3f. Night Shadow/Sunset Training Ground
Night Shadow Training Ground aka NSTG (better known for its former name Sunset Training Ground aka STG) is a challenge meant to gauge your current gear and DPS capabilities. It’s a timed, solo nest with no loot and one mostly stationary enemy, with clear and easy AOE cues.
The previous version Sunset Training Ground located at Red Lotus Palace was closed as of June 2025. The current version is located in Milla Laurel.
You can look up videos on Youtube to get an idea of what the boss does. Essentially just throw your skills at it and evade the odd attacks (do not try to tank it, you will die after 3 tanks at most), if your gear is good enough, you will clear the current difficulty within time limit and unlock the next one.
There will be prompts appraising your performance during the fight, and if you see “Snail’s pace” it’s most likely you’re not ready to clear this difficulty yet. Note that while NSTG doesn’t require anything to enter, dying will still cost you gold to repair equipment.
The highest difficulty you can clear in NSTG will dictate what content you’re ready for. The general rule of thumb is: dungeon Ascension floor < NSTG Ascension floor. For example, if you’ve cleared NSTG on Ascension 3, you’re ready to take on dungeons on Ascension 2. Parties (and guilds) will also usually put out NSTG requirements when they recruit, so you can eyeball that as requirement to comfortably carry yourself in the respective content.