In Japan, the first closed beta for Lost Ark has been running for a few days. Players can experience the latest version of the MMORPG that is also being played in Korea. This is a good sign for Western players.
This is the current state of Lost Ark: On July 9th, the first closed beta test of Lost Ark finally started in Japan. The game was originally supposed to be released there in early 2020, but was delayed by several months.
Now the beta is in full swing and is heavily promoted on the Japanese social media channels of Lost Ark. There are almost daily official streams and patches with gifts for the players.
While news about the Europe release remains sparse, Smilegate emphasized again on their official Facebook page a few weeks ago that work is still ongoing for the global release.
This is important for us: Interestingly, the Japanese beta is starting with a much more recent version than the beta in Russia did last year. This means that many new features from the Korean version are already playable there, although not all.
- Various quality of life improvements have already been implemented in the beta. This includes the removal of various currencies that players had to handle in Lost Ark.
- The selfie mode is also included, which only made it into the Korean version of the game a few months ago.
- Cosmetic items like pets or outfits that were only added later in the Russian version.
What is still missing in the beta are the new classes like Assassin or Holy Knight, which are currently only playable in the Korean version.
However, Japanese players can generally only play 8 of the 12 classes that were included in the base version of Lost Ark during the beta. This means that the content available to them is generally limited.
Nonetheless, the Japanese do not have to start at the level of the Korean beta from 2018, as the Russian players had to.
For Western players, this is a good sign. While it is not officially confirmed that we will also receive the latest patch from Korea, the indications are increasing together with the Japanese closed beta and especially the announcement and details for Season 2 of Lost Ark.
Season 2 is supposed to be adapted for Western players
On August 12, Season 2 will start in Lost Ark, bringing significant changes in the endgame area. These changes are based on the complaints and feedback that the developers have collected since the launch of the game.
What will change in Season 2? One of the major goals is to reduce pay-to-win elements and improve the gearing process in Lost Ark to make it more enjoyable. Here are some examples:
- Additional methods will be implemented to enhance your gear.
- The rare upgrade material Akrasium, which was deemed “pay-to-win,” will be removed and replaced with a new system.
- The costs for gear upgrades and rerolls will be lowered to ensure greater accessibility and less monotony.
- The effect of weapon and armor upgrades will be more noticeable.
- New loot sources: Previously, you received loot from treasure chests at the end of dungeons or raids. Now, armor items will also drop normally during runs in the endgame content.
- The armor will have a direct impact on the character’s build. This happens through perks that level up the various skills of your character. Desired perks can be transferred between armor items.
- The amount of dailies will be reduced.
- Removal of gender locks for the classes
The list of changes goes even further and delves deeply into the endgame and gearing process of Lost Ark to make it more pleasant, beginner-friendly, and diverse.
YouTubers like Sywo or T-Party, who specialize in Lost Ark, consider these changes to be extremely positive. They also believe that they will be directly adopted at the release in Japan and subsequently also for us.
Whether this will actually happen will be revealed with time. However, it would definitely be a welcome development.
Another major feature that will go online with Season 2 of Lost Ark are the cities that players can build for their guilds and allied NPCs.
