A heads up on the new Boss Gates - just finished Snarby

So, to help set some expectations in advance, my guildmates and I just finished a Snarby run in the new gate, and I wanted to make sure people were aware that the way the new armor and items work isn't quite what you might be expecting.
I'm not going to spoil anything, but I'll just say this:
In the entire Snarbolax run, all the way until Snarby was dead, and then in the treasure boxes, we got 0 new items.
There's more than you remember or saw on the Test Server. I'll leave that surprise for you each to figure out. But just know that you could very, very easily invest thousands or tens of thousands of CE into a run like Snarby and come out with no new items at all. Speaking as someone who just did, I wanted to warn those who weren't sure how this new system works.
There's more that even I have not seen - gotta thank the auto-kick to haven for that one. :) But just be aware that even if you push yourself to spend thousands of CE revving to beat Snarby, that alone will not get you any new items.
I'm not sure personally how I feel on this update. But for those of you who would feel bad spending 10-20k CE to get a key, go down, rev all the way to snarby, and then get nothing - be aware it could very well happen!

what was the crown ouput of those levels? worth the 750ce key cost?

what was the crown ouput of those levels? worth the 750ce key cost?
Common sense.

If you have an absolutely pro team of people who can manage to not die at all, you'll make a profit.
Otherwise, the CE cost of reviving alone is typically far more expensive than any crowns you'll pick up on the way.
Ember - I did not look at the armor. In fact, you don't even see it in the entire Snarby run, nor in the room after you kill him. (them?)
As I mentioned, there is more that I'm not revealing here, to keep it a surprise, but I just want people to be aware that you could spend a ton of CE just getting snarby dead - and then get nothing but some gold coins and primal sparks at the end.

So basically you're saying you didn't have enough CE/other mats for the alchemy machine?
Also, I'd like to know the stats as well.

I kind of expected that. It would've seemed strange if it was a 100% chance for a new item anyway.
..OOOh well? Sorry for your misfortune. D:

may be time to call a boycott of the new levels i guess, maybe that will get OOO's attention finally

so your saying using 750ce to get there you can make more then 40k cr in 1 run?

Khamsin - Not quite. Saying any more will spoil the surprise.
Neozeru - It's all good. After a good hour plus down there, we were happy just to finally beat them... was just hoping for the prize to be awarded there. : ) So it goes!
XCheif - unless you're a god among men and have the patience of a saint, you won't make any profit by buying a shadow key (even if you get one on your first try at 750 CE) and then running Snarbolax. That said, do remember that there's more I'm not telling you guys yet. :)
thats a pretty sadistic way of revealing information, in fact, u could use this to manipulate ppl and give them impressions, which suit ur convenience
i personally am prepared to see spoilers when i click on a thread, this 1 is much worse in my eyes than the crybaby thread

u people think OOO wants you to break even with the crown payouts of the new levels but thats false and u know it

@Zelda - There's nothing sadistic intended here. I'm just not going to reveal something that OOO put in as a surprise, so that others can experience what I did too. : )
If anything, the sadistic thing to do would be not to let people know that they could burn through thousands of CE, kill Snarby, and still get no new items.
There is more at the end - what that is, you will have to discover on your own!
alright i get the point
everybody was afraid, the reward might be not worth it, now its been confirmed by u
no new info, no hopes at all, still crap content in my eyes unless the armors turn out to be godlike

No, hold up - I'm not saying the reward isn't worth it. There's more even I haven't seen, and until I can figure it out, I'm not going to judge the new content.
But I'm sure I'm not the only one who was thinking that by spending just a bit more CE to finally kill Snarby, we'd get a reward involving the new gear - and we were all a bit disappointed to find out that wasn't the case. I just wanted to make sure others understand that before they hit the Revive button too many times too early. : )

Can you explain the process of what being down there is like in relation to your party? Is it restricted automatically from d24 and on?

Yes. Once you begin the new dungeon, you cannot invite any new party members, even if space opens. Your party becomes completely restricted, so make sure they're in it for the long haul!

haha, nice, so you really are screwed over if you get kicked to haven for any reason :/

So I heard there's some shadow clones down there. I don't see why you feel the need to be cryptic. You're just [a wonderful person] and the information will come out as other players do the run.

@Khamsin - Appreciate the unnecessary insult, thanks man.
@Negimasonic - Yeah. If you go back for any reason... it's all over. : )

you might as well just spoil it. there just isn't going to be a lot of people getting a shadow key and using it at the same time.

Well thank you for this information regardless. It seems like there's even less reason for me to give it a shot now, I generally don't get disconnected, but it does happen. I'd only go now if I did get a free one or invite from a friend with ones.

Continuing on Negima's question's answer...It means that you can get utterly screwed if you bring at least one insufficient enough-geared member or simply if you die too much on 1st stratum and you get back to Haven...
No elevator=No heat at all
Not finishing whole thing=Not worth spending money on shadow key
And if what Ruby says is correct,Finishing it=Not worth it.
Whatever you do,you are,i repeat,screwed.
This is obviously OOO's way of creating a P2P section in this game :)

The best advice I can give you is this:
- Don't go to the new Boss Dungeon expecting to make a profit in crowns.
- Take it slow. Don't rush in, take your time. What you think is the end is not the end.
- They weren't kidding when they said we only saw a little piece of things on the test server. : )
I'm sure somebody else will spoil it later. That's fine. But I really enjoyed getting to experience it without knowing what to do, and I haven't felt that in SK for a long, long time.

There's more than you remember or saw on the Test Server. I'll leave that surprise for you each to figure out. But just know that you could very, very easily invest thousands or tens of thousands of CE into a run like Snarby and come out with no new items at all. Speaking as someone who just did, I wanted to warn those who weren't sure how this new system works.
The new items part in specific: That's wrong. Just finished a run, and got one new material. Every person in the party gets one copy of the material. Crafting spot is neat, armor seriously sucks.
The dungeon in specific was really stupid. I don't think I got more than 7K crowns for the whole thing; It's not worth buying a shadow key for whatever ridiculous prices to just get 7K crowns. Even on UFSC, it won't be so good, I'm pretty sure.
The armor? They pretty much suck, to be honest. They're not any kind of buffed up armor, just new different defense combos, mostly.
May post with screenshots and more stuff in a bit.

Instead of reading and imagining what might be like in a shadow lair, I'll wait and watch the videos on youtube. Then I'll know exactly what to expect in the shadow lairs.

Biz - you're referencing what comes after Snarby, right? (I've held off posting about that yet to avoid spoilers.)
It is entirely possible to defeat Snarby without getting a single new item.

@Ruby - Yeah, sorry - You have to clear what comes after the bosses in order to obtain the material. Though the material relates to whatever dungeon you ran, so yeah.
Anyway: If you guys do not mind massive spoilers of the things to expect in the end of Shadow Lairs, check this album of screenshots I have taken there.
There's some with armor stats aswell, if you're wondering. I excluded one major part of it because it is something I do not really wish to spoil myself. (also, sorry, forgot to take screenshots of the materials required. It's just normal crafting materials and prices, and one special Shadow Lair material.)

At least Snarby armor is decent; good for UGW and (U)FSC runs, but... That's all it is. It's rehashed Skolver.
The rest is garbage, plain and simple.
i like the vitapods, would go ther for fun if it wasnt for the keys
armors could be sold at the auction for profit?
guess its meant for the 25 wealthy % of the players to invite the 75 poor % of the players
thx for sharing armor stats

Those are some super duper expensive costumes, if you ask me.
Not at all worth it, not even a single set for gunners (of course) and once again the sword set is far and away the best
bleh
looks cool though, but i wont be bothering. Could get 10x the content from a subscription based game, for a whole month instead of one shot..and it isnt just rehashed content either, what a joke
in fact i think im gonna go find myself something to play on steam/psn, pretty much guaranteed a crapload of content for the equivalent with 2 (chances at getting) keys

"Those are some super duper expensive costumes, if you ask me."
Basically. And there are people who want to go out and get them.

totally lackluster.
it's no wonder almire is in such a crap state. they armor their guys with junk.

Just wondering how many boxes did you have to open until you found a shadow key?
So looks like you need to beat each boss at *least* twice, if you want the armors.

i just wanted to say think you for no spoilers. I saw some complaints, so i just wanted to say i really appreciate it.

@Biznasty
Thanks for the screenshot. Do you remember which base equipment do the Mercurial Demo set requires? Is it Heavy Demo set or Charged Quick Silver set? Thanks!

I will. SPOILERS IN THIS POST. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS.
Basically, from what the images I've found can tell me, after you beat a Shadow level, you go to a new level-"Unknown Passage-A Descent into Darkness". Where the depth number should be you have ???, and the level-transfer icon is a scary, red etching thing. Lots of respawning enemies-everything is black and red, very eerie with parts of the level and screen peeling off in pixels kind of like how things look in Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. It's like a graveyard on steroids without Phantoms, just a neverending mob after your CE (from what I can tell).
After that hell, you go to "The Sanctuary- A Calm in the Storm", a forested, foggy, and white place with a stone crafting machine where you make the 'shadow tier' gear. Only the Snarby set is of much use, though.

I don't get why you would spend tens of thousands of CE for a few levels...but anyways I do not really plan on dying.

nothing realy special if you ask me (just T3/4 versions of bossruns haha) and some extra's so for me not worth the money (or time to grind CE/crown to afford it)

much love to Ruby and Biz, now we need videos :D though at this point I'm actually possibly content with not going at all. Mercurial demo with no CTR broke my heart a bit.

Thanks for the screenies =)... I plan to go there twice...

Oh my... You've given me too much information.. Thank You.
In about a week I'll look for party members.. Meanwhile, I'll be making preparations..

Give me a key, 2 days and you'll have an hour long (may be more) video of the adventure. On youtube. Oh and I'll need some 10k ce for revivals xD
Lets all throw in some CE to sponsor one adventure! >:D
Remember: don't reply on forum. Send me a mail in game.
PS: Thanks a ton for screenshots, you're great, mate.

Just capped a shadow lair snarby run.
Very tough. Very laggy. If you have a computer that suffers from lag, this will be the laggiest experience you have ever had on SK. 90% of the dungeon were twice as bad as any part of FSC. On 3 occasions my teammates went floating off into outer space and i had to hold my breath and hope i didn't DC. After 1-2 minute long lag pauses i was back (and dead of course). As a party, in total, we used 1900 CE on rezzes. If i had a better computer we could have probably cut that down by at least 320, if not 4-500. If our other laggy member had a better computer, we probably coulda got it down to about 700-1k in rez. Go slow. Keep each other rezzed.
SPOILERS!!!!!! DON'T READ ON IF U DON'T WANT SPOILERS.!!!!
I'd strongly advise when u do this, u will want 2 shivermists, and 3 guns. <--at least. You will want something with pierce, and something with elemental, and something with shadow. Meaning, u want a balance geared party, with shiver and guns as well.
There are lots of wolvers and alphas. (so u want pierce and shiver).
There are lot's of howlitzers and undead. (u will want polaris and shiver and a DA or 2).
The floor after u beat snarby there will be unique monster with infinite spawns and unkillable turrets. (u will want shadow weapons and shiver to focus down slimes, they seem to leave the most hearts, similar to quicksilver heart drop rates. Use this to try and keep ur party rezzed as possible).
Good luck.

Well counting that if you do the whole run and get the material, which now you can sell for at least 120~150k, that * 4=480k, so the key is pretty much payed for, just find a party that's willing to divide the costs. The rez cost isn't that big if your party is at least decent. That run biznasty posted the pics of, we spent in total what, 200~300ce max? Probably not event hat much, and it was our first run trough. So yeah, in a decent party, and counting the material you get, the keys is payed for. GL with your runs

Lol rubyeclipse's presence kind of makes me chuckle. Especially since his visit here comes exactly at a point where it's the first time I don't stand behind OOO rings decision. But also in general being the worst update ever. Kind of reminds me of the sonic 4 episode 1 compaign. Great to see you doing your job. I reckon You're good at it aaron, you really are.
When I opened this thread I didn't see the author so I didn't know that it was a sega representitive who wrote that post, untill I saw someone quoting you and this thread became instant [bullcrap]. Don't fall for it guys
Thanks for the tidbits of info anyway
[EDIT: Watch the foul language and personal attacks, please.]

if you have a computer/connection that lags in normal sk, just know it's gonna be easily 10x worse in the shadow lair. And you'll have no chance of having rez cost around 2-300--it's not a possibility.

Uh, old news is so exciting... Check the wiki, specifically, Unknown Passage and The Sanctuary. There are even links to videos. I saw them yesterday by looking at the "recent changes" link on the wiki.
Edit: from the page histories, it looks like we have Magnus to thank for quite a few of these initial pages.

I usually don't spoil myself for new content but it's so clear to me that i'll never be able to do this content that I have no choice lol.
Did you look at the new armor?
I'd like to know its stats.