Lost Ark News

Heroes of Arkesia,

Our teams at Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG met recently to discuss player feedback, share insights, and talk about the next steps for Lost Ark in the West. The dust hasn’t settled yet and our teams have a lot of work on the horizon to materialize these conversations, but we wanted to share our thoughts and plans with you.

We’d like to start off with a huge ‘thank you’ from both of our teams before we dive in. The love and dedication shown by so many while playing Lost Ark has been inspirational. While we’re extraordinarily grateful to see the excitement around the recent updates, we understand that you are still experiencing inconveniences and pain-points.

Last year, our top priorities were introducing content into the Western shores of Arkesia at an appropriate cadence to avoid burnout, working to pull forward quality of life (QoL) changes, and waging the war on bots. Now, our goal is to continually improve the Lost Ark experience, while layering in the exciting content that has yet to arrive. Many updates and changes are required to achieve this goal, and that’s only half of it— to constantly work on creating a better game, we need to listen to our player base and ensure that you feel heard so we can build a better game together. We recognize that we’ve fallen short of accomplishing our desired relationship. Like the game itself, our current goal is to continue to grow, improve, and foster a better connection.

As we work to set the best course for the rest of 2023 and beyond, you’ll find some of our thoughts and plans below. These are focused on areas of player feedback and directional goals, not content coming to Arkesia over the coming months. While you might still find one or two spoilers, we’ll be following up with the 2023 Roadmap - Part 2 next week to share those plans.




One of our top priorities over the last year was taking care of the bot problem. Enormous effort was made on both Smilegate RPG and Amazon Games’ part, and together we’ve implemented a variety of changes to restrict bots from exploiting the system to gain economic benefits. During this process, we realized new players may be hindered from progressing, like not getting enough gold for honing. We’ll keep an eye on these unwanted side-effects, and actively work to resolve them.

Material accumulation by bots also requires action. We have banned millions of bot accounts in an ongoing effort, but the materials they have produced still pose a risk of inflation. We will continue to take strong actions against RMT participants, and will take future action based on both gold and other materials' production figures.

Many technical measures have been developed and tested, and we will continue to invest in future measures. Specific tactics can't be revealed for security reasons, but we can assure you that we are keenly monitoring bot activity patterns and are ready to respond to their modified activity. While it will be difficult to ever completely remove bots from Lost Ark, we've made significant progress in limiting the impact they have on gameplay and the economy. With new measures and constant ban waves, our changes have led to 55 billion bot gold removed from the game, and a 99% decrease in bots interacting with the economy.

After we implement additional changes next month, we’re planning to share an article with more updates on our progress and approach.




Thankfully, we still have new players embarking on their first adventure in Arkesia every day. However, our version's vertical content update cadence is significantly faster than the original version in Korea, and we've noticed that new players find it hard to catch up to the content level. One year after launch, new/returning players are having difficulty adjusting to reaching combat level 50, learning Legion Raid patterns, setting up for raid requirements. To address, we will cut down on 'unnecessary' content exhausting new and returning players, starting with:

1) Low-Tier Improvements
In order to enjoy Legion Raids, 4 gear progression steps are currently required (Tier 1 301, T2 802, T3-1 1302, T3-2 1340). Too many honing steps are overwhelming new and casual players alike. Having repetitive gear progression seems unnecessary, so we plan to integrate them into 2 tiers.
Guardian first-time clear and Tower rewards will be enhanced to be on par with the integration, so players will not have to play each tier's content multiple times.

2) Horizontal Content Improvements
So far, we have been focusing mainly on improving and alleviating honing difficulties. However, new players are also suffering from collecting horizontal content materials. To improve their experience, we plan to make collecting Runes/Tripods/Cards/Gems easier for everyone.
To reveal some of the things we have in mind, new 'Uncommon' runes will be added in the early progression period to help players acquire and use runes more easily.
The new 'Deep Dive' and 'You Have a Plan' set's collecting difficulty will be improved, and cards/card xp needed to complete the sets will be provided.
Sailing content will be changed, with improved co-op quests and enhanced rewards.

3) Alt Progression Improvements
As you probably know, we introduced the 'Silver Honing' system in the March update. We will continually expand the levels that the system covers to ensure players can easily progress on new classes and alts. The expanded Silver Honing system will come with the next class launch. We also cut down the requirements for two of most needed materials (silver and honor shards) to make gear progression easier. Looking forward, we are currently contemplating methods to improve the engraving/gem setting difficulty for alts, and will let you know (when decided) what we develop.

4) QoL Updates
We recently made Triport activation roster-bound, so once a Triport is activated every character in the roster can benefit from it. Moving forward, we will also work on reducing other unnecessary and time-consuming activities while progressing alts. For example, having to play through story quests after completing them with the main character is an issue. 'Knowledge Transfer' is in place to let players skip this inconvenience, but due to many restrictions, it's difficult for actual new players to use. To address, we are working on alleviating the restrictive conditions.

5) Improving the Battle Item Experience
While looking through the various suggestions players have given us, we noticed there were issues with acquiring/using battle items in the earlier tiers. We rated this as a critical issue, and after discussing with the developers, we plan to change the system to let players use battle items for free in early tier Guardian Raids. We are aiming to implement this change before summer comes. Along with providing battle items for free, we will add a guide to help players out with the appropriate use of battle items. Thank you for the great suggestion— we are always open to more ideas.

These will take some time to develop, but we’re hoping to prepare them by the end of summer or early fall. We will implement the improvements as soon as they are completed, and thank you for your patience in the meantime.




Along with the content mentioned above, frequent content updates are leading to enhanced exhaustion and gatekeeping, making gameplay difficult for new and returning players. With dozens of patterns to memorize, burden is put on new players attempting to learn. To address, we are preparing the following updates:

[h3]Argos Abyss Raid[/h3]

• The best way to help progression is to provide appropriate content for the players' current level of play. Through this point of view, Argos is an extremely difficult raid considering it is one of the first raids a new player encounters, without having enough time to adjust to Arkesia.
  
• When the progression adjustments listed above take place, players will get to enter Argos raids much earlier in the game, so alleviating the burden of the mechanics in the Argos Abyss Raid is a must.
  
• We will reduce the number of patterns in the raid to ease the learning curve, and change most of the 'wipe' mechanics to plain damage-dealing ones. This way, players can overcome mechanics and patterns by using appropriate skills/battle items/reaching relevant Item Levels, as well as getting help from other party members. We do not want players to experience too many situations where one player's mistake results in everyone's failing so early in the game.
  
• Smilegate RPG’s research and development team is also looking into applying similar changes to the earlier Legion Raids like Valtan and Vykas. Not every wipe mechanic will be adjusted, considering their designation as top-tier end-game raids. We’ll be sure to share more details on these changes when they’re available.

With these changes, we hope every player in Arkesia can experience the fun of trying out end-game raids without too much stress, while simultaneously learning about the types of patterns and mechanics they can expect to see in harder end-game content.

Similarly, we know the community conversation surrounding dailies is a hot topic these days, and we’re aware of the sense of discontent regarding Chaos Dungeons, Guardian Raids, and Una's Tasks. Currently, these daily activities are critical for obtaining the materials necessary for gear progression, and allow hardcore players to have something to earn every day— so reducing them is not a simple problem to tackle. We need more time to think about it, but we understand the repetitiveness of the content, and Smilegate RPG is undergoing internal research and development to discuss resolutions. To help cut down on the grind in the meantime, we'll introduce the Ebony Cube - a new activity that combines Boss Rush and Dimension Cube - in May.

When further plans for reducing dailies are confirmed, we’ll make sure to share in greater detail. Until then, QoL updates like Ebony Cube will be implemented as fast as possible in our version.




We know that players have expressed some questions and concerns with the current content release cadence. Catching up to the new end-game content is important to us and our players, but there are two problems with speeding up the process; localization timelines and player burnout. If content is localized too quickly, the overall quality may be compromised. Regardless of localization timelines, there’s still the problem of having to digest too much content at the same time, or constantly feel pressured to hit the next required Item Level, related to the previously mentioned exhaustion and issues with new player catch up mechanics.

Our goal is to introduce content as fast as we can without having these problems occur. However, we know this is not satisfactory for players. Therefore, we promise that new classes (at least) will be updated as soon as possible. New continents and Legion Raids have to be updated in order, while classes don’t have the same restrictions. We’re excited to share the next 4-month roadmap with you next week, and hope that you feel heard when the content plan is revealed.

Another piece of content we plan to integrate at a faster speed heading forward are in-game events. The events in our version have mostly been older events in Korea, which isn’t ideal. Heading forward, our teams at Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG plan to introduce more events applied simultaneously across the versions, including events similar to the recent April Fool's event in Korea. Of course, some of them will be Western-exclusive, and some will take place at the same time as Korea. We are open to suggestions!




We still have a long way to go, and understand that one letter isn’t a magic band-aid (or even a Splendid Elemental HP Potion), but we hope this letter becomes the first step in our road to more open communication and positive changes to the game. To thank you for your ongoing support and dedication to Lost Ark, we’ve prepared a gift for all players that will be sent out alongside this letter. As a first-time log-in reward, you’ll find the following in your Product Inventory:

• A Mokoko Skin Selection Chest
  
• A Moko Pet Selection Chest
  
• A Mokoboard Selection Chest
  
• Collective Battle Item Chest x100
  
• Silver x2,000,000
  
• Relic Rapport Selection Chest x3
  
• Pheon x50

These items can be claimed by anyone who logs into the game before May 19.

As we progress into 2023 and beyond, our very first priority is you, the players of Lost Ark. We plan to close the distance between you and our teams at Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG, by taking one step at a time to interact more with you. We’ll see you again next week with the 2023 Roadmap - Part 2, which has some exciting surprises.

Thank you for the patience and dedication you have shown past year. We will continually strive to exceed your expectations.

- Amazon Games & Smilegate RPG

Heroes of Arkesia,

The April Update brought the cunning and ruthless Phantom Legion Commander Brelshaza back, stronger than ever, in a more challenging version of the 8-player Legion Raid. Hard mode increases the difficulty and increases the rewards, ushering in the new Ancient quality of gear & accessories. With the first weekend of raiding quickly approaching, we wanted to share some words of encouragement from veterans who’ve battled Brelshaza before. Find some tips and tricks about Brelshaza and Ancient gear from Lost Ark legends Saintone & ATK below, along with links to their channels for those looking for full raid guides.


Greetings Adventurers!

The battle against Brelshaza reaches greater heights as you prepare to challenge her Legion Raid in Hard mode!

Unlike previous Hard modes, the reward for Brelshaza's Hard mode rewards a new material which allows you to craft Ancient-quality weapons and armor. Ancient gear provides a smidge more stats, but more importantly, they allow you to hone beyond +20 (Item Level 1590) and go all the way up to +25 (Item Level 1615). Each hone beyond +20 increases the item's overall level by just 5, so do bear in mind that the gain is lesser at these stages for a higher cost.

As for the set bonuses, these new Ancient items share set bonus with their Relic counterpart, so if you have partial Relic and partial Ancient of the same set, they both count towards that set, so you don't have to worry about losing your set bonus as you're replacing your pieces. Moreover, once you transfer your Relic Brelshaza gear over to Ancient, you'll be left with a shell item that you can then dismantle for a full Relic material refund, which you can then exchange for Chaos Stones if you want.



In the raid, you'll find the individual fights to feel mostly familiar, but pose a few new challenges in each gate. While most of the major mechanics work the same way, patterns and gimmicks in general have been strengthened in such a way that will throw a wrench or two into the existing strategy you may already be familiar with. For example, in the first gate, in Normal mode, you're required to counter the boss multiple times in a row as it rotates. Typically, the group gathers together and everyone launches their counters together, and one is bound to land, repeat ad nauseum until the pattern ends. In Hard mode, any player that successfully counters the boss becomes silenced for the remainder of the pattern and must intercept ghost arrows from reaching the boss while the rest of the party continues landing counters. Many of the mechs may defeat your party once or twice during your progression, but don't worry! Most of the differences are simple enough to understand that after you experience death by them once, you'll have a good enough understanding of how to handle it moving forward.

One more thing I think is worth mentioning— be prepared for attacks to hurt, especially if you're entering at Item Level on a class with lower defense and HP! Many DPS players who over-enhance their weapon and hone their armor just enough to enter may find that some of the patterns that were easy to brush off in Normal mode hurt a lot more in Hard mode. You should be a little bit more cautious in what skills you muscle through and which ones you actively dodge.

As for my fellow Sorceress players, if you are playing this raid in a public group, please know you are expected to a counter skill for Gate 1 and Gate 6. It's good etiquette to make accommodations for your party for these gates!




Hello friends, it is great to hear our global friends in Arkesia are about to fight Legion Commander Brelshaza in Hard mode. This was my personal milestone goal when I first started this game in Korea. If you clear this raid 5 times you will receive a cute Brelshaza pet, and 10 clears gives a different color version. This pet made me try hard and grind this game, and here we are now. Super excited to hear my new friends to experience the same.

My friend Mr. Saintone explained the basics well, but here’s a few things I’d like to add!

You are unlocking 'Ancient' quality gear, which also includes accessories. These will give you up to +6 and +3 engravings with additional main stats like dexterity, strength and intelligence. These won't provide additional combat stats, so those of you worried about the next set of accessory upgrades— don't worry, it's not mandatory as they will start at a low supply and may not be worth the investment. Focus on selling them to help your gold income. Personally, my first Ancient accessory were used around 3 months after the release. For those who want premium builds with a 5x3 plus 1 engraving setup, it's actually possible to build it with just 1 or 2 accessories, so don't worry too much.



As for future preparations, +20 on all equipment will be 1590, but 1600 will require you to have +22 on all gear. Unless you are pushing higher for a different reason, I personally recommend to park your characters between 1580 to 1590 and save your resources for upcoming content or focus on other powerups like gems.

Lastly, like Mr. Saintone said, Brelshaza Hard mode (and onward) is where things start to hurt... a lot... so never forget to upgrade your armor to the raid requirement. Armor upgrades still give you some damage increase, so don’t just upgrade your weapons, efficiency is key! Also, try to increase your armor quality to at least mid greens, you will notice a huge boost on your total HP to survive hits that you wouldn’t survive otherwise. Supports can help here, and if you happen to be a Bard, there’s a tripod in ‘Heavenly Tune’ that can decrease the boss's attack power. Along with that, make sure to add more shield skills than usual to increase survivability and resulting in healthier progression.
If you’re interested in a raid guide, find mine here, on YouTube:

• Gates 1-4
• Gates 5-6

Thank you everyone and good luck!




We could supply nearly endless tips for these difficult raids, but know that some players want to progress blindly and not encounter spoilers. For those looking for more advice, make sure to follow Saintone, and ATK for more raiding tips, guides, live high-level Lost Ark gameplay, and other original content on their Twitch and YouTube channels, found here:

Saintone - Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter
ATK - Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter

Thanks for joining us for this Lost Ark Academy, and we wish you luck in your battles against Brelshaza, your honing taps, and your Ancient accessory drops!

Heroes of Arkesia,

A tiered Twitch Drop with valuable items accompanies the April Update, available for members of the Lost Ark Creator Program to enable on their channel. The first tier of the Twitch Drop contains 5 Honing Support Selection Chests and 10 Regulus' Light Currency Chests. The second tier contains 10x 4 Battle Item Chests and 1,000 Amethyst Shards. Make sure to head over to Twitch and watch your favorite Lost Ark content creators until the drop ends on May 9.

Viewers will need to accumulate 4 hours of watch time in participating Lost Ark streams to claim the first tier, and the second tier can be claimed after accumulating an additional 4 hours of watch time (for a total of 8 hours in participating Lost Ark Streams). Full instructions on account linking and claiming can be found on our Twitch Drops page.