The MMORPG Lost Ark is finally getting a release in the West. There was an initial alpha test, and a beta is yet to come. Here is all the information about the European version.
This is Lost Ark: In the isometric MMORPG from Smilegate, you take on the role of an adventurer and embark on a quest for the shards of the legendary ark that banished evil from the world long ago. For the dark powers have gathered their strength over the past centuries.
You slaughter your way through hordes of enemies and tough bosses, reminiscent of A-RPGs like Diablo and Path of Exile, collect loot, and continuously upgrade your gear. At launch, Lost Ark will offer a selection of 15 classes in the West, with more to follow over time.
Key Information About the Release and the Beta
When will Lost Ark be released in Europe? The release has been postponed to early 2022. There is no exact date yet. Originally, the release window was mentioned as fall 2021, but that is no longer the case.
On Steam, the date has currently been changed to December 31, which is definitely a placeholder.
Will there be beta tests? The first closed beta for Lost Ark is scheduled to take place from November 4 to 9, 2021. Previously, there was a technical alpha, which took place from June 11 to 16.
You can sign up on the official site. However, signing up does not guarantee a key. If you absolutely want to participate in the next beta, you will need to purchase one of the Founder Packs for Lost Ark.
There will not be an open beta. This was confirmed by an employee from Amazon Games on Steam.
Is there a German localization? Yes, the MMORPG will be translated not only into English but also into German, French, and Spanish.
What Does Lost Ark Cost? Prices and Battle Pass
What is the payment model of Lost Ark? Just like in Korea, Lost Ark will also be free-to-play in Europe and will have an in-game shop. Which content the shop will offer is still unknown.
Cosmetic items like fancy outfits or mounts are likely to be included.
However, there will be founder packs available for purchase at launch that will provide advantages.
- Bronze (€14.99) – Access to the beta, 3 days early access, exclusive pioneer pet, 30 days crystal aura, pioneer title
- Silver (€24.99) – Access to the beta, 3 days early access, 1,000 royal crystals (premium currency of Lost Ark), an exclusive pet, 30 days subscription, exclusive title, a chest with useful items.
- Gold (€49.99) – All content of the Silver Pack, an exclusive avatar, an additional character slot, a larger box with useful items
- Platinum (€99.99) – All content from the Silver and Gold packs, an exclusive mount, a larger box with useful items, an exclusive wallpaper, an exclusive building, exclusive cards for the trading card game, a box of gifts for NPCs
This is the Battle Pass of Lost Ark: Amazon also announced that the MMORPG will receive a “Battle Pass” similar to those found in shooters like CoD or Fortnite.
The functionality is also similar:
- The pass has a total of 30 levels, and good rewards are unlocked every 5 levels.
- You need to complete tasks like “Complete a raid” or “Kill seven bosses” to unlock rewards.
- The rewards include in-game currency, upgrade materials, cards, and other bonuses.
- There is a free version of the pass, a premium version for €20, and a super premium version for €50, which differ in their content. Paid passes offer exclusive items like pets or outfits.
All info about the pass system can be found in our article:
System Requirements for Lost Ark
To play Lost Ark smoothly on your PC, you need at least the following system:
Required Hardware
- Operating System: Windows 10 (64-bit only)
- Processor: Intel i3 or AMD Ryzen 3
- RAM: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 / AMD HD6850
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Network: Broadband internet connection
- Storage Space: 50 GB of available storage space
The recommended system requirements for a better gaming experience and nice graphics are as follows:
Recommended Hardware
- Operating System: Windows 10 (64-bit only)
- Processor: Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5
- RAM: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Network: Broadband internet connection
- Storage Space: 50 GB of available storage space
Regarding the recommended graphics cards for Lost Ark at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, UHD on Amazon Games Info Page the following models are listed:
- 1080p FullHD:
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
- AMD Radeon RX560 2G
- 1440p QHD:
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
- AMD Radeon RX5700XT
- UltraHD (4K):
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
- AMD Radeon RX 6800
Version and Content of Lost Ark in the West
What version are we getting in Europe? Unlike the Russian and Japanese versions, we will not receive the standard base version of the game as it was launched in Korea.
Instead, we will have our own mix of various old and new features. At launch, 15 classes will be available, including assassins, which were added later in Korea. The housing feature with a personal island will also be playable right away, something that was only available in Korea months after the launch.
The character creator will offer more options in the European version, such as additional skin colors. Furthermore, some outfits will be adjusted to suit the Western audience and be less sexualized.
However, some features from the base game will be missing. This includes the mage class Arcana or the warrior class Destroyer.
What Lost Ark Has to Offer
This is how Lost Ark plays: Lost Ark is an isometric MMORPG that heavily resembles the gameplay and combat system of Diablo.
- Combat occurs in real-time and is very action-oriented
- You control your character using the mouse buttons
- Skills are activated using the keys Q, W, E, R
- Items are used via the number keys 1 to 4
In combat, you typically face larger groups of enemies, which can turn into massive hordes in dungeons or raids. You also encounter tough bosses that leave behind a glowing loot pinata of gear, money, upgrade items, and other stuff.
The loot spiral of the MMORPG works in such a way that you level up normally during the main quest of Lost Ark and collect gear from enemies and dungeons. At max level, you gain access to Guardian Raids, Chaos Dungeons, and other endgame content of Lost Ark, where you can further improve your equipment.
This content is offered by Lost Ark: The MMORPG had its soft launch in Korea back in 2018. Since then, much content has already been released by the developers. In the West, we will receive our own mix of old and new features.
- The classes in Lost Ark are divided into 5 base classes with several specializations. In the European version, 15 of them will be playable at launch.
- The skill system of Lost Ark is called Tripod. This allows you to modify the individual skills of your classes in the style of A-RPGs. The skills receive new effects, stats, and appearances as a result.
- A central main story quest will guide you through the world of the MMORPG. However, there are various side quests and daily tasks that you can complete for bonuses and more background story.
- The “Life Skills” allow you to collect resources such as herbs, wood, ores, meat, and fish
- On the maps, you can hunt gigantic world bosses that can drop great loot.
- In dungeons and Guardian Raids for 4 players, there is great loot and forge and upgrade materials for your armor.
- With the sailing feature, you can explore the oceans of Lost Ark. Various types of ships are available for you to upgrade and crew. On the oceans, there are islands to discover, treasures to unearth, and even ghost ships to board.
- Some special NPCs in Lost Ark have a “relationship system”. You can befriend them and learn more about their backstory or simply collect gifts.
- The “housing feature” in Lost Ark grants you a whole island that you can decorate and build on. You can also invite NPCs to your island.
- PvP exists in both competitive modes in arenas and duels, as well as in certain areas in the open world, where you fight for control over individual islands and their resources.
It can be assumed that the missing features, such as the class Arcana, will also be released here in due time. Lost Ark definitely has significant reserves of unreleased content that the developers can bring to the West to keep players engaged.
In addition, the development of the MMORPG continues to progress. Smilegate recently released a new roadmap for the second half of 2021.
The Classes of Lost Ark
This is how the class system works: At the beginning, players have the choice between different base classes, most of which are genderlocked. They belong to certain archetypes that you will recognize from other MMORPGs:
- Warrior (male)
- Mage (female)
- Assassin (female)
- Martial Artist (female)
- Gunner (male and female)
Each of the base classes has its own story, which you can play through in a tutorial level while familiarizing yourself with the class mechanics and the gameplay of Lost Ark. Once you reach level 10 and complete the tutorial, you can choose between 2 to 4 specializations.
A female mage can become a summoner or a bard, for example, after the tutorial. Warriors have the choice between paladin, berserker, and pistol lancer. You always have to choose a specialization, but you can test them all beforehand. At release here in the West, there will be a total of 15 specializations available.
We have summarized which specializations will be playable in the West in our article. It also offers gameplay videos and explanations of the particular mechanics of the classes:
What is special about Lost Ark? The MMORPG was praised by many at release as a well-polished and solid game, and player feedback in Korea was largely positive. Lost Ark won numerous awards at the large gaming fair G-Star.
It offers players a good mix of PvE and PvP content. The action-packed battles resemble A-RPGs like Diablo. The classes are diverse, the skills feel really powerful, and you can further adapt them to your playstyle through the tripod system.
Additionally, you can save different builds on one character, for various raids or for PvE and PvP situations.
What is problematic? Currently, we don’t know anything concrete about the content of Lost Ark’s in-game shop. In Korea, as well as in Russia and Japan, the shop system from update 2.0 is active, offering various pay2skip advantages.
The in-game currency gold is purchasable as well as additional permissions for daily or weekly raid visits. Whether this system will be implemented the same way in the West is not yet known.
Lost Ark is one of the top 8 MMOs we expect in 2021:
