You told us in a survey which classes you will play in the EU version of Lost Ark. Here are the winners and losers.
What it was about: The MMORPG Lost Ark finally received a release window for the West and has already held its first alpha test. So far, testers have been able to try out 14 different classes that will be playable at launch in Europe.
We from MeinMMO asked you which class you will start with at the release in autumn, and you responded in large numbers. Together with you, we now create a ranking of the classes you will play.
How you voted: A total of 1,623 MeinMMO readers participated in the voting at the time of evaluation. Each could cast only one vote. Here is how you decided:
- Rank 14: Scrapper – 2.16 %
- Rank 13: Deadeye – 3.33 %
- Rank 12: Gunlancer – 4.44 %
- Rank 11: Sharpshooter – 4.5 %
- Rank 10: Artillerist – 4.56 %
- Rank 9: Wardancer – 5.18 %
- Rank 8: Gunslinger – 5.36 %
- Rank 7: Bard – 6.96 %
- Rank 6: Deathblade – 8.13 %
Here are also the top 5 of the most popular classes that MeinMMO readers will start with and what makes them special.
Rank 5: Berserker
- Archetype: Warrior
- Weapon: Greatsword
- Range: Melee
- Votes: 8.87 %
This is what the Berserker can do: If you want to properly shred your opponents into little pieces, the Berserker is just right for you. The classic warrior class wields a huge greatsword as a weapon, which does not hinder its high attack speed.
The Berserker’s resource, Rage, fills up through the use of its abilities, and once it is full, the class can switch to Berserker mode. Then your character can really hit the gas and deal massive damage. Movement speed, attack speed, attack power, and critical hit chance are drastically increased.
Additionally, you gain access to a special ability that can only be activated in Berserker state, which allows you to deal even more damage. However, once your resource bar is empty and all Rage is used up, you must wait for the cooldown to replenish your damage-dealing capabilities.
Rank 4: Shadowhunter
- Archetype: Assassin
- Weapon: Blade Tonfas
- Range: Melee to Long
- Votes: 9.8 %
This is what the Shadowhunter can do: Although Shadowhunter was not available at the launch of Lost Ark in Korea, it is still one of the starter classes in the European version of the MMORPG. Assassins can tap into the dangerous power of Chaos, and the Shadowhunter makes extensive use of it to annihilate their enemies. In addition to the weapon Blade Tonfas, the Assassin uses demonic magic to attack enemies from a distance or pull them closer with a claw.
Once the resource bar of the Shadowhunter has been filled by using abilities, she can switch to her Demon form. This form gives you a boost in attack speed and grants access to a whole new set of abilities.
These abilities with red icons use demonic magic and feature numerous area attacks that allow you to melt large groups of enemies. However, using these skills depletes your resource bar until it runs out completely and you revert to your normal form.
Rank 3: Paladin
- Archetype: Warrior
- Weapon: Sword and Book
- Range: Melee to Mid
- Votes: 11.15 %
This is what the Paladin can do: The Paladin is also one of the classes that was not directly available at launch in Korea, but will be playable for us right from the start. It is a hybrid class that can use both physical attacks and holy magic in combat. The Paladin constantly switches between its two weapons, sword and book.
The dual gameplay of the class also affects its Identity ability, which you can use once the resource bar “Faith” has filled up through the use of skills. It grants you a choice between two buffs:
- The first blue buff “God’s Executioner” increases your own damage by enhancing all blue sword abilities.
- The second yellow buff “Divine Aura” grants your group a buff that provides teammates with +20% damage as long as they are near you.
As “the child of the warrior and bard,” the Paladin is also a support class that is very popular in both PvE and PvP content.
Rank 2: Soulfist
- Archetype: Martial
- Weapon: Ductile Gauntlet
- Range: Melee to Long
- Votes: 12.26 %
This is what the Soulfist can do: Although the Soulfist is technically a melee class as part of the Martial archetype, it can also eliminate its opponents from a distance. The reason for this are energy projectiles and beams that it can rain down on enemies alongside normal physical attacks. You can feel like a Dragon Ball or Street Fighter character when playing the Soulfist.
Similar to mage archetypes, the Soulfist has a type of mana that, however, is yellow. It is consumed when using abilities with yellow icons. The special resource of the Soulfist, called Ki, is gathered through normal attacks.
Once the resource bar with Ki is filled, you can activate the special ability “Concentration,” which has three different strength levels and consumes varying amounts of Ki. Concentration regenerates the yellow mana, strengthens your attacks, and increases attack speed as well as critical hit chance. However, once the bar is emptied, you must wait with the next use until the cooldown has expired.
Rank 1: Summoner
- Archetype: Mage
- Weapon: Staff
- Range: Long
- Votes: 13.31 %
This is what the Summoner can do: Although Summoner classes in games are often typical pet classes, that is not the case in Lost Ark. The summons here occur in the form of spells that call forth spirits of animals or mythical creatures to execute their attacks and other abilities. They then disappear immediately afterward.
As a resource, the Summoner gathers Ancient Energy, which allows for large summons of divine beings. Depending on which type of being you select for the summoning, something different will happen on the battlefield. Phoenix deals high damage and knocks back enemies, while Genbu crushes them.
Due to their low HP and defense, Summoners should keep a considerable distance from their opponents. While the class can deal damage, it cannot take much. The many CC effects from Summoner abilities are helpful in this regard.
What’s it like in other communities?
This same survey was also run by our sister site GameStar and the results there were surprisingly similar to those on MeinMMO. Both communities seem to have fallen in love with the Summoner class, as it also climbed to rank 1 in the GameStar survey.
Ranks 2 to 5 are also similar, with the difference that GameStar readers are bigger Assassin fans, with the Shadowhunter and Deathblade Assassins in 2nd and 4th places. At the same time, the two warrior archetypes Paladin and Berserker have firmly established themselves in 3rd and 5th place.
Here are the complete rankings of GameStar readers:
- Rank 1: Summoner
- Rank 2: Shadowhunter
- Rank 3: Paladin
- Rank 4: Deathblade
- Rank 5: Berserker
- Rank 6: Soulfist
- Rank 7: Gunslinger
- Rank 8: Sharpshooter
- Rank 9: Bard
- Rank 10: Gunlancer
- Rank 11: Artillerist
- Rank 12: Deadeye
- Rank 13: Wardancer
- Rank 14: Scrapper
What do you think of the ranking? Did you expect such a distribution of votes, or is the popularity of the classes surprising to you? Let us know in the comments and tell us which classes you voted for.
Gameplay videos and information on all classes in Lost Ark can be found in our article. It also includes classes that won’t be playable in Europe at launch but will appear later, so you can get a glimpse of them.
This is how the 20 classes play in Lost Ark – Gameplay videos!
