Event-exclusive items will no longer have event tags; they will be released in large quantities in 2024, and their value will drop to zero in 2025. (IV)

What factors accelerated the launch of exclusive events? Perhaps it's related to the "skin rain." A few versions ago, after the weekly update, the entire series was released, and players could collect them all at once with a discount, forcing them to spend money. Occasionally, they were even divided into several qualities, with individual skins released. Brave skins were placed in events, epic skins were sold directly, and then there were rare legendary skins in the lottery. The three major markets were harvested from all sides, including free-to-play players, casual players, and whales. No one could escape.

2023: Four models

Yao Mei's True Self Hertz skin was criticized for being exploitative and poorly designed, leading to a boycott and a mass exodus of players. Some smaller mobile games used this opportunity to attract new players. Meanwhile, haters were watching the drama unfold, anticipating the downfall of Honor of Kings. The number of players lost was in the millions. Later, the official team quickly intervened, first apologizing and promising to upgrade the skin, then offering a Hello Kitty Star Element set as a high-value reward. This swiftly resolved the public relations disaster.

I remember that year, the official team intended to release a collaboration skin with a luxury brand, but unfortunately, it triggered political sensitivities, and the plan failed repeatedly. In the end, they changed to a global selection collaboration, "Fantasy City," which borrowed many designs from AOV. Li Yuanfang's "Fantasy Special Agent" was exclusive to a special event. After that, there were Taiyi Zhenren's "Spicy Hot Pot," Nezha's "Hot-Blooded Beach," and Houyi's "Perfect Calculation," all of which received rave reviews. Houyi's skin, in particular, outperformed all epic and legendary skins and became a favorite in the Chinese server. The reason was not because the special effects were high-end, but because they were subtle and inconspicuous. Especially the flying bird of the ultimate skill, which was changed to a mathematical geometric shape, always caught people off guard, greatly increasing the hit rate and making the impact feel great.

2024: Seven models

In 2024, seven new items were launched at once, offering many benefits. Among them, Meng Ya's "Stubborn Rock Soul" became the first discounted epic event exclusive item. The "Ink-dyed Jianghu" version introduced 10v10 matchmaking, and everyone participated enthusiastically, hoping to speed up the event's progress. Shen Mengxi, Cheng Yaojin, Cang, Gan Jiang Mo Xie, and Dian Wei all got a piece of the pie. The last item, "Iron Bone Yan Soul," was released on December 30, 2024. Since then, no more event exclusive items have appeared in the game. Following this trend, it seems that "Heroic" items will be highly anticipated in the future. Compared to the inconspicuous regular benefits of events, players are working harder and focusing their efforts on the monthly gift book.