forward.
If most investment transfers, that resembles an ordinary gear transition.
If substantial systems must be rebuilt, players could experience a much larger disruption.
Calling any new gear or transfer system a reset can therefore obscure the actual effect.
Why the armguard does not prove a reset
Its lack of item level is a relevant design feature.
But it does not establish that a season reset or extensive equipment reset has been scheduled.
The existing framework leaves several options.
The developers could use remaining honing progression, add a raid at the same entry level, or introduce transferable gear.
The word “reset” also often combines distinct changes.
Separate these three questions.
- Item-level expansion: Does the available progression range increase for higher content?
- Equipment transfer: Can current honing progress move to new equipment?
- Progression-system changes: Which existing investments remain useful?
New gear with substantial carryover is different from starting over.
Even if item level transfers, rebuilding several other systems could still feel disruptive.
An official announcement therefore needs to explain how existing investment and progression carry forward, rather than leave players to interpret a broad reset label.
How to assess an armguard upgrade
No item level does not mean no upgrade value.
The Korean armguard provides attack and defense. Honing raises its base effects, while limit breaks add further base attack according to the official introduction.
It can therefore matter when the goal is more power in Belgardin or other currently available Korean content.
However, preparing an unknown future entry item level requires separating armguards from ordinary equipment honing.
| Current goal | What to examine first |
|---|---|
| More power in a current raid | Armguard, skill gems, Ark Grid, and other relevant upgrades |
| Higher item level | Applicable weapon and armor honing |
| Preparation for the next raid | Its officially announced entry requirement |
| Preparation for new gear | Transfer and investment-carryover rules |
| Hesitation because of reset rumors | Current benefits versus affordable costs |
A rumor alone is a weak reason either to stop all progression or to overinvest in high-level honing. Start with the benefit in content you can play and the cost you can afford.
Armguard and reset FAQ
Does armguard honing raise item level?
No, under the Korean rules described here.
It increases combat stats without contributing an armguard item level to the character’s entry-level calculation.
What was the Korean Belgardin Nightmare requirement?
Item level 1780 or higher.
Normal required 1750 and Hard 1770. These are the Korean encounter’s requirements.
Was 1785 confirmed for the next raid?
Not by this source.
It is a hypothetical comparison using another step of existing equipment honing. Actual entry requirements need the relevant official announcement.
Were +22 or +23 confirmed as mandatory?
Not in the material supporting this discussion.
Those figures belong to speculation about ordinary equipment progression, not an announced requirement.
Would an armguard at +23 meet a higher entry level?
The armguard itself does not increase item level.
Its honing stage therefore cannot directly supply the additional entry item level in the way ordinary contributing equipment does.
Should this be treated as a scheduled reset?
The published armguard properties are insufficient evidence.
A conclusion needs official details about future entry levels, gear, transfer rules, and retention of existing progression.
Watch the next route to item level, not just the armguard
The central distinction is that an armguard adds combat power without adding character item level. Those are different forms of progression.
The source’s Korean Belgardin Nightmare benchmark was 1780. A later encounter could retain it or ask for more ordinary honing.
Staggered difficulties or transferable gear are other possible routes.
The three useful checks in a future announcement are:
The next raid’s entry item level, any new route to increase item level, and how much current gear progression carries forward. They matter more than an unsupported reset headline.
Waiting for those details gives character planning a firmer basis than deciding in advance that a reset must be coming.