Developer Note: Back to the Roots of Progression

Greetings, Hunters
The Hunters Association has a notice for you.

We are carefully reviewing all of your support and honest feedback sent through various channels.
In particular, your opinions regarding Total Power and Rankings, as well as concerns about unfair gameplay such as using unauthorized programs and account sharing, have weighed heavily on us.

We will build a fair environment where Total Power is more than just a number and holds true meaning, and where rankings can shine through rightful effort.

Today, we have prepared news representing the results of that promise.
We would like to share the changes coming with the September Update and extending all the way to our 2.5th Anniversary.

Before diving into the details, we would like to sincerely apologize for adjusting the New Hunter Rate Up Celebration Events without sufficient prior communication.

This adjustment was part of our process to reorganize and revamp events that had overlap regarding new Hunter Rate Ups.

However, after hearing the voices of many Hunters who wished for the Rate Up celebration events to return, we have decided to resume them starting with this September Update. Both the event content and rewards will be provided at the same level as before. We once again apologize for the confusion and inconvenience caused during this process, and we will ensure better communication moving forward.
As a gesture of our apology, we will be delivering the following rewards to all Hunters. Please be sure to check them after the September Update!
 

* Mailbox rewards can be claimed until 10/21 (Wed) 23:59 (UTC+0). Rewards will no longer be available once expired.

Now, we would like to present the prepared updates in detail.

[New Boss: Adan, the Monarch of Fangs]
 

Adan, the Monarch of Fangs who leads the beastly magical beast horde known as the Army of Fangs, makes his appearance in the Workshop of Brilliant Light and the Hall of Monarchs.

Starting in his black-haired humanoid form, Adan transforms into his white-haired humanoid form and eventually his beastly magical beast form as the battle progresses, drastically shifting the dynamics of combat.
 

Adan, the Monarch of Fangs, First Mechanic
 

Adan, the Monarch of Fangs, Second Mechanic
 

Adan, the Monarch of Fangs, Third Mechanic

In Phase 1 (Humanoid Form), Adan fires a barrage of projectiles before gathering power to charge forward; you must counter his attack with precise timing.

Upon entering Phase 2 (Beast Form), a series of button QTEs and a power struggle will begin. Winning the struggle will temporarily incapacitate him. When his HP drops below a certain threshold in Beast Form, Adan summons lightning strikes while gathering energy. If he fully charges his energy, he will heal and empower himself, so it is crucial to defeat him before the charge is complete.

Each phase features its own unique mechanics, and executing QTEs with precise timing to incapacitate Adan is the key to victory.

Adan, the Monarch of Fangs, will appear in the Workshop of Brilliant Light during Weeks 1–3, followed by Baran in Weeks 4–5.

Alongside the arrival of this new boss, the "Adan, the Monarch of Fangs Smash Event" will run concurrently. This event operates separately from the Workshop of Brilliant Light and can be challenged at any time without consuming Workshop Invitations.

Furthermore, to ease the pressure of previous first-come, first-served clear events that somewhat forced Hunters to rush high-difficulty content, we have improved the event structure. Clear rewards will now be granted to all Hunters who complete the challenge within the event period.

 

(Left) The Monarch of Fangs Smash Event Main Page / (Right) Smash Event Page
 

(Left) Week 1 Clear Reward / (Center) Week 2 Clear Reward / (Right) Week 3 Clear Reward

The difficulty will decrease as the weeks progress, allowing Hunters who join later to participate without feeling overwhelmed. The elemental weaknesses for this season of the Workshop of Brilliant Light are Wind and Dark, while lower difficulty levels can be played using all elements.

※Clearing Week 1 grants all rewards, while clearing Week 2 grants the rewards for Weeks 2 and 3.
※ Special rewards, including a special costume for Hunters who complete the clear, will be distributed following the October update.
※ Adan, the Monarch of Fangs, will also appear in the Hall of Monarchs during Weeks 4 and 5. His elemental weakness in the Hall of Monarchs is Dark.


[New Hunter, Diana Lopez]
 

Diana Lopez, a former Spanish soldier turned mercenary and the first Wind Buster, is joining the roster.

Diana Lopez is a Hunter who handles heavy weaponry. She places a target mark (Lock-On) on enemies struck by her skills and snipes marked targets with supersonic rounds. Upon using her Ultimate or specific skills, her Critical Hit Rate increases significantly, allowing her to finish off targets with a powerful Burst Skill the moment they break out of Wind Elemental Overload.

After losing all her subordinates to the Monarch of Fangs, Diana became a mercenary to hunt him down. She enters the battle as a Defense-scaling Hunter, and we highly recommend pairing her with Han Se-Mi and Sugimoto Reiji.

[Total Power: Making the Numbers Matter ]

We are closely reviewing your frustrations and concerns regarding cases where content remains uncleared despite significantly exceeding the Recommended Total Power, or where increasing Total Power does not result in a noticeable difference.
We strongly believe that Recommended Total Power must serve as a meaningful indicator felt directly in combat, and we would like to share our concrete plans for this direction in our upcoming update.
 

※ The image above is a conceptual example to aid understanding and actual values may differ upon the live update.

Going forward, exceeding the Recommended Total Power in any content will grant progressively stronger damage boosts, while falling short will incur clear damage penalties. 

Specifically, exceeding the requirement will be indicated by three shades of blue, and falling below will be shown in three shades of red, with the color intensity deepening based on the difference. This system allows you to instantly gauge your combat advantage in any content simply by checking the color.

In the Main Story, Unstable Dungeon, Battlefield of Chaos, and Mind Rift, the perceived difficulty will increase if your Total Power falls significantly below the recommended requirement. This measure is designed to prevent imbalances caused by clearing content at overly low Total Power levels and to establish a healthy gameplay environment where Total Power serves as an objective indicator of progression. (Other content will maintain the existing level of combat experience.)

※ Guild Bosses and Battlefield of Time are excluded from Total Power adjustments.
※ The degree of the 3 tiers above and below the Recommended Total Power will be applied differently for each content.
※ We will continuously monitor the perceived difficulty of select content to ensure smooth gameplay, and any necessary adjustments will be clearly announced in advance.


[Balance Adjustments]
With this update, we are making broad balance adjustments to Hunters and Sung Jinwoo's weapons. Underutilized Hunters and weapons will be buffed so they can shine in battle once again. In particular, this rebalance will revamp Han Se-Mi to create strong synergy with Wind Busters.

Addition of 7 new Blessing Stones (5 Empowerment types, 2 Survival types) to allow Sung Jin-Woo to perform his role with greater flexibility
 

[Smoother Gameplay, Bigger Challenges]
We have prepared several QoL improvements so Hunters can focus on gameplay in a more comfortable environment.

■ Simplified Login Pop-ups
The multiple Check-in pop-ups displayed upon logging in will now be consolidated into one. Additionally, an simplified check option to skip or speed up reward claim animations will be added to streamline the process.    
 

Check-in events merged into a single pop-up / Tap each Check-in Event to view detailed rewards

■ Simulation Gate Improvements
QoL features have been improved to help Hunters focus on the core fun of the Simulation Gate.
 

1) Stage maps for each difficulty will be compressed from 11 stages to 8 stages.
2) A progress indicator will be added to clearly show your current stage location.

Additionally, we are preparing a fix for an issue where Hunters occasionally freeze during auto-combat in the Simulation Gate to make your runs even smoother.

Furthermore, we know many of you have been eagerly awaiting the Simulation Gate Sung Jinwoo Mode, which is currently undergoing further refinement. We sincerely apologize for the delay, as our efforts to deliver a unique and fresh gameplay experience took longer than anticipated. 

We are working to launch Sung Jinwoo Mode within this year, and the improved Sung Jinwoo Auto Mode will be applied alongside this update.

■ Higher Difficulty Tier Expansion for Select Content & Armory Page Expansion
To provide fresh challenges suited to your Total Power for Hunters who have already cleared the highest levels, we are expanding the higher difficulty tiers for select content along with upgraded rewards to match.
 

1) Battlefield of Trials expands from Floor 90 to Floor 100.
2) New Expert Story Chapters will be added.
3) Unstable Dungeon expands from Tier 35 to Tier 40. In these expanded tiers, Artifact Enhancement Reset Tickets will drop at a set rate to help improve your Artifact efficiency.
4) Battlefield of Chaos expands from Tier 20 to Tier 30, with Tier 5 Gems dropping at a set rate in the expanded tiers.
5) Mind Rift expands from Tier 10 to Tier 15, and the Core Level cap increases from Level 20 to Level 25. Materials required for Level 25 upgrades can be obtained in the expanded tiers.
 

(Left)Unstable Dungeon / (Center) Battlefield of Chaos / (Right) Mind Rift

However, simply expanding difficulty tiers and adding content to challenge is not enough. To help you reach the Total Power required for these higher tiers and to make use of benched Sung Jinwoo weapons, the Armory will expand from Page 3 to Page 5. Unlocking Armory slots will allow you to inherit Total Power from even more weapons.
※ The weekly exchange limit for Traces of Time required for slot growth will also be increased, with exact numbers to be detailed in an upcoming patch notice.

[2.5 Anniversary and Our Future Direction]
We have been closely listening to your voices across various communities as well as during our recent Developer Live Stream. We have taken comments such as "Total Power has become a meaningless number" and "I can no longer find a reason to keep playing like before."

These heartfelt messages showed us that even though our long-time Hunters still deeply care for the game, you are finding it difficult to stay motivated. We sincerely apologize for falling short of your expectations and causing concern, and we are truly grateful for your unwavering support. Starting with our 2.5 Anniversary, we would like to present the solutions we have been preparing to address these issues.

■ 2.5 Anniversary: Reframing the Core Gameplay Experience
1) Restoring the Meaning of Growth & Building a Fair Competitive Environment
We have reviewed your feedback that Total Power has gradually lost its meaning as a true reflection of your strength. Even after meeting the Recommended Total Power, clears remained unnecessarily challenging, and the lack of content to showcase your accumulated power left little motivation to compete. Coupled with repetitive farming routines, the core joy of progression itself has diminished.

Therefore, we intend to re-establish Total Power as the core standard for both content and rankings.

Beginning with the September update, we will implement an initial phase of advantages and penalties based on Total Power. Moving forward, we plan to restructure rankings into a comprehensive metric that incorporates Total Power alongside active gameplay, restoring the satisfaction of watching your growth bring meaningful changes.

While ranking rewards will primarily serve as symbols of honor, we plan to adjust the overall reward structure to provide tiered rewards based on actual progression and content clears.

Additionally, to foster an active environment where Hunters can grow and compete together, we are preparing new content, events, and ranking competitions that group Hunters with similar activity levels. We are structuring this to ensure that you can actively engage and compete regardless of the group you are assigned to, and further details will be announced as soon as they are finalized.

However, for these revamps to hold true meaning, trust in the ranking system must come first. We sincerely apologize once again for the concern caused by unfair play, such as the use of unauthorized programs and proxy playing. We do not take this matter lightly. As mentioned in previous notices, we will take strong action against unfair play to maintain a fair environment, and matters directly affecting ranking placements will be addressed promptly upon confirmation. That said, we kindly ask for your understanding, as the verification process may take time to ensure legitimate Hunters are not affected by false positives. We will continue to refine our abnormal play detection and enforcement measures moving forward.

  2) Delivering Thrilling Challenges and High-Octane Action with New Team Compositions
We have received extensive feedback regarding the lack of challenging content and how repetitive gameplay has dampened the fun. We deeply sympathize with your frustration that even after overcoming tough encounters, the rewards did not feel impactful enough, and that pushing your Total Power higher yielded little visible difference in performance.

Therefore, our goal is to introduce new content that captures the pure tension of a real challenge and delivers the exhilarating action of overcoming it. We are preparing content designed to explore the fun of combining Hunters across various classes, as well as modes focused on defeating continuous waves of bosses.
 
● Infinite Relay Boss Challenge (Working Title)
The Infinite Relay Boss Challenge is a new mode where players face a continuous lineup of dozens of iconic bosses from the original work. Defeating each boss extends your remaining time, allowing you to push further and endure longer with every clear.
You will earn rewards as you clear each milestone, with enhanced rewards available at specific threshold stages. This content will be pre-released as a special event mode in the 2.5 Anniversary update, and we hope for your active interest and support.

● Deep Containment Zone
Deep Containment Zone is a new team-fight mode where four Hunters battle together. Iconic bosses return as "Subjects," offering fresh combat experiences set within dynamic, evolving stage environments. For its initial update in October, Igris and Kargalgan are scheduled to appear in brand-new forms.

Additionally, a new combat feature tentatively named Union(Working Title) will be introduced, enabling same-element Hunters to join forces and trigger powerful elemental damage, with unique effects activating based on each Hunter's class role. Rather than relying on a single DPS Hunter, this content is designed to truly shine when all four Hunters coordinate their respective roles. We are thoroughly refining this mode so you can experience high-octane action and exhilarating gameplay with new Hunter compositions. Please stay tuned for further updates.

Deep Containment Zone: "Union" System Combat Gameplay
※ This content is currently under development and is subject to change upon official release.

 3) Creating Fun Experiences to Enjoy Together with Guild Members
In the original series, guilds were an essential element that provided Hunters with a sense of belonging and shared growth. However, guilds in Arise currently serve little purpose beyond Guild Boss content and the Exchange Shop. Attendance rewards feel largely symbolic due to their lack of impact, and because Guild Buffs are set solely by the Guild Leader, there have been few reasons to feel a strong sense of pride in one's guild.

Moving forward, our goal is to foster an environment where all members can enjoy the game together by gradually implementing improvements that give Hunters clear reasons to join a guild, stay active, and grow alongside their guildmates.

First, the initial phase of the Guild Revamp will arrive in October alongside the start of the 2.5 Anniversary. To foster an environment where daily attendance directly benefits the guild, Check-In rewards will be added based on the number of checked-in guild members.

Additionally, we are preparing a buff system revamp so that simply joining a guild grants a noticeable boost to your Total Power. Rather than being tied directly to the guild itself, the new Guild Buffs will scale with your personal growth and setup, ensuring you retain these benefits as long as you remain a member of any guild.

Alongside these changes, we will introduce QoL updates to streamline guild growth and management, including lower guild leveling requirements and integrated Discord links for each guild.

Following these updates through December, we plan to progressively roll out further improvements, including new co-op guild content, revamped Guild Exchange Shop rewards, and a Tutorial Guild system designed for new Hunters.

 Through this comprehensive guild revamp, we hope Hunters will find guild activities far more engaging, and we will continue refining the system to deliver an even more enjoyable guild experience. Further details will be shared in sequential notices as preparations are finalized.

■ Seasonal Card Collection (Working Title)
We are preparing a Seasonal Card Collection feature to replace the long-standing Special Commission. In this mode, players open card packs each season to collect cards and earn set rewards upon completing designated sets. 

To ensure cards obtained during a season do not go to waste, duplicate cards will be refunded as a dedicated currency that can be used to purchase higher-grade card packs. Card packs can be earned through gameplay, and completing sets or achieving collection milestones will grant various rewards, including Rate Up Draw Tickets, Essence Stones, and Dungeon Entry Keys.

The Seasonal Card Collection system focuses on the fun of collecting. We are designing it so that Hunters can earn collection rewards simply by participating consistently every day. As a content feature introduced to replace Special Commission, we will make sure to bring fresh enjoyment through gathering and completing sets. Further details will be announced in a separate notice once preparations are finalized.

■ Power of Calamity Revamp
Moving forward, Power of Calamity will be revamped beyond a mode that merely competes for top records. The new structure will more clearly display your growth and total damage milestones, granting clear rewards based on those achieved stages. The core direction of this revamp is to ensure that your steadily built Total Power translates directly into meaningful rewards.

Additionally, elemental restrictions will be improved, changing to an all-weakness elemental attribute setup. We hope you will enjoy breaking your personal high scores in line with your growth and elemental deck builds. We are also reviewing ways to shorten the time required per attempt so you can jump in for quicker, lighter challenges. Further details will be announced within the year once preparations are finalized.
 

Hunters, that is all the news we have prepared for today. While the September update may seem minor on the surface, we view it as the starting point for a major structural overhaul leading into our 2.5 Anniversary. 

We will fully commit to realizing the directions discussed today so that progression regains its purpose, rankings accurately reflect genuine effort, and playing together brings true enjoyment.

We will continue to actively communicate with you as we build the future of ARISE together, all the way toward our 3rd Anniversary.

Thank you as always for your continued support.

[Developer's Note Surprise Gift]

* The redeem code can only be used once per account, and rewards will be distributed immediately upon use.
* The redeem code is valid until October 21, 2026, at 23:59 (UTC+0) and cannot be used after this period expires.


- Solo Leveling:ARISE Team -