Lost Ark is coming to Europe in fall 2021. However, there are currently some discussions about the game’s shop. It was mainly considered Pay-to-Win at release in South Korea, but some things have changed since then. We from MeinMMO have talked to players of the Russian and Korean versions and summarized the most important information.
The essentials about the shop and Pay2Win at a glance:
- At the release of Lost Ark in Korea, there were items that provided gameplay advantages. For example, you could purchase tickets for more frequent visits to dungeons and raids or even buy the completion of a raid directly. That’s no longer the case.
- However, you can exchange real money for in-game currency and obtain gold with which you can shop in the auction house.
- Additionally, there is a buff that provides bonuses for 30 days and pets that grant bonuses like additional stats.
- Currently, it is still unknown what the Lost Ark shop will look like in Europe and North America. Thus, we only report on the contents in Korea and Russia.
Where does the information come from? We spoke with community member Boncer, who, with an item level of 1,470, is among the most experienced players of the Russian version of Lost Ark. We also had the information confirmed by community member Michael, who actively plays in Korea. Additionally, there is a document from streamer Saintone that summarizes the most important information about the Korean version (via GoogleDocs).
Lost Ark’s shop mixes elements from Guild Wars 2, BDO, and ESO+
How does the Lost Ark shop work? The Lost Ark shop uses 3 currencies:
- Royal Crystals – Can only be purchased with real money
- Blue Crystals – Used in the exchange between real money and in-game currency
- ‘Mileage Points’ – A type of bonus currency that you get when you spend Royal Crystals
The Blue Crystals function similarly to the gemstones in Guild Wars 2. Player A can offer gold and buy Blue Crystals from Player B. Player B can use Royal Crystals to buy gold from Player A if there are no Blue Crystals available. However, Player A will always receive the converted value in Blue Crystals. You cannot buy Royal Crystals directly from other players.
The price of gold to Blue Crystals is not fixed, but there are limits (currently in Russia, at least 380 and at most 702 Blue Crystals for 100 gold).
However, there are special items in the shop that can only be purchased with Royal Crystals, including costumes and pets. However, every item purchased from the shop can also be sold in the auction house. There, however, players set the price themselves.
What can I buy with gold? Basically everything, including any item from the shop and the equipment needed to start in the currently highest raids. Only the items at the highest item level cannot be traded.
However, there is a restriction when purchasing: To buy a piece of equipment with a high item level, you must already have a certain item level. Therefore, you cannot start directly with the best gear, but must first buy intermediate solutions that you will then immediately discard.
Which items in the shop provide advantages? Besides the exchange of real money for in-game currency, there are also things in the shop that you can buy:
- For Blue Crystals, there are inventory and storage expansions
- There are loot lists that contain materials for upgrading equipment. However, these materials are significantly cheaper to obtain when you directly exchange real money for gold
- There are pets that provide special buffs and auto-loot
- There is the buff ‘Crystal Aura’, which provides various bonuses, similar to ESO+
What is behind the pets? You only need to buy the pets once and then own them forever. This also grants you auto-loot. However, it costs Blue Crystals to summon them once a month. By summoning, you receive
- 1-2 buffs, depending on rarity. These provide, for example, additional health or higher crit chance.
- Benefits such as the ability to repair and sell while on the go.
What is the Crystal Aura? This is an optional subscription. It will cost about 10 euros per month and will bring you in the EU version:
- Reduced travel costs
- Increased interactions with NPCs
- 10% faster recovery of work energy for gathering materials
- 2 additional inventory slots
- Reduced times for research and crafting in housing
- Increased leveling speed for twinks
Compared to Korea and Russia, the buff of 10% additional XP was removed for us afterwards. Only via the scarecrow in housing can you still earn bonus XP for twinks. Additionally, two buffs that can/must be purchased separately in Korea and Russia have been merged for us.
Are there any other boosters? Months after the release of Lost Ark, a character boost to level 50 (the max level is 60) was introduced. However, it can only be purchased once at least one character has reached level 50. However, there are no boosts for more XP or more gold.
Is Lost Ark now Pay-to-Win in Russia and Korea?
What do the purchased advantages actually bring? Through the exchange of real money for gold, you can theoretically buy one of the strongest pieces of equipment for PvE. However, you deprive yourself of the game’s content, as the earned gold in dungeons and raids decreases when your item level is too high. Moreover, the purchase is expensive. For a weapon with the currently highest item level in the auction house, you would pay about 70 euros.
Equipment and pets do not affect PvP either. In arenas, every player gets the same number of stats and can assign them themselves. Therefore, the shop has no influence here.
All the items available in the shop can either be earned in-game or purchased with gold from other players in the auction house.
Is Lost Ark Pay-to-Win? This is something everyone must define for themselves, and there will certainly be different opinions. How do you see the shop situation? Feel free to write it in the comments.
More about the gameplay contents of Lost Ark can be found here: 5 reasons why MMORPG and Diablo fans should check out Lost Ark.
