Lost Ark News

[h2][/h2][p][/p][p]Heroes of Arkesia,[/p][p]Kazeros The First is a special event where players can race to clear the most difficult version of Kazeros Raid Denouement: Final Day. Vanquishing Kazeros in this special version will pose quite a challenge, even for the best raiders in Lost Ark. But with extreme challenge comes prestige, and we have a variety of prestigious rewards planned for those who can vanquish Kazeros in his most powerful form. The race for Kazeros The First will begin on December 3 at 10AM PT (6PM UTC). Learn about the rewards, details regarding the competition, and the conditions needed to enter below.[/p][p][/p][h3]The First Mode General Notes[/h3][p]To enter, players much reach Item Level 1740 or higher and clear Act 4: Fortress of Destruction – Hard Difficulty (Gate 1 & 2). The First difficulty is treated separately from Normal/Hard in terms of entry count and rewards. Entry is limited to once per week per character. Rewards can be obtained once per roster during the entire event period.[/p][p][/p][p]The Ark Grid effect is disabled during the Kazeros The First event. It will be re-enabled after the event ends. The First difficulty does not have revives. Extreme coordination and survival are required.[/p][p][/p][h3]Leaderboards[/h3][p]The race to clear Kazeros The First will feature a leaderboard for the fastest groups to clear, with spots to celebrate the top 10 teams from each in-game region (North America and Europe). The leaderboards will first release alongside the The First Mode on December 3, and available for players to view throughout the race and beyond. These teams’ victory will stay showcased on the leaderboard, and each team will also earn a suite of in-game rewards. It may take some time for groups to be added to the leaderboard, as each group will need to be reviewed to ensure they meet the conditions. Please read the ‘Conditions’ section for the rules and conditions that parties must meet to be eligible for feature on the leaderboards.[/p][p][/p][h3]Rewards[/h3][p]Similar to the Kazeros Race Leaderboard, the in-game rewards will be rewarded on a per-region basis. This means that players in North America and Europe will each compete against the other players in their region for the following rewards contained within a Rank Box including:[/p]

• [p]First Place in each region - Portal Statue[/p]
• [p]Special Animated Titles[/p]
  • [p]Top 1 – Kazeros The First[/p]
  • [p]Top 2 – Kazeros The Second[/p]
  • [p]Top 3 – Kazeros The Third[/p]
  • [p]Top 4 - 10 – Kazeros Top 10[/p]
• [p]Stronghold Structure[/p]
  • [p]Will have the players names etched into it along side their clear time. Users can see the information when interacting with the Stronghold Structure.[/p]
  • [p]Rank 1 - Unique 1st place Structure[/p]
  • [p]Rank 2 & 3 - Structure unique to places 2 & 3[/p]
  • [p]Rank 4- 10 - Structure unique to places 4 - 10[/p]
• [p]Adventure Banner[/p]
  • [p]Rank 1 - Unique[/p]
  • [p]Rank 2 & 3 - Banner unique to places 2 & 3[/p]
  • [p]Rank 4 - 10 - Banner unique to places 4 - 10[/p]

[p][/p][p]Please note that it will take several weeks to receive the top 10 rewards. However, upon clear and regardless of placement, all players who vanquish the special difficulty will receive a chest titled “Clear: Kazeros The First". It contains the following:[/p]

• [p]Title "Lord of the Abyss"[/p]
• [p]MVP Background: Final Day[/p]
• [p]Mount: Brilliant Wings[/p]
• [p]Lounge: Fortress of Destruction[/p]
• [p]Insignia "Conqueror: Kazeros The First Difficulty"[/p]
• [p]100,000 Gold[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Conditions[/h2][p][/p][h3]Condition 1[/h3][p]All participants must not engage in any actions that violate Amazon Game Studios’ policy (Amazon's Code of Conduct and Terms of Service), such as using illegal programs, exploiting bugs, RMT, Piloting, using apps that modify the game and/or interacts with it in a way that provides information that is otherwise not available to players, or engaging in any other actions that Amazon Games deems inappropriate. Players participating in the first clear race event will be investigated, and clears will not be official until uploaded onto the Leaderboard Website. Penalties for breaking the Code of Conduct or Terms of Service will range from disqualification up to a permanent ban.[/p][p][/p][p]A player that has been previously penalized for RMT or other forms of cheating (such as using illegal programs, botting, exploiting bugs, piloting/account sharing, using apps that modify the game) in Lost Ark will be ineligible to compete in the first clear race, no matter when they received it (from launch until the race). Players with previous penalties (and their raid group) will still be able to complete the First Mode for the general rewards, but will not be eligible for leaderboard placement and Top 10 event rewards.[/p][p][/p][p]Actions may be taken against offending players, and the entire party, such as invalidating the raid clear record, or removing achieved ranking records and event rewards. There are two exceptions to this policy:[/p]

• [p]Players who were penalized for the Ignite Stronghold bug. Players who severely exploited this bug were perma-banned. Some other players received the rewards and opened without understanding that it was unintended, and for that reason we are allowing eligibility as long as there are no other disqualifying offenses logged or discovered in the account review.[/p]
• [p]Players who received a false-positive ban that was successfully appealed or reversed will still be eligible to participate.[/p]

[p]For more information, please review Amazon's Code of Conduct and Terms of Service.[/p][p][/p][h3]Condition 2[/h3][p]Please make sure to form a raid using 'Recruitment Lobby' in the party finder to check whether raid members meet the event participation conditions. You can check whether each member meets the event participation conditions in the raid participant list and applicant list in the party recruitment details.[/p]

• [p]If there is a raid member who does not meet the participation conditions upon entry, entry will be possible, but the First Clear Challenge record will not be saved for eligibility on the leaderboards and for rewards.[/p]
• [p]If you use the matchmaking system, it is not possible to check in advance whether raid members meet the conditions, and event participants are responsible for any disadvantages resulting from this.[/p]
• [p]The system will not show you if a user has cleared the raid in another region, or if they have violated Condition 1, so do your due diligence.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Condition 3[/h3][p]The clear record (including clear time) is recorded based on the composition of raid members at the time of clearing Gate 2 in The First mode. Even if Gate 1 is cleared with different raid members, only the members of the raid after completing Gate 2 will be saved.[/p][p][/p][h3]Condition 4[/h3][p]If any character in the player’s account who holds a record from 1st to 10th place in this event on any region participates in another raid with others, the record of the raid clear will not be accepted. All members of the party must not have already completed "The First" difficulty to be recognized, unless they were in a disqualified group but were not disqualified themselves.[/p][p][/p][h3]Condition 5[/h3][p]If a raid member is disconnected and cannot return and the party clears the raid without stopping the dungeon, the raid member's opportunity to enter may be lost. Please be careful during the challenge![/p][p]If you clear Gate 2 with a raid member who isn't eligible for the event, that run will be disqualified for all raid members. Qualified raid members can re-try the 'Kazeros, the First' event when next eligible.[/p][p]Please note that even if you cannot participate in the event, there is no disadvantage to playing the Normal/Hard versions of the Raid.[/p][p][/p][h2]Kazeros the First After Race[/h2][p]After the top 10 teams in each region have been identified, the next weekly maintenance will unlock the First After Race, an ongoing mode where players can compete for class-based leaderboards based around clear time. Heroes at the top of leaderboard each week will earn temporary cosmetics, and those at the top when The First Mode ends (date to be determined) will earn the cosmetics (such as an insignia and class symbol) in perpetuity. The Ark Grid will become enabled for this mode.[/p][p][/p][p]We hope this mode will prove fun for players who want to improve and prove they are skillful enough to master the battle against the Lord of the Abyss. While all players can participate in this secondary leaderboard event, our primary enforcement focus and restrictions remain centered around the First Clear Race for Kazeros, as the rewards for the After Race are on a rolling weekly grant. Should an account on the After Race Leaderboard be found in new violation of our Terms of Service, Code of Conduct or event conditions, there may be action taken against the offending player, depending on the violation. This includes account-wide disadvantages, such as invalidating the clear’s eligibility, removing achieved ranking records and event rewards or an account ban.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][p]Good luck to all preparing for the Day of Prophecy and the battle against Kazeros, whether that’s attempting Normal, Hard, or those preparing to race for the First Mode. In the meantime, we’ll see you in Arkesia.[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]This month introduces one of our most anticipated releases yet — the climactic battle against Kazeros himself. November’s Day of Prophecy brings not just one, but two major raids that will test the limits of even our most seasoned raiders. Let's jump right in, starting with Paradise before going into the raids, new endgame activities, the Ark Grid System, and The First Race.[/p][p][/p][p]Looking ahead, we'll reveal our plans for 2026 and beyond in December, and can't wait to share what's coming next. Until then, we hope you're preparing for Kazeros. Once these raids release, don't forget to share your victories with us on social media. We love seeing our heroes succeed.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for your support and we’ll see you in Arkesia![/p]

[h2][/h2][p][/p][p]Heroes of Arkesia,[/p][p][/p][p]We’re making a few updates and changes to the plan surrounding progression events that were previously discussed in our last roadmap. Key, upcoming changes to improve player progression were recently shared through a Director Livestream in Korea, and we view these changes as extremely important to the player experience in the West. Some examples include improving the experience for Advanced Honing stages 1-2, removing Elixirs/Transcendence (and moving the effects elsewhere). These are changes that our team and community have been championing for, as they are important to the overall player experience in Lost Ark. We’re excited to collaborate with Smilegate RPG on bringing these changes to the West as soon as possible, and are delaying our planned progression events from November to December to accompany the release of as many of the changes as we’re able to.[/p][p][/p][p]November will be about celebrating the endgame and the hardcore players eagerly awaiting their chance to challenge The Lord of the Abyss, and December will be focused on helping provide a better new and returning player experience. We have worked to extend the current Event Powerpass that was going to end in November for one month (until the December Update), as we didn’t want a month long gap while we wait for the changes. This should help any players who return or are looking to build out their roster in the meantime.[/p][p][/p][p]November will include the Kazeros Challenge event, built to help players reach the endgame levels required to challenge Act 4 and Denouement: Final Day. This system will release as it did in Korea. Players will be able to complete endgame progression related missions, such as clearing raid gates and reaching item level thresholds, to earn valuable rewards that continue to help progression. It will help with systems such as Karma, Advanced Honing 3-4, and include a variety of honing, progression, and Ark Grid materials. We saw some concerns about needing to progress through both raids and maybe missing out on some Ark Grid materials or Gold week 1, so we’ve also added a little bonus event to give a few extra Ark Grid materials and 70K Gold for every player who completes some missions.[/p][p][/p][p]However, we saw feedback that players wanted additional help, so you won’t have to wait long. Another event will release in December built to help increase progression (details are still being developed), alongside a new Powerpass and an Express event. Combined with our push to include progression updates, this should help all adventurers in Arkesia reach endgame, whether that’s a main character for a new or returning player, or existing players wanting to raise an alternate character.[/p][p][/p][p]Mokoko Bootcamp will still return this month, and run until February with some changes. The Mokoko Bootcamp has been expanded to include players below Item Level 1700, Act 2 HM, Act 3 NM, and include a variety of new rewards. We anticipate Veteran players’ time to be more occupied at the beginning as they learn the two new endgame raids arriving; Act 4 and Denouement: Final Day, and will hopefully have more time to help Mokokos when the fresh wave of progression updates and events arrive in December. While there may not be as many Mokokos in November, players will still be able to help them through raids for event tokens if they have the time.[/p][p][/p][p]While we know that some players were looking forward to creating a new character, we think that this update will be a large positive overall for players in different stages of their journey through Arkesia, letting Veterans challenge Kazeros before we welcome fresh waves of reinforcements in December. There will be more news of what you can expect in the November update in Eye on Arkesia later this week, and the full release notes next week.[/p][p][/p][p]In the meantime, we wish you luck in your preparation for the Day of Prophecy, and we’ll see you in Arkesia.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Heroes of Arkesia,[/p][p]We wanted to provide a quick update to confirm our plan ahead with the region merge, and touch on a few other topics that our team is still working on.[/p][p][/p][h3]Region Merge Status[/h3][p]It’s been nearly a week since the region merge, and our team has loved witnessing the new relationships forming and increased opportunities for players to adventure throughout Arkesia together. We've been monitoring data, reviewing player feedback, and after many of hours of sleep post-merge, have been hopping in-game to test the new network structure ourselves. We're happy to see that it's been holding up well, and are excited to announce that we will be keeping this structure (so no need for the back-up plan we announced before the merge). The only update we plan to make is regarding Party-Finder and Matchmaking rulesets. In case you missed the first announcement, we have improved logic planned that will arrive in the November Update:[/p]

• [p]Party-Finder: Instance will be created in the world of the lobby leader.[/p]
• [p]Matchmaking:[/p]
  • [p]A full group of players from the original NA West worlds will have an instance created in NA West.[/p]
  • [p]A full group of players from the original NA East worlds will have an instance created in NA East.[/p]
  • [p]A mixed group of players will default to NA East. For players that rely on ping to NA West (such as those connecting from Oceania) we recommend using the party-finder tool to ensure they can find or create a lobby that best meets their needs.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Tracking Future Projects[/h3][p]With the merge completed and the October Update featuring the Kazeros Prelude finalized, our team is now working to finish some upcoming plans. In the coming weeks, you can expect team updates on the following topics, and for players who missed some of our recent communications, here’s a few reminders.[/p][p][/p][h3]Kazeros Release[/h3][p]We recently announced an updated plan and shared the dates for the release of Act 4, Kazeros, and the race to clear the First Mode. If you haven’t read through it, you can find it here: Team Update - Kazeros Release Plans.[/p][p]While the race was pushed back until December 3rd, we are working to finalize the race guidelines and plan to share them in the near future for the full details of what participants can expect from the competition.[/p][p][/p][h3]December Content Plans & 2026 Roadmap[/h3][p]After locking in everything for Kazeros, we’ll be turning our eye toward the future of Arkesia, and preparing the roadmap for 2026 featuring Matt, Henry, and Roxx, which we plan to share in December. We’re working to finalize the content plan for the end of this year, along with the next chapter for adventurers. We’re extremely excited for the upcoming journey and for players to learn about what’s next.[/p][p]In the meantime, we wish you luck as you prepare for the war against Kazeros, starting with the Prelude available in the October update, followed by Act 4 and the Final Day raid against Kazeros himself— both arriving next month.[/p]