The MMORPG Lost Ark was released in 2018 in Korea and has since been eagerly awaited by fans in the West. In 2021, it finally comes to us. We at MeinMMO reveal what makes Lost Ark special and why so many are looking forward to it.
Lost Ark launches on February 11 in the West. That means just over 2 years have passed since the release in Korea. But what makes the MMORPG so interesting and how does it stand out from other games?
Diablo feeling, but in an MMORPG
The most striking feature of Lost Ark is the perspective. You don’t play in the usual first or third person, but look down from above at the action. The so-called ISO perspective is mainly used in hack and slash games like Diablo or RTS games.
There are also several other parallels to Diablo, including the combat system and the loot spiral.
How do you fight in Lost Ark? You move through the game world with mouse clicks and have various skills you can use in combat:
- Over time, you can upgrade and expand your skills through the Skill System Tripod
- These level increases result in more damage, greater range, or shorter cooldowns.
- Additionally, there are a number of passive abilities that allow you to customize your build to your playstyle.
First insights into the combat system and the classes of Lost Ark are offered by the video from Sywo, who has played the Korean and Russian versions:
How does loot work in Lost Ark? You get equipment mostly directly from enemies or from raids and dungeons. Each piece of armor has an item level, and the higher it is, the stronger the equipment. Your armor can also be further customized:
- There are sockets for runes with their own effects
- Secondary stats can be re-rolled for a certain price
- Rings can be engraved with special engravings that can also have various effects and more.
The drop rates are quite high, and you regularly swap out your equipment. This gives a strong feeling of progress, and you constantly have a carrot in front of your nose to run after.
MeinMMO editor Irina Moritz experienced exactly this in the Russian version of the game and could hardly stop playing:
Diverse classes
What classes does Lost Ark offer? At launch in Europe, you have the choice of 5 base classes, which then branch out into various specializations:
- Warrior
- Gunner
- Martial Artist
- Mage
- Assassin
Each base class starts in its own area, and at level 10, they all come together on the main path. The base classes also offer 2 to 4 specializations, so you have a choice of 15 classes in the European version.
Each specialization uses its own weapons and offers a completely unique skill set, which in turn can be adapted to your play style or the type of content through the Tripod system. A class build that works well in specific PvE content is not automatically good for duels or 3v3 battles in PvP.
In Korea, there are now even 20 classes. We have compiled all the information for you here: This is how the 20 classes in Lost Ark play – Gameplay videos.
An interesting game world
How is the world of Lost Ark structured? Similar to Guild Wars 2, the game world of Lost Ark is divided into several zones, where you will constantly encounter other players. Each map looks beautiful and offers various content, including:
- Information about the lore that you can find in your adventurer’s book
- Various collectible items that can only be found with careful observation
- Mini-bosses that appear regularly and are comparable to the elite enemies from Diablo 3
- World events like dimensional rifts
- Large world bosses
The world is visually a mix of high fantasy with elves and demons, and steampunk.
However, the game world has a small drawback. There are relatively few side quests outside of the story. However, the mobs provide so much XP and loot that you don’t really have to grind for progress.
In this gallery, we have compiled some screenshots from the starting area of the mage class from the Russian version:
Diverse content including PvP, NPC relationships, and housing
What content does Lost Ark offer? In addition to the story and the tasks in the open world, Lost Ark also offers the usual MMORPG content, including:
- Collecting and crafting
- Dungeons and raids
- PvP in arenas and in specific areas of the game world
- Housing
- Relationships with NPCs
Especially the last aspect is a small specialty that is not present in every MMO. You can talk to NPCs and have various options for how to respond to them. Additionally, you can exchange emotes with them, complete quests for them, give them gifts, or play music for them.
This way, you build a relationship with the respective character, learn more about the backstory, and receive useful items like status boosters.
How does housing work? In Lost Ark, you get your own island that you can design as you wish and level up over time. The place also serves as storage for unneeded equipment.
Additionally, you can place the NPCs with whom you build a relationship on this island and even give them special costumes.
The art of sailing
What is special about sailing? Around level 35 to 40, you can unlock sailing. Through this, you can travel between continents and discover treasures that lie in dangerous waters.
Sailing is a very deep feature. You can continuously upgrade your ship and hire a crew to assist you in your seafaring. Additionally, your ship can take damage and must then be repaired. There are also ghost ships that you can board and fight against undead creatures.
We have already looked in detail at the topic of sailing here: 6 reasons why I fell in love with sailing in Lost Ark.
Concerns about Pay-to-Win and Gender Lock
What are the negative aspects of Lost Ark? In addition to the many positive features of the MMORPG, there are also negative aspects.
On the one hand, the Lost Ark shop in Korea is considered pay-to-win. There, you can purchase XP boosts, additional dungeon runs, and even the in-game currency gold. It is still unclear whether these aspects will also be available to us in the West. Amazon has remained vague in initial interviews.
In the pre-order packages however, boxes have appeared that already offer advantages, including:
- Resurrection feathers that allow you to respawn at the same location after death.
- In-game currency that can be exchanged for supplies and equipment
- Items that summon soldiers to aid you in battle
Some players are concerned that other pay-to-win aspects might come to the West as well. This has not been confirmed so far.
On the other hand, there is a gender lock in Lost Ark. Certain classes are tied to a specific gender. However, in Korea, there are some classes that have different genders but are quite similar in gameplay to the ones in Black Desert, where for example, the shooter and the ranger are present.
What do you think about the new Lost Ark? Are you excited about the MMORPG or are you waiting for one of the other games?
After all, there are numerous new contents to look forward to in 2021: 13 reasons why MMORPG fans can look forward to 2021.
