Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive does not have a menu option called New Game Plus, but it has two things that cover the same ground. The Incapable of Evaluation difficulty lets you replay the main story at the game's top difficulty while keeping your level, gear and hunters, and since March 2026 each account has three save slots, so you can also start a completely fresh run. This guide explains how both work as of November 2026, including how the June 2026 Jeju Island chapter fits in.
We checked Netmarble's patch notes and update notices from November 2025 to November 2026, player reports in the official Steam discussion forum, notes from the game's speedrun.com moderator and Alcasthq's endgame guidance.
Is There New Game Plus? The Short Answer
Not by that name. When players first reached the end of the story in November 2025 and asked on the Steam forums whether the Incapable of Evaluation difficulty was "like a new game plus," the answers from people who had tried it were consistent: it does not reset your character, gear or roster, you simply replay the story at a higher difficulty for better rewards, and only the main story progress starts over. You keep access to all the World Map content while you do it.
So in practice, Incapable of Evaluation is Overdrive's New Game Plus. The difference from a classic NG+ is that the game treats it as a difficulty tier on the World Map rather than a separate save, which has consequences we cover below.
If what you want is the opposite (a clean restart with a level 1 Jinwoo), that became possible only with the March 2026 update, when save slots arrived. Before then, the speedrun.com moderator for the game noted, the only way to replay the story from the start was a second copy on another account, and once you had played the New Game Plus mode you could not play it again.
How the Incapable of Evaluation Difficulty Works
According to the speedrun.com moderator's notes from the early PC version, the Incapable of Evaluation challenge opens once you have cleared the story through Chapter 10, which was the final chapter before the June 2026 update. From there the story restarts at the higher difficulty, and Netmarble's own patch notes confirm it runs through the regular chapters: fixes mention Jinwoo's costume in Incapable of Evaluation Chapter 2 cutscenes and a stage in Chapter 8 that failed to progress on that difficulty.
- What you keep: level, stats, gear, weapons, hunters and World Map access.
- What resets: main story progress only.
- What changes: stronger enemies and better rewards. One player reported the first replayed story at monster level 60 and the next at a recommended 65, with more EXP at save points and more gold.
- Reward costume: a Sung Jinwoo [Incapable of Evaluation] costume exists; it was handed out through a spring 2026 cross-promotion code.
Player opinion is split. Some enjoyed the tougher fights, while others found it "the same stuff" with modest gains and suggested collecting everything first. One forum complaint in May 2026 was that choosing it locks the story difficulty to that level, which matters if you want to switch back to an easier setting to learn a new boss.
Chapter 11 and the Two Resume Buttons
The June 2026 update added the Jeju Island story as Chapter 11, which created a problem for anyone already partway through an Incapable of Evaluation run: how do you play a brand-new regular chapter while the story is set to the replay? Netmarble's solution was to split the resume button on the World Map menu.
- Red button: continue your current Incapable of Evaluation stage.
- Blue button: start the new regular chapter that has no clear data yet.
- One button: once all regular chapters are cleared and only Incapable of Evaluation remains, the menu goes back to a single button.
So you never have to abandon a replay to see the new story. Players were completing the Jeju story on Incapable of Evaluation within days of the update, but expect it to be demanding; the same update raised Jinwoo's level cap, and the new content was tuned for it. The update also added Challenge Chapter 11 with new achievements and profile items, which matters if you are working toward full completion; our trophy guide covers the full trophy and achievement list.
Starting a Completely Fresh Save
For a true restart, use a new save slot. The March 2026 update introduced Offline Mode with up to three save slots per account, and the developers' March note described adding account save slots and an account deletion feature as the groundwork for it. The June 2026 update then made offline play fully self-contained, so a fresh save no longer depends on a server.
- Each slot is separate, so a new run does not touch your main character.
- If a save ever goes missing after a force close in offline mode, Netmarble's March patch notes point to Options, Account Settings, Load Previous Data to recover it.
- An August 2026 patch fixed an issue where restarting the game after changing account slots did not continue from the selected slot, so update before juggling slots.
A fresh slot is the right choice if you want to try a different class from level 1 or experience the story again without your endgame gear trivializing it. Incapable of Evaluation is the better choice if you want the challenge and the rewards on your main character.
Story Repeat Mode and Collectibles
Overdrive also lets you revisit story areas without restarting anything. The June 2026 update added a Story Repeat Mode in which you can obtain The Frozen Darkness, the game's story collectible. Earlier patches show chapters already had repeatable stages: a November 2025 fix let players collect The Frozen Darkness in Chapter 4's repeatable content, and a December 2025 fix made all 10 Frozen Darknesses obtainable from Chapter 6's repeatable stages.
This matters for planning. If you are missing collectibles, mop them up through repeatable stages and Story Repeat Mode before you commit to an Incapable of Evaluation run, since that replay is about difficulty and rewards rather than collecting. Several players on the forum did exactly that, finishing every Frozen Darkness first.
What Else to Do After the Credits
Spoiler warning: this section names late-story bosses and endgame encounters.
The post-story loop is built around boss content and gear. The Workshop of Brilliant Light hosts raid-style bosses with star difficulties: Vulcan from launch, Baran, the Demon King from March 2026, and the Ant King from June 2026, whose clears drop new artifacts. Players reported the 1-star Ant King as a level 100 encounter, so it is genuinely endgame. Alcasthq's guides also point to the Horizon of Eternity boss fights, which unlock after the main story, as the best late source of Blessing Stones, and to Red Gate missions on the World Map.
- World Map tiers: since January 2026 you can jump straight to any difficulty, and clearing a high tier pays the first-time rewards of every lower tier.
- Weapon crafting: top weapons such as the Demon King's Daggers (added in March 2026) and the June 2026 additions Winchester Roke and Ennio's Roar come from crafting trees fed by endgame materials. See our best weapons guide.
- Artifacts: Baran's clears award a top-tier accessory set, and the Ant King drops new artifacts with unique effects; our artifacts guide covers which to farm.
One tip from players who struggled with the Ant King: co-op raises the boss and enemy health, so bringing friends is not automatically faster, and several said the new drinks added in June 2026 made a big difference.
Preparing for a Replay Run
Whichever route you choose, a little preparation goes a long way. For Incapable of Evaluation, upgrade your Bracelet and Gloves artifacts and your main weapon before you start, because the enemy levels jump quickly. Keep a healer such as Lee Joohee or Min Byung-Gu in your team; both had their healing raised in March 2026. And level Jinwoo as high as you can first, since the June 2026 cap increase means many players finished the original story well below the new maximum. Our guide on how to level up fast covers the quickest EXP routes.
For a fresh save, decide in advance what you want from the run: a different class, a speed-focused playthrough, or simply the story again. Speedrunners have used fresh slots since March 2026 to bring back full-game categories, which shows how much the save slot change opened up replaying.
Skip Straight to the Endgame
If you would rather go straight to Incapable of Evaluation, the Workshop bosses or the Ant King without replaying everything, the store's Complete Save has the story complete (the World Map shows Chapter 11 fully cleared), Jinwoo at the top Monarch of Shadows rank with all five stats at 1,000, S-rank weapons including the Demon King's Daggers I, and every currency at 999,999,999.
It is a modded save for PS5 and PC only, never Xbox, and you must own the game. The Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive section also lists a Starter Save for a fresh story run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive have New Game Plus?
Not under that name. The Incapable of Evaluation difficulty works like NG+: you replay the story at the top difficulty while keeping your character, gear and hunters.
Does Incapable of Evaluation reset my progress?
No. Players report that only the main story progress resets. Level, gear, hunters and World Map access all stay.
How do you unlock Incapable of Evaluation?
Clear the main story. The game's speedrun moderator noted that the challenge opens once Chapter 10 has been cleared, which was the last chapter before Chapter 11 arrived in June 2026.
How do you restart Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive from the beginning?
Use another save slot. Since the March 2026 update each account has up to three slots, so you can start a new run without deleting your main save.
Can I play Chapter 11 during an Incapable of Evaluation run?
Yes. The World Map shows a red button to continue Incapable of Evaluation and a blue button to start the uncleared regular chapter.
Is Incapable of Evaluation worth it?
It is worth it for the challenge and the higher EXP and gold. Players suggest finishing collectibles and upgrading gear first, since the reward boost is modest.