Y8S1 Rise Up - Escalation / Prototype Megathread
#Escalation / Prototype Megathread
New Features
With Y8S1 Rise Up we got two new features:
###Escalation
Escalation is a new way to replay main missions with increasing difficulty and rewards. It is designed as an endgame challenge for those who have completed the main campaign. Escalation missions follow a rotating schedule.
###Prototype Gear
Prototype Gear is a new item quality that sits above existing High-End, Named, and Gear Set items. These items have stronger attribute values and will also feature Augments, which provide an additional way to improve your build.
Known Issues and Announced Mitigations
As of now, we already have a couple of known issues and announced mitigations:
Prototype Visual Bug
Prototype gear can display wrong values. This has been added to the Bug Reporter with a workaround, apparently it is just a visual bug
=> Bug Reporter
Prototype Skill Builds are WIP
They are currently still working on the final balancing passes for Skill Tiers.
Escalation Daily Targeted Loot announced
It is already announced that Daily Targeted Loot will be added "very soon" to Escalation and the Prototype loot path.
Recalibration is being looked into
The developers acknowledged that Recalibration is a wish from the community and it is currently being looked into.
No timeframe has been given for that feature.
Fine-tuning with the community
As the developers said on the Y8S1 stream, they wanted to release Escalation and Prototype gear now so that they can fine-tune the system with the community.
Recurring Community Feedback
These are some of the recurring topics since launch:
Datamined Droprates
The droprates, costs and tokens have been datamined
=> Post
Not Rewarding Enough / Still low Prototype Droprates
There have been multiple post, that Escalation is not rewarding enough, even with the increased drop rates.
Escalation Token Management
Token management is rather punishing
=> Post
Rogues Agents
Rogue Agent encounters in Escalation are tough:
=> Post
Issues with prototyping
Besides the visual bug, apparently we have issues with skins in the prototype upgrade process.
=> Post
Token / Cores / Escalation Tiers character based
Escalation Tokens / Prototype Cores and Escalation Tiers unlocks are character based, not account based.
=> Post
Augment Rerolls too Expensive
Augment rerolls cost Prototype Cores and that can get expensive
=> Post
Let's Collect the important feedback here
- What would make Escalation rewarding for you?
- Is Escalation the challenge you are looking for, what is missing?
- Are Mutators a good addition? What are possible improvements?
- How is your Escalation experience, too tough, too easy, in what combinations?
- Are Augments a good addition, are they useful, what could be added / changed there?
- What is your Prototype experience now that it is out?
- Where do you see possible improvements?
- What are possible quick wins and what would be bigger updates / changes?
- When a topic is not listed under community sentiment, mention it, and I will add it to the list.
As usual please keep it constructive, the goal is to find solutions and changes to Escalation and Prototype gear that overall improves the experience and also makes endgame more interesting.
Housekeeping
With the megathread in place, future Escalation and Prototype post will be removed and referred to this one.
Posted Apr 4, 2026, 1:09 PM UTC