Day, night and weather
The world has a 48-minute cycle and its own weather per map — and both affect your EXP and your drop.
This is the system that most sets Acheron World apart from a regular MU. The sky really changes: dawn comes, it gets dark, it rains, it snows and it thunders. And that is not decoration — the time of day and the weather change the experience you gain, the drop chance and the strength of the monsters. Knowing how to read the sky is worth more than any potion.
The world clock#
A full day lasts 48 real minutes. It is night between 18:30 and 6:00 on the game clock, that is, a little more than a third of each cycle. The HUD shows the current time, the weather and how long until the next change.
The cycle is calculated from the server clock, so everyone sees the same sky at the same time. No one has a private night.
Where the weather exists#
Only open-air maps have day, night and weather. Inside dungeons, Kalima, Blood Castle, Devil Square and the like it is always "indoor": no weather and no bonus at all. The open maps are Lorencia, Devias, Noria, Tarkan, Icarus, Arena, Valley of Loren, Aida, Crywolf, Kanturu, Elbeland, Swamp of Calmness, Raklion, Vulcanus, Karutan and the other fields.
Each map rolls its own weather, in blocks of 7 minutes, with a smooth transition of 45 seconds between one block and the next. It can be raining in Noria and the sky can be clear in Tarkan at the same moment.
Two maps have their own rule:
- Devias and Crywolf swap rain for snow.
- Tarkan, Icarus, Vulcanus and Karutan are dry: it never rains or snows, they only alternate clear and cloudy sky.
The table that matters#
The bonus adds directly to the experience the monster gives you. Cloudy counts as clear sky.
| Weather | Daytime | Nighttime | Drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear / cloudy sky | +0% EXP | +20% EXP | normal |
| Rain | +10% EXP | +30% EXP | −10% |
| Storm | +15% EXP | +35% EXP | −10% |
| Snow | +15% EXP | +35% EXP | normal |
Three practical readings:
- Night is worth a lot. Just being night already gives +20% EXP on an open map.
- The best EXP window is a storm at night: +35%. The worst is a clear sky during the day, which gives nothing.
- If you are farming items, not levels, snow is your best friend. Night snow gives the same +35% EXP as a storm, but without the −10% drop penalty. So: to hunt jewels in Devias or Crywolf, wait for snow.
The price of night#
At night the monsters of open maps become more dangerous: they deal +20% damage and take 10% less damage from you. It is the balance of the bonus — the night pays more because it charges more.
If you are at the limit of a spot, dusk is the time to retreat to an easier map or turn on the auto potion in auto-hunt.
How to plan the session#
- Going for levels? Look at the weather panel before choosing the map. An open map with a storm at night yields more than a "better" indoor map.
- Going to farm jewels? Prefer snow, or at least avoid rain and storm, which cut 10% of the drop.
- Going to do an event? It makes no difference: inside an event the world is indoor and the bonus is zero.
- Weather bonuses add up with those from VIP, guild and event.