New characters no longer appear directly on just any map: they awaken in the Shrine of Death, a map made for Saphira in the middle of a sea of lava.
There, the God of Death offers you two paths:
- Story Mode: you awaken in Arsinoe and live through its story. When you finish it, you get the title Chosen of Death, the Lord of Death costume and your companion Dullahan.
- Classic Mode: the Ragnarok you know, starting in Trinity with the starter gear.
All the details are in the wiki, and the full story is in the Chronicles of Arsinoe.