In the deep dark below, beyond the space where time wakens and yawns, beyond the shadows cast by the great leviathan of eternity, the Apocrea stir. Within cities where geometry and madness share meaning, constructed from thought, from unnatural impulse, the Apocrea dream dark machines into being.

Only souls keep these engines roaring, heard screaming across distant stars. Only souls can fill their void, sublime in its vast emptiness. Oh such beautiful souls! Bright and vibrant like fruit warming on the branch from a summer’s sun, longing for the pull of the earth below, the chance to seed and grow and birth anew.

What terrible naivety! What utter farce! All of them mere crops against their relentless scythe! Though they may steal sanctuary in the cracks and corners of their terrible realm, it is ever fleeting. The blinding gaze of the Apocrea is boundless.

The daylight, the starlight; all hope is merely waiting for their dark shroud to return this cosmic play to its primordial black.

Dear heavens! The stars grin down with lustful intent! It is an abomination, an embodiment of sublime beauty, dark and blooded! I weep and laugh before the shroud that waits!

Nuul-duggath, I am seared in your gaze oh Apocrea, teeming filth of ages! Nyarrlotth-MORG!

(The remaining pages are a series of indecipherable symbols and patterns, seemingly drawn with great haste.)

- Recovered from the journal of Prof. Allister Danford, Dean of Antiquities

Shroud of the Apocrea
'Shroud of the Apocrea' is a new Prestige Mission for knights available for a limited time. In Shroud of the Apocrea, several capable knights have gone missing in a seemingly normal area of the Clockwork Tunnels. Spiral HQ suspects foul play and has assigned you to investigate the level.

You must be at least Rank 4-1 to access the Shroud of the Apocrea mission.

Successfully completing Shroud of the Apocrea solo is very difficult and it is advised you attempt this mission with a party! Additionally, your party will LOCK after using the elevator in the Mission Lobby.

Shroud of the Apocrea features an enigmatic and terrifying new foe as well as new items to acquire:

Tokens:
- Apocrean Sigil, found for completing various challenges in the mission. Choosing higher level difficulty modes will reward higher token payouts throughout the mission.

Materials:
- Perplexing Element, 5*
- Binding Essence, 4*
- Obsidian Shard, 3*

Weapons:
- Obsidian Edge, 5* sword
- Obsidian Crusher, 5* bomb
- Obsidian Carbine, 5* handgun

These new items can only be obtained in Shroud of the Apocrea, though getting them will not be easy. Only truly courageous knights will be capable of obtaining a full set of Obsidian weapons!

*Please note, the Prestige Mission is only playable once per day to receive the mission rewards. You will be able to find additional tokens by joining your friends in the mission lobby.

Obsidian Prize Boxes

An exceptional curiosity has arrived in the Supply Depot and is available to you through November 3, 2013, the Obsidian Prize Box. Plucked from the depths of the Apocrean realm, Obsidian Prize boxes are almost certainly guaranteed to not induce madness upon ownership. There is literally almost no chance you will hide one deep within your family cellar and pour over its intricate, arcane craftsmanship. And opening one will not in any way unleash a terrible, ancient entity from a world of unending, dark dreams into your own.

No, instead, the Obsidian Prize Box contains an assortment of unique and very rare Apocrean treasures. These ageless, undying antiquities include:

97% chance for one of the following costume items:
- Obsidian Hood of Rituals
- Obsidian Mantle of Rituals
- Obsidian Hood of Sight
- Obsidian Mantle of Sight
- Obsidian Hood of Influence
- Obsidian Mantle of Influence
- Obsidian Hood of Devotion
- Obsidian Mantle of Devotion

2% chance for the following accessory:
- Apocrean Crown

1% chance for the following accessory:
- Apocrean Disciple Wings

Plus a bonus chance for even more prizes!
- 25% chance for all Obsidian Prize Boxes to also contain Shadow Accessories
- A small chance for upgrades such as weapon and trinket slots, Krogmo Coin boosters, and heat amplifiers

All contents of the Obsidian Prize Box are unbound. Full details can be found here.

The Dark Harvest Festival Returns!
As the leaves go dry and the days grow long,
From deep in the woods you'll hear his song,
So get on your feet and dance and sing,
Let's drink in the night with the Punkin King!

Through November 3, 2013, join the Strangers in celebrating the Dark Harvest Festival! This annual tribute to the Punkin King ensures an abundant fall harvest. Collect candy tokens from the mischievous Punkin King himself, then trade with Maskwell in Haven Town Square for Frankenzom, Spookat, and Phantom masks, or for Harvest Prize Boxes.

You can find the Punkin King through the daily prestige mission, The Dark Harvest. He may also surprise you at random in the Clockworks, so be ready!

More about the Dark Harvest Festival, including Harvest Prize Box contents can be found here.

Additional Changes
- Acheron damage has been slightly increased
- Candlestick Keep has a new music theme
- When selecting to equip items within the Arsenal, item icons are now displayed within the menu
- Acquiring pickups displays the same acquire effect as other loot
- An effect is now played when learning a recipe
- Adjusted drop rates for Sparks of Life and Orbs of Alchemy

Bugfixes
- You can now revive early in Coliseum games using Sparks of Life
- Fix to Electron line of bombs not having Shock status listed in their tooltips
- Fixed being unable to shoot while frozen
- Fixed remedy capsule so it no longer removes buffs
- Fixed inability to open the Energy Depot on the knight selection interface

And that's all! Thank you again for playing Spiral Knights and I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating the Dark Harvest Festival!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've recently acquired quite a curious relic from a lost era of history. It has the most fascinating markings. The more I study them the more they seem to shift, as if... alive? No, no that can't be. I've simply been working too hard...