The call of the wild is relentless, a force that cannot be ignored. Those who answer it become more than warriors; they become legends. Introducing the Wildsoul class, arriving in Arkesia on February 26th, a striking new addition that embodies the raw, unbridled energy of nature’s fiercest protectors. Whether you harness the spirit of the celestial or revel in the shadows of the unknown, this class is a testament to the balance of grace, power, and primal might.

Players eager to unlock Wildsoul’s full potential can embark on a Class Awakening Quest, earning 15 new achievements, a new title, and a new trophy, along with a Training Room Guide to help refine their skills.

But the Wildsoul class is more than just aesthetics. Wildsoul warriors channel their connection to nature through two distinct specializations: Transformation and Spirit Beast Summoning, offering an adaptable and exhilarating combat experience.

CLASS PLAYSTYLE & IDENTITY
Wild Soul is a Specialist Advanced Class that revolves around a unique three-meter identity system, enabling players to shift between Bear, Fox, and Phantom Beast Awakening forms. The class features two primary playstyles:

Phantom Beast Awakening (Swiftness/Crit–Non-Transformation Focused)
A fast-paced, high-tempo build that focuses on skill cycling and identity gauge management, allowing for near-constant uptime on powerful buffs.
High mobility and low cooldowns, similar to Reflux Sorceress.
Stacks Essence Buff while in the Phantom Beast Awakening form, then consumes stacks with the Identity Skill (Z) for:

• Cooldown Reduction (5% per stack).
  
• Mana Recovery (2% per stack).
  
• A high-speed combat loop
  
• Fill the identity gauge.
  
• Activate Phantom Beast Awakening Form.
  
• Cycle skills rapidly.
  
• Consume stacks for cooldown resets.
  
• Repeat.

Wild Instincts (Specialization/Crit–Transformation-Based)

• A burst-focused playstyle that shifts between Bear and Fox forms, utilizing a powerful fourth skill mechanic for massive damage boosts.
  
• Bear Form: Tanks damage and gains damage reduction.
  
• Fox Form: Increases attack speed for faster skill execution.
  
• Every fourth skill cast within transformation receives a 40% damage boost.

Gameplay loop:

• Alternate between Bear and Fox forms.
  
• Build identity.
  
• Use a fourth skill for burst.
  
• Temporarily exit transformation to regenerate the gauge.
  
• Repeat.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS

Wild Soul strikes a balance between survivability and offensive versatility, offering:

• Class Synergy: Applies a 12% defense reduction debuff to enemies.

Tanky Survivability:

• 2.1 HP coefficient and 100% defense scaling (similar to Slayer and Artillerist).

Innate Critical Damage Scaling:

• Similar to Aeromancer, Wild Soul has baked-in critical damage bonuses.

Flexible Skill System:

• Similar to Breaker, Wild Soul’s skills automatically shift forms based on activation.

Skill Types:

• Green Skills: Exit transformation and regenerate identity gauge.
  
• Yellow Skills: Bear Form abilities.
  
• Blue Skills: Fox Form abilities.

Unique Identity Gauge:

• Tracks three meters, dynamically shifting based on the active transformation.
  
• The Phantom Beast Awakening Form lasts 30 seconds, with a stackable Essence Buff mechanic.

A Warrior in Harmony with Nature
Wildsoul fighters are more than just skilled combatants; they are guardians of the natural order, channeling the essence of the wilderness into their every move. They strike with the precision of a predator and move with the fluidity of the wind, making them unpredictable foes and invaluable allies. Their connection to the land gives them heightened reflexes, the ability to adapt in battle, and an unmatched resilience that allows them to thrive in even the most chaotic encounters.

Transformation Specialization: This path enables the Wildsoul to morph into powerful animal forms, such as a bear or fox, each offering unique abilities and combat styles. As the Wildsoul uses transformation skills, they accumulate specific meters corresponding to each form. Building up these meters allows the player to unleash potent finishing moves, delivering devastating damage to enemies. Additionally, maintaining transformation stacks provides various buffs, including passive healing, increased attack speed, and the application of armor break synergies, enhancing both personal and party performance in battle.

Spirit Beast Summoning Specialization: In this build, the Wildsoul focuses on summoning ethereal spirit beasts to aid in combat. By utilizing spirit beast skills, players fill a unique meter that, once maxed, can be activated to enter an “Awakened” state. During this state, the Wildsoul experiences increased attack and movement speed, as well as a significant boost in critical damage. Landing spirit beast skills in this mode generates orbs that can be collected to restore mana and reset skill cooldowns, allowing for sustained offensive capabilities and strategic versatility.
These specializations offer players the flexibility to choose between direct, melee-focused combat through transformations or a more ranged, Summoner-style approach with spirit beasts, catering to diverse playstyles and strategic preferences.

No matter which path you choose, the Wildsoul is the one who defends, hunts, and dominates with the might of the untamed. Whether you stride into battle bathed in celestial light or shrouded in primal darkness, you are a force to be reckoned with.

The wild is calling. Will you answer?

See you in Arkesia!

We have seen a lot of community discussion over the past few months and wanted to take a moment to clarify our stance on bussing related topics and some policy adjustments. First, we’ll cover some details for the upcoming update, and then dive into policy adjustments built to make the party-finder tool a better experience.

Wildsoul + Progression Events
The latest class— Wildsoul— will arrive alongside progression events built to support it, including a South Kurzan Powerpass, the latest Mokoko Express event, and a third event in the works (spoiler alert, expect some help with Advanced Honing). We typically see a higher volume of returning players for new class releases and progression events, and want to ensure that they are not only supported by in-game systems, but also the broader Lost Ark community.

Mokoko Bootcamp
To help further teach these players the ropes, or brush up on rusty raiding skills, we are bringing back the Mokoko Bootcamp Event. Community feedback coming out of the event’s debut was extremely helpful, and something we will continue to look at coming out of the second iteration of the event. We are looking into longer-term solutions to make the event a permanent system in the game, but weren’t ready to roll out those changes in time for the Wildsoul release and progression events. This version of the Mokoko Bootcamp will include players who had not logged-in within the last 60 days, or created a new account within the last 60 days, and who are under Item Level 1670. For the more permanent solution, we will continue to evaluate what defines a Mokoko. This event will run for a few months, similar to the initial iteration (with some refreshed and updated rewards) as we continue to monitor in-game data and player feedback on our path to making it a more permanent system.

Players will notice overhauls to the rewards, including a new special “Mokoko Legion Commander” title. We saw a lot of feedback on the volume of other available rewards, and will be juicing those up to ensure the event is worthwhile to all players. And, as we know you’re curious, while the event itself will not give away a Relic Engraving Selector, there will be one arriving for players elsewhere in the February update. We hope the special chase items along with increased honing and other progression materials will make it worthwhile for all.

We’re looking forward to seeing how this event helps support new and returning players joining for the February update, and will be monitoring your feedback as we look to solidify the future of Mokoko Bootcamp.

Party Finder Policy Adjustments & RemindersGiven the context discussed around supporting returning players and coupled with the return of the Mokoko Bootcamp, we will no longer permit the promotion of bussing and other services from the in-game party-finder tool. Our goal is to foster a better party-finder experience for new or returning players where they can better find learning groups with each other, or find a veteran party willing to show a Mokoko the ropes in exchange for Mokoko Bootcamp event tokens.

For the first two weeks (beginning tomorrow, February 18), players violating the new policy will receive a 15-minute suspension as a first time reminder and warning, with subsequent penalties beginning at 1 day, with escalating penalties (up to week-long and then month-long suspensions) for repeat offenses. After the two week period concludes, suspensions for violating the policy will begin at 1 day, and then follow the escalating penalties for repeat offenses. Spamming chat (such as Area Chat) with promotions will also incur the same penalty.

Bussing in Lost Ark has always been an “at your own risk” activity. Gold, items, or materials accepted from other players may be attached to a bad faith history, and subject for removal. Players may receive penalties if they receive illicit items, as it can be hard to verify the intention for payments that included gold generated from bots or past RMT, and will need to appeal the decision with appropriate evidence.

As a final note while we’re talking about making the Party Finder a more welcoming experience, we wanted to provide a reminder that offering piloting services is a serious offense and will incur corresponding penalties, including permanent bans.