Smilegate opens Lord Nine's Hakan server today
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Smilegate opens Lord Nine's new Hakan server this Friday (23) at 7 PM KST, with Artifact monetization removed, launch events and a secret video coupon.
Smilegate officially opens this Friday (23), at 7 PM South Korea time, Hakan, the fresh-start server of the MMORPG Lord Nine, developed by NX3 Games and operated by Smilegate on the STOVE platform. The opening hour was confirmed in the official announcement released to the press (via Inven Global), and pre-registration remains open on the official community until the moment of launch. The initiative responds to the demand for a restart server with a reworked economy: on Hakan, Artifacts lose every monetization element and can only be obtained through gameplay. Hakan is the second dedicated server announced in 2026 by the South Korean publisher, after the Dinaperi server, and inaugurates a format the company itself named "Re:Make Server", designed so that newcomers and veterans compete on equal footing from day one.
A "Re:Make Server" with no Artifact monetization
Hakan's differential goes beyond the restart. Smilegate designed the world as a "Re:Make Server", with progression rules distinct from the existing Lord Nine servers. The official announcement lays out four central pillars: removal of monetization elements from Artifacts, which can now only be earned by playing; phase-by-phase unlocking of progression content, on a scheduled calendar instead of everything opening at once; a trading system based on Time Shards; and the implementation of Ability drops from regular monsters during everyday hunting.
In practice, a veteran who already got the rarest drops in Lord Nine cannot "buy a path" to the top on Hakan: the progression resources of the mode follow an economy of their own. That design echoes the announcement made in early October, when Smilegate promised "Artifacts through gameplay alone" for the new server, reinforcing its commitment to a more controlled economy less dependent on the cash shop.
"Monetization elements for 'Artifacts' have been removed, progression content will unlock in phases, and a 'Time Shard' trading system along with Ability drops from regular monsters will be implemented."
Launch event calendar through November
The opening comes with a launch event calendar that runs through the end of November, with daily rewards, check-ins and themed hunts. Smilegate also published a visual overview of all events on its official channel. The highlights are:
| Event | Period | Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Hakan Special Attendance (check-in) | Until November 18 | Mischievous Halloween Halika skin, Amethyst Artifact Summon Ticket, Artisan Promotion Scroll |
| Bounty item collection | Until November 6 | Artisan Promotion Scroll, Brilliant Life Core |
| Growth Support Missions | During the opening days | Progression items and reinforcement materials |
| Level Achievement Shop | During the opening days | Rewards for level milestones |
In the bounty event, the items marked on the minimap are exchanged for reference materials for early progression, which also helps players starting without a roster. The launch also includes the Ancient Language Fragment Record, which grants extra rewards for exploration during the initial progression phase.
Secret coupon hidden in the official video
A rare resource can cost nothing: the server introduction video, published on Thursday (22) on the official YouTube channel, hides an in-game coupon that can be redeemed for items including the Destiny Artifact Summon Ticket, one of the most strategically valuable objects for the early days of the world. The video also sweeps through the launch events, showing in practice what each of them delivers, and works as an operations guide for anyone logging in today or tomorrow.
Pre-registration on the STOVE community grants a special avatar
One last opportunity: whoever completes pre-registration until 7 PM KST this Friday, on Lord Nine's official STOVE community, receives the Radiant Destiny El Nerta avatar event skin, plus growth support items. If the registration window closes without your entry, the items will not be available on the first login, so it is worth checking the status today.
Context: Smilegate bets on "Re:Make" servers to rekindle the community
A classless MMORPG with free weapon and skill switching during combat, Lord Nine arrived in the market as one of Smilegate's big bets on the hardcore side of the genre. Dedicated fresh-start servers such as Hakan and Dinaperi follow the playbook used by several Korean MMORPGs facing veteran concentration, with recent moves such as Ragnarok Online PLUS+ starting its closed beta in South Korea and the momentum of next-generation projects like Azur Promilia. The formula has demonstrable merit: giving everyone the same starting point, correcting months of economic imbalance and turning the update into a community occasion.
Whoever wants to enter this remastered mosaic has the window open now: complete pre-registration, redeem the coupon from the video and make the most of the first days of events, when the early rewards are the most generous.
Source: Smilegate announcement (via Inven Global).