Fans of Solo Leveling have a reason to jump back into its official game this week. Netmarble's action RPG Solo Leveling: ARISE is celebrating its 2.5th Anniversary with the BEYOND update tomorrow, and it brings back one of the series' most respected figures, Hunters Association chairman Go Gunhee, in a brand new form.
The official ARISE account kicked off the countdown earlier this week (October 19th) with a new anniversary trailer and a code for a free SSR Hunter.
A Different Go Gunhee From A Forgotten World
In the original story, Go Gunhee is the aging chairman of the Korean Hunters Association and one of Sung Jinwoo's earliest powerful allies. The version arriving in ARISE is called Holy Guardian Barrier Go Gunhee, and he comes from the alternate timeline created by the Cup of Reincarnation, where Hunters made slightly different choices from the ones fans know.
According to Netmarble's developer note, this Go Gunhee lost a great deal in an irreversible tragedy, but instead of breaking down, he chose to build a system to protect every Hunter and dedicated his renewed youth to saving more lives. In battle, he fights as a martial artist using the power of the Four Divine Beasts, and he is the game's first Water element Buster. Netmarble describes him as a Defense-based Hunter.
He is joined by Velvet, a new Fire element Successor who inherited the power of Adan, the Monarch of Fangs. Netmarble describes her as someone who felt no fear at the scene of Adan's massacre and instead found a thrill on the line between life and death.
Sung Jinwoo Versus Three Monarchs
The new story chapter, Act 18, raises the stakes for Jinwoo in a big way. A massive Gate covers the skies over Seoul as Gate spawns stop around the world, and three Monarchs appear before him at once. Netmarble calls it the greatest crisis Jinwoo has ever faced, with the developer note teasing "A freezing wind cold enough to freeze even the soul has begun to blow."
To meet that threat, Jinwoo's level cap rises from 160 to 170, and he gains a new Job Change called Requiem along with a new Ultimate Skill called Commander's Authority.
Iconic Webtoon Scenes Become Collectible Cards
One addition that should appeal to longtime readers is the new Seasonal Card system, which replaces Special Commissions. Players collect cards featuring iconic panels from the original webtoon, along with ARISE Hunters and monsters, then complete sets for rewards. Duplicates turn into Card Points that can be traded for new packs, and Joker Cards can fill in missing slots.
The update also adds Deep Containment Zone, a four-Hunter mode against mutated Experiment versions of bosses like Igris and Kargalgan, plus the Stone Statue growth system and the Battlefield of Infinity boss rush. Seorin and Diana Lopez are also getting Halloween outfits.
Anniversary Gifts For Returning Hunters
Netmarble says the game has now reached more than 70 million cumulative players. To celebrate, players can earn up to 500 Special Draw Tickets across the October and November updates, and the code 25THANNIV grants an SSR Hunter and Exclusive Weapon Selection Ticket from October 22nd through December 17th. The developer note code BEYONDUPD4TE adds 2,500 Essence Stones, 25 million Gold, and 1,000 Advanced Mana Crystals until December 16th.
Solo Leveling began as a web novel by Chugong before becoming a hit webtoon, and its anime adaptation from A-1 Pictures helped introduce the series to a huge new audience. ARISE lets fans step into Jinwoo's shoes while also exploring new stories set around the original.
Would you rather see ARISE keep exploring alternate versions of characters like Go Gunhee, or stick closer to the events of the original webtoon?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.