Capybara Go Update 1.8.4 is one of those updates that looks overwhelming at first because it introduces several new systems at the same time. Pets, guild content, ships, relics, and events all got touched, but not everything here is equally important. Some parts are genuine progression systems, others are clearly designed to drain whales, and a few sit awkwardly in between.
Let’s go through it piece by piece.
New Pet Armament System (Pet Artifacts)
The biggest permanent addition in 1.8.4 is the Pet Armament system, essentially artifacts for pets.
You access it through the Guild area, where a new currency called Arena Cash (or a similar guild-based currency) is used to open chests. These chests can drop:
- Pet artifact shards
- Full pet artifacts
- Upgrade materials
Even the best chest does not guarantee an Immortal artifact. The rates improve as you level the system, similar to pet hatching or pet builds. The important detail here is that the system itself has levels, and leveling it up increases your odds.
At max level (currently level 8), Immortal artifact chance sits around 4%, which sounds decent until you remember how many attempts you’ll realistically need.
Early upgrades are mostly free or cheap, but later upgrades rely heavily on luck. Upgrade chances start around 60%, then drop sharply as rarity increases. Failures are common, and you’ll feel it fast.
Artifacts can only be equipped on:
- Legendary pets
- Mythic pets
- Immortal pets
Epic and below can’t use them, and the UI is a little buggy right now. Sometimes artifacts don’t show until you re-enter the menu.
One key thing many people miss: artifact stats only apply when the pet is actively equipped. Slapping artifacts on every pet does nothing unless that pet is in use.
Artifact Upgrading & Scaling
Artifacts can be upgraded up to level 10. Early levels use standard materials, but later levels will almost certainly require duplicate artifacts or shards.
Artifact effectiveness scales with pet level, which raises an awkward question:
Is it better to put lower-rarity artifacts on high-level pets early, or wait for Immortal artifacts later?
Right now, most players are just using what they get and spreading artifacts across active pets. Long-term, Immortal artifacts will clearly dominate, but reaching that point is slow unless you spend heavily.
Guild Trade & Treasure Ship System
This is where the update gets complicated.
Guild Trade Ships
Guilds now send out treasure ships with shared reward slots. Each ship has multiple reward positions, and only a limited number of players can claim the best rewards.
When a high-value reward appears, usually an Immortal-tier item, you’ll often see 10–12 players competing for 5 slots. Selection is random unless you increase your odds.
You can tip the captain to improve your chances, which is exactly as pay-heavy as it sounds.
There are two main strategies:
- Compete for the best slot and tip aggressively, hoping RNG favors you
- Join a less popular slot and take all rewards uncontested
Often, the second option is smarter unless you’re confident or willing to spend.
Who gets to send ships usually depends on recent guild performance, damage contribution, CP, and guild rank (leader/co-leader). Coordination through guild Discord becomes very important here.
Special Guests & Guardians
Ships can include special NPCs who either accompany the ship or act as guardians. If the ship is attacked, players fight the guardian instead of other members.
Special guests and guardians seem to have separate reward chests, meaning they don’t directly steal from the four main reward slots. This is good, but details are still unclear and likely to be refined in future patches.
Gilded Treasure Ship (Whale Territory)
The Gilded Treasure Ship is locked behind a $100 pack.
This ship offers extremely high-value rewards, but most servers show many empty slots simply because few players are willing to spend that much. You can have up to two of these ships active.
There’s a boarding phase, a travel phase, and then reward collection. Watching these ships sail off with empty slots is painful, especially if you’re free-to-play.
This system is clearly not designed for everyone, and you shouldn’t feel bad ignoring it.
Personal Trade Ships & Plundering
Apart from guild ships, you also get personal trade ships.
By default, you can:
- Send ships out multiple times per day
- Perform up to 4 plunders (attacks) daily
If you buy the $10 trade pass:
- You get extra daily trades
- An additional ship
- Your ship can only be plundered once
Plundering is low-risk. Losing doesn’t consume attempts, and there’s no major penalty for failure. You can scout targets, test fights, and back out mentally without much downside.
Targets vary by ship rarity. Bigger ships mean better rewards but higher combat power. Some ships are clearly bait for whales, while others are easy wins if you watch CP closely.
Always prioritize:
- Giant ships
- Guild-dispatched ships
- Individual UR ships
The trade record system helps track who you’ve beaten before, which is useful for repeat farming.
New Relics – Sword of Fuchai & King of Wu
Two new relics were added.
At base level, they’re not game-breaking. Effects include:
- Final normal attack damage bonuses
- Small final damage reduction at battle end
- Stacking final damage bonuses after basic attacks
At zero stars, they’re underwhelming. Like most relics, their real power will show at higher star levels, so don’t panic if they feel weak right now.
Warm Spring Festival Events
This update also sets up multiple Warm Spring Festival events.
Instead of a simple event shop, we’re getting:
- A lottery-style reward pool (A, B, C, D, F tiers)
- A roulette event
- Blind box machines
- Furniture blind boxes
The headline reward is a new transcendent mount: Ember Primordial Dragon. Other rewards include relics, statues, and adventurer gear.
There’s also a $10 check-in option, which is basically a low-cost spender hook.
These events are technically playable free-to-play, but the best rewards are clearly tuned for heavy spenders.
Free-to-Play vs Whale Impact
This update is playable without spending, but let’s be honest:
- Whales benefit the most
- Guild strength matters more than ever
- Coordination and timing now affect progression
Free-to-play players should focus on:
- Daily plunders
- Free ship dispatches
- Gradual pet artifact progression
- Picking low-competition ship slots
Trying to brute-force high-end rewards without spending will only lead to frustration.
Update 1.8.4 adds depth, not balance.
The pet artifact system is a real progression layer and will matter long-term. The ship systems add daily activity and rewards but lean heavily toward payers. Events are flashy but familiar.
If you like long-term stat growth and guild coordination, this update gives you plenty to do. If you’re allergic to RNG and monetized systems, you’ll feel the pressure immediately.
