Summoners War v8.8.5 has gone live on Steam, and an automatic update will install the new version for Com2uS’ Summoners War. Players are advised to return to the Village and close their game safely before the scheduled update times, since being logged in when the patch begins can cause a sudden crash.
The update introduces a new World Arena mode called Challenge Battle, several early-game quality-of-life changes, improvements to the Strategy Deck and Rune UI, fixes for multiple bugs, and the scheduled end date for the TEKKEN 8 collaboration.
When the update runs
- Global – 3:45 AM PDT
- Europe – 12:45 PM CEST
- Asia – 6:30 PM TST
- Korea – 7:00 PM KST
- Japan – 7:30 PM JST
- China – 6:30 PM CST
World Arena and World Guild Battle will be unavailable from 03:00 AM to 03:45 AM PDT. Other content should remain playable.
Challenge Battle, explained
Challenge Battle is a new 1v1 World Arena mode that uses pre-set Monsters rather than players’ own collections. From a pool of 40 provided Monsters, 12 are randomly assigned to each side at the start of a match, then the normal pick and ban phase applies. All Summoner Skills are applied at MAX level during these matches. Entry requires Summoner Lv. 50, and the menu appears under World Arena > Challenge.
Key rules and systems:
- At the start of each battle, 12 Challenge Monsters are randomly assigned from the 40 Monster pool. Assigned Monsters do not overlap with the opponents picks.
- Monsters are provided at 6 star Lv. 40, with MAX Skill Levels, and fully equipped with Runes and Artifacts that cannot be changed.
- Challenge Runs end when a player records three losses. A player can start a new run while attempts remain.
- Players may attempt up to 10 Challenge Runs per day. Attempt counts reset daily at 12:00 AM server time. Rankings use the highest number of wins in a single run.
More information on the Challenge Monster list is available from Com2uS’ notice, see the challenge monster list for details here.
Rewards and rotation
Rewards are tied to total accumulated wins and the highest wins in a single run. The Challenge Monster list will be available until Oct. 31, 7:59 AM PDT and will be replaced on Nov. 1, 12:00 AM PDT. The Challenge Battle rewards (highest wins), monster list rotation, and ranking reset follow a bimonthly cycle aligned to odd-numbered months. After this update, the first reset will occur on Nov. 1, 12:00 AM PDT, following a rest period on Oct. 31 from 8:00 AM – 11:59 PM PDT.
Early-game and quality of life changes
- Several Summoner’s Way progression and Challenge quests were revamped. The previous 4 star Monster Skill Power-up reward has been replaced with a new 4 star Monster MAX Skill Up, which instantly maxes skill levels of a selected default 4 star Monster. Quests already completed will not reset, and in-progress quests can be cleared under the new conditions.
- Arena-related quest timing changed to begin after completing Search Mt. Siz instead of after Search the Garen Forest.
- Goddess Ameria’s Blessing for new and returning Summoners now sends 1,000,000 Mana Stones daily, and some shop and craft items are marked with a thumbs-up tag during the blessing period for quick discovery.
- World Boss battles now allow Monsters of all levels to participate, tutorials triggered by the Summoner’s Way GO feature have been limited to quest-relevant tutorials, and Scenario clear reward cutscenes were shortened for faster progression.
- All Magic Shop slots are unlocked by default upon installation. Players who had locked slots before the update will see those slots unlocked when the patch is applied.
Strategy Deck and Rune UI updates
- A Beginner Recommendation Deck now appears at the top of the Strategy Deck list for each dungeon, using Monsters easy to acquire early on. View Details shows recommended Rune settings and attack order.
- If a Strategy Deck Monster is in the Sealed Shrine, it will appear as activated with an icon indicating its status.
- On the Load Runes/Artifacts screen, SPD Display Mode and Attribute Mark Mode will now appear, and thumbnails will show Monsters without Runes or Artifacts in unequipped notifications across multiple modes, including Siege Battle and World Guild Battle.
Other changes and fixes
- World Arena spectate and replay modes now display battle mode (Ranking/Normal/Goodwill) for easier identification.
- Ranking info will not appear on content loading screens during the SWC period. Several loading tips and help texts were improved.
- Daily Packs can now be purchased at any time to extend their benefit period. A new notification icon was added for unclaimed daily rewards, guild battle progress, Arena deadlines, and similar alerts.
- Bug fixes include power-up display issues when selling Runes, saved sort filter settings for Power Up Selected, several Repeat Battle pop-up behaviors, visual fixes for Secret Dungeon Gargoyle statues, and adjustments to certain collab weekly missions so they can be completed within the collaboration period.
TEKKEN 8 collaboration end
The TEKKEN 8 collaboration will end on Oct. 1, 7:59 AM PDT. Players should claim any uncollected rewards before that time. Com2uS plans to add original Monsters with the same stats and skills as the Tekken collab characters in late October. More on the collab is available here. For a deep look at the skill balance changes linked from the update page, see the developer’s skill balance details here.
This update changes how some mid to late matchups play out in the World Arena Challenge, and the early-game tweaks will help new accounts ramp up faster. Share thoughts in the comments and follow us on X and Bluesky.
