In a future update we will be making some significant changes to sub-towns and player progression.

Sub-towns are revealing... their true form!
Sub-towns will no longer be a 'home' for your character as we are re-emphasizing Haven as the home of every character. Upon logging out, you will always restart in Haven and all 'return' elevators will always direct you to Haven.

However, from each gate in the Haven arcade, you will be able to select each tier of that gate (if available). By selecting tier 2 or tier 3, you will be sent to the sub-town at that tier instead of a party lobby. Sub-towns will now effectively become party lobbies for each tier.

The sub-town you select will then have a single 'down' elevator leading to the next floor of the gate you selected back in Haven. Should you then make it to another sub-town, its down elevator will take you to the next tier of the same gate as before.

Why change sub-towns?
This change will re-emphasize Haven as the player's home and greatly increase the population in the (only) arcade. It's always better to see and interact with more players rather than separate them as they are now.

Additionally, by instancing sub-towns it allows us to add all kinds of random characters in them that can make each visit unique. More on that later.

Player progression changes
Players must now earn access to each tier. Upon entering a sub-town from the previous tier, players will encounter a Spiral Ward guarding the entrance to the sub-town (and next tier). In order to pass, a player must have a complete set of equipment of a minimum star value (2-star for tier 2, 4-star for tier 3) as well as enough level tokens for the appropriate tier. Having this, the player will be granted a tier badge that allows them access to the new tier.

Level tokens...?
Players automatically earn a level token for each successful completed level from start to finish. They are not true items, but instead more like just a stat tracking the total levels per tier you have completed. For a few days now, everyone has been accruing level tokens, so some degree of grandfathering in will occur at the time of the new feature being released.

Why do this?
Limiting advancement into the next tier until players have the right gear and a certain amount of experience in the previous tier is being done to ensure players have a good experience at each major milestone of the game. There is currently a problem with many players walking into areas they are unprepared for, dying, and not understanding why. This new feature will greatly aid in our guiding players to the right content for their experience.

Wait a sec... you've just introduce player levels!
To a small degree, yes, players need to advance to a particular point before the full game is open to them. However, please bear in mind that this is an extremely short process compared to other online games. On mist alone, a new player could probably have their tier 3 badge in a couple of weeks.

Additionally, we will be introducing a means to bypass the Spiral Ward even if you don't have the right badge. As always, we do not want to prevent people from playing with their friends.