Goddess of Victory: NIKKE 1st Anniversary Update begins November 2, adds free SSR character and new storyline

Mobile shooter RPG Goddess of Victory: NIKKE is almost a year old, and developer Shift Up is launching the game's first anniversary update on November 2, 2023. The update will contain a major story event, as well as add two new characters, one of which will be distributed to players for free.

Shift Up also uploaded a preview trailer for the NIKKE 1st anniversary update to its official YouTube channel:

The update trailer previews the new story event due to debut on November 2: "Red Ash". Like the "Over Zone" story event launched with NIKKE's 6-month anniversary,  Red Ash digs into the backstory of NIKKE's setting, detailing events related to the intial war against the Raptures and the activities of "Goddess Squad", a legendary team of Nikke warriors that went undefeated during the war and helped secure humanity's last refuge in the Ark. But while Over Zone showed Goddess Squad at its nadir just before it disbanded and its members going on to become part of the Pilgrim faction, Red Ash shows Goddess Squad at the peak of its fame and success, with all its members present, including Red Hood, the game's next playable SSR-tier character.

Here's an introductory trailer for the Red Ash event, narrated by Red Hood herself.

Red Hood will join the game as an Iron-element Attacker unit that wields a sniper rifle. Red Hood has a unique quality in that unlike any other unit in the game, she has a variable Burst level. Normally, each playable unit in NIKKE is assigned a Burst level from I to III, which determines when they can use their Burst Skill. Typically, a player needs at least one unit of each Burst level in order to achieve Full Burst, a coordinated firing mode that does maximum damage.

Red Hood can Burst at any level, with her Burst skill's effects changing depending on when in the sequence she pops off. For exmaple, at Burst III she unleashes high-damage attacks, while on Burst I she buffs the whole team's attack power.

While players will have to roll for Red Hood on the in-game gacha system, another new SSR character will be given away to all participating players for free: Snow White: Innocent Days.

Snow White: Innocent Days is the Pilgrim unit Snow White that players meet and interact with in the main NIKKE story and see in the Over Zone event story. This version, though, is her as she appeared early in the Rapture invasion, fresh-faced and newly arrived to the Goddess Squad. She is an Iron-element Attacker unit wielding an assault rifle, and specializes in area attacks that can intercept groups of enemies and airborne projectiles.

Players who participate in the Red Ash event will receive a copy of Snow White: Innocent Days just by logging in for three days. Additional copies for level-upgrading will be available by participating in the event missions.

Besides the new units and story, the NIKKE anniversary event will debut new costumes for the characters Harran and Dorothy, via the in-game event pass and the gacha-based costume gacha, respectively. During the event itself, players will also receive up to 127 free rolls on the gacha by participating.

A new Tyrant-class boss enemy, Ultra, will debut as part of the event, and show up in future Union Raids, Solo Raids, and Interception activities. Other updates will include increased rewards for the time-based Outpost Defense mechanic, improved functionality for the in-game shooting range, bonuses for returning players, and new stages for the Lost Sector and Tribe Tower activities.

Goddess of Victory: NIKKE is available on PC and mobile devices. The anniversary event launches on November 2, 2023.