The frozen tundra of Nix awaits. On June 25, players will begin a new chapter in Throne and Liberty with The Go behind the scenes with NC on the bosses of Nix, coming in The Frozen Divide: Nix. From Co-op Dungeon encounters built around team synergy, to an Archboss with a never-before-seen coordinated combat system, to the debut of an entirely new boss category - the Colossus - here’s how the development team designed the threats waiting in the frozen wilds.
Co-op Dungeons: Stone Grave Cradle & Frostbreath Cave
Q: Where did the inspiration for Stone Grave Cradle come from?
A: Fellinex is a giant’s robotic pet cat, so we naturally started researching everything cat-related. Based on feedback from cat-owning team members in the studio, we found inspiration in a piece of cat furniture known as a “hidey-hole cat tower.”
From there, we built the setting: even after centuries of bitter cold froze the cave solid, the remaining machinery still carries out its original mission. That’s how Stone Grave Cradle was born.
(This is 'Silver,' the actual feline who provided much of our inspiration for Fellinex. He thoroughly enjoys body-slamming things.)
Q: What kind of theme does Frostbreath Cave embody?
A: Every Co-op Dungeon so far has had a clear theme, and we wanted Frostbreath Cave to have its own unique atmosphere.
We wanted adventurers to feel a breath-catching chill the moment they stepped inside. By filling the space with deep, cold blue tones and tough Ironclad Beetle monsters that evolved to endure that environment, we completed the theme of a “Living Ice Cave.” In this place, you’ll face the true cold of Nix.
Q: What were the design goals for each dungeon's boss?
A: First is Fellinex, the boss you’ll meet in Stone Grave Cradle. Its most striking feature is a “cat” appearance you can recognize at a single glance. Our top priority was making the boss’s movements intuitive and the raid enjoyable. The behaviors unique to cats are woven into the battle - look for them yourself when you get a spare moment during the fight.
Next is Vulcanus from Frostbreath Cave. To match the cave’s atmosphere, we focused on channeling the aura of a majestic and intimidating behemoth. It has a striking appearance as an “Abomination,” blending a ferocious beast with an Ironclad Beetle. We highly recommend experiencing the unrivaled sense of dread that only Vulcanus can deliver.
Archboss: Dragon Knight Ramux
Q: What’s the biggest difference between Ramux and existing Archbosses?
A: The biggest characteristic of the new Archboss, Ramux, is her unique coordinated combat where she fights in sync with her exclusive mount, Atirat.
You’ll still enjoy the strategic part-breaking attacks from existing bosses, but the real tension comes from the battle with “Frenzied Ramux” - whom you face after first incapacitating the mount. That experience can only be found with the new Archboss in Nix.
We highly recommend experiencing both sides of this fight: Atirat, who storms across the battlefield without hesitation, and then the true threat of Ramux unleashed.
Q: What was the biggest challenge in developing Ramux?
A: What we focused on the most was delivering a “new combat experience.”
Rather than requiring absolute cooperation as before, we designed it so that each player’s individual style naturally becomes part of the fight. Ramux uses unpredictable abilities that disrupt the flow of the battlefield, so you can certainly look forward to a kind of combat that feels different from anything before.
Q: Any tips for adventurers preparing to face Ramux?
A: You’ll need to make effective use of the surrounding terrain based on the boss’s actions, and take advantage of the various CC effects available during battle to lead the fight successfully.
Brand-new Emplaced Weapons are also deployed across the battlefield - and this is where your strategic choices will shine. Rather than relying purely on individual combat power, if you use these weapons strategically, you’ll experience an exhilarating sense of impact unlike anything before while incapacitating the giant mount, along with an overwhelming advantage to turn the battle in your favor.
Colossus: Vegamor
Q: The concept of a “Colossus” is entirely new to TL. How will adventurers experience this content?
A: The Colossus Vegamor roams the snowy plains of Nix, and its very presence makes it akin to a massive landform. It’s so overwhelming that simply moving about, without any intent to attack, threatens to bring down everything around it.
Adventurers must watch Vegamor’s movements and strike the moment it stops, destroying parts of its giant body one by one. If you use the Emplaced Weapons deployed around the stage or Morph strategies suited to the situation, a much more efficient attack becomes possible.
Venture across Vegamor’s massive body with your party members and uncover for yourselves the secrets of Nix hidden within its hulking frame.
Q: How big is Vegamor?
A: A TL character is set at 2 meters tall. Vegamor measures approximately 200 meters. You’ll be fighting a boss 100 times the size of your character.
Q: What was the biggest challenge in developing something this large?
A: The biggest challenge was bringing Vegamor to life as a massive natural disaster in motion.
Vegamor isn’t a simple monster - it’s a moving battlefield. There were problems we couldn’t solve with conventional design approaches, from how it moves to how each individual attackable part works. We refined the concept countless times with the Art Team, and the Tech Team and Design Team came together as one to realize this unprecedented scale.
The entire development team poured their hearts into Vegamor’s creation, and we sincerely hope its overwhelming grandeur sends a thrill through adventurers when they encounter it on the snowy plains of Nix.
Q: How do rewards work for the Vegamor encounter?
A: The Vegamor encounter is structured as one massive event in which multiple phases of objectives are organically interconnected. As a result, you receive separate rewards for completing the objective of each phase.
Progress rewards: All adventurers who contribute to the smaller-scale objectives receive rewards directly in their inventory.
Victory loot: If the final objective of defeating Vegamor is completed, those who directly participated will have a chance to obtain special loot exclusive to Vegamor.
From the rewards that steadily accumulate at each phase to the glory of claiming the final spoils, we hope you enjoy every stage of the Vegamor experience.
Bonus: The Dev Team’s Favorite
Q: Out of all the bosses in this update, which one did you put the most heart into, and which boss do you think players will love the most?
Lead Content Designer:
From the perspective of having set the lore, I’m most excited about the Archboss, Ramux.
As the first boss in TL to appear riding a dragon, the story of her and her dragon Atirat is scheduled to be delivered through future Extra Codex and Collection Codex entries - so stay tuned.
Also, although they’re not boss monsters, please keep an eye out for the NPCs of various races in the Frontier Hold as well. (Among them, I personally like an NPC named Lyru...)
World Content Design Team:
We are most looking forward to the newly introduced Colossus, Vegamor. Countless team members devoted a great deal of time and care to leaving a lasting mark on the dominion of Nix, and as a result, we’re incredibly excited for the new experiences that await adventurers. As this is content we prepared after careful consideration from every angle, simply watching you play it will be rewarding enough for us.
Thanks for your support! We can’t wait for players to test their skills against the bosses of Nix when The Frozen Divide: Nix arrives on June 25. For a deep dive on the world of Nix - including its lore, new traversal systems, and the tundra environment - check out our companion article on the world of Nix.
