The new MMORPG Lost Ark is coming to the West and at first glance resembles the popular Diablo games. We will show you what similarities and differences exist between the games.
What’s it about: The much-anticipated MMORPG Lost Ark now has a release window for Europe in autumn 2021 and has already undergone its first alpha test. The game has excited many fans of games like Diablo, as the gameplay is very similar to ARPGs at first glance.
But will the MMORPG provide fans of Diablo with a replacement or at least a bridge until the release of Diablo 4? In this article, we will compile the similarities and differences between Lost Ark and the Diablo games so that you can get an idea of it.
Similarities and Differences
While it is clear that Lost Ark belongs to the MMORPG genre, it has several gameplay elements that make it attractive to fans of ARPGs like Diablo or Path of Exile. In this section, you will find the biggest and most important of them.
Perspective and Control
The first and most obvious similarity between Lost Ark and Diablo games is, of course, the camera angle. The MMORPG is played from an isometric perspective, where you look down on your character from above. While you can rotate the camera freely, the angle will only change if you use the zoom function to get a closer look at your character.
Furthermore, the control in Lost Ark is very similar to that of Diablo. The character is not moved using WASD like in most modern MMORPGs, but by clicking the mouse buttons. You click the desired spot and your character will move there.
The attack controls are also similar. The normal attack is executed with a mouse click. Abilities are defaulted to the QWER and ASDF keys, while items can be used with the keys 1 to 4. So compared to Diablo, it is offset by one row.
Combat System
The core gameplay of the combat system in Lost Ark is also almost identical to that of Diablo and other isometric ARPGs. It is an action-oriented combat system, where there is no auto-lock-on. You must specifically aim with your skills and position yourself accordingly to hit the enemies around you.
Similar to Diablo 3, each class has its own resource that it must collect or manage when fighting to use skills or unleash strong ultimates. There is no global cooldown for skills like in WoW or FFXIV; instead, each skill has its own cooldown.
Lost Ark will also throw many enemies at you in combat, as is usually the case in Hack’n’Slay games. The hordes of enemies are especially huge in raids, dungeons, and rifts, and you will not infrequently have dozens of monsters on your screen at the same time, making their mass destruction with cool skills all the more satisfying.
Skill System
Another similarity can be found in the tripod skill system of Lost Ark. It fundamentally resembles the skill system of Diablo 3. In D3, each ability can be further customized with one of 6 runes to tailor it to your playstyle or build.
The basic system of adapting and customizing an active skill also exists in a similar form in Lost Ark – but more comprehensive.
Players gain skill points as they level up, which can be assigned to individual active abilities of their class. These points can be spent in the tripod system to customize the skills. You have a greater selection of effects compared to the runes of Diablo 3.
Each normal active ability has 8 passive effects, which are distributed over three levels in the tripod. For each level, you can select one additional effect for your skill. Thus, a fully developed skill in Lost Ark ultimately has three additional effects.
Similar to Diablo 3, these can be pure attack or duration boosts, or they can completely change the skill. For example, a single attack can become a triple attack, or the skill gains a vampiric life-draining effect. So there are many options for different builds.
Loot Spiral and Gear System
One of the most important features of Diablo games that many players love is the cool loot spiral. Like from a piñata, the colorful items drop to the ground when defeating monsters and bosses. You then sift through the heaps of useless stuff for the armor pieces that are stronger than your current ones or fit better to your current build.
This loot spiral also works similarly in Lost Ark. You level up your character, and at the same time, you receive weapons and armor dropped by enemies. Later, at higher levels, you will get armor from raids and dungeons or can farm materials in the endgame to forge the armors or upgrade them to higher levels.
While there is less colorful loot fireworks in the MMORPG than in Diablo, fans of big loot piñatas will still find their pleasure here. There are large world bosses and special treasure caves that really rain items.
In addition, Lost Ark also features many different ways to improve your gear a little bit more like in Diablo 3:
- You can have the secondary status values rerolled by an NPC, similar to Diablo 3
- By socketing runes, you can create or transfer elemental resistances
- Engravings on your rings grant them special effects and more
Thus, you land in a spiral designed to continuously improve the gear and become stronger. The potential for min-maxing is very high.
Differences
However, since Lost Ark is clearly not a “1-to-1” Diablo clone, there are also various differences that may deter some Diablo fans from the MMORPG. Here are the biggest and most significant of them.
Setting and Story
The first and also one of the biggest differences is the setting of the MMORPG. Unlike Diablo, we are in Lost Ark not in a dark, brutal medieval setting where blood flows and people are dismembered. Lost Ark rather draws on several different settings and mixes them into a colorful bunch.
Depending on the class you start with, you will land in a magical elven kingdom, a devastated steampunk city, in an Asian Wuxia setting, or in another environment. These starting areas represent different continents in Lost Ark, which you can explore and all have their own themes.
Lost Ark was created by a Korean developer studio. It thus has a distinct Asian look that translates to the appearance of characters and armors. The outfits are partly revealing or exaggerated in size, like those of the Berserker or Destroyer weapons.
The story also revolves around demons, and there are indeed dark and sinister areas, but it does not reach the brutality of Diablo. Instead, there are too many colorful and cheerful elements in the story and gameplay, such as dances, emotes, and fancy cosmetics.
MMORPG Elements
Another difference, of course, are the MMORPG elements in Lost Ark. Unlike Diablo games, you will never be completely alone here. In open areas, you will encounter other players. There are also classic MMORPG elements:
- A detailed character creator
- Raids and dungeons that require a group
- Housing
- Life skills like resource gathering
- A large sailing system where you explore the world’s oceans with your ships
- An auction house where you can trade with other players (Diablo 3 had that once, but … we better not talk about that)
- World bosses and world events like chaos rifts where large numbers of players gather
- Open PvP in certain areas
Housing in Lost Ark 
Sailing feature 
Photo mode for screenshots 
Character creator 
Dungeons to be completed in a party 
Relationships with NPCs. Yes, even pandas
While it is theoretically possible to play Lost Ark a lot alone without groups of other people, sooner or later it will be necessary to get better gear.
Overall, Lost Ark as an MMORPG offers many more features than the Diablo series or other ARPGs. Some of them, like cosmetics, can be ignored if you don’t care about them; others provide too strong gameplay advantages, and you will miss good bonuses or items if you skip them.
Endgame
The MMORPG elements are especially noticeable in Lost Ark’s endgame, which differs from Diablo. In Diablo 3, players typically farm greater rifts to acquire better gear for their builds. This can be done both in groups and solo.
Additionally, there are seasons in Diablo 3, each with its own theme that brings special effects and gameplay mechanics, such as the ethereal weapons in the upcoming season 24. In each season, a new character is started that must also be leveled from 0 and equipped.
To obtain the best equipment in Lost Ark, you need to participate in the tough raids and chaos dungeons to farm items, armor, and upgrades. You will only be successful there if you are out with a group.
The content is instanced and often has its own mechanics. In the Guardian Raid against the boss Necrasena, a giant scorpion, you must chop off its tail with special items to prevent it from executing powerful attacks.
Moreover, there is a daily or weekly cap on endgame content like raids or dungeons. This means you cannot endlessly spam these contents to get the best items as you can only enter them a limited number of times or obtain a certain amount of loot from them.
Have you decided whether you will play Lost Ark based on the similarities and differences? Let us know in the comments and tell us your impression of the MMORPG.
You will also have the chance to test the game yourself during the next beta:
