Lost Ark, the latest MMO from publisher Amazon Games, plans to release as a free-to-play title on February 11th, with founders receiving early access on the 8th. If you’re planning on entering Arkesia and fighting dozens of demons and creatures to protect the world, you may need some help in preparing for the battles ahead. We’ve put together a beginners guide, with tips, tricks and other helpful things which will guide you through your first steps in Lost Ark. Whether you’re planning to play for 100s of hours, or simply want to dip your toes in the latest MMO, we’ve got you covered with this Lost Ark Beginner's Guide.
Lost Ark - Which Class is Best For Me?
Lost Ark’s class and subclass system can be slightly confusing for newcomers. Despite being an MMORPG, some classes limit your gender, as well as some gendered classes limiting which subclass you can select.
- Warrior (Limited to Male character)
- Berserker (High Damage and Defence)
- Paladin (Tank-like Support)
- Gunlancer (Defensive Tank)
- Mage (Limited to Female character)
- Mage (Ranged Support)
- Sorceress (Ranged Elemental Attacks)
- Martial Artist (Female)
- Wardancer (Fast Elemental Attacks)
- Scrapper (Balanced Close-Range Fighter)
- Soulfist (Melee and Ranged Fighter)
- Martial Artist (Male)
- Striker (Agile Hard-Hitting Attacks)
- Gunner (Male)
- Sharpshooter (Bow & Arrow Ranged Attacks)
- Deadeye (Ranged with Three Weapons - Handgun, Shotgun and Rifle)
- Artillerist (Heavy Ranged)
- Gunner (Female)
- Gunslinger (Agile Ranged)
- Assassin (Limited to Female character)
- Deathblade (Combo Attacks with Three Swords, Very Agile)
- Shadowhunter (Human / Demonic Attacker)
When you select your preferred class, it’s not long into the game before you’re required to select your advanced class, locking you into the subclass of your choice. However, you’ll be able to test out these advanced classes within a sandbox-like environment before making your final choice, allowing you to see how each subclass plays out, as well as some of the skills and the ultimate skill.
It’s hard to recommend a certain class for newcomers since all players will vary in their preferred playstyle. If you’re playing solo, Warrior would be a great choice, due to their high DPS and a range of AoE abilities, whereas if you plan to play with others, you may find that a support-type class such as the Mage could benefit you and your friends.
Can I Play Lost Ark Solo
You can absolutely play Lost Ark by yourself. A lot of the main quests before endgame can be easily completed alone, so long as you level yourself up enough, upgrade your current skills and make sure your gear is always the best it can be.
Speaking of gear, if you open your character's inventory (default key: “I”), gear with a blue arrow indicates a piece of equipment which is of a higher level than your current equipped piece. In intense moments, it can be easy to forget that you picked up some better weapons or armor, so remind yourself to check your inventory frequently.
Dungeons, which you come across during your main quests, are great ways to earn new and better loot. They feature a large boss at the end, not too dissimilar from other MMOs forms of dungeons, as well as a lot of other nasty enemies too. Dungeons offer two difficulties: normal and hard, but both difficulty levels can be completed solo. In most cases, selecting the normal difficulty level will suffice.
Accept All Side Quests While Playing The Main Quests
You’ll find that there’s plenty of side content that appears in-game while you’re playing through the main quests of Lost Ark. The side quests (made obvious by a yellow exclamation mark on your mini-map or above NPCs) that you pass during the main story can usually be completed while on your way to the next main quest, making them easy XP and loot for any player.
Some side quests may take you around in circles, and off the beaten track, but most side quests are simple to complete, on the main path of the game and offer decent rewards for your time. Also, you can stock up on a bunch of side quests at the same time, so there’s no real reason not to.
The Map is Your Best Friend
It can be easy to forget where to navigate to in Lost Ark. Quests often take you back and forth between areas, as well as other locations within the world. If you find yourself lost, confused or wanting to locate the closest merchants, opening your map (default key: “M”) is a great way of getting you back on track.
Lost Ark also provides a very easy way of locating where your quests are located. If you look to where your current quests are listed, to the right of your game screen, you can click a compass icon next to the quest title. This will open the map to the area and location of where the selected quest is found.
Combine that with the horse, which you will get early in the game, and you’ll be back to the adventure in no time.
Skill Combos Are Your Life Blood
While Lost Ark does feature a simple attack by using your left-click, it’s unbelievably weak compared to your skills. Skills in Lost Ark are absolutely destructive and are the be all and end all of combat. As you level up your character, you gain access to new skills which have different effects, strengths and weaknesses, so messing around and changing up your skill layout keeps your combos fresh.
Skills also have pretty quick cooldowns, so you’re never in a situation where you solely rely on your basic attack. But do you remember to upgrade your skills often, as you can add (or remove) points to each different skill in your skill tree. If you find that you typically use certain skills more than others, prioritise them when you upgrade, but try and keep it balanced.
Always Activate Triports
Triports are the fast travel option in Arkesia. They cost some silver to fast travel but it’s inexpensive compared to walking or riding your horse all the way back to a previous location. But Triports don’t activate when you get close to them, instead, you have to physically interact with them by right-clicking on them or standing on the platform and pressing the interact key (default: “G”).
It’s easy to miss them, but if you remember to activate them you’ll save yourself a lot of time in the future. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Lost Ark Can Be Completely Free-To-Play
When any free-to-play game releases, there’s always concerns regarding pay-to-win aspects and whether they’re largely involved with any title. While Lost Ark may have some premium currencies and paid-for gear, Lost Ark is pretty fun and fair if you remain a free-to-play player. Thanks to a fun PvE aspect and a level playing field when it comes to PvP, it’s fair to say that paying for a boost in-game is unnecessary.
You should be prepared for your adventures in Arkesia now when you play Lost Ark! The most important thing is to have fun, and Lost Ark certainly is a lot of fun! Whether you’re playing as a Berserker, or a Shadowhunter, and whether you’re rushing to reach the endgame or taking your time, there’s plenty of content to enjoy during your playtime.
Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net
From birth, Callum has loved Video Games, it's pretty much part of his nature. Now, he converts his passion into writing.
