Solo Leveling: ARISE is celebrating two and a half years with one of its biggest updates yet. Netmarble has confirmed that the 2.5th Anniversary update, titled BEYOND, arrives tomorrow with a new story chapter, a higher level cap for Sung Jinwoo, two new characters, and a free redeem code that hands out an SSR Hunter.
The official Solo Leveling: ARISE account shared the anniversary trailer and the code earlier this week.
Free Rewards And The 25THANNIV Code
The headline freebie is the redeem code 25THANNIV, which grants a 2.5th Anniversary SSR Hunter and Exclusive Weapon Selection Ticket. It goes live after maintenance on October 22nd and stays valid until December 17th (UTC). Netmarble is also handing out up to 500 2.5th Anniversary Special Draw Tickets across the celebration, with up to 300 available through the October update and up to 200 more coming with the November update, plus up to 10,000 Essence Stones through event gameplay.
Players who read the developer note can also claim the code BEYONDUPD4TE for 2,500 Essence Stones, 25 million Gold, and 1,000 Advanced Mana Crystals. That one is valid until December 16th. Netmarble also revealed that the game has passed 70 million cumulative players.
Sung Jinwoo Faces His Greatest Crisis
The story continues with Act 18, which sees a massive Gate cover the skies of Seoul as three Monarchs appear in front of Sung Jinwoo. With Gate spawns mysteriously stopping around the world, the Monarchs make their move, and Netmarble describes the chapter as Jinwoo's greatest crisis yet.
To help him survive it, Jinwoo's maximum level is being raised from 160 to 170. He is also getting a new Job Change called Requiem and a new Ultimate Skill called Commander's Authority.
Go Gunhee And Velvet Join The Roster
Two new characters arrive with the update. Holy Guardian Barrier Go Gunhee is the first Water element Buster in the game and comes from the alternate timeline created by the Cup of Reincarnation. This version of the Hunters Association chairman fights as a martial artist using the power of the Four Divine Beasts, with skills tied to the Azure Scale, Black Tortoise Shell, White Tiger Fang, and Vermilion Wing. Netmarble says he is a Defense-based Hunter who pairs well with Meiri Laine and Elena Renault.
The new Successor is Velvet, a Fire element fighter who inherited the ferocity of Adan, the Monarch of Fangs. She switches stances freely in combat, building power as her attacks land and then unleashing empowered strikes unique to each stance.
Deep Containment Zone And Other New Content
The biggest new mode is Deep Containment Zone, the first content in the game that lets players bring four Hunters into a fight. Teams take on Experiments, which are variant bosses that trigger hazards such as wave impacts, monster spawns, zone collapses, and gas leaks. A new Union system can be activated when all four Hunters share an element, unleashing a powerful once-per-battle skill. The mode unlocks after defeating Igris in Expert Mode, launches as a beta, and will start with Experiment Igris and Experiment Kargalgan, each running for two weeks.
Other additions include Stone Statues, a new growth system earned by beating Expert bosses, the Battlefield of Infinity boss rush, and Seasonal Cards featuring iconic scenes from the original webtoon, which replace Special Commissions. Several existing modes are also getting harder difficulty tiers with better rewards, part of Netmarble's response to player feedback that the game had become too easy and progress no longer felt rewarding.
Halloween outfits for Seorin and Diana Lopez are also on the way, and the official SHARP 26.0 livestream takes place today (October 21st) at 6:00 PM PDT with more coupon codes promised.
Are you more excited about the four-Hunter Deep Containment Zone or the free SSR Hunter from the anniversary code?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.