Feb 14, 2024

KartRider: Drift - ColonelPanic

Ranked Queue

2024 1st Ranked Queue:

The Ranked Queue will replace the Grand Prix, where Racers will be able to earn Matched Points (MP) from their matches, increasing their Ranked Queue Rank and unlocking prizes.
All Racers can participate in Ranked Queue without any restrictions, and both solo Racers and parties can join.
- Parties matchmake based upon the highest rank member of the party.
2024 1st Ranked Queue Duration:
- PST/PDT (UTC -8/-7): Wednesday, February 14, 2024 (End of Maintenance) - Wednesday, May 15, 2024 5:00 PM
- CET/CEST (UTC +1/+2): Thursday, February 15, 2024 (End of Maintenance) - Thursday, May 16, 2024 2:00 AM
- JST (UTC +9): Thursday, February 15, 2024 (End of Maintenance) - Thursday, May 16, 2024 9:00 AM
- AEDT/AEST (UTC +11/+10): Thursday, February 15, 2024 (End of Maintenance) - Thursday, May 16, 2024 10:00 AM
Matched Points (MP) are awarded based on the results of your Item and Speed Mode Races.
Losing a race will not cost MP or decrease your rank.
Winning multiple races in a row will grant a Win Streak bonus, increasing the amount of MP earned from each race.
- Your Win Streak Bonus increases the number of bonus points based on the length of your winning streak (up to 10 wins).
- Win Streak Bonuses will not apply at Black Five-Fingered Glove/Platinum III ranks and above.
- If you have a winning streak while in a party, bonus points are divided up among your party members.
- Races qualify for a winning streak depending on the number of players in the match:
  - 7+ Racers: 3rd place or higher.
  - 5-6 Racers: 2nd place or higher.
  - 2-4 Racers: 1st place.
Ranked Queue Ranks and Rewards:
- Rank Rewards are earned immediately upon reaching a rank.
- Place Rewards will be distributed to the top 1,000 Racers for each mode at the end of the Ranked Queue period.
- Item Mode Ranks and Rewards:
- Speed Mode Ranks and Rewards:
Rewards can also be viewed in-game via the [Change Mode - Item Mode / Speed Mode - View Rewards] menu.

Continuous Matchmaking

Added the Continuous Matchmaking System and Matching Stages.
Continuous Matchmaking:
- After a race is completed, you will have the option to continue racing against the same group from your previous race.
- In the Result window, you can choose to continue on or return to the lobby. Those that do not choose to continue on will return to the main lobby, and if at least 4 Racers wish to continue racing, they will be sent to a Matching Stage.
  - If fewer than 4 Racers wish to continue on, then they will be sent back to the main lobby.
  - You can automatically set to return to the lobby after races with the [Settings - Normal - Matching - Auto-Rematching] setting.
- If fewer than 8 Racers join the Matching Stage, then there will be a minute-long period to matchmake and refill the room.
  - If not enough Racers can be found to join, members of the Matching Stage will vote on whether or not to add AI Racers to fill the room.
  - If more than half of the Racers agree to add AI, then enough AI Racers to fill the room will be added.
  - If not, then Racers will be sent back to the main lobby.
Matching Stage:
- In the Matching Stage, you'll be able to chat with other matched Racers, view the track for the upcoming race, and adjust your character and kart settings.

Singleplayer Challenges

License Missions are being revamped as Singleplayer Challenges.
Singleplayer Challenges are divided into two types: Item Challenges and Racing Challenges, in the following categories:
- Item
- Item Application
- Mini-Games
- Racing
- Drift
- Time Attack
- Duel
- Knockout
Challenges can be carried out while using your own preferred characters, karts, balloons, and accessories.
Singleplayer Challenges reward items based on the number of stars earned in the challenge:
- ★: 500 Lucci
- ★★: Varies by Challenge
- ★★★: Mission All-in-One Box x1
- Racers who previously cleared these challenges prior to this update can still complete the challenge to earn the new prizes.
Items previously awarded from License Missions can now be purchased from the Item Shop or found in the new Mission All-in-One Box.

Other Track and Game Mode Changes

The following formerly Speed Mode-only Tracks are now Normal Tracks, and can be played in both Item and Speed Modes:
- Factory: Booby Trap Factory Exploration
- Glacier: Extreme Stadium
- Mine: Gold Rush
- Mine: Three Shortcuts
- Village: Bayside Bridge Run
- Village: Handy Harbor
- World Tour: LA Boostwood
- World Tour: New York Rally
- World Tour: Rio de Ja-nitro
- World Tour: Terracotta Twister
The following matchmaking options have been removed: Opponents, Track Difficulty, and Excluded Tracks.
- Matchmaking will prioritize matching with other Racers over AI.
Some Normal Tracks (able to be played in Item and Speed Mode) will not appear when matchmaking in Speed Mode.
The higher a Racer's Rank, the more likely they will be matched into more difficult tracks.

Game Balance Changes

Kart Balancing

Balancing Changes for All Karts
- Cornering Deceleration, which was previously identical for all karts, will now vary between karts, and the max gear value will also vary based on this amount.
- All Kart Gears will be reset to their default values, to allow you to re-gear your karts based on these changes.
  - Note: Upgrade Ranks for your karts will be preserved, and only the allocated gears will be reset.
  - Gears will be reset back to their default value for each kart, and Racers will be able to reconfigure them as desired after the reset.
Storm Kart's default rank has been increased to Heroic.
- Any Lucci spent upgrading the Storm Kart will be refunded to your Mailbox by the end of February 29.

Tuning System

The Kart Upgrade System has been renamed to the Tuning System.
Several previous Tuning Options have been removed or reworked.
- Speed and Acceleration Tuning have been removed, and the speed and acceleration of each kart will remain the same.
- The amount Acceleration and Boost Duration increase per rank of tuning has been decreased.
- Acceleration and Boost Duration Tuning no longer affect Start Boost, Instant Boost, and Item Mode Boost.
Added 7 new Tuning Options:
- Some Tuning Options are only available on higher rank karts.
- The maximum Tuning Value for all options will remain the same, regardless of the kart's rank.
- The full list of Tuning Options are:
  - (Existing) Boost Acceleration (Common or better): Increases the acceleration provided from Boosts.
  - (Existing) Boost Duration (Common or better): Increases the duration of Boosts.
  - (New) Drift Acceleration (Common or better): Decreases the difficulty of drift control, and increases the acceleration provided from Long Slide Drifts.
  - (New) Boost Charge Amount (Common or better): Increases the rate at which the Boost Gauge charges.
  - (New) Long Slide Drift Sustainability (Common or Better): Increases the difficulty of drift control, but also makes Long Slide Drifts easier to maintain and increases their maximum speed.
  - (New) Maintain Boost after Wall Collision (Common or Better): Increases the amount of your Boost preserved after colliding with a wall during a drift.
  - (New) Enhance Starting Boost (Fine or Better): Increases the duration and acceleration of Start Boosts.
  - (New) Draft Acceleration (Rare or Better): Increases the acceleration granted while drafting.
  - (New) Automatic Long Slide Drift (On/Off) (Heroic or Better): Move forward without turning during a drift to automatically enter a Long Slide Drift.
- Max Ranks for Boost Acceleration, Drift Acceleration, Boost Duration, and Boost Charge Amount will vary between different karts.
- Each stat can be viewed with the "View Features" button in the Garage, Shop, and Racing Box menus.
- You can also view detailed information about each kart's maximum tuning values in the Kart Guide page after the February 14 maintenance.
The amount of Gears available for kart ranks has been changed:
- Common: 27 Gears
- Fine: 30 Gears
- Rare: 33 Gears
- Heroic: 36 Gears
- When a kart is first acquired, some Gears will already be distributed by default. These Gears can be redistributed through a Gear Reset.
Kart Upgrade Method has been changed from Lucci to Proficiency:
- Proficiency can be acquired by playing matched races in Item Mode, Speed Mode, and the Mode Lab.
  - Each completed race provides 10 Kart Proficiency. Leaving a race partway through will not reward proficiency.
  - Proficiency is rewarded for each individual kart, and karts are upgraded for the following amounts:
    - Common → Fine: 200 Proficiency
    - Fine → Rare: 800 Proficiency
    - Rare → Heroic: 1,600 Proficiency
  - Karts already upgraded with Lucci prior to this update will retain their upgrades.
  - Proficiency will not accumulate past the amount required to upgrade, and upgrading will reset the earned Proficiency back to 0.

Driving Changes

Draft Changes:
- Acceleration has been decreased (but can be increased again with the Draft Acceleration Tuning Option).
- Drafting is no longer available in Item Mode.
Boost Gauge is now decreased when colliding with a wall.
- This amount can be reduced or eliminated with the Maintain Boost after Wall Collision Tuning Option.
The "Traction" speed's distance standard which increases based on the Racer's distance from 1st place has been reduced.
(PC/Console Only) Speed will no longer decrease when Reverse is pressed while boosting.
(Item Mode / Speed Mode / Mode Lab) Racers will no longer collide with each other if they are ~1 lap apart.
The Game Start, Game End, and Lap Count UI has been moved slightly, to minimize the interference with driving.
Boost Gauge and Kart Speed will decrease by a lesser amount when colliding with certain objects that move upon collision.
Items in Item Mode Changes:
- Big Banana, Scanner, and Siren items will now appear on all tracks, regardless of difficulty.
- When the Scanner's duration ends, the visibility of items increases.

Character Skills

Character Skills that can be used in Item Mode have been added.
- 15 Active Skills that can be manually activated and 15 Passive Skills that are automatically activated are available.
- These skills are unique to specific characters, and are enhanced based on a character's Outfit Rank.
- Characters that do not yet have Character Skills will receive one in future updates.
Character Skill Tutorial
- A tutorial for Character Skills has been added, where you will learn how to use Active Skills.
How to Activate Character Skills:
- Active Skills can be activated with the following buttons by default:
  - PC: Space
  - Xbox: RB
  - PlayStation: R1
  - Mobile: Tap Icon
- The Active Skill button can be changed in the [Settings - Controls - Special Feature 1 and Item Mode Skill] button.
Character Skill List
- Skill descriptions can also be found in the Change Character, Shop, and Racing Box (via the View Features button in Reward Details) menus.
- Detailed information can also be viewed on the Character Skills Guide page after the February 14 maintenance.

Category

Character

Skill Name

Description

Active Skill

Bazzi

Balloon Blast

Bazzi rolls a Water Balloon in front of him that immobilizes any racers caught in the blast, trapping them in water.

Active Skill

Brodi

Brodi's Boost Zone

Installs a Boost Zone in the direction you're facing. All racers can use Boost Zone.

Active Skill

Dao

Leaps & Bounds

Jumps forward.

Active Skill

Kris

Banana Hack

Hacks all opposing racer's item slots to change 1 item to a banana, and acquires item based on the number of hacked racers.

Active Skill

Lodumani

Greed on the High Seas

Loots all nearby Item Boxes to acquire items.

Active Skill

Lucid

Explosive Butterflies

For a fixed period of time, explode any racers that crash into her.

Active Skill

Mayor Zipi

Old Money

Use this skill as you are about to get hit and activate a protective shield for a short time.

Active Skill

Miso

HexaDraw

Miso will pull a selected racer from the opposing team towards her.

Active Skill

Neo

Wave of Justice

Neo creates a wave around himself to interfere with opposing racers. Anyone hit by the wave will be knocked into the air.

Active Skill

Pim

Slippery Snowflake

Places a snowflake on the track. If any racer besides Pim drives over the snowflake, they will be temporarily be unable to steer.

Active Skill

Sophia

Leave Me Alone

Disables Shields, Angel Armor or Boost effects of all opposing racers within range. If you successfully disable an effect, you will receive a Shield.

Active Skill

Spirit Kid

Ghosted

Becomes transparent, leaving only an outline. When transparent, you cannot be targeted by other racers.

Active Skill

Tiera

Prettion Power

Tiera will grant a Boost to one racer. If the racer is on the same team, Tiera will also receive a shield.

Active Skill

Tobi

Help Me, Sweeper!

Appears in front the selected racer, swerving back and forth. Sweeper will disappear after one collision.

Active Skill

Vivi

Awful Avalanche

Create an avalanche that makes racers slide when they drive over it.

Passive Skill

Airi

Water Bomb Bouquet

When a Water Bomb is acquired, it changes to a Water Bomb Bouquet, giving multiple water bomb explosions.

Passive Skill

Brian

Dispatched Detective

Starts the game with enhanced Siren. Changes to enhanced Siren when Siren is obtained, and a Barricade is obtained at the same time. When using the enhanced Siren, speed increases more than with a standard Siren.

Passive Skill

Diz

Competitive Spirit

Chance to acquire a Boost when hit by an Attack Item.

Passive Skill

Keffy

Keffy & Donuts

Has a chance to throw one of two flavored donuts when an item box is acquired. Racers that eat the donuts will decelerate for a set time depending on the flavor of the donut, or receive a negative effect such as bouncing in the air.

Passive Skill

Marid

The Power of Money

Starts the game with a Boost. Obtains Boost as you drive, and as the distance increases from the 1st place racer, the faster you obtain the Boosts.

Passive Skill

Martin

Hydrophile

Chance to gain the same item (Water Bomb/Water Wisp) when hit by a Water Bomb/Water Wisp.

Passive Skill

Mos

The More The Merrier

When Mos obtains a Banana, Big Banana, or Barricade, Mos has a chance to obtain multiples of each item.

Passive Skill

Orion

Breaking Through

Instantly blocks Barricades and Sweepers summoned by Tobi, for a fixed number of times when you run into them.

Passive Skill

Pink Bean

Attack Reflection

When the skill is activated at certain intervals, Missile and Water Wisp are reflected back at the attacker.

Passive Skill

Raptor L

Doing It Left

Obtain a barricade every time you turn left for a certain amount of time. The faster you are, the faster you obtain it.

Passive Skill

Raptor R

Doing It Right

Obtain a barricade every time you turn right for a certain amount of time. The faster you are, the faster you obtain it.

Passive Skill

Rave

Fan Service

A shield is activated after you collide with a Banana, Big Banana, or Siren a set number of times, protecting you from that item for the rest of the race.

Passive Skill

Rena

Hydrophobic

When Rena is hit by a Water Bomb or Water Wisp and trapped in a water effect, she has a chance of quickly escaping a fixed number of times.

Passive Skill

Rex

Relentless Revenge

After Rex is hit by a missile and successfully activates the Instant Boost, he has a chance to activate a Siren with an extended duration.

Passive Skill

Toto

Bombing Shell

Chance of changing into a Bombing Shell upon acquiring a missile. Creates a bombardment range in the front when you use Bombing Shell and fires bombs against racers within range.

Item Mode Replays and Details
- Due to the addition of character skills, the Replay feature for Item Mode, as well as the Details menu in the Game Results screen in Item Mode, will be temporarily unavailable.
- We're working to re-enable those features as quickly as possible, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

Racing Pass and Item Changes

Racing Pass

The Racing Pass has been revamped, giving better rewards and more control over what you can claim!
2024 1st Racing Pass Period:
- PST/PDT (UTC -8/-7): Wednesday, February 14, 2024 (End of Maintenance) - Wednesday, March 13, 2024 5:00 PM
- CET (UTC +1): Thursday, February 15, 2024 (End of Maintenance) - Thursday, March 14, 2024 1:00 AM
- JST (UTC +9): Thursday, February 15, 2024 (End of Maintenance) - Thursday, March 14, 2024 9:00 AM
- AEDT (UTC +11): Thursday, February 15, 2024 (End of Maintenance) - Thursday, March 14, 2024 11:00 AM
20 total items will be available in the new Racing Pass, which can be purchased with Trophies earned from Racing Pass Challenges, Daily Rewards, and more.
While the first 5 rewards can be purchased immediately, the other 15 are unlocked based on the number of total Trophies collected in the period.
- When a Racing Pass period ends, all unused Trophies will be reset.
Plus Box and Premium Plus Box (Racing Box Items)
- Once all Racing Pass rewards have been claimed, any additional Trophies may be exchanged for a Plus Box, a new item which contains one of a selection of items that have been available in previous Racing Passes.
- Additionally, Racers who have claimed all available Racing Pass rewards and purchased a Premium Racing Pass can purchase a Premium Plus Box, which similarly contains one of a selection of items available in previous Premium Racing Passes.
- If a duplicate item is awarded, you will instead receive an amount of Mileage, a new in-game currency which can be exchanged for a selection of items in the Item Shop.
- The full list of items in the Plus Box and Premium Plus Box and their odds of being obtained can be viewed by selecting the box in question and pressing the [View Contents] button.
- Note: Due to local regulations, Racers in Belgium and Slovakia cannot obtain the Plus Box or Premium Plus Box.

Racing Box and Mileage System

Racing Boxes have been added, which contain an item selected from a set of possibilities.
- These boxes can be purchased from the Item Shop, or obtained through the Racing Pass, Events, and other sources.
- Racing Boxes can be viewed and opened from the [Garage - Racing Box] menu.
- The full list of items in a Racing Box and their odds of being obtained can be viewed by selecting the box in question and pressing the [View Contents] button.
New Currency: Mileage
- If you receive an unusable duplicate item from a Racing Box, then you will instead receive Mileage, a new in-game currency.
- Mileage can be spent in the Item Shop in exchange for a variety of items.

Gear Reset Ticket

The Gear Reset Ticket is a new Consumable item, which resets the Gears used to tune your Kart.
- Lucci can still be used to reset Gears as well.

Convenience and Functional Changes

Chat System

A Chat System has been added that allows you to chat with other Racers.
The chat system is currently available on PC and Mobile platforms, and will be added for Console platforms in a future update.
Chat is available during Custom Races, in the Matching Stage, and when in a Party.
Quick Chat, Emojis, and Emotes can also be used in the new Chat System.

UI/UX Changes

The Balloon Function description has been adjusted:
- Previously: [Water Bomb/Water Wisp Quick Escape Boost] Reduces the number of inputs to achieve a Quick Escape after being hit by a Water Bomb or Water Wisp in Item Mode.
- New: [Water Prison Quick Escape Boost] Reduces the number of inputs to achieve a Quick Escape after being trapped in a Water Prison in Item Mode.
- The overall effect has not changed.
Lobby/Matching Selection UI has changed.
- UX has been changed to focus on game mode matching. Some lobby items have also been rearranged.
- Matchmaking selection UI has also been changed.
The white bar at the top and bottom of the UI has been removed.
Game Mode Categories have been changed, with two categories:
- Multiplayer: Item Mode (Solo/Squad), Speed Mode (Solo/Squad), Mode Lab, and Custom Race.
- Single Player Modes: Singleplayer Challenge, Time Attack, and Replay.
The Profile menu has been changed:
- Racing Pass, License, Challenges in Progress, and Today's Races sections have been removed.
- Item Mode and Speed Mode Rank and Point areas have been added.
- Owned Currency information has been added.
- Momentum system can be viewed in the Profile.
- Edit Profile now allows you to set the rank displayed for Ranked Queue.
- Grand Prix Records has been changed to Ranked Queue Records.
Custom Races can now use a Track Filter, similar to how its used in Time Attack.
Slightly changed where notifications are displayed when acquiring a new garage item.

Settings

The "Drift Assist" and "Drift Exit Compensation" settings have been removed.
- Drift Exit Compensation can be adjusted through the "Long Slide Drift Sustainability" Tuning Option: The previous "Common" option is now the default, and the "None" option can be enabled through Tuning.
Driving Camera Options have been added.
- These options can be accessed in the [Gameplay - Other] menu in Settings.
- A total of 4 options are available: 1, 2, 3, and 4, with the sense of speed increasing as you go from 1 to 4.
- Note that a camera with a greater sense of speed may result in a greater difficulty of controls and some motion blurring.
- With this update, the default for this option is "2", which has a higher sense of speed than before.
- Changing the option to "1" will restore it to the pre-update camera setting.
An option to turn ON/OFF the display of Water Bombs on the minimap has been added. Just don't blame us when you run into one!
An option to turn ON/OFF your Rank Location sensor has been added.
An option to turn ON/OFF the display of your own balloon has been added. This will not affect the display of balloons equipped by other Racers.

Momentum Missions

The following Momentum Missions have been added:
- [Matching] Successfully perform a Drift
- [Racing Pass] Obtain a Trophy
- [Racing Pass] Item Exchange
- [Solo] Complete a Challenge
- [Matching] Earn a Yellow Three-Fingered Glove in Item Mode
- [Matching] Earn Bronze II in Speed Mode
The following Momentum Missions have been removed, and their rewards will no longer be available to claim:
- [Matching] Race with AI Matching
- [Challenge] Obtain a Trophy
- [Racing Pass] Reach Lv. 5
- [License] Successfully complete a challenge
- [Grand Prix] Participate in Item Mode
- [Grand Prix] Participate in Speed Mode

Other Changes

(PC/Console) After launching the game client, you can now automatically log in without having to click a log in button.
The cinematic intro video will only be displayed the first time the game client is launched.
Decal Market Changes:
- The Decal Market now operates on a Quarterly schedule, instead of Seasonal.
- Quarterly Decal Removal conditions have been removed.
- At the end of each quarter period, up to 20 "Top 100" decals will be removed from the Top 100, up to 20 of the Quarterly Decals will be promoted to the Top 100, and any non-promoted Quarterly Decals will be deleted.
Award Changes:
- When a new Award is earned for the first time, it will be displayed at the top of your screen.
- In the Award Summary, the "All Seasons" category has been removed.
- The following Awards for Racing Passes, Licenses, Login Rewards, and Seasonal-Related Awards have been removed:
  - Racing Pass First Tier (1, 2, and 3).
  - Racing Pass Second Tier (1, 2 and 3).
  - Racing Pass Third Tier (1, 2, and 3).
  - Racing Pass Fourth Tier (1, 2, and 3).
  - B2 Racer, B1 Racer, L3 Racer, and L2 Racer.
  - B2 Gold Racer, B1 Gold Racer, L3 Gold Racer, and L2 Gold Racer.
  - Logged (1, 2, 3, and 4).
  - VIP (1, 2, 3, and 4).
  - Treasure Hunter (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5).
Weekly and Daily Reward event items will now be delivered directly to the garage.
When you press the Up arrow at the top of a menu in the lobby, you will now move to the bottom of the menu.
Loading Tips have been changed.
When a new Emblem has been acquired for the first time, it will be displayed at the top of the screen.
Replay data will be reset when the next Ranked Queue period begins.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue in Item Mode where the hit info may not display correctly for Racer names in English.
Fixed an issue where Racers could press the "Return to Track" button after finishing the race.
Fixed an issue where the Black Dragon kart's right-rear wheel would spin when hit by an item.
Mine: Mother Lode: Fixed an issue where Racers could break through the roof in certain areas.
Fixed an issue in Time Attack Mode on some Factory tracks where the camera would be locked to the ground when a Racer Retried immediately upon getting hit by an item.