I wasn't sure what to expect from the "new mechanic" being talked about, but this? This is REALLY great! Now, not only is there a reason to actually progress in event free plays, it actively benefits ALL players. That's both interesting, helpful, and delightfully creative in how to include all players of the game, cumulatively, in a mechanic.

Not to mention Trixie, the event crusader released alongside this mechanic, facilitates the mechanic itself. Really great release, guys! I'm legitimately excited to see how this all pans out!

EDIT: Quick question. Does the new mechanic carry over to the next iteration of the event? For example, if this year's "Emo's New Moon" event reaches 1,000,000 areas cleared before it ends, does next year's "Emo's New Moon" event start at 1,000,000? If so, then will subsequent years have a higher clear cap/milestone cap?

After seeing the first milestone reward, I can see why lol By year 2, the buff would be like 150% more idols if two more milestones were added.

Click the event tab (the notification that shows your event currency) and look at the bottom of that popup. The bar is segmented and shows the number of areas cleared. The current reward is to the right of that bar.