With the new MMORPG Lost Ark, developer Smilegate is slowly gearing up for the release of the 3rd closed beta in Korea, but fans in the West are noticeably weary of waiting. They feel that the once highly anticipated MMORPG has missed its window. However, development is on schedule.
Lost Ark is just waking up after a long winter sleep in South Korea and is ramping up the promotion for their isometric MMORPG. This rhythm of “winter sleep” and “information” is normal in South Korea, but here in the West, it is frustrating for fans. They feel that Lost Ark is now coming far too late.
After all, the great reveal trailer that fascinated fans in the West is already three and a half years old.
Lost Ark awakens from winter sleep
The last closed beta of Lost Ark took place in summer 2017, now in April 2018, the studio is back with news about the 3rd closed beta. This does not yet have a release date, but it is likely imminent.
In 2018 things could go quickly now and Lost Ark could become permanently playable via open beta, but there is still no real timeline for a release of Lost Ark. First, a 3rd closed beta must take place.
The next beta should be even better and more polished
Last week, community manager Risha reaffirmed the release plan: Lost Ark is now approaching the 3rd closed beta:
- During the 1st phase of development, the core mechanics were established
- In the 2nd phase, more content and improvements were added.
- Now in the 3rd phase, fine-tuning and balancing are in focus.
In letters to the community, the waiting players are gently prepared for the fact that the 3rd closed beta will be even finer and better than the previous ones.
It is mainly about “comfort changes” that are supposed to make Lost Ark more enjoyable.
Hawkeye and Soul Master are coming to Lost Ark
Lost Ark is also introducing two new classes. It was already clear for a while that the “Soul Master” and the gunner subclass “Hawkeye” would be coming to the 3rd beta of Lost Ark, but now details about the new classes are finally available.
- Hawkeye will likely be a type of “stealth archer” armed with a mechanical bow who can slow down, blind, and otherwise hinder opponents.
- The Soul Master class focuses on melee and ranged combat, attacking the opponent with light, fast strikes, buffing itself, and countering enemy attacks.
Another highlight of the next beta will apparently be the expansion of a trading card system. There are also new images available.
Western fans are rather yawning
In the presentation of Lost Ark and the reaction to it in the West, one can see the “difference in cultures.” The Korean presentations are rather flowery and detailed. However, in places like the Lost Ark subreddit, impatience is spreading among waiting players.
They fear that a West release of Lost Ark might come too late and reference Blade & Soul as a negative example, which they had to wait far too long for.
Some fans have been longing for Lost Ark for years and now finally want more: They want to be able to play Lost Ark, but that seems to be still far off.
Once again, this shows the difficulties of waiting for the development of an Asian MMORPG as a Westerner: The clocks tick differently there.
Western fans have now been waiting for the release of Lost Ark for almost 4 years
For Westerners, it looks like with the “1st closed beta” and a reveal trailer, the game is almost finished. In Asia, there are still many years of development ahead for the game. So far, the development of Lost Ark seems to be on track, but that is hard for fans who have been waiting for three and a half years to understand.
Additionally, there is another problem: Even if the 3rd closed beta of Lost Ark is likely to start soon, there is still no indication that the game will also come to Europe and North America.
More on the topic and why so many are waiting:
