Solo Leveling:ARISE is celebrating two and a half years with a major update. Netmarble has released the BEYOND update for its action game, adding two new characters, a four-hunter team mode, new progression systems and a range of anniversary events.
The first new arrival is Holy Guardian Barrier Go Gunhee, a new SSR version of Go Gunhee who fights as a Water element Buster. Drawing on the power of the Four Divine Beasts, his skills include Echoing Impact, which channels the Black Tortoise into a forceful shoulder charge, and his Burst skill, Heavenbreaker Fist, which smashes the surrounding area as though breaking apart space.
He is joined by Velvet, a Fire element Successor who carries the ferocity of Adan, the Monarch of Fangs. Velvet wields Dance of the Fangs, an exclusive weapon made by joining two swords into a double-bladed spear. She can switch stances freely in battle, building power as her attacks land before unleashing empowered strikes that differ by stance.
The update’s biggest addition is the Deep Containment Zone, a new mode in which teams of four hunters take on powerful Experiment versions of bosses. Team composition matters more here than in the existing three-hunter challenge dungeons, and players are encouraged to adjust their approach each season and boss. The mode also introduces Union, a feature that activates once its gauge fills when all four hunters share the same element. Union triggers a powerful skill and class-specific effects for the whole team, but you can only use it once per battle, so timing is key.
The game also adds new progression systems. The Figures system offers another way to raise stats by defeating powerful enemies such as Igris, Kargalgan and the Monarchs on Expert difficulty in Story Mode. The Seasonal Card system lets players collect cards featuring well-known webtoon scenes and hunters from the game, with rewards for completing sets. Normal and Reverse difficulties now include Chapters 35 and 36, and the update brings changes to the Guild system along with other quality-of-life improvements.
To mark the anniversary, players can earn up to 500 2.5th Anniversary Special Draw Tickets, 10,000 Essence Stones, 20 Rate Up Draw Tickets and other rewards through events. A new event, Battlefield of Infinity, challenges players to defeat as many continuously appearing bosses as possible within a time limit, with rewards including Essence Stones, Rate Up Draw Tickets and Gold.
