On August 12, Season 2 of the MMORPG Lost Ark will launch. Many mechanics will change, and there will be new content. It is the biggest development in the game since the soft launch.
What’s coming with Season 2? August will be hot for the MMORPG Lost Ark. Season 2, which starts on August 12, is a sort of fresh start for the game. Not only will many new features be introduced for active players, but there will also be tutorials and an arena for beginners where they can learn about the various mechanics of Lost Ark.
- New quests that continue the story of Lost Ark.
- 2 new classes will be released by the end of September: the Scouter and the Reaper Assassin
- 5 major Abyss Dungeons
- Players will be able to build their own small towns on private islands
- The many redundant currencies will be removed
- The daily content will be reduced
- NPC locations will be changed to make them more accessible and to reduce running around
In general, the game is expected not only to receive pure gameplay content but also to become more user-friendly and easier to navigate.
The biggest changes will come in the area of loot and armor upgrades. Here, the developers have listened to community feedback and want to make gear progress more enjoyable.
- There will be additional options for gear upgrades
- New sources for loot will be unlocked: Loot will now also drop from regular enemies in raids and dungeons, not just always from chests at the end
- The upgrade material Akrasium will be completely removed and replaced with a new system
- Costs for upgrades and rerolls of stats will be significantly lowered
- The effects of gear upgrades will be more noticeable, and armor will have a direct impact on character builds
You can watch the official trailer for Season 2 here:
Why is Season 2 special? Season 2 is a highlight for many active players because it is the developers’ response to the criticism of Lost Ark. Many changes, especially to the loot and upgrade system of weapons and armor, are based on player feedback and aim to improve the gaming experience.
It also seems that Season 2 is a kind of preparation for the Western release. The major revisions of the content aim to reduce the pay-to-win aspect of the game and lift the gender lock. Both features have been poorly received by Western players.
The Japanese players who recently participated in the first beta test will already receive the new version of Lost Ark. This gives hope that EU players will also get to kick off with the Season 2 version when the time comes.
1.5 Years of Regular Content Updates
How has Lost Ark evolved? Since its soft launch at the end of 2018 in Korea, Lost Ark has developed significantly. As the only PC game, it has won a series of awards at the major Korean gaming fair G-Star and celebrated its release in Russia as well as the first successful beta in Japan.
The developers have also been able to keep up with updates. The game has received since its launch in Korea:
- 4 new classes: Holy Knight, Lance Master, Blade, and Demonic Assassin.
- 3 major continents Yorn, Peyton, and Rohendel, the large island Paprika, and Allegro, as well as numerous small islands in the western ocean
- New main and side quests that continue the story of Lost Ark
- New raids and dungeons, such as the Underwater Dungeon Gate of Paradise
- New open-world bosses
- A housing system where players can acquire their own island and develop it
- New armor sets, fashion outfits, and a pet system
- Diverse balance adjustments for PvE and PvP and comfort improvements
- A battle royale island for PvP fans
The updates on the roadmap for Season 2 starting on August 12 will continue this list.
However, the developers are also unafraid to completely remove features and gameplay elements from their game because they believe they do not contribute to gameplay enjoyment. This includes, for example, weekly raids or labyrinth content, as they are too repetitive.
When will Lost Ark come to us? In an interview, the developers from Smilegate stated that the global launch should follow after the launch in Japan. The Japanese version was initially scheduled for early 2020 but was postponed due to Corona.
When exactly European players can expect Lost Ark is not known, although Smilegate continues to emphasize that they are working on it.
MeinMMO author Irina Moritz believes that waiting for Lost Ark will be worth it.
