Lost Ark EU - !!

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You can very easily level to 50 in about 10-12 hours by skipping every side quest except for the last continent and doing them there. If you focus on the main quests until then you'll get the grind done in no time. A day to max level isn't the same as old fashioned months grinding to max level IMO. I agree with the traveling to hand in quests but with the fast travel I didn't feel it as much as you describe since there was almost always a fast travel point in each npc area, bare in mind there is a cost (silver) to fast travel if you don't have the paid perk.



So a lot of discussion comes up around end game. The first thing you do at end game is usually.

0. Finish Vern/Bern questline get ultimate ability and gear to 250 gear score.
1. Chaos Dungeons (250gs entry requirement) you use energy allowing you to run it for currency twice a day, but the first time you do this it'll always get you up to gear score 302 (once you craft upgrades). You CAN run this more than twice for currency crystals which you can trade with a vendor for additional currency, it's obviously slower than the first 2 runs of the day but is something you can do.
2. At 302gs you unlock Guardian Raids. This can run unlimited amounts but you can only "harvest" the guardian soul twice per day similar to Chaos Dungeons. (Guardian Raids are basically Monster Hunter).
3. Cube Dungeon (302gs requirement) to run a Cube Dungeon you need a ticket that can drop from a Chaos Dungeon. You run through a set of trials to get as far as you can with your gs, each level you get through increases the difficulty and the loot you get at the end.
4. Towers 302gs entry requirement. This is a giant tower where you climb the floors. Each time you clear a floor you get the rewards, this isn't repeatable, it's something you will keep coming back to as your gs increases over many many months & years. Rewards permanent stats, books, engravings etc. Once you die (ie: floor 3) once you come back you'll restart at floor 3.
5. Abyssal Dungeons (340gs requirement) these are your standard 4 man party dungeons from any other MMO. This can be run 3 times per week.
6. Once you've done all the above you have your daily & weekly quests just like any other MMO, these reward currency, materials, rep etc. You pick from a selection of quests available with a max of 3 per day/week.
6a. A side thing - join a guild do the guild mission and donate for stones you exchange for more rewards.

7. Once it's released, Raids.

Another thing to mention is that islands are generally catch up mechanics that shouldn't be available but was on beta. This will give you a quick gear boost if it's on release.

You can also click the compass under the mini map and do field bosses, ghost ships, chaos gates and island adventures. These things are usually done if everything above has been completed for the day.

While you're technically right that you're limited on what you can "typically" earn & run per day, it doesn't mean you're locked from progressing further, you can keep grinding but earning much less the more time you keep playing per day, but this isn't efficient or what most Koreans and Russians do.

Alts. Any sweaty player will level alts to repeat all the above I have mentioned doing Chaos Dungeon twice per day, Guardian Raids 2x a day etc. This allows you to gather materials at a faster rate than just playing 1 char and you'll be able to funnel most of these materials back to your main. A recent change coming next week on Korea will only allow you to maximise this method with a maximum of 6 chars.

So my point here is that if you have the time to do everything on 1 char each day, you definitely want to invest in alts, but if you're already doing all of the above on 1 char each day you're already playing a few hours each day! You absolutely don't need to spend money on the cash shop to "keep up" with someone spending hundreds or thousands, generally most income smilegate earns is from cosmetics.



There's competitive PvP tournaments in Korea. The good thing about PvP is that gear is normalised - so no player has an advantage over the other.



Absolutely!


The problem with those end game activities you describe is just how quick they are to complete when you reach the gear score to continue/start them. Chaos dungeons are 5 mins a run, so 10 mins to do both. Guardian raids the same time maybe a bit more depending on group. Cube dungeon, quick as well IF you even get a ticket, which seemed a pretty rare drop to me which can only drop on run 1 or 2 of the chaos dungeon. Don't think you've got the time right for the tower there. There's 2 towers i could see, i completed the easy one after about 5 days of upgrading. During those days i could clear 1-5 floors more with each upgrade round. It was fun but always wanted more. For those wow players, kinda felt like a torghast run where you are forced to stop after each floor and wait for tomorrow to continue. Abyssal dungeons, again 3 a week is pretty disappointing, only managed to get into one group once for these, im guessing due to my gear score. There's so many tiers of these dungeons you wont want to be left behind or else you'll be stuck on your own. The weekly/daily quests the best rewards from these were the 'trinkets' where you end up having to farm loads of those to get the abilities on it that you want. In terms of upgrading gear, the rewards were no where near sufficient to upgrade at a decent pace even when combined with everything else (assuming you've already done the 'upgrade runs' of the chaos dungeons etc)

In terms of fast travel, yep they do help, but it's not like you're teleporting right on top of the NPC you always have to run somewhere else, then back again blah blah and it just became a right chore very quickly. You don't remember having to constantly go into the throne room or wherever the main NPC for that region is and of course you can't use your horse inside, so you have to mindlessly run the same bloody path 30 times. After a loading screen of course. Loading screen to teleport to nearest travel point, run with horse to NPC, probably inside so loading screen to get inside, run through a massive castle, down this corridor, up some stairs, through a massive 200 meter throne room where you finally reach the queen only to find out she wants you to deliver a message to other side of world and return immediately?! And you're doing this constantly! *shudders*

In terms of the side quests etc, maybe thats where i went wrong, but it seems like you should be doing them as you level as they are always around the story line quest and give you rewards such as the upgrade currency and other various useful things.

I can definitely see why there's people saying its an 'alts' game. I felt constantly tethered on progression when playing just 1.

In terms of P2W - hopefully the Beta was different (which i didn't play) but on the russian server, you could buy the upgrade currency for real money which will progress you faster no doubt.

Again, i think there's fun to be had here - i joined the russian server late in the day and was behind the majority, but when starting with everyone else should be pretty good for a while I imagine!
 
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The problem with those end game activities you describe is just how quick they are to complete when you reach the gear score to continue/start them.

Yeah this is the problem with NA/EU end game, we only get tier 1 content so we'll finish the daily content quite quickly. Lost Ark when released in Korea had similar problems for a long time, fortunately we'll get tier 2 a few months later. On the RU/KR servers they have enough daily content per char that'll last on average about 2 hours, if you have the gear score to run all the content. We only want to get our gear to level 15 to prepare before t2 anyway, any extra time I'd focus on playing some alts and doing non progressive content like affinity, completing progression in each of the zones and farming materials for tier 2 dropping.

You don't remember having to constantly go into the throne room or wherever the main NPC for that region is and of course you can't use your horse inside, so you have to mindlessly run the same bloody path 30 times.

:D:cry: Yeah I remember this and it was bloody annoying while levelling but tbf it was a small part of the game, there are other parts like you mentioned but nothing too bad IMO.

In terms of the side quests etc, maybe that's where i went wrong, but it seems like you should be doing them as you level as they are always around the story line quest and give you rewards such as the upgrade currency and other various useful things.

I can definitely see why there's people saying its an 'alts' game. I felt constantly tethered on progression when playing just 1.

In terms of P2W - hopefully the Beta was different (which i didn't play) but on the Russian server, you could buy the upgrade currency for real money which will progress you faster no doubt.

Again, i think there's fun to be had here - i joined the Russian server late in the day and was behind the majority, but when starting with everyone else should be pretty good for a while I imagine!

I'll be clearing on my main and gathering everything for my island so when I get to 50 I'll have enough mats to catch up a bit easier and have some content cleared ready to progress further before t2 drops. If I race to 50 and only play 1 char I'll run out of progressive content within 48hrs.

Alts are definitely required if you want to push your gear score as high as possible, if you log in each day and do the daily content you'll keep up to reach all the new content as it drops. I'd prefer we could run dungeons an unlimited amount per char but I don't mind using alts to get around this.

Can't say for sure about the RU/KR P2W I've forgotten of the top of my head, but it has been changed quite a lot for the western audience.
 
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This is the first time I've seen/heard of Lost Ark and it does look like something I'd like to try, obviously with it being free to play then there is no reason not to give it a go. But one thing that does worry me is that it looks like it has paid for content such as certain upgrades, how prevailant are these in the game and is there any indication of their cost?
 
Soldato
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This is the first time I've seen/heard of Lost Ark and it does look like something I'd like to try, obviously with it being free to play then there is no reason not to give it a go. But one thing that does worry me is that it looks like it has paid for content such as certain upgrades, how prevailant are these in the game and is there any indication of their cost?

Yeah it’s a massive worry for people. This game has some pay to win but has been changed a lot for EU/NA release. I had to do a lot of reading up before I wasn’t personally worried.

it’s very similar to WoW tokens, you buy currency that you can then trade for other things on the auction house and through the exchange NPCs

Buying currency isn’t a good idea because of how expensive it is for so little, this is the main reason people play alts instead for what I was talking about in my last post, you’ll get so much currency doing the group dungeons and daily content but this is only if you want to invest hours and hours per day. It’s absolutely fine playing just one char per day and keeping it free to play. The biggest sales on the store are cosmetics and pets.
 

SPG

SPG

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Gone are the days where the rush will be to get to endgame, as usual the I wanna be first crowd will steamroll to the endgame in about a week then complain of nothing to do and so the spiral and cycle continues.
 
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Gone are the days where the rush will be to get to endgame, as usual the I wanna be first crowd will steamroll to the endgame in about a week then complain of nothing to do and so the spiral and cycle continues.

Don't agree with this. There will most certainly be a large majority trying to get to end game asap, as in any MMO that releases. For me and probably lots of others, end game is where the fun is found, competing in pvp when your character is maxed, completing the difficult content. There is absolutely 0 challenge to leveling whatsoever.

And game developers need to account for the 'i wanna be first crowd' if they want their game to be successful. Don't think there's any disputing that, look at any new mmo and lack of end game content is what kills it, very quickly. So yes people will get to end game in a week and they will complain if there's nothing to do and there's no one to put that on but the developers. If they don't know how to treat a major target audience of MMO's then they deserve their game to die.
 
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I'm looking forward to this but have to say the character models (female) are awful. The Sorceress has legs that look like they came off a stork.
 
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Just found out friends in Netherlands won't be able to play Lost Ark so this will probably go on the backer burner for now with so many other great games coming out in Feb/March.
 
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Thats what I had read as well, it was due to the gambling laws. It's a shame but I don't think my friends will resort to VPN's just for this game, they are more interested in Elden Ring which if I'm honsest I am also. Still I'll be keeping an eye open to see how this does in the West.
 
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JANUARY UPDATE LETS GO

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Heroes of Arkesia,

As we prepare for launch next month we wanted to spend our January update sharing some new features, important changes we’ve made alongside Smilegate RPG stemming from Closed Beta player feedback, and answering open questions we’ve seen from players on forums, social media, and in our Discord server. In the coming weeks we’ll be sharing more information on launch details, monetization, and much more!

NEW FEATURES
Before launch we will be sharing a full list of patch notes, but we wanted to share a few planned new features that will be available at launch.

  • Yorn Region
    • While Closed Beta allowed you to visit Rohendel for the first time, at launch you will be able to traverse even more of Arkesia’s vast lands! The Yorn region will be open for exploration.

    • In Yorn, you’ll find yourself headed underground to the home of the Umar race — a group of dwarven people that inhabit the depths below the seemingly barren land. The Umar artisans are known for their craftwork, so be sure to take a moment to enjoy the carefully constructed architecture that has resulted from hundreds of years of building work before you get to back to looking for the Ark.

    • Yorn includes new quests, bosses, Chaos dungeons, and more.
  • Feiton Region
    • In addition to Yorn, the continent of Feiton has also been added for launch.

    • You might find Feiton to be a little bit... less than welcoming. The lands of this continent were poisoned during the Chain War, and the effects of this continue to influence the landscape to this day. In Feiton, the half-human half-demon Delains reside, but only under the careful control of Avesta, a powerful assassin organization.

    • Feiton will also introduce new quests, bosses, Chaos dungeons, and more.
  • Punika Region
    • Punika is another region that was not included in the Closed Beta test that will be available at launch

    • Punika is tropical and magical, with much to explore and experience from nature’s beauty to the festivals put on by the inhabitants. You can spend time in the vibrant and lively Nia Village, or traverse the colorful sands of Starstand Beach. The land may be lush, but watch out for the wildlife — something strange seems to be happening with the creatures that inhabit the island.

    • In addition to new quests and bosses, the release of Punika also means that more late-game content will be available at launch, including limited T3 content.
  • Tier 3 Content
    • T3 gear will be available at launch, as well as a few core T3 dungeons to support proper progression including as Oreha’s Well (Abyssal Dungeon), Chaos Dungeon Stage 3, and the Velganos Guardian Raid.

    • The Combat level cap has been increased to 60.

    • Additional T3 content will be added to the game post-launch in order to set the pace for player progression, both in terms of new content and optimal difficulty
  • Steam Achievements
    • 173 Steam Achievements will be available in the game at launch. These mirror some of the achievements you’ll find in-game (although there are many more to unlock in-game as well!)
  • Character Voice Selection
    • Character creation now includes an option to select a voice for your character — each class has 3 - 4 options to choose from!
BASED ON PLAYER FEEDBACK
  • Korean VO DLC Options
    • Players will be able to select the option to use the original Korean voice over in game along the subtitles of their choice — this will be obtainable in a free Steam DLC pack at launch. Korean subtitles will not be available.
  • Some early game cut-scenes are now skippable
    • During Beta, we gathered lots of feedback from players about the early game experience. While we want to continue to improve the first time experience for new players, one of the changes we made before launch is that a number of cutscenes (with the exception of some important pieces of the story) are now skippable, even the first time you play through them. Whether you got your fill of story time during the Beta, or are just more interested in powering through to the end of the game, this will save you a little bit of time if you wish.
  • Balance tweaks for pacing of the game
    • Another huge point of feedback that we received during the Closed Beta Test was that many players felt like some of the game’s pacing and gearing was not quite challenging enough. We’ve worked to make balance changes to combat this, and while it won’t slow you down early on, the endgame content will prove to be a bit more challenging for players.

COMMUNITY FAQ
CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION QUESTIONS
  • What are the Character, Stronghold, and Guild Naming restrictions?
    • The following are restricted: Special characters (!@#$%, etc.), capitalized letters other than the first letter of the name (e.g., McFly, WeIrDoGuY), and spaces.
  • How does character name reservation and deletion work? How long after I delete a character until it is available again? Do I need to play with a character in order to reserve the name or just create the character?
    • Completing the character creation process will reserve the name for that character. Character names are not automatically released again after character deletion. Releasing names for re-use is a manual process that we will likely run at some point in the future but it is not something we expect to do regularly or start doing in the near future.
  • What is the minimum and maximum number of letters that are allowed to be used in a character’s name or guild?
    • Guild names are limited to 2 - 20 characters, character names are limited to 2 - 16 characters. Note that spaces, numbers, and multiple capital letters cannot be used in either guild or character names.
  • Will character voice selection be available at launch?
    • Yes, you will be able to select a voice for your player. Each class will include 3 - 4 options for you to choose from!
FOUNDER’S PACKS AND SKINS QUESTIONS
  • Is it possible to stack Founder’s Packs for multiple rewards?
    • Players can buy 1 of each Founder Pack which will stack, meaning they will receive all of the contents they purchased in each pack — the only things that will not stack are the 3-day Head Start, and the Founder’s Title (which is the same title for each pack).
  • How will you receive your Founder’s Pack contents, and for what classes are they available?
    • Founder’s Packs will be delivered to your Product Inventory, and from here you will be able to obtain the contents when they are directly delivered to your character’s inventory. But sure to open the your Northern Lawmaker or Platinum skin chest with the character you want to use it on, as the skin will be set to match this character’s class! These skins will only be usable on the 15 classes that are available at launch.
MISC. GAMEPLAY QUESTIONS
  • What happens if your Guild Leader doesn’t log in for weeks?
    • If the Guild Leader has not logged in after ten days, there is a system that can be used to promote the Deputy of the Guild to be the new Guild Leader.
  • Will players be able to get content or rewards from events that occurred in KR/RU over the last few years, that were time-limited there?
    • Some of these items may appear in our version of the game for various events or happenings in the future.
  • Will players be able to change the font in-game?
    • The in-game font type and size cannot be changed, however the font size within text chat can be changed.

    • In the case of damage numbers being unreadable on high resolution monitors, this is a known bug that is currently out for a fix.
  • Rather than having Roster based PvP rankings, can it be character based?
    • We don’t have plans on changing this for launch, but player feedback on the game is always welcome.
LOOKING AHEAD
While we know there’s a ton of excitement surrounding launch day and launch day information, rest assured that we’ll have more details on their way to you next week. This article will include launch day instructions for players, a launch server list, information about weekly reset times, the exact server open and pre-download times, and more.

Before launch, we also have plans to share additional details about Lost Ark’s Business Model and Monetization, full launch patch notes, some information about what makes this version of game different from other versions, and more. There will also be a roadmap to share our post-launch plans headed your way once the game is in your hands so you’ll know what to look forward to!

As always, thank you for your support. Make sure to follow our social channels and PlayLostArk.com as we head toward launch. Here’s where you can find us:

See you in Arkesia!
 
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