Blue Archive 'Ex. Lore Pursuit Chapter 2' Update — Kanesaki Port's 'Drum Barrel Crab' and Two New Students

The Headline

Nexon updated Blue Archive's Part 2 main story, 'Ex. Lore Pursuit Chapter 2,' on September 15, adding two new students alongside it. The chapter continues the game's academy-city mystery arc, and rather than a text-only read, it is built as a field-event area you physically explore.

Three things anchor the update: a new story set at Kanesaki Port, a new Total Assault boss — the "Drum Barrel Crab" — arriving September 22, and two new Gehenna Academy students, Mutsuki (Dress) and Haruka (Dress).

Sources: Inven Global — Nexon's Blue Archive Updates 'Ex. Lore Pursuit Chapter 2' · Newspim — Part 2 Chapter 2 Update · Hankyung — What's Inside the Drum

Update at a Glance

Story: Kanesaki Port and the "Drum Barrel Crab"

Lore Pursuit Chapter 2 takes place at the harbor town of Kanesaki Port. The students of FOX Squad receive a mission from the student council president and begin investigating a disappearance at the port. At the center of the case sits the identity of the "Drum Barrel Crab," an urban legend circulating through the city.

The chapter moves past straight text delivery into a field-event format. Players walk Kanesaki Port directly, gathering hidden clues and narrowing down the case through choices. The center of gravity shifts from a story you read to a story you explore.

New Total Assault Boss: Drum Barrel Crab

The creature whose identity the story uncovers becomes combat content right away. The Drum Barrel Crab arrives as a new Total Assault boss on September 22, with the raid running through September 28.

The Drum Barrel Crab carries two armor types at once — Light and Special — so the difficulty shifts with your team composition. Its Counter Claw skill stores the damage it takes and returns it, which means dumping raw firepower can backfire. Combined with Main Cannon Fire, a heavy artillery attack, the fight rewards careful damage timing and defensive management over brute force.

New Students: Mutsuki (Dress) and Haruka (Dress)

The collection side of this update centers on two new Gehenna Academy students.

Mutsuki (Dress) is a Mystic-type dealer whose EX skill funnels high damage into a single target — a specialist for concentrated bursts. Her lore notes she changed into a dress for an infiltration mission, though her mischievous streak is impossible to hide. Haruka (Dress) is an Explosive-type dealer whose EX skill partially ignores enemy defense when dealing damage. With the Drum Barrel Crab's awkward dual-armor profile arriving days later, both new dealers are pushed straight onto the test bench.

Mini-Story: "Weeds Don't Bloom Alone"

Separate from the main chapter, a new mini-story, "Weeds Don't Bloom Alone," also went live. It follows Detective Agency 68 confronting a long-standing enemy, drawing out Haruka's past and the story of girls moving forward. By reinforcing a new student's background through story, the update again shows Blue Archive's signature weave of character collection and narrative.

Korean vs. Global Server Notes

This update follows the Korean server schedule. Blue Archive runs its Korean, Japanese, and Global servers on separate content cadences, so Global players should treat this as a preview of content that arrives later on their own timeline.

The watch point is clear. The Drum Barrel Crab Total Assault, starting September 22, is the first real test of how usable the two new dealers are. Given the boss's split-armor design, the pick rates and team-building meta around Mutsuki and Haruka should be the community's main talking point through the raid window.

GamePeak Takeaway

From a shift toward exploration over reading, to new dealers designed against the boss's armor profile, Lore Pursuit Chapter 2 compresses Blue Archive's method — running narrative and combat as a single package — into one update.