With the July update, Lost Ark introduces the Arcanist (Arcana) into the game. MeinMMO author Anny Bader has taken a closer look at her and explains what it’s all about.
The Arcanist is the third mage class in Lost Ark and has medium range. She does not carry a traditional weapon but attacks opponents with her tarot card deck.
There are 12 different cards and 3 different types of skills. Due to the numerous combination possibilities that arise, the Arcana is relatively difficult to play at first.
You can read about what else is happening in the July update here.
How to Play the Arcanist
This is the Arcanist’s special ability: While you attack with the yellow skills, your identity gauge fills up. With the X and Y keys, you can then draw random cards from your deck. These have effects that buff you. You can hold the card initially and have up to two cards in hand. Alternatively, you can use them directly.
There are 12 different cards, with one more potentially added at endgame with a certain class engraving.
The complete card deck of the Arcanist:
- Three-headed Serpent Card – +100% damage to opponents. +400% damage to monsters of rank “Mutation” or lower.
- Judgment Card – Ruin skills always trigger the 4-stack effect for 4 seconds.
- Devastation Card – When skills are used, speed increases by 3% for 4 seconds, up to 15%. Lasts 30 seconds.
- Tricky Fate Card – For 4 seconds, your skill damage either remains the same or increases by 40%.
- Corrosion Card – For 30 seconds, you have a chance to deal 10% more damage for 5 seconds.
- Miss Card – If skills hit only one opponent, critical hit probability increases by 100%. At the same time, critical damage increases by 50% for 4 seconds.
- Balance Card – Your stacking skills are enhanced for 30 seconds, granting you an additional stack with each hit.
- Spirit – +20% movement speed and for 16 seconds -50% damage for 3 hits on the opponent. Ignores collision with opponents.
- Moon Card – 30 seconds of 20% faster mana regeneration and 20% less cooldown for skills.
- Royal Card – Fills empty card slots. You can receive up to 2 cards.
- Star Card – Regenerates 50% MP. Skill cooldown -20% for 20 seconds, except for awakening and dodging.
- Wheel of Fortune Card – The cooldown of the next skill is reduced by 100%.
- Clown – Copies the effect of the previously used card.
- Joy – Reduces all cooldowns except Awakening and Dodging by 15%. The chance that they instead are reduced by 50% is 30%.
- Emperor Card – Only with the class engraving Order of the Emperor. Deals damage to opponents within a radius of 14 meters.
- Prince: Only with the class engraving Order of the Emperor. Normal attacks deal 50% more damage for 4 seconds.
- Renewal: Only with the class engraving Order of the Emperor. Critical rate for normal skills is increased by 20% for 10 seconds.
See the class trailer here:
The abilities of the mage are divided into three groups:
- Yellow: The yellow abilities are the normal attacks. They deal AoE damage and provide some crowd control.
- Blue: The stacking skills. Once a blue skill hits the opponent, it leaves one or more cards, up to a maximum of 4.
- Red: The Ruin skills. Red abilities dissolve the stacks and convert them into damage. The more stacks an opponent has, the higher the bonus damage.
All Abilities of the Arcanist
Yellow
Dark Resurrection: Throw cards at your target and summon a demon that frightens opponents and deals damage.
Summon: Summon a circle at the target location and hold the key to deal damage there for 10 seconds.
Mysterious Stampede: Move left and back while dealing damage.
Call of Fate: Throw a card in the direction of the mouse pointer that deals damage and launches opponents into the air.
Return: Throw a card to counter. Press again to knock down opponents.
Unlimited Shuffle: Throw a stack of cards at the opponents that deals 6x damage. Launch them up and then slam them down.
Blue
Black Flush
Scratch Dealer: Move 7 meters towards the mouse pointer while dealing damage. Press again to strike downwards.
Quadra Acceleration: Throw 4 cards at your target. Animation can be stopped with the space bar after the first attack.
Checkmate: Throw cards quickly in the direction of the mouse pointer.
Spiral Cut: Jump 7 meters in the direction of the mouse pointer and hit your opponents.
Stream from the Edge: Open 2 portals at the target for 5 seconds. Opponents in between are attacked.
Dancing Bone Flower: Throw a hail of cards while moving 11 meters. Press again to return to your starting position.
Red
Fate’s Favor: Fold a card together and unfold it again. Push opponents back.
Secret Garden: Deals damage to nearby opponents. Opponents with 4 stacks are thrown to the ground.
Heavenly Rain: Summons a rain of cards in the target area.
Quadro: Throw cards in the target area to deal damage.
The Arcanist in the Leveling Process
How should I distribute my first skill points? When distributing points, it is important that you never need to raise skill levels higher than level 10. Skill level 4 is needed for the first tripod, skill level 7 for the second, and skill level 10 for the third.
Here’s how to distribute the points:
- Level 12: 4 points each on Heavenly Rain and Dancing Bone Flower
- Level 16: 20 points on Spiral Cut
- Up to Level 27: A total of 48 points on Heavenly Rain
- Up to Level 36: 48 points on Dark Resurrection for AoE damage
- Up to Level 45: With Call of Fate, you can now unlock Quick Draw. Furthermore, allocate 4 points to Summon. This allows you to draw cards from your deck more frequently.
- Up to Level 50: 48 points on Fate’s Favor
The Best Builds in Endgame
In endgame, like with nearly all classes in Lost Ark, you choose between two class engravings. You either focus on the identity ability and general DPS, or shift your focus to the Ruin skills.
Class Engraving A: Order of the Emperor
What does the engraving do? With this class engraving, your identity gauge fills up 50% faster. Simultaneously, your skills deal 20/30/40% more damage, depending on the level of the engraving.
For stats, prioritize Critical and Agility, with agility taking precedence.
Replace Judgment and Balance cards with Prince and Renewal. Additionally, you can use the Emperor card with this engraving. The damage dealt at levels 2 and 3 of the class engraving is 30% and 80% more, respectively.
What other engravings should I use? The combat engraving Raid Captain is also worthwhile, as it complements your attack speed buffs and agility stats. You deal more damage by hitting faster. You can find all the details about the engravings here.
Adrenaline for more critical hits and Master of Strikes for even more damage are also recommended.
Later, when you know your opponents well and can counter and dodge boss attacks, focus on Grudge and Cursed Doll. Initially, however, the engravings are not recommended, as they can cause disadvantages when played incorrectly.
Which collectible cards are important? To further increase your critical rate, you should initially focus on the card set Howling Rocks. It consists of Armel, Seria, Solas, King Thirain, Kharmine, and Delain Armel.
The optimal set is Light of Salvation, which, however, consists of rare cards. This makes it expensive later on, but it is worth it. The set consists of Shandi, Azena, and Innana, Nineveh, Wei, Balthorr, and Thirain. With a 6-card set and 30 awakening pieces, the cards grant you 8% more holy damage and convert all your damage into holy damage.
Which skills do I use?
| Icon | Ability | Level | Tripods |
 | Call of Fate | 7 | Agile Movement Quick Draw |
 | Return | 10 | Exposed Weakness Concentrated Card Forsaken Darkness |
 | Unlimited Shuffle | 10 | Quick Preparation Ultimate Shuffle Storm of the Target |
 | Summon | 10 | Quick Preparation Focus Magical Circle Shared Magical Circle |
 | Dark Resurrection | 10 | Piercing Strike Intense Card Furious Strike |
 | Mysterious Stampede | 10 | Quick Drawing Stampede Conc. Mysterious Strategy |
 | Stream from the Edge | 7 | Accelerated Stream Dark Blade |
 | Heavenly Rain | 7 | Nerve Strike Enhanced Strike |
For awakening, you use Prismatic Mirror.
What does the rotation look like?
- Call of Fate
- Summon 2x
- Stream from the Edge
- Dark Resurrection
- Return
- Unlimited Shuffle
- Heavenly Rain
- Mysterious Stampede
During the rotation, you naturally draw your cards.
Class Engraving B: Empress Grace
What does the engraving do? With this class engraving, you focus on your Ruin skills. They deal 20-30% more damage (depending on level) when your opponent has 4 stacks.
Additionally, you consume 30% less mana.
What other engravings should I use? The combat engraving Barricade goes hand in hand with your Ruin skills. You should activate Protection runes for it.
Like with the other class engraving, Adrenaline and Master of Strikes are included. Grudge and Cursed Doll are played later when you are familiar with the opponents.
Which collectible cards are important? The collectible cards do not differ from the other class engraving. To further increase your critical rate, you should initially focus on the card set Howling Rocks. It consists of Armel, Seria, Solas, King Thirain, Kharmine, and Delain Armel.
The optimal set is also the Light of Salvation, which consists of rare cards. Thus, it will be expensive later, but it is worth it.
Which skills do I use?
| Icon | Ability | Level | Tripods |
| Call of Fate | 7 | Agile Movement Quick Draw |
| Return | 10 | Exposed Weakness Concentrated Card Forsaken Darkness |
 | Quadra Acceleration | 7 | Agile Movement Increase Card |
 | Scratch Dealer | 4 | Great Mobility |
 | Spiral Cut | 7 | Quick Preparation Ruthless Shot |
| Heavenly Rain | 10 | Nerve Strike Enhanced Strike Weakness Detection |
 | Fate’s Favor | 10 | Piercing Strike Lucky Hit Intentional Luck |
 | Secret Garden | 10 | Nerve Strike Perfect Secret Secret Chance |
For awakening, you use Deathbound.
What does the rotation look like?
- Call of Fate
- Quadra Acceleration
- Scratch Dealer
- Fate’s Favor
- Return
- Heavenly Rain
- 2x Spiral Cut
- Secret Garden
- Use Fate’s Favor when the opponent has 4 stacks and both of your other Ruin skills are on cooldown. Additionally, this is your counterattack. You can read about how to counter here.
Before you use your awakening, apply 4 stacks on the opponent. Then use the awakening, cancel the animation with the space bar, and use Heavenly Rain. This way, you maximize your DPS.
What do you think of the Arcanist? Do you plan to try out the new mage? Or do you think the gameplay sounds too complicated? Which class do you enjoy playing the most so far and what is your item level? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
If you want to quickly level your Arcanist to endgame, you can find all the info about the power pass here.
