Lost Ark: what we think after the first 20 levels

If you’re a reasonably dedicated fan of ARPGs in the vein of Diablo, or you like story-based MMORPGs like Final Fantasy 14 or Elder Scrolls Online, you may have already set your sights on the upcoming Western release of Lost Ark. , the MMO-slash-ARPG hybrid that (without a coincidence) has conquered South Korea for the past three years. Good news: We’ve already played our own Striker, one of 15 playable Advanced Classes, up to level 20 in the Lost Ark Closed Beta. During which we cleaned up the first continent, delved into the epic history of Lost Ark and several of its dungeons, including the visually beautiful Morai Ruins, and also got a solid taste of this surprisingly deep character customization system. With all that exposure out of the way, here’s what we learned in the first 20 levels of Lost Ark, and why great anticipation is building for the upcoming westernization in 2022 of this seemingly stellar action-MMORPG hybrid.

Before we dive into anything else, we need to tackle Lost Ark combat right away – it’s very, very good, blending the best elements of MMO and ARPG, and somehow reaching a height that surpasses the best of both genres. While many other MMORPGs are limited to simple tabbed combat and repetitive loot treadmills, Lost Ark hugely ups the ante with an action combat system that looks and feels incredibly cool on all levels, sometimes pitting you against each other. to tens or potentially hundreds of enemies in a single fight, but it stays balanced, never making you feel totally overwhelmed or, conversely, like you have to turn your brain off for long periods of time to get over it. During the first 20 levels, you don’t feel overpowered or underpowered at any point, which was often the case during a full game of Diablo 3.

Back on topic: Lost Ark’s great combat is partly due to how smooth it feels when you fight your way through each of these meaty opponents in a show of blood and spin, but it’s also due to the sheer amount of class skills. You can mix and match, both by assigning up to eight skills in the quick access bar and by unleashing them in various combos that often bring a sense of creativity and freshness when executed in different orders or when responding to different types of enemies. And it’s flexible, even allowing you to respect your gear on the fly or completely change the behavior of each skill.

It’s also great that each advanced class appears to have its own fighting style, special moves, combos, and class dynamics that would potentially make playing as a Monk-style Striker vs, say, a sword and shield a very different experience. Paladin. We tested both classes and enjoyed the fact that they both had their own unique take on Lost Ark’s bombastic combat system, both handling these massive fights with their own trademark style. It’s also great that Lost Ark has a dodge button and a full arsenal of special “combat items” like bombs, single-use trinkets, or potions that give you quick buffs, and all of these are often required to be used in conjunction to Overcome some of the toughest boss fights, which can be just as relentlessly tough and mechanically intelligent as any “Dark Souls” style boss.

It is possible to camp in specific areas to get loot and XP, but it is never worth doing, as the rewards are always very rare. This appears to be by design, as Lost Ark did its best to keep us moving forward in its story, cornering us from one mission to the next while rewarding us with perfectly adequate XP and loot along with the next scene or access to the next. zone or dungeon, just like Final Fantasy 14, which also encourages you to participate in its story, dungeons, and NPCs for your own sake rather than sitting around and grinding the same content over and over again. The story itself, despite playing to the all too familiar fantasy RPG notes of “good angels versus evil demons,” looks like it will be captivating enough through its similar characters to keep things going. Its cinematic and consistent voice acting certainly make all of this more engaging than other MMORPG and ARPG campaigns, which share the fact that both genres typically force you to get through each level through combat and pursuing missions alone.

The world and scope of Lost Ark already seems much larger than what has been experienced thus far. There are a lot of systems that were played with or seen in the menus, but they just didn’t go far enough to interact in any meaningful way, like the pet system, mounts, and the NPC-focused Rapport system that seemed to allow you to even have an affair with certain NPCs. or at least become very friendly with them. It seems there is even a point where you get your own ship to navigate the seas, as well as a settlement system that allows you to bet on your own land. Whether any of it turns out to be good or not, there is still a sense of wonder around this game that has us very excited about its proposed 2022 release window in the west.