Lost Ark review

Lost Ark lacks coolness. It combines the best and worst of ARPGs and MMOs. Its ambitious aspirations are limited by a cliched storyline and a repetitious quest structure. It’s a crazy, loud, frequently clichéd, and sometimes a genius chunk of game design. I like it.

Lost Ark review

Your character is on a globetrotting MacGuffin hunt for the Arks, seven powerful artifacts that can alter the course of the mortal world’s war against demonic armies. You choose from Warrior, Gunner, Mage, Martial Artist, or Assassin. Several are further subdivided. Warriors can be Berserkers, Gunlancers, or Paladins who combine swordplay and holy spells.

I spent much of Lost Ark as a Paladin, though I tested other classes. Lost Ark’s fighting looks and feels great. “Why fight one enemy when you can fight twenty?” is its motto, and it grants you the combat skills to do so. At level 10, five skills are unlocked. Spin Slash, a one-two punch that damages enemy health bars, and Light of Judgement are Paladin abilities.

Lost Ark is built around meaty combat skills, so you’ll largely use your normal assault to clear up stragglers. Powers increase with level. Each level grants ability points to develop combat talents, making attacks faster, more powerful, or longer-lasting. I opened combat with Wrath of God with higher-level powers, a deadly AOE assault. Then I’d kill any remaining adversaries with Flash Slash, where your Paladin travels slowly forward, cutting the air quickly like an armored lawnmower.

Combat offers a great basis for Lost Ark’s quest, but the difficulty curve is flat. Outside of challenging bosses or hard dungeons, you won’t have to worry much about the location or power deployment.

Lost Ark is initially led. The continents are organized into zones. These zones have a predefined order, bringing you through major and optional tasks.

Lost Ark’s quest design parodies MMOs. You’ll be ordered to kill enemies that respawn so quickly it’s faster to wait than investigate. Zone NPCs are some of the laziest I’ve experienced, requesting you to chat to people they’re standing next to or move stuff 10 yards. Emoting an NPC is the weirdest objective. I’m unsure how I’d stop an aspiring monarch from doubting his legitimacy, but pumping my fist wouldn’t work.

It’s basic. Lost Ark’s strategy works for two reasons. First, quests move quickly through zones. You often finish mission objectives with a different NPC than the one assigned. This helps sustain the pace and minimize backtracking while giving a continual stream of coins and new weapons and armor.

These quick quests build to major story arcs and events. Most zones lead to dungeons, which can be explored with up to three others. These dungeons range from ancient ruins to pirate coves to heretic priest-filled tombs. They’re fun to explore and don’t have continually respawning foes, making fighting more enjoyable.

Major plot events are Lost Ark’s high points. Early on, you help King Thirain retake his kingdom from Lord Scherritt in West Luterra. You assist Thirain in gathering his armies across many zones, ending in a Total War-style castle siege. As I dashed along the castle’s fortifications, slaughtering foes, siege engines battered the walls with boulders and chains. Lost Ark does it again in East Luterra, leading to a greater, stranger war.

Lost Ark’s key moments are tough to ignore. And everything I’ve described is just the beginning. When you finish East Luterra, the game provides you with a ship to explore the remainder of the Lost Ark’s universe. There are many new areas to explore, from islands with talking creatures to new zones where you can search for arks. These sites are odd. Your first stop off the mainland is an island where pixie-like creatures tend ladybird crops.

It’s a shame Lost Ark’s main tale isn’t more interesting. The main characters are one-dimensional heroes and villains that seem like they stumbled past an S&M club on the way to fight. Only Armen, a half-human, half-demon priest, has any nuance. The story’s level can be gauged by how the game treats duality.

Lost Ark’s riches stink. It’s mostly about gradual stat upgrades, with little uniqueness along the main story path. Faceting gems and collecting cards boost character stats beyond loot. None of Lost Ark’s metagame framework is as exciting as finding a lightning-shooting sword, and it’s a shame the game dilutes the primary enjoyment of collecting fantastic weapons vomited out of oversized treasure chests.

Lost Ark Boosting Service

Lost Ark Boost helps keep up with the game’s developing material. Getting such a service saves time and resources. The grindy gameplay makes it difficult to attain many game goals. Lost Ark boosting services enable users to attain their goals without spending many hours.

For many people, growing one character to full potential is difficult, let alone many ones for different classes. Playing in the same class becomes old. Boosthive professional team can swiftly improve your character. They’re game-savvy. Leveling approaches, raid methods, PvP techniques, and more.

Getting rapid and efficient Lost Ark carries can benefit rookie and expert players. Boosthive aid those who don’t have time to create a fresh character.

Wrapping It Up

When I approached Lost Ark’s shallow edges, a strange scenario would pull me back in. Fighting a pirate’s parrot after shrinking with a magic potion is hard to dislike. Combat alone makes Lost Ark worth playing, and its absurd scale and strange tangents make up for its dull plot and formulaic quests. I’ve liked watching it become a classic.