Seven Deadly Sins Origin update adds Merlin and Sealed Sanctuary map

Netmarble rolled out a massive content patch for The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin to expand its open-world roster. The headline addition is Merlin, who enters the character pool as a multi-weapon SSR battlemage. Her inclusion changes how endgame players optimize magic squads for upcoming boss content.

The Version 1.5 update also expands the baseline map with a new zone called the Sealed Sanctuary. Hidden behind aggressive desert sandstorms, this mysterious region holds specialized crafting items like Malachite needed to advance character mastery ranks. Players can jump straight into the zone by progressing through the main campaign update.

Weapon choices redefine Merlin's combat style

Unlike traditional characters locked to a single combat style, Merlin shifts her entire elements matrix based on her weapon choice. Equipping a Grimoire focuses her build around ice attacks, freezing opponents after stacking up passive status marks. Swapping over to a Wand transitions her into a fast lightning damage dealer built around quick ability cooldowns.

Players looking for massive burst performance can run her with a Staff instead. This fire attribute configuration lets Merlin summon active mirror clones to distract enemies while building a massive burst gauge. Activating this mechanic allows her to fire off ultimate abilities without spending a single point of mana.

Armor revisions fix long-standing progression limits

Netmarble used this update to overhaul high-tier character gearing and progression limitations. The new system architecture allows players to stack Engraved Equipment alongside standard tier armor pieces simultaneously. This tweak ensures players preserve vital five-piece set bonuses while still inheriting unique standalone Engraved traits.

The update introduces a five-player raid dungeon named Taranis's Sanctuary to test these newly configured builds. The zone offers top-tier armor drops twice a week for teams capable of exploiting fire and wind elemental weaknesses. Netmarble also removed the old requirement that forced players to spend Cube Keys just to collect standard elite boss drops.

Netmarble isn't just focusing on open-world fantasy tweaks right now. The studio is running a parallel meta shakeup in its other major action game, which you can track by reading our breakdown of how the Solo Leveling Arise June update introduces Buster class mechanics.