In the early July update, the maximum weapon level for Sung Jinwoo and the hunters was increased from 120 to 130. Breaking through this level requires 20 Superior Fusion Cubes along with other secondary materials.

While the increase in the maximum weapon level itself is straightforward—simply requiring further enhancement—it is a critical checkpoint for players aiming to optimize their Artifact settings, as changes in weapon stats can shift the value of different options. Since a weapon's Attack, Defense, and HP are calculated as base stats, fluctuations in these values can alter the relative effectiveness of percentage-based versus flat-value stat options on Artifacts.

To cut to the chase, there is no need to overhaul your Artifact settings following this update. For Sung Jinwoo’s weapons and the signature weapons of hunters whose primary stat is Attack, the base Attack increases from 3080 at level 120 to 3370 at level 130. In other words, breaking through to level 130 grants a base Attack increase of 290. Defense increases by the same amount, while HP increases by 560, rising from 6120 to 6680..

Based on calculations from last month's article regarding Attack, the Attack threshold—where the expected value of one percentage-based Attack substat equals that of one flat Attack substat—is 16881. If your Attack is above this, percentage-based options are superior; if below, flat-value options are better. At character level 150 and weapon level 120, Sung Jinwoo was already well over 20,000, making percentage-based Attack substats more favorable, while hunters generally fell in the 13k–14k range, where flat Attack options were more advantageous.

Combining these two pieces of information, we can conclude that the increase in base stats from this weapon level cap raise is not enough to push characters into a range where percentage-based stats become more favorable than flat stats, meaning no changes to your existing Artifact settings are necessary. Of course, for Artifacts with three enhancements to a main stat, the value may have already fluctuated depending on random rolls; you might find that a previously slightly inferior percentage-based substat has now become marginally better, so it is worth checking your gear as you swap pieces.