So you have decided to hop into Lost Ark, whether you are partaking in the Founders early access event or waiting for the full release, Lost Ark throws a lot of information your way right out of the gates. The purpose of this guide is to give you some useful information that I think will help as you immerse yourself into the game. Lost Ark contains a lot of systems that you will need to learn, hell I am not even sure how everything works, but that’s the great thing about being part of a community, we can learn and grow together.

I spent some time playing on the Russian servers before launch, but I only cleared the Tier 1 content. For the Western release the game will contain some of the Tier 3 content, so a big portion of the game is still undiscovered for me as well. I put together a few things that I think may help new players feel less overwhelmed as they begin their journey into Arkesia.

Come into the game with the proper expectations. On the surface Lost Ark looks like it shares the same progression loop as lets say Diablo or Path of Exile, which heavily depend on RNG and gear drops for build diversity. Instead Lost Ark gives each class an armor set that requires upgrade materials to level up said gear. As your item level increases you can then increase the difficulty of end game activities.

So where is the build diversity? As you level up and complete other in-game activities you earn skill points, you then apply those skill points to your classes’ unique abilities. As you level up each ability you can select a modifier that enhances the way the ability functions. Modifiers range from cooldown reduction to increasing the size of an AOE, giving players the flexibility to create different builds without relying on the RNG Gods to drop the one piece of gear you need to complete your sought after set.

So if you are still interested, the combat is fluid and addictive, the level design is insane for a top down game and there is plenty to do endgame for both PvE and PvP players alike.

For most players a big dilemma is picking the “right” class to main. I would recommend trying out a few classes, and remember it’s ok to start a new class before getting through the game. If you start with a class expecting to love how the class plays but wind up not enjoying yourself, then re-roll a new class. Lost Ark is a very alt-friendly game, most of the in game’s progression systems are account wide, like gathering or upgrading your Island Stronghold.

Don’t completely ignore all the gathering nodes spread across the map while you are out in the world completing events and quests. You will need these materials to upgrade your ships and Island Stronghold. Also having the materials needed to craft your own consumables is far more economical than relying on the auction house.

There is a second character based progression system in Lost Ark called Roster, the closest thing I can compare the Roster system to is the Paragon system from Diablo III. The Roster system permanently adds attributes and skill points to all the characters on your account/server as it is leveled up.

That being said it would be a good idea to pick up any of the Purple quests available as those are Roster quests, and you level your Roster alongside your combat level. Starting a new class with skill points and extra attributes really accelerates the leveling process.

Invest in your Island Stronghold early, this is a private instanced area that you can customize and upgrade. You can do useful things like craft consumables, build and upgrade your ships, but also partake in Special Missions.

Your Island Stronghold is unlocked by progressing through the Main Story Quests. As mentioned earlier in this guide any work you put in on your Stronghold is at the account level. This allows you to push progress no matter what alt you are playing on.

As soon as you can start running end game activities do so. This is how you obtain your first set of gear, accessories, and upgrade materials. Most of this content can be run solo or with a group. Please check out my PvE Endgame Guide for more info

If you are looking for the fastest way to get to max level then focus on Legacy and Main Story Quests. While I am not sure of the latest power leveling tactics, you can head over to Lost Arkive and check out The Fastest Way to Get to Level 50[lostarkive.com] guide for more info.

While this guide barely touches the tip of the iceberg, I hope you found it helpful. Make sure you bookmark us as we will be rolling out more guides for all player types. Feel free to leave any feedback or requests, my name is Brunleyy and I will talk to you all soon!

Feel free to head over to https://www.brunleyy.com/ if you are interested in seeing some of my other content.