The Lost Ark roadmap for April and May is finally upon us. After teasing the roadmap earlier this year, Smilegate and Amazon have revealed the new classes, locations, and content that are on their way to Lost Ark in the next couple of months.
What's in the April and May Lost Ark roadmap?
The Lost Ark roadmap was originally released not long after the game itself, but was subsequently removed in order for the devs to make adjustments. Now, Amazon and developer Smilegate have released the roadmap for April and May, showing the content that's coming in the next two months. First up, you're getting a brand new Martial Artist class in the Glaivier, who has two stances, Focus and Flurry, that you can swap between. In each stance, the Glaivier will use a different weapon; the Flurry stance uses a spear for short stabs, while the Focus stance switches to the glaive for graceful combat.
As well as the Glaivier, you're also getting the new continent of South Vern, which is a technological amalgam that incorporates tech from "many different races", according to Smilegate. It'll come complete with new NPCs and quests to take on, and will be the second Tier 3 continent in the game after Punika. As such, you'll need an item level of 1340 if you want to explore South Vern. Amazon also says there's more on the way in April, including better Secret Map co-op, shared chat tab settings, and a better Book of Coordination.
What's coming to Lost Ark in May?
In May, Amazon is planning to release a new Advanced Class, as well as Trial Guardian Raids and more quality-of-life changes. The Destroyer is an advanced Warrior class, bringing a huge hammer that deals massive damage and allows the Destroyer to manipulate gravity as well. Trial Guardian Raids are a new weekly activity that task players with battling three Trial Guardians each week, with rewards on the line. There are also UI updates, a new daily and weekly menu, and "a few fun features" like random mount summoning and new customizable hairstyles.
As well as these definite features, there are also a few "maybes" Amazon wants to introduce to Lost Ark in May. Tentatively, the studio wants to bring in the new Deskaluda Guardian Raid, which will need an item level of 1415 to take on. A new Legion Raid, Valtan, is also planned, which will also require a 1415 item level and will "introduce a swathe of new mechanics". However, after a negative community reaction to the March update that introduced endgame content to Lost Ark, Amazon and Smilegate say they want to take it slow and not introduce anything that will make the community feel pressured to progress quicker. As such, these raids aren't guaranteed to arrive in May. The studios say they'll play it by ear and introduce the content if they feel enough players are ready for it. Be sure to take a look at the full roadmap post if you want to learn more.
What is Lost Ark?
Lost Ark is a free-to-play MMO-ARPG hybrid. It launched in February this year to an enthusiastic player base, racking up more than 4.7 million account registrations after its Western launch (having already been available in Smilegate's native Korea for a couple of years). The first major update for the game brought in extra story content and endgame Abyss Raids, but players reacted negatively to it, suggesting that the devs wanted players to pay to accelerate progression in order to take on the new content. That's likely why Amazon and Smilegate are playing the timing of these new endgame additions so safe.
You can download and play Lost Ark for free right now on PC via Steam. If you're just getting started with the game, be sure to check out our Lost Ark beginner's guide, where we break down all the tips and tricks you'll need to survive in the game's world. We'd also recommend taking a look at our Martial Artist guide so you can familiarize yourself with the base class before you unlock the Glaivier. We'll bring you more on Lost Ark, including whether or not those two endgame raids are coming in May, as soon as we get it.
