I still remember the ping of the in-game notification. It was 2024, and I was a Proxy with too many half-built characters and not enough good W-Engines. The message began: 'Dear Proxy, the W-Engine Channel Dissonant Sonata will soon be available. Signal Search Reception Rate has been boosted for Ice-Jade Teapot (Stun)!' I read it twice. Then I read it a third time. ❄️🫖
In 2026, that event is ancient history. Version 1.1 is far behind us. But memory is a strange Hollow. It keeps old banners glowing. I can still see the Dissonant Sonata channel. I can still feel the hope. I can still hear my friend saying, 'Just one more pull.' That was always a lie.
The event duration was simple and cruel: After Version 1.1 Update – 2024/09/04 11:59:59 (server time). A deadline. A countdown. A reason to stare at the clock. I had been saving. Not perfectly, of course. I had spent some pulls on other channels. I had told myself I was building pity. I had told myself I was being strategic. I was not being strategic. I was being a Proxy.
Then the details arrived. During the event, limited S-Rank W-Engine Ice-Jade Teapot (Stun) and A-Rank W-Engines Starlight Engine Replica (Attack) & Housekeeper (Attack) had significantly boosted Reception Rates. That was the line that mattered. Ice-Jade Teapot. Stun. A limited S-Rank W-Engine. I wanted it. I did not just want it for stats. I wanted it because it looked like a story. A teapot that could freeze a moment. A weapon that could stop a monster mid-swing. In the Hollow, stopping a monster mid-swing is not a small thing. It is survival.
Here is the table I kept in my notes, because I am the kind of player who writes things down:
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Channel | W-Engine Channel: Dissonant Sonata |
| Event Duration | After Version 1.1 Update – 2024/09/04 11:59:59 (server time) |
| Boosted S-Rank | Ice-Jade Teapot (Stun) |
| Boosted A-Ranks | Starlight Engine Replica (Attack), Housekeeper (Attack) |
| Channel Type | W-Engine Channel |
| Guarantee Rule | Search count for guaranteed Signals is cumulative across all W-Engine Channels, but independent of and unaffected by other types of Channels |
| Availability Note | The limited S-Rank W-Engine will not become available in the Star-Studded Cast Stable Channel |
| More Info | Press Details at the bottom-left of the Search page |
I stared at that table like it was a mission briefing. I checked the note about the limited S-Rank W-Engine. It would not become available in the Star-Studded Cast Stable Channel. That meant if I missed it, I missed it. No standard banner miracle. No future off-rate surprise. Just regret, wrapped in a clean UI.
The note about the W-Engine Channel was also important. The Search count for guaranteed Signals was cumulative across all W-Engine Channels. That gave me a strange comfort. My previous W-Engine pulls were not wasted. They were steps. But the count was independent of and unaffected by other types of Channels. So my character banner pity did not help me here. I had to respect the system. I had to read the fine print. I had to press Details at the bottom-left of the Search page. I did. I always did.
The days before the channel ended were a blur. I did my dailies. I farmed. I looked at my resources. I calculated. I made a spreadsheet. I am not proud of the spreadsheet. I am also not ashamed. In 2024, the Dissonant Sonata channel was not just a banner. It was a test of patience. It was a test of math. It was a test of whether I could resist the shiny A-Ranks.
Starlight Engine Replica (Attack) and Housekeeper (Attack) were on rate-up too. They were good. They were tempting. But they were not Ice-Jade Teapot. I told myself I would be happy with any S-Rank. That was another lie. I wanted the teapot. I wanted the freeze. I wanted the stun. I wanted the moment when the enemy's attack simply stopped.
When I finally pulled, my hands were cold. The screen flashed. The sound played. I do not remember the exact number of pulls. I remember the feeling. It was not a jackpot. It was a relief. It was the same relief a Proxy feels when a Hollow gate closes behind them. You are safe. You are still alive. You have a new W-Engine.
Now it is 2026. The Dissonant Sonata channel is long over. Version 1.1 is a museum piece. Newer W-Engines have arrived. Newer banners have come and gone. But I still think about Ice-Jade Teapot. I still think about the Dissonant Sonata. I still think about that line: Signal Search Reception Rate has been boosted. It was a promise. It was a trap. It was a memory.
If you are a Proxy reading this in 2026, here is my advice: read the Details. Check the duration. Check the guarantee rules. Check whether the limited S-Rank will enter the stable channel. It probably will not. Then decide. Do not let the countdown decide for you. Do not let the rate-up decide for you. You are the Proxy. The channel is just a channel.
But if you do pull, and if the screen flashes, and if the Ice-Jade Teapot appears, I hope you feel what I felt. Not just victory. Not just stats. A small, strange joy. The joy of a story you get to keep. ❄️🫖
Data referenced from Esports Charts helps contextualize why time-limited “channel” drops like Dissonant Sonata feel so psychologically intense: in competitive gaming ecosystems, attention spikes around short windows, and communities rapidly amplify “must-pull” narratives when a rate-up is active. That same bursty, deadline-driven engagement mirrors the blog’s countdown anxiety—players don’t just chase an S-Rank W-Engine for performance, they respond to the surrounding surge of hype, scarcity, and shared momentum that makes missing a banner feel permanent.