Lost Ark in review: This is how good a Free2Play MMORPG can be

PC Games

9.2.2022

Translation: machine translated

Lost Ark is a pretty interesting case. After all, we still get almost four years of content that was released for Smilegate's MMORPG at the same time. Whether the title can hold its own on the western market, we will clarify here in the test.

This is an article from our content partner "PC Games". Here you can find the original article by author Daniel Link.

I've been waiting for Smilegate's MMORPG Lost Ark for eight years now. Over that time, I've followed the title's progress and watched it go from a below-average MMO to a true fan favorite. The now extremely popular Final Fantasy 14 also experienced a similar situation, so naturally I was very excited for the release of Lost Ark here in the West. I definitely have to say Smilegate did not disappoint.

Lost Ark is not perfect, of course, but the version for the western market is at least almost as good as Lost Ark can be. But let's start at the very beginning: In Lost Ark we play a hero chosen by fate, who must stop the imminent demon invasion. We can do this by collecting the arks that give the game its name, since only these have the necessary power to drive the demons away. So we set out into the big wide world, explore different areas, meet new characters, experience spectacular events and collect the lost arks along the way.

In search of the Ark

The plot of Lost Ark is quite nice for the most part. We can't expect an epic story here that spans an entire decade, like in Final Fantasy 14, but at least it's engaging enough not to get boring. For example, in the course of the storyline we storm a fortress to overthrow a tyrannical regent, and stop an army of demons with the support of our allies.

In each situation we are, of course, the only reason why an endeavor succeeds at all, but with such a story this is to be expected. After all, we are the legendary hero, but we have tasks imposed on us by every NPC that comes along. Of course, an MMORPG like Lost Ark has to have some quests, but this creates a kind of narrative dissonance that certainly doesn't please every player.

In contrast to games like The Witcher 3 and also Final Fantasy 14, you don't build up any connection with your own character in Lost Ark. You are the mute, almost infallible protagonist of this world, who gets out of every situation without a hitch. However, this type of storytelling actually benefits Lost Ark, since the title is based on players playing multiple characters. Be it to try out the different, quite fun classes, or to earn more gold or materials.

Graphical heights

It's in the class design and general gameplay that Lost Arks' true strengths lie. Unlike many other MMOs, Lost Ark uses an isometric perspective, familiar from classic action RPGs like Diablo and Path of Exile. So you move with the mouse and the camera is mostly fixed. This has the advantage that we get to see some stunningly pretty zones that take full advantage of the isometric perspective.

Lost Ark is quite a pretty game, which is only accentuated by the support of DirectX 11 right at release. The later areas in particular look beautiful, which only makes exploring Arkesia more fun. The whole thing is additionally accompanied by a terrific soundtrack, which conveys the right mood at any time.

I've also rarely had as much fun with an action RPG as I have with Lost Ark. The various abilities are beautifully animated, there are some fairly complex systems, and I have yet to find a class that I am bored with. Even if Lost Ark wasn't an MMORPG, I'd probably spend a lot of time in the world of Arkesia, and with all the things that make up an MMO like this, the gaming experience only gets better.

The agony of class choice

At release, we'll have access to a total of 15 different sub-classes, divided between warrior, martial artist, gunner, mage, and assassin. In the Korean and Russian regions, a few more classes have already been released, but here in the West we'll have to wait a bit for things like Reaper. By the way, in Lost Ark the different classes are gender-specific.

For example, a Berserker can only be male, a Bard can only be female. However, this system doesn't really make sense, since our characters don't have a real personality. The developers at Smilegate probably noticed this, too, which is why they are currently working on releasing a version of a different gender for each class.

For example, at release there will be the male death shooter and the female art shooter. These differ a bit from each other gameplay-wise, but embody the same basic concept: a gunslinger with access to pistols, a sniper rifle, and a shotgun.

Each class in Lost Ark has a large number of abilities, eight of which can be placed on the action bar at the same time. In addition, at level 50 you get access to an ultimate ability, and most classes also have an identity bar. The Deathblade, for example, can fill a total of three orbs through her attacks, which give her increased attack speed and access to some sort of finisher move when activated.

The Shadowhunter, on the other hand, can transform into a demon, which changes her abilities a bit. Every single class is distinctly different from the others, and they're all really fun too. If only you could play a female sniper ... Well, I guess that's wait and see.

Would you like a few talents?

While we are comfortably leveling up to level 50, we receive a few talent points per level increase. With these we can strengthen our individual abilities and grant them additional properties through the so-called tripod system. Among other things, the element of an attack can change, the damage is significantly increased, or other exciting things happen.

For example, the sniper with an ability suddenly becomes invisible, or a frontal attack becomes a sweeping attack. We can also still save different presets in the game, so we can quickly switch from an AOE to a singletarget build.

The second system that changes the way we play is the so-called engravings. These give us passive bonuses like increased damage taken and dealt, or a bonus to our mana regeneration. Then there are a few class-specific engravings. For example, the Battle Monk gains an additional elemental orb, or the Artificer loses access to her shotgun to increase the damage of her two remaining weapons.

The engravings represent one of the most important endgame aspects of the game, since they are activated by various pieces of equipment.

Whether you get an item with the appropriate engravings is decided by chance. So you might have to wait quite a while to be able to use your preferred playstyle.

Or you can take advantage of other players' drop luck, because most items can be bought and sold in the game's auction house. However, since Lost Ark's gameplay is pretty well designed, it's not so bad if you have to play a bit more until you get the best-in-slot items.

The rather undemanding gameplay loop

Furthermore, you also have to improve your own equipment, which gives you access to more PvE content. These are currently divided into three different "tiers". With each tier you get a set of equipment, which then has to be upgraded to at least plus 15 to unlock the next higher tier. The materials needed for this come from chaos dungeons and guardian raids.

In the former, we have to defeat numerous hordes of monsters, and now and then even a boss. The Guardian Raids, on the other hand, send us in true Monster Hunter fashion to a separate map, where we then have to defeat a monster within 20 minutes. We can complete both activities either alone or in a group of up to four players.

Unfortunately, neither the chaos dungeons nor the guardian raids are really challenging and are quite easy to complete, especially with multiple players.

Challenging PvE content is currently Lost Ark's biggest weakness. While there are quite a few PvE activities, such as a mode where you have to climb a tower, a boss rush, Abyss dungeons, and raids, overall Tier 1 and Tier 2 feel more like the game's tutorial. Tier 3 also doesn't offer much content at the moment, as the most interesting PvE content from Lost Ark, the so-called Legion Raids, won't be released until a later content patch. Many players from other regions didn't really enjoy the MMO until they were released, and it's no different here at home.

In order to even get to the T3 content, we first have to upgrade our equipment to the necessary level, as mentioned earlier. However, every upgrade has a certain chance of simply failing. Fortunately, we only lose the materials used for this, so we have to complete another day of chaos dungeons and guardian raids. The entire MMORPG endgame is based on this loop of collecting materials and upgrading equipment. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether they enjoy this system or not.

Content galore

In addition to the end-game content, Lost Ark also offers some pretty fun side activities. For example, similar to Guild Wars 2, we can complete the various maps, and are rewarded with useful items in stages. Each map has different unique monsters, a few quest strings, special items, and possibly even world bosses to defeat, complete, and collect.

Furthermore, there are also numerous collectibles in Lost Ark. Here, the Mokoko seeds, of which there are over 1000 spread all over the world, are just the beginning. For example, there are almost 100 different islands spread around the world, each with its own story and quests.

Often you have to complete a mini-game for these, and are then rewarded with an island token at the end. While the various islands are quite fun, the way to get to them is rather less so.

A ship to rule them

In Lost Ark, you are in fact the owner of your own ship, complete with crew. Unfortunately, the whole system around the ship is quite skeletal. You move across the ocean by right-clicking, maybe collect a few items and make sure that your ship doesn't break down during the journey.

However, the ship ride isn't really appealing and most of the time you let the ship sail automatically to the desired location and distract yourself with more fun things in the meantime. For example, going to the toilet.

All collectibles in Lost Ark grant a few items in stages, such as new emotes or even skill point potions. So every collector gets a few things through his passion that make his character a little bit stronger. However, they are not absolutely necessary, which is a pretty good balance.

Your own island paradise

Also, Lost Ark offers a housing system, which you can access early in the game. In the course of the storyline, we are given our own island, which we can design entirely according to our wishes. However, most of the really interesting items for our island can be found in the game's cash store, which is why we have to be satisfied with the standard buildings, especially in the beginning.

On our island, we can also craft various items such as healing potions, and every now and then a merchant will visit us to sell rare items. Of course, other players can visit our island paradise, which should be a nice meeting place especially for guilds.

The well known crafting

By the way, as in many MMORPGs, Lost Ark also features the typical gathering and crafting professions. We can cut down trees, mine stones, fish and process the obtained materials. Over time, we'll unlock more and more bonuses, which will make us a real master craftsman.

The crafting system isn't too complex, but it's still a nice way to pass the time when you're not in the mood for PvE content.

A dream for PvP players

Lost Ark should be quite interesting for all PvP lovers. Player vs. player combat is unlocked from level 26, and the system is completely different from the rest of Lost Ark. Each player here has the same number of attributes and talent points, and no consumables from PvE can be used.

So if you want to experience the game as a pure PvP title, you can do so with a clear conscience. Lost Ark offers a few different modes here, but a rated season is only available for the 3-on-3 mode.

Free 2 Play equals Pay 2 Win?

Last but not least, we should talk about the game's real-money store. After all, Lost Ark is a Free2Play title that is financed via an in-game store. Most of the store content is cosmetic, so you can buy some decorations for your island, as well as skins, pets, mounts and more.

Furthermore, there is a kind of subscription that grants us small bonuses like reduced travel costs. However, the possible Pay2Win aspect of Lost Ark comes from the fact that you can exchange your real money for in-game gold. The system works much like the WoW token from World of Warcraft, or the currency exchange from Guild Wars 2.

In Lost Ark, gold can be used to buy useful things, such as the perfect gems, or materials to improve your equipment. However, all things can also be earned in-game, so you only save a little time via the store.

Unlike titles like World of Warcraft, Lost Ark is also completely free, and you can't really buy a big advantage by filling your wallet. Pay 2 Win is always a big worry topic with a new, free-to-play game, Lost Ark, however, designs its store to be pretty Free2Play friendly on the whole.

A promising future

The systems mentioned are only a fraction of what Lost Ark has to offer, and listing all the content would definitely go beyond the scope here. The MMORPG is a really big game, after all, Lost Ark can look back on almost four years of new content, most of which we can experience directly at release.

Lost Ark is certainly not a perfect game, and the developers still need to polish a few corners, but overall there is probably something for every kind of MMO player to do in the world of Arkesia.

For the future, we can also look forward to exciting content like Legion Raids, and the developers are still working on implementing new interesting things, such as a PvP-only continent. Since Lost Ark is also completely free, there's hardly any reason not to at least give the game a chance when it's officially released exclusively for PC on February 11, 2022.

If you want to jump into Lost Ark right now, our tips on how to get to the endgame as quickly as possible might help you. If you're still busy with New World, you can read about what the latest PTR update has changed in the game. And Final Fantasy 14 is of course as up-to-date as ever - and drives some players to true peak performance. Which of the three MMOs is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!

Conclusion: The best version of Lost Ark

This is now my third time starting Lost Ark on a completely new server. The release version for the West is really well done by Smilegate and Amazon, and except for some challenging PvE content, the MMORPG hardly lags behind the versions from other regions. Of course, Lost Ark isn't perfect. The plot could be more interesting, sailing around with the ship is pretty boring, and I would really like to play a female sniper. However, if you give Lost Ark a chance despite Free2Play worries, you'll get a beautifully designed world, master-class action RPG gameplay, and so much content that you won't know where to start.

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martin.jungfer@digitecgalaxus.ch

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