In Lost Ark there are two specific engravings that appear in almost every build when you want to deal damage. These are Wrath and the Cursed Doll. Both can be quite powerful, but they might not be as good for you personally as you think.
What can the two engravings do? Both commonly used engravings massively increase your damage. Wrath gives you between 4 and 20% more damage against boss monsters, while the Cursed Doll promises between 3 and 16% damage against everything. However, both engravings demand a lot from you in return.
For Wrath also means that you take 20% more damage from all sources. Combined with the Cursed Doll engraving, which reduces all healing effects by 25%, you will become an easy target on the battlefield.
If you don’t know yet, what engravings are and how they work, we explain that in this guide for you.
Why are they in so many builds? If you progress far enough in the game and master both your character and the various moves of the bosses, the negative effects of the engravings will no longer be a problem for you. Because if you are not hit at all, it doesn’t matter how much damage or healing you would receive.
Thus, the two engravings offer a total damage bonus of 36% on bosses. And if you have mastered the game so well that you hardly ever get hit, the engravings have no disadvantages, such as slower attacks or similar.
This makes Wrath and Cursed Doll the most powerful engravings in the game, making them ideal for professionals who want to get the most out of their character.
The big BUT
Why you should avoid them: As you can infer, you definitely should not use the engravings if you are not comfortable with your character yet or if you are seeing a boss for the first time. But there are even more reasons why the engravings may not be optimal for you.
Like every other engraving in Lost Ark, Wrath and Cursed Doll have three different levels. While the bonus damage increases with each level, the negative effects remain the same across all levels of the engraving.
This means that with Wrath at level 1 you still have to take 20% more damage, but only deal a measly 4% more damage. It’s simply not worth it. The same applies to the Cursed Doll.
When should I not take the engravings? If you cannot reach the third level of these engravings yet, it is best to leave them out of your build altogether. Because especially when you are still in the process of building your character, you often do not have all the engravings you want.
Players often do not tolerate negative effects that come with ability stones or jewelry. But if you trigger negative engravings just to get Wrath or the Doll to level 2, you have effectively lost twice.
It doesn’t matter how well you can play your character or how well you know the boss – If you can’t use the engravings at level 3, you shouldn’t use them at all. The negative effects simply aren’t worth it and the additional damage from levels 1 and 2 can be achieved differently, with fewer disadvantages.
These engravings bring you more:
What alternatives are there? This depends a bit on the class you are playing. “Master of Ambush” is very well suited for many characters. This engraving increases your damage when you attack enemies from behind. At level 1 by 5%, at level 3 even by 25%. It has no negative effects.
If you have many area damage skills that cannot target from behind or in front, “Master of Strike” is a sensible engraving. It increases your damage between 3 and 16% when you do not attack your enemy from behind or in front. It also has no negative properties.
The engraving “Adrenaline” is also very well suited for many DPS classes. With it, you accumulate a damage bonus for each ability you use. Once you have reached 6 stacks of this ability, your critical hit chance increases. Especially with classes that use skills quickly and in large numbers, this engraving is very worthwhile.
The engraving “Spirit Absorption” is also recommended for almost all classes. It improves both your attack and your movement speed by up to 15%. The engraving also completely avoids negative effects.
Good alternatives that may not work for all classes: The engraving “Precise Dagger” is also often recommended. Unlike the previously mentioned engravings, it has a significant negative effect and should therefore be used with caution. The engraving increases your critical hit chance by 4 to 20%, while reducing your critical damage by 12% at every level.
If you play a class that requires a lot of critical hits, but you yourself do not yet have a high critical hit chance, you should still use this engraving.
It is similar with the engraving “Daring Blunt Weapon”. It increases your critical damage by up to 50%, but comes with the downside that your normal attacks have a chance to deal 20% less damage. You should only reach for this engraving if you already have a high critical hit chance.
For gunlancers, artillery men, and other classes with many shields, the engraving “Barricade” is a perfect choice. It increases your damage while you have an active shield by up to 16% and does so without any negative effect. If you have a way to get shields often, this engraving is optimally suited.
Exclusively for berserkers who play the madness build, the engraving “Unconquered Persistence” is essential. It increases your damage by up to 16% if you are below 50% of your health points. Since you can have a maximum of 25% of your HP as a madness berserker, you receive 16% more damage from this engraving. And all without any disadvantages. Other classes should rather stay away from it.
What do you think of the two controversial engravings? Do you play them yourself, or are you rather surprised by all the people who keep asking why they are dying? Did we overlook a generally good engraving in the alternatives? Feel free to write it in the comments here at MeinMMO, we look forward to your opinion.
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