Blue Archive reveals recruitment revamp and Part 2 story at 5th anniversary fest

Nexon unveiled a recruitment system revamp and new content plans for Blue Archive at the Blue Archive 5th Anniversary Festival, held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on November 8, according to zdnet.co.kr.

The revamp, applied after maintenance on November 10, abolishes existing recruitment points and introduces a recruitment stack. General pickup and special pickup accumulate counts separately, and at 100 pulls a 3-star student is guaranteed with a 50% chance of being the pickup student. If the pickup student is not obtained at 100 pulls, the count continues and the student is guaranteed at 200 pulls; obtaining the pickup student resets the stack. Unused accumulated counts carry over to the next pickup of the same type when the pickup period ends without obtaining the student.

A recruitment mileage system granting additional rewards based on combined general and special pickup pulls is also added, with first-time and repeat bonuses. First-time bonuses give growth items at designated counts from 10 to 390 pulls, including time-limited 10-pull tickets at 70, 130, 150, 170, 270, 330, 350 and 370 pulls. After all first-time bonuses, players receive growth materials every 20 additional pulls, and mileage resets when the pickup period ends.

New story, event and mini-game

Main story Part 2 Vol.1 "Flame and Shadow" chapters 1 and 2 arrive in the same content update. A new event, "Set Sail! Manma Ship ~Chairman Makoto's Gorgeous Summer Getaway~," features Gehenna Academy student council Manma-den students on a luxury cruise, with Makoto, Satsuki, Iroha, Chiaki and Ibuki appearing in swimsuits; Iroha and Ibuki are available through FES recruitment. A rock-paper-scissors mini-game, "Cheonha Gaeil Martial Arts Tournament," offers Chiaki (Swimsuit)'s Eleph and growth items as rewards.

Korean dubbing for the final chapter of main story Part 1 and a digest feature are added, with Arona explaining Part 1 events and a Korean music video viewable in-game. Pre-registration rewards on the official website include a 10-pull ticket, tactical education BD selector box and skill note selector box.

Outside the game, a 5th anniversary LP album and dedicated turntable launch on November 13, and four music releases including "KAGEROU," "Protocol SUPERNOVA" and "Unending Moderato" are planned for the fourth quarter of this year. "Official Artworks Vol. 3" and the official 4-panel manga "Youth? Everyday! Blue Archive" Vol. 2 are published in December, with 2,000 copies of Artworks Vol. 3 sold early at AGF 2026 from December 4 to 6. A fourth Christmas collaboration runs at Mamstouch and Mampizza stores nationwide from December 1 to 27, and a fifth season of the official theme cafe "Cafe Memorial" at I-Park Mall Yongsan Dopamine Station opens in mid-December.