Inven Global

HAOPLAY revealed a preview stream today (Nov. 12) ahead of the global 2nd anniversary of Sunborn Network's 'Girls' Frontline 2: Exilium'. In this preview broadcast, Sunborn Network Producer Yuzhong made an appearance to announce major news, including 2nd anniversary events and rewards, the 2nd anniversary concert, collaborations with SSSS.GRIDMAN and DJMAX, and future update plans.

Before introducing the core 2nd anniversary update, celebratory events and infographics were revealed. On November 19, the 2nd anniversary event 'Tea Time Full of Memories' will begin. After the event starts, players can earn a special 2nd anniversary cake by participating in various content, which can then be gifted to designated Dolls. Dolls who receive gifts will also present special return gifts.

Next, key infographic details such as Doll combat power rankings were presented. Klukai, who has been one of the most beloved characters among players since the previous game, ranked first as both the most leveled Tactical Doll and the most deployed Tactical Doll. The boss that players attempted the most was Gerry & Target Geoder, with a total of 135,616,157 attempts. Global players accumulated 167,500,154,256 Collapse Crystal Shards through events over the course of the year.

For costumes loved by Commanders, Andoris's 'Midnight Whisper' took 1st place. 2nd place went to Suomi's 'Ocean Reflecting the Soul', and 3rd place to Klukai's 'Azure Trajectory'. Following the Activity Floor update, Lena took 1st place for the Doll who cooked the most, with Sabrina taking 2nd place. In addition to these global rankings, the 'Elmo Projector' event, which allows players to review their past gameplay records and generate an annual report, will return this year. This year in particular, a feature allowing players to leave a letter to themselves one year in the future has been added, offering a fresh experience for users.

Next, the 2nd anniversary event story, 'Siege of Ilion', was introduced. As the Commander and the Elmo face all-out attacks from various factions, including Paradeus after being tangled in multiple incidents, Tactical Dolls who previously journeyed with the Commander but could not join due to secret pacts step in as reinforcements, kicking off a full-scale total war. Reflecting the larger scale, it contains more than triple the text volume of the 'Sins of the Flame' version story. Accordingly, the story will be released sequentially in three parts: Part 1 from November 19 to December 9, Part 2 from December 10 to December 30, and Part 3 from December 17 to December 30.

As for new Dolls, 'Koleda' arrives in the first half of the update. Known as AK-12 in the previous game, Koleda is an elite Doll from Squad Rebellion, joining this title as a Hydro Vanguard unit. She is characterized by utilizing a physical summon shaped like a sports car called 'Krypta'. When using her Ultimate skill 'Hallucination', she summons Krypta onto the battlefield. The summoned Krypta absorbs a portion of damage intended for Koleda to boost her survivability, while shifting into different gears whenever Koleda uses a skill to trigger various combat effects. In particular, using the skill 'Let's Drive!' allows her to pick up an ally and ride together. The riding ally enters a resting state, providing a portion of their stats to empower Krypta. Additionally, the riding ally becomes untargetable by enemy attacks, but if Krypta is destroyed, that ally becomes incapacitated.

Koleda's Elite Weapon 'Chernobog' increases the Hydro damage dealt by Koleda and Krypta while adding a penetration effect to attacks. It also boosts the Critical Damage of all allied physical summons, making it highly useful for Hydro-focused teams.

Along with the Part 2 update, 'Asteria'—familiar to fans as ST AR-15 from the previous game—will board the Elmo. Like the rest of the AR Team, she travels to various places seeking a reunion with M4A1 and actively utilizes a compact, friendly version of the Jupiter Cannon previously used by M4A1. In-game, Asteria appears as a Physical Support Doll, enhancing team offensive and defensive capabilities with her 'Crime and Punishment' skill while providing reliable damage support of her own. Her Elite Weapon 'Compass of Penance' increases the wearer's offensive stats. Additionally, the Nov. 19 update will introduce the Covenant system for Koleda and Peritia, followed by Asteria's Covenant on Dec. 10.

In addition, a selective Targeted Procurement banner will be available, allowing Commanders to choose a featured Doll among Voymastina, Springfield, Lorelei, Sakura, Riva, Lewis, and Helen.

Following that, two free costumes obtainable by Commanders after the 2nd anniversary update, along with news of brand-new costumes, were introduced. First, completing missions in the limited-time event 'Shining One-Day Manager' after the Nov. 19 update will grant Sharkry's 'Acting Manager' costume for free. Additionally, Peritia's costume 'Budding Bunny Lady' will also be distributed free of charge.

Next, Koleda's new costume 'Wave Focus', releasing on November 19, was showcased. Designed with the theme of riding a sports car along a summer beach, this costume includes exclusive skill visual effects, custom dormitory poses, a 3D interactive main menu screen, and interactive story content in the Activity Floor's Bathroom.

Succubus-themed new costumes were also revealed. On November 19, Helen's new costume 'Alluring Succubus' and Nikita's new costume 'Pure Contract' will be released. Both costumes feature swappable parts, allowing players to customize them to their liking. Costumes and swappable parts can be acquired through 'Outfit Store'.

New costumes will also arrive on December 10 with the Part 2 update. Groza's new costume 'Nutcracker Princess' will be added. Inspired by Christmas and ballet, it arrives alongside the Christmas-themed weapon finish 'Polaris Eve'. Furthermore, banner protagonist Asteria will feature her new winter school uniform-concept costume 'Winter Night's Star Path'. 'Winter Night's Star Path' comes with swappable parts such as cat ears and glasses.

Finally, Riva's new costume 'Cunning Rabbit's Labyrinth' was revealed. Prepared as the runner-up reward for the 1st Twinkle Wish, it will be available following the December 10 update. A new weapon finish 'Phantasmal Wonderland' will also be introduced. In addition, a limited-time costume rerun will take place from November 19, following the 2nd anniversary update launch, through December 30.

The 3rd Twinkle Wish popularity poll to determine which Doll will receive a new costume begins on November 29. Based on the final voting results, priority will be given to designing a new costume for that Doll. The rules remain the same as before: players challenge the cross-server boss '6P62 Nova Warrior' to earn cheering items and vote for their favorite Doll. Winners and runners-up from the previous two events—Klukai, Riva, Lorelei, and Cheyenne—are excluded from this poll.

The '2nd Frontier Expedition' will be featured as the first-half event starting November 19. Incorporating user feedback from the first event, the duration has been extended until December 10. The daily attempt limit has been removed, and new functional nodes alongside more map content have been added. Meanwhile, content has been enriched by adding 'Kanu' from the new partner faction North Sea Commercial Guild—following Verris and Joey—along with a new storyline and new Armed Support Teams. To reduce player fatigue, 'Dust Front' will not be held during this major update period.

The side-scrolling platformer event 'Wild Fantasy Adventure' will also be held. Special clear conditions such as prohibiting leftward movement or jumping will be presented for each stage, offering various rewards upon completion. Furthermore, the pool butt-bashing mini-game 'Splash Arena' will return on December 10, this time featuring the Commander appearing as Helena.

The new party event 'Gather Light, Make a Wish' opens on December 17. Themed around rebuilding the Elmo after an enemy attack, playing the event unlocks Robella's 2-player interaction and grants various rewards, including Activity Floor furniture. Subsequently, the Recurrent Corridor will also reopen on December 17, allowing players to deploy Armed Support Teams acquired during the 2nd Frontier Expedition.

Details on Gacha pull ticket rewards were also shared. During the 2nd anniversary period, a total of 30 'Refurbishment Permits' used for costume banners will be provided through events and other means. Attendance events will run during both the first and second halves, granting 10 Dedicated Access Permits each. Additionally, Mayling's Celebration Gift event runs from November 19 to December 30, granting 10 Dedicated Access Permits and 10 Access Permits upon viewing the event page. Viewing the Festival Time event page from December 5 to December 30 awards an additional 10 Dedicated Access Permits. Following the 2nd anniversary update, the first-time top-up double credit bonus for all tiers will be reset, and the limited event 'Gate of Wishes'—where players complete requests for Dolls to earn various rewards—will run from December 26 to January 9.

The Activity Floor will also receive updates. The 'Bathroom' featured in Koleda's interactive story opens during the first half, while the Central Bedroom unlocks in the Part 2 update. Alongside the Central Bedroom opening, the 'Home Sweet Home' event will begin on December 10, providing various Activity Floor furniture items as players sequentially repair and decorate the Commander's Central Bedroom.

Updates regarding progression systems were also announced. Following the Nov. 19 update, a 'Rubbing' system will be introduced, allowing players to copy Gold Common Keys up to 3 times. Common Keys copied via Rubbing do not inherit the original key's upgrade status, and performing a Rubbing requires 'Rubbing Components'. Rubbing Components can later be obtained through themed event shops, mini-game and battle pass rewards, and the Refurbishment Exchange Shop.

In the first half of the version, Lewis and Tololo will receive Neural Helix expansions, followed by Raynie and Sakura on December 10. Lewis receives offensive capability expansions, while Tololo gains access to a special summon called 'Stationary Satellite'. Sakura focuses on enhancing mobility and damage output, while Raynie focuses on strengthening crowd control and damage output.

Ahead of the update, the web event 'Operation Elmo Patching' will launch. In this event, players join Asteria after the Elmo bombing to synthesize materials and perform repairs. Participating gives players a chance to earn rewards such as gift cards and Refurbishment Permits.

News regarding offline events, including the Girls' Frontline 2 2nd Anniversary Concert, was also shared. Domestically in Korea, the Girls' Frontline 2 2nd Anniversary Concert will take place on December 20 at Kyung Hee University Peace Palace, with ticket sales opening November 13. Participation in Comic Market (Comiket) at Tokyo Big Sight in Japan from December 29 to 31 was also confirmed, along with attendance at FFK19, a doujin event in Kaohsiung. To encourage fan creation, a contest hosted on Pixiv will also be held. Regarding offline events in North America and Europe, Producer Yuzhong explained, "They are all included in our plans, and we will speed up our preparations."

The post-2nd anniversary version roadmap was also revealed. First, top-down real-time shooter content 'Hazard Zone Exploration' was teased. Though pre-released on the CN server, Producer Yuzhong explained that due to its massive volume, localization and implementation take time, so it will be updated in the next major version scheduled for early next year. Additionally, future version story updates will aim to match progress as closely as possible, and the 'SSSS.GRIDMAN' collaboration previously held on the CN server will arrive on global servers in 2027. SSSS.GRIDMAN collaboration characters will feature Rikka Takarada and Akane Shinjo joining the roster. Subsequently, a new collaboration with DJMAX RESPECT was revealed for the first time. Following their previous collab in 'Girls' Frontline', further details regarding this new crossover will be announced later.

In addition, new World Boss content was mentioned. Rather than challenging fixed content, it occurs via encounters; after discovering a boss, players invite others to raid together, similar to raid boss battles in other mobile games. For new merchandise, character folders, dog tags, metal morale patches, plushies, and sleep masks themed after Koleda and Asteria were showcased in person. Though not shown on stage, Commander jackets and various other goods were teased, with detailed information to be released through the official store and I.O.P official social media.

The Girls' Frontline 2 2nd anniversary update is scheduled for November 19, and detailed information can be found on the official cafe.