Stellar Blade Update 1.003 Adds New Boss Challenge, New Outfits, and More

Stellar Blade developer Shift Up Corp. has released patch 1.003, adding a new Boss Challenge, new outfits for main character Eve, and more.

Stellar Blade is an action game released exclusively on PlayStation 5 in April. IGN’s Stellar Blade review returned a 7/10. We said: “Stellar Blade is great in all of the most important ways for an action game, but dull characters, a lackluster story, and several frustrating elements of its RPG mechanics prevent it from soaring along with the best of the genre.”

Now, a month after release, the new update adds the Boss Challenge mode, which pits players against the 19 bosses from the base game. Progression in the Boss Challenge requires battle data from bosses you’ve previously defeated, director Kim Hyung Tae explained in a post on the PlayStation Blog. You can also fight bosses on the hard difficulty setting after you’ve seen the ending of the game.

To start the challenge, you can either load up and use your own gear you’ve been using or choose one of several presets. “Choose the minimum preset for a true challenge, which is extremely understated, or the maximum preset, which has all of your skills and stats buffed up, if you want to taunt the boss with some spectacular combat,” Kim Hyung Tae suggested.

After the challenge is over, your battle data is automatically analyzed. You’ll see metrics like battle time, number of perfect parries and dodges, consumable usage, and more. You can compare your results with those of your friends. If you defeat all bosses in the Boss Challenge on Normal difficulty setting or higher, you’ll get to earn the Neurolink Suit for Eve, below.

Speaking of new outfits, the update adds two new Nano Suits: White Kunoichi and Black Kunoichi (check them out in the images below). Kim Hyung Tae encouraged players check in-game for more Nano Suits.

The update also quietly adds two new outfits that have been the subject of controversy over the past few weeks – Midsummer Redhood and Midsummer Alice. These are, effectively, the more revealing versions of the Bunny and Cybernetic Bondage suits that some claimed were “censored” in the release of the game. Shift Up CEO Kim Hyeong-tae, however, recently said the changes in the outfits were intentional, and a design choice rather than a “censorship” one.

Regardless, the original versions are now in the game with the new update, albeit as separate from the Bunny and Cybernetic Bondage suits. According to Forbes, you can buy them from black market dealer Roxanne for 10 Vitcoin each.

And finally, quality-of-life improvements mean if you switch to ranged attack mode and switch back while locked on to an enemy, you will automatically lock on to the enemy again. The update also adds an option to always show the compass in the HUD.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].