Solo Leveling: Arise shared update news during its July Developer Live, headlined by Sung Jin-woo's 'Shadow Master' form. The update introduces a new hunter, 'Jeong Ye-rim,' designed to synergize with the fire-attribute buster Ryu Zikang, and revamps the major endgame content, 'Workshop of Brilliant Light,' into a seasonal format.

[Redeem Codes and Additional Rewards]

- SHAD0W_M0NARC : [Transcendence] Skill Rune Selection Chest x1, Amplification Material x500

(Valid until August 27, 2026, 08:59 (KST))

- 730_UPD473 : Gold x10,000,000, Mana Dissolver x3, Core Growth Selection Chest II x5

(Valid until August 27, 2026, 08:59 (KST))

- 5UMM3R_EV3NT : Dungeon Entry Key x300, Custom Draw Ticket x10, Workshop of Brilliant Light Invitation x1

(Valid until August 27, 2026, 08:59 (KST))

■ Release of Fang Master Adan

This is an original story not found in the source material. It follows Sung Jin-woo and Baek Yoon-ho as they investigate incidents where hunters begin to lose their sanity. We hope you look forward to the story as they uncover the Fang Legion's clan hall and reveal the mastermind behind it all.

■ Sung Jin-woo & Reputation Level Cap Increase

Sung Jin-woo's maximum level increases from 150 to 160, and the maximum Reputation level increases from 150 to 200. With the level increase, a new job advancement, 'Suppressor,' is added, which also grants a skin upon completion.

Since the previous update, reaching Sung Jin-woo's level cap became easier. We received feedback that top-tier players felt less rewarded for their long-term dedication, so we expanded the Reputation level by 50 to provide more differentiation.

■ Dark-Attribute Inheritor: 'Shadow Master'

Fans of the original work know the significance of the term 'Shadow Master.' Since the core of the Solo Leveling story is Sung Jin-woo evolving from borrowing Ashborn's power to becoming the Shadow Master himself, we put a great deal of effort into this content.

Because this is Sung Jin-woo's Shadow Master form, we decided it should be accessible to everyone, so we are holding a Shadow Master creation event. It can be obtained for free upon completing the event, and the Shadow Master special draw will be permanently available for new players.

The event difficulty is set to be accessible. You can complete it by clearing Chapter 17 of the story, leveling up Sung Jin-woo once, using 500 total keys, and performing 200 artifact enhancements.

As a Inheritor, the Shadow Master grows in a way similar to the Labyrinth. We recommend prioritizing the two growth elements in the top right of the image, as they involve skill changes and enhancements. As a Shadow Master, you will see a significant increase in Shadow Attack, allowing you to enjoy fighting alongside your shadows.

The Shadow Master's combat style retains the feel of Sung Jin-woo while being more flashy and polished. A key feature is the synergy with other shadows, such as performing combo attacks with Igris, riding Kaisel for breath attacks, or having Beru intervene. It also features a unique resource called 'Shard' for rapid dagger attacks and a system that reduces common skill cooldowns for frequent use.

■ Workshop of Brilliant Light Revamp

The Workshop of Brilliant Light is being revamped into a seasonal format. Previously, there was no reason to revisit the workshop once you cleared it. Now, you can enjoy upgraded versions of past Masters scaled to your current combat power. The cycle consists of a 2-week season and a 4-week attribute rotation, with 'Remnants of Shadow' being consolidated into a common currency.

The workshop, previously split into upper and lower floors, is now unified. The first season features the Baran battle with Volkan and Esil Radiru, and the second season features Yogumunt. At lower difficulties, all attributes are accepted, while at higher difficulties, seasons 1-2 will have fire and dark attribute weaknesses. The highest difficulty is level 10, comparable to the previous top 3k tier.

The sweep system is also changing. Previously, you needed 20 clears to sweep, but now you only need one clear at that difficulty. However, due to structural improvements, even those who cleared it before must clear it once to unlock the sweep.

In August, Rakshasa will appear in weeks 1-2, and Igris in week 3. In September, Adan will appear in weeks 1-3, and Baran will return in weeks 4-5. The schedule variation in late August/early September is due to the Chuseok holiday.

Additionally, a challenge-type content called 'Corridor of the Master' will be updated in August, unlocked after clearing Workshop level 10. It replaces 'Proof of the Strong,' but instead of increasing all difficulties, you can select constraints to increase difficulty and compete for scores. Since random bosses appear, it offers strategic depth, and honorary rewards like titles will be awarded based on rankings.

■ New Hunter 'Jeong Ye-rim'

An A-rank hunter from the Order of Knights and a fire-attribute supporter who protects and buffs teammates. She features a burst damage increase and a burst damage accumulation rate increase, designed to be used with Ryu Zikang, effectively replacing the existing fire supporter, Gina.

Since her common skills are buffed after using her ultimate skill, Jeong Ye-rim should use her ultimate first.

■ Sung Jin-woo Performance Improvement - Guild Buff Balance Adjustment

Guild buff balance is being adjusted to improve Sung Jin-woo's performance. The existing five attribute damage buffs are being consolidated into a single 'All Attribute Damage Increase' buff, and buffs can now be assigned to Sung Jin-woo or specific classes to avoid 'Pong-Jin-woo' issues.

Defense penetration value has become higher than intended due to stat changes over the past two years. Adjustments are planned, but it will not be a patch that renders defense penetration useless.

The guild boss rage system has also been modified. The maximum rage will be lower than before, but rewards will remain the same or increase. The guild boss appearing after the late July update is the Queen Ant.

■ Summer Event: Midsummer Mermaid Commotion

Summer means vacation. Enjoy a story about chasing a mermaid found at a resort, featuring hunters in beautiful swimsuits. The event includes various activities like duels with Masters and a card-matching minigame.

Successful completion of the minigame against Masters provides various rewards, including exclusive profiles, titles, legend skill runes, blessing stone chests, and summer-themed weapon chests like water guns.

Q. It is inconvenient that regular tickets are selected first instead of time-limited ones when resetting artifact enhancements

- There was a logic issue where regular tickets were prioritized. This will be changed in the update so that time-limited tickets are prioritized.

Q. Buster auto-mode controls need improvement

- We have monitored the buster auto-mode issue internally. It will be fixed so that if burst damage is accumulated, the character will use the burst skill before exiting.

Q. You said you would simplify artifacts, so why do busters like Ryu Zikang or Agnes Rivera perform better with Designer sets

- We have investigated this. As mentioned in the developer notes, we plan to strengthen class-specific effects so that artifacts tailored to each class are more effective. We are also simplifying ultimate skill motions to help buster and stacker damage output.

Beyond striker and buster equipment, we are also improving team-fight effects for other items, including Rakshasa. This will be updated in August.

Q. The Forbidden Library difficulty has become too hard

- We were adjusting difficulty as growth increased, but feedback suggests it became too high. We will rebalance it in the next update. As seasonal content, we ask for your anticipation for the next season.

Q. Please ease guild level growth

- This seems like an area we can improve. We will discuss it.

Q. Please reconfirm if Sung Jin-woo's Shadow Master is permanently available

- Yes, it is permanent. We decided that for a 'Shadow Master,' it wouldn't fit Solo Leveling if it couldn't be obtained after a certain period.

Q. When will Kamish's Wrath be released

- It is in production. The original art is confirmed, but it will be released according to the story, so please wait a little longer. It will be within this year.

Q. Frame drops are severe

- We are discussing this with the development team and researching ways to compromise on graphics to ensure better frame rates.

Q. Hackers keep appearing in the rankings

- It is an ongoing battle. We are taking follow-up measures against those who bypass security after updates. If your ranking was pushed down by a hacker at the moment of reward distribution, we will provide the reduced rewards separately, so do not worry.

Regarding reports of slow speed, we are checking hundreds of reports one by one to minimize the risk of false bans on skilled players.

Q. When will the Labyrinth return?

- The Labyrinth was the first Inheritor content; it is currently unavailable and no return date is set. Please utilize the Shadow Master for now, and we will prepare for a rerun based on user demand.

Q. When will Shadow Bellion be released

- Bellion is the commander of the shadows and is quite symbolic and important in the story. It is not yet time for him to appear in the story, so please wait a bit longer.

Q. Artifact presets are needed

- The development team also feels this is an inconvenience. In this update, Sung Jin-woo's presets will increase from 2 to 4.

Q. Agnes Rivera's usability is low

- Many mention super armor. The character is designed to be stressful if her damage cycle is canceled, and we know the monster patterns make it difficult to deal damage without being interrupted.

Rather than just adding super armor, we are considering ways to create various possibilities based on combinations and settings. We are looking into modifications where using her with certain hunters covers her weaknesses and increases total damage, and we will provide an update later.

Q. Wind and dark attribute infusion weapons have been released; when are the next ones coming

- A water-attribute infusion weapon will be released next month. Overload weapons will be released separately, and we are designing them to be used alongside existing weapons, starting with Skadi and Winterfang.

There is also feedback that Winchester Locke and the Key of the World are less usable than recently released wind weapons. These will be buffed in the August update.

Q. Pick-off' (getting the wrong character) is very frustrating

- We cannot overhaul the pickup system right now. While I empathize with the frustration this causes, many users have already been pulling characters under the current system; changing it abruptly could lead to reactions like, 'If I had known, I would have waited instead of pulling.' We ask for your understanding as we work to increase the supply of tickets and provide more rewards through events and coupons.

Q. Are there any plans for more collaborations?

- We have done a few collaborations since our 2nd anniversary, but we realized that 'Solo Leveling shines brightest when it is most like Solo Leveling.' There are no additional collaborations planned at this time.

Q. We need content where we can spend gold.

- Until recently, gold shortages were severe, and we have recently increased gold acquisition. As many players have accumulated a lot of gold, we will prepare events where you can spend it to receive rewards.

Jin Seong-geon, General Development PD: The Shadow Master is included in this update. The development team is working hard to show you flashy, differentiated combat, so please look forward to it. We will strive to provide a fun experience with various events and rich rewards.

Lee Da-haeng, Business Director: This is a great opportunity to showcase the Shadow Master. To make the update more accessible, I suggest we provide 10 pickup draw tickets three times, for a total of 30 tickets. You can receive them by logging in for three days starting from the update day. We will also provide separate artifact enhancement reset tickets.

I feel that the Solo Leveling development team thinks a lot about how much fun hunters will have when looking at the Shadow Master or the Workshop of Brilliant Light. We have prepared this update thoroughly, so please enjoy it. For those returning after 8 months, I would say now is the perfect time to get the Shadow Master for free.

Shin Dong-hyun, Balance Part Lead: Today's demonstration was a bit lacking, but I am sure you will find it very fun when you play it yourself. We have prepared a lot for the Workshop of Brilliant Light, which is reborn as new content, so please enjoy it. Please leave plenty of feedback, and we will work hard to reflect it.