Lost Ark

Lost Ark - Not Your Typical MMORPG

Build Up Your Character, Explore the Massive World, and Do Battle With Epic Monsters

A New, Exciting MMOARPG

Lost Ark is a new and unique MMO action RPG available for PC via Steam. Developed by Smilegate RPG and published by Amazon Games, Lost Ark was first launched in South Korea, but it has now finally arrived in Europe and North America.

If you're familiar with games like World of Warcraft, RuneScape, or Diablo, you'll notice that Lost Ark shares many elements with those classic MMORPGs. However, the game also has its unique flair and many features you don't often see in games of a similar genre.

Searching for the Arks

In Lost Ark, you enter the vast, open fantasy world of Arkesia, which is filled with quests, mythical beasts, and magical powers. The expansive fictional land comprises all kinds of diverse landscapes, ranging from seas, mountains, and forests to castles, dungeons, and caves.

You start your journey by creating your custom character. From the start, you must decide if you want to play the role of a Warrior, Gunner, Mage, Martial Artist, or Assassin. Several of these five classes also have sub-classes that you can choose from, each type of hero offering its advantages, abilities, and limitations. 

Test yourself in thrilling action combat and learn how to customize your fighting style with diverse character classes as you fight dark forces seeking the power of the Ark.

As you explore your new world, your goals will be to train and improve your character, battle epic monsters, complete missions for various NPCs, and ultimately, retrieve the seven Arks. The game's eponymous Arks are immensely powerful artifacts, and they're desperately needed to defeat the ruthless demonic hordes threatening the mortal world.

Although Lost Ark's concept includes many aspects that you'd probably expect from an MMORPG, the game's structure is more plot-driven and guided than most of its predecessors within the genre.

Concept Rating: 5/5

A Breathtaking World

Lost Ark's world of Arkesia provides a stunningly beautiful setting for the game. The visuals of the mythical land are packed with bold colors and intricate details. Whether it be the snowy mountain ranges, lush woodlands, or darkly foreboding dungeons, the graphics are immersive and mesmerizing to look at.

The visual representations of combat and magical power are vibrant and impressive as well. The powerful sound effects ramp up the intensity of every battlefield and pull you right into the action. 

The musical soundtrack, which ranges from epic and dramatic to upbeat and whimsical, is reminiscent of the memorable scores you've heard in fantasy classics like Lord of the Rings. Overall, the visual and audial aesthetics are both excellent and true highlights of Lost Ark.

Graphics & Audio Rating: 5/5

A Long Journey Through Arkesia

Once you've created your character and chosen your combat class, you spend the early part of the game fighting small hordes of creatures, leveling up your abilities, and completing straightforward quests. This first part of the gameplay is by far the least exciting, but things generally start to ramp up after your character reaches level 50.

From level 50 on, you get to spend more of your time engaging in intense combat and upgrading your character's gear. You're introduced to numerous instanced boss battles and thrilling raids, including the Tower, a ladder-climbing game mode in which you take on challenges, waves of monsters, and occasional bosses.

Guardian Raids

One unique Lost Ark game mode is Guardian Raids. You can embark on these raids either solo or with a group of friends, and your objective is to track down a huge adversary across a vast battlefield. You're limited to a certain number of consumable aids during the raid, and defeating the enemy will require strategy and learning specific rotations. 

Boss Rush

Another cool type of raid to try is Boss Rush mode, in which you must face off against various bosses coming at you one after another. This is a great example of how certain aspects of Lost Ark feature action-packed, nonstop combat.

Each of Lost Ark's raids and game modes features multiple separate tiers and levels. When you complete them, you're rewarded with powerful equipment, accessories, and various materials that can improve your gear and allow you to progress further through the game.

Strongholds

Strongholds are another PvE feature of Lost Ark's late-game experience. These Strongholds, which aren't as competitive as the raids outlined above, are instanced housing areas where you can build structures, craft items, and recruit workers to send on missions. In a way, Strongholds represent a separate little section of the gameplay in which you can design your kingdom. 

Explore seven continents, hundreds of islands, and all the seas between them. Engage with interesting and varied cultures, befriend or battle magnificent beasts, and dive into immersive lore.

Sailing the Seas

Another feature that sets Lost Ark apart from other MMORPGs is the prominence of sailing. In this unique game mode, you can take your boat around the seas and ports of Arkesia collecting currencies for character upgrades and completing numerous quests. After a few hours of intense combat, character training, and raids, it can be very refreshing to hit the water and explore for a while.

PvP Modes

In addition to exploring, quests, and character-building, Lost Ark also offers several player-vs-player game modes. The three PvP modes available are Team Deathmatch, Free-For-All Deathmatch, and Team Elimination. 

In all of these PvP game modes, player abilities and equipment are automatically equalized to ensure that everyone's on an even playing field. This is a nice change of pace from many other MMORPGs, which tend to see frequent complaints about player balancing.

Gameplay Rating: 4/5

Making Your Way to Arkesia

Lost Ark debuted in South Korea on December 4th, 2019, but eventually launched in Europe and North America on February 11th, 2022. The entire game is free-to-play, which is quite impressive considering the massive amount of content and the hundreds of hours of playtime it offers.

A Unique, Story-Driven MMOARPG

Overall, Lost Ark is worth checking out for any fans of MMORPGs. The graphics, soundtrack, and combat are all standout highlights, and the overarching plot of searching for the seven Arks ties the different aspects of the gameplay together nicely. 

The ability to choose between several classes of characters also adds some nice variety to the experience and increases its replay value. The setting is interactive, diverse, and gorgeous to look at, and the presence of numerous bosses, monsters, and game modes ensures you'll never get bored.

You'll find plenty of satisfaction in gradually building up your character's abilities, developing new magical powers, and upgrading your weapons and equipment. There are hundreds of hours of engaging fun to be had in Arkesia, and the fact that you can experience it all for free is just icing on the cake. 

If you enjoyed the game, here are 5 games every Lost Ark fan should play.

Replay Value Rating: 5/5

The Highlights

• Breathtaking visuals and combat animations.
• The near-perfect soundtrack complements the setting and gameplay.
• A great variety of bosses, activities, and areas to explore.
• Interesting storyline.

Could Be Better

• The game is a bit of a slog before reaching level 50.
• Quests could be more challenging or involved.
• Most of the game consists of intense grinding, which isn't for everyone.

TL;DR

Lost Ark is a story-driven MMORPG set in a stunning fantasy world with epic bosses, thrilling combat, and numerous activities to choose from.