On Tuesday, August 13, Solo Leveling: ARISE hosted a livestream to share exciting updates about upcoming content and to engage with the community through a Q&A session. The highlight of the broadcast was the announcement of the highly anticipated Guild System, a major feature set to roll out in August. Additionally, the developers revealed plans for special in-game events to celebrate the game's 100th day since launch on August 15.

New hunters Han Semi and Go Gunhee will arrive, and with them comes the second part of the ongoing summer event. Players can look forward to unlocking new skins and earning a variety of rewards through this event.

Live Broadcast Redeem Code (Valid until August 28, 2024, 08:59 AM KST)

100DAYTHX: 1 million gold, 100 Rune Fragment, and 100 Powder of Blessing

HUNTERCOSTUME: 1,000 Mana-imbused Fabrics

SEEUAGAIN: 10 Custom Draw Tickets

The new hunter, Han Semi, a wind attribute healer, will make her debut on August 22. As a key supporter and healer, she completes the wind attribute lineup. Han Semi, a character from the original series and a member of the Hunters Guild, also plays a role in this summer event. In addition to her shield skill, she provides mana recovery and removes area effects. Her mana recovery ability is expected to address the mana shortage issues faced by Mirei.

On August 28, Go Gunhee, the Chairman of the Korean Hunters Association, will be introduced as a Light Attribute Tank in the Breaker position. His key stat is defense, and his abilities revolve around a shield based on his defense stat. In addition to his Breaker abilities, he also possesses an Airborne skill. Players can secure his business card through the attendance rewards. It's worth noting that Go Gunhee shares the Breaker position with Baek Yoonho, another Light Attribute character. A balance update is currently in the works to address performance issues related to Baek Yoonho.

In celebration of the 100-day milestone, a variety of events are set to take place. Starting on August 15, the 100-Day Anniversary Login Event will reward players with 50 Custom Draw Tickets and the newly introduced hunter, Go Gunhee, for free. Additionally, the following week, beginning on August 22, the 100-Day Anniversary Mission Event will offer another 50 Custom Draw Tickets as a reward.

The second part of the summer event is here, featuring swimsuit skins for Emma Laurent, the newly introduced hunter Han Semi, and Alicia Blanche. Players can also obtain the juicy Skewered Meat item, complete with fun effects. Notably, Emma Laurent's skin will be available through event participation. Additionally, the new boss, Stone Guardian, has been introduced. Based on feedback from the previous event, the difficulty level has been significantly adjusted to provide a more enjoyable experience for players.

In September, the original story update will resume, focusing on the Upper Floors of the Demon Castle—an area described as one of the most thrilling parts of the original series. Players will encounter Esil Radiru, a monster known for its fast and sharp attacks, reminiscent of Igris, offering a combat experience full of speed and intensity. The Upper Floors of the Demon Castle will also feature a raid, adding the challenge of overcoming diverse attack patterns.

The Demon King Baran, the first Monarch that Sung Jinwoo faces in the original story, is being meticulously crafted for this update. In line with the story's progression, players won’t initially face Baran directly; instead, the battle begins with him mounted on the dragon Kaisellin. The encounter is designed to include three distinct combat phases: one where Baran is mounted, and two others where he fights in dual-sword and greatsword stances.

Can you share the future direction of the game's development?

Jin Seong-gun PD: We've received feedback that there's a lack of depth in the stories surrounding the Hunters, so we've been working on addressing this, as seen with the recent Secret Library update. Additionally, we've noted the absence of a space where players can come together, so we’re planning to roll out a Guild update in August.

Regarding farming, we’re preparing improvements for the Encore Mission and the Workshop of Brilliant Light. There's been some overlap between these two item farming systems, so we’re planning a revamp in September. The dungeons and Encore Missions will be renewed, and at the same time, the Workshop of Brilliant Light will be equipped with new farming elements.

When it comes to difficulty, we understand that it's hard to satisfy everyone. What’s easy for some might be too difficult for others. In September, we’re introducing the "Curse" system, designed for top-tier players. This system will challenge even the most skilled players and offer a variety of prestigious rewards.

We’re also aware of the concerns about the lack of endgame content. After farming artifacts in the Workshop of Brilliant Light, players find there's little content to use them in. We’re currently developing new endgame content, so we ask for your patience as we work on this.

Could you introduce us to the Guild system and what players can expect?

Kim Jae-hyun: In the Guild Lobby, players will find various menus, including Missions, Guild Boss, Guild Exchange, and Mini Games. We're also working on adding ranking systems and Guild Wars. The Guild Lobby can be customized with different themes, and players can check out the Hunters of their fellow guild members.

The Guild Boss battle involves Sung Jinwoo and nine Hunters. The Boss gets progressively stronger with each defeat, entering a state of rage. When the Guild Boss is defeated, both individual and cooperative rewards are given. One of the key rewards is the Guild Coins, which can be used in the Guild Exchange to acquire powerful exclusive weapons for Sung Jinwoo.

Jin Seong-gun: The new exclusive weapons are incredibly powerful, so it's important for players to actively participate in the content to collect enough Guild Coins.

Solo Leveling has traditionally been a single-player experience. Do you think adding Guild content might be too overwhelming for players?

Kim Jae-hyun: This has been a challenging aspect to balance. Our primary goal is to keep the content light and focused on single-player experiences. We're working on making sure the Guild content is engaging without being too burdensome for players.

Evolving Sung Jinwoo's weapons has become increasingly difficult as more are added, making the process even more challenging.

Kim Jae-hyun: We're aware of the difficulty and are preparing a weapon pickup system for Sung Jinwoo's weapons. As I mentioned earlier, we're positioning Guilds as a key farming source, so participating in Guild content will give players a better chance to obtain Sung Jinwoo's weapons.

Can you address the issue where some Hunter Advancement effects were incorrectly applied?

Jin Seong-gun: First, I want to apologize for the error with the incorrect data. As mentioned in our previous notice, this was a mistake where data meant for QA testing was accidentally implemented. I want to reassure players that we will never introduce balance patches or make changes without proper communication. We are committed to being transparent and will always inform players before any updates or patches are made.

Could the level cap increase be accelerated? And is there a plan to add a new job change for Sung Jinwoo?

Kim Jae-hyun: Yes, we have a new job change planned for August. When Sung Jinwoo undergoes this job change, his skin will change, and he’ll gain a new skill. This upcoming job change is themed around a concept similar to the Fiend. To unlock it, players will need to defeat Metus, one of the in-game bosses, as a prerequisite. Along with the new skill, four corresponding runes will also be added.

In September, alongside the introduction of the Demon King Baran, the level cap will be expanded to 90. We’re aiming to complete this update before the Chuseok holiday.

There's been a request for a damage meter for the training dummies. Is that something we can expect?

Kim Jae-hyun: We've decided to develop a damage meter for the training dummies. However, the completion of this feature might take a bit longer than players expect. For now, we plan to introduce a feature in August with the Guild Boss that will display the damage dealt by Sung Jinwoo and the Hunters.

Why are artifact removal costs still in place? Can you remove them?

Jin Seong-gun: We’re planning to run an event where artifact removal costs will be waived for a certain period. This event will be scheduled regularly, possibly for two days each week.

The reason we don’t eliminate the cost entirely is that the core goal should be to farm the right items for each Hunter and build towards the optimal setup. Allowing unrestricted swapping of gear without any cost could undermine the challenge and satisfaction of farming, as well as the purpose of crafting the perfect build.

However, we encourage players to try out the event. If the feedback still indicates significant discomfort, we’ll consider additional adjustments.

There have been requests to adjust the penalties for Legendary-grade Blessing Stones. Is that something you're addressing?

Jin Seong-gun: We’ve reviewed player feedback and made adjustments to some of the penalties for Blessing Stones. Specifically, the Legendary versions of Boss Slayer, Double-Edged Sword, and Mana Rampage will now have stronger effects, but their penalties will be reduced to the same level as their Epic counterparts.

There’s an issue where enhanced artifacts can’t be sold. What’s the situation with that?

Jin Seong-gun: Yes, that’s a bug. We’ll be addressing it in the next update to ensure it’s fixed.

The healing stat feels somewhat pointless. Any plans to address this?

Jin Seong-gun: This has been a topic of much discussion within the development team. To get straight to the point, we’ve decided to replace the Healing Given Increase with a different one in the future. We’re still finalizing the details on what the new stat will be, and we’ll share that information as soon as the plan is confirmed. We’ll also ensure that the Healing increase option is removed from future updates.

What’s the plan for improving the reputation level-up rewards?

Kim Jae-hyun: We’re planning to enhance these rewards in August. Currently, we provide a draw ticket, but we’ll be increasing that to 2 tickets. Additionally, starting from level 25, we’ll be adding extra rewards like gems, Marks of Time, and gold every 5 levels. For those who have already reached these levels, the new rewards will be applied retroactively.

The rewards for Power of Destruction seem too low compared to the playtime required. Any thoughts on this?

Kim Jae-hyun: We’ve received a lot of feedback about Power of Destruction. In addition to increasing the rewards, we’re also working on a full content overhaul. We’re aiming to release these updates as quickly as possible.

For higher-tier rewards, we’re planning to introduce more prestigious rewards. We’re considering adding ways for players to showcase the significant damage they've dealt, as a mark of their achievement.

There’s been feedback that the coins awarded after reaching Hunter Advancement Stage 10 need improvement. Any updates on that?

Kim Jae-hyun: As mentioned previously, we're working on ensuring that the rewards you receive after reaching Advancement Stage 10 will be comparable to those you get from weapon salvage. The specific details are still being finalized, but we'll share them as soon as they are confirmed.

There’s been a lot of requests for a feature to adjust the number of keys used on the results screen for dungeons and Encore Missions. Is that something you're working on?

Jin Seong-gun: We've recognized that this is a highly requested feature, and we're preparing to implement it in the September update.

Players have expressed that Mana Power Extracts are in short supply. What are your plans to address this?

Kim Jae-hyun: We’re actively discussing ways to improve the regular supply of Mana Power Extracts. Once the Guild content is updated, there will be ongoing processes where players can accumulate them, and we’re planning to make this one of the key routes.

Additionally, to help players obtain them more quickly, Mana Power Extracts will be available as rewards in the upcoming 100-day event.

Obtaining Tier 4 Gems is quite challenging, especially when they come with unwanted options. Are there any plans to introduce a feature that allows players to exchange or re-roll these options?

Jin Seong-gun: We recognize that there should be a way to exchange or re-synthesize these gems. While we haven’t finalized the specific method yet, we’re definitely considering it and will look into implementing a solution.

Are there any plans to create content that encourages the use of less popular Hunters?

Jin Seong-gun: Our goal as developers is to see players nurturing and utilizing a wide variety of Hunters. Beyond dungeons and Encore Missions, we’re also introducing content that requires multiple Hunters, such as Guild Wars. We're currently working on new content that will require players to strategically combine different Hunters. We’re committed to ongoing balance patches and the development of new content to ensure that no Hunter is left unused.

Could you add a feature to skip boss cutscenes?

Jin Seong-gun: While making all cutscenes skippable presents challenges, especially in terms of story integration and functionality, we’ll review the cutscenes to identify those that can be skipped and work on adding a skip button where possible.

The rewards from the Hunter Association support seem too low. Any plans to improve them?

Kim Jae-hyun: We’ll look into enhancing the rewards to make them more substantial.

Is it possible to remove the story level restrictions?

Jin Seong-gun: Some level restrictions and combat power requirements are necessary for players to properly learn and progress through the game. However, we understand that imposing level caps on players who have already surpassed these thresholds can be frustrating, so we plan to gradually remove these restrictions for more advanced players.

The calculation time for the Battlefield of Time is too long. Any plans to address this?

Kim Jae-hyun: You're absolutely right. Currently, the event runs for four weeks, and the calculation takes an additional two weeks, which is too long. We are working on reducing this time, but unfortunately, the improvement is targeted for September rather than August.

There are still many shortcomings. Not only is there a lack of gold, but achievement rewards also lack appeal, and the supply of Marks of Time is a bottleneck.

Jin Seong-gun: We’re creating events to ensure a steady supply of gold. By participating in these events regularly, players should be able to accumulate enough gold. We’re also considering hot-time events that could provide even more gold. Additionally, in the upcoming 100-day event, we plan to offer a significant amount of gold as rewards.

As for achievement rewards, we’ll continue to expand and improve them through events and new content.

Kim Jae-hyun: We're continuously increasing the sources for Marks of Time. They’re available through events, and we’re also considering adding more regular content to supply them. Additionally, we’re preparing to make it possible to craft materials for the armory.

The dice animation in the dice event takes too long. Can it be sped up?

Kim Jae-hyun: We’ll adjust the dice speed to make it roll faster.

How is the optimization process coming along?

Jin Seong-gun: As we continue adding high-quality assets, we’re constantly optimizing and updating the game. We’re making ongoing efforts to ensure the game supports a wide range of devices globally.