Smilegate and Amazon Games have revealed a new Lost Ark gameplay trailer that explains classes, mechanics, and the world of its upcoming MMO Action RPG.
Lost Ark has been out in Asia for a good few years, but it's finally coming West thanks to a publishing agreement with Amazon Games. Its closed beta proved to be immensely popular on Steam and the devs later locked in a February 2022 release date following some delays. Now, a new video has been released that explains the gameplay, mechanics, and the wider world.
What We've Learned From the Lost Ark Gameplay Trailer
Lost Ark is a free-to-play MMO Action RPG experience set in the world of Arkesia. Arkesia is under attack by demonic forces led by Kazeros, Lord of the Abyss. Kazeros has been imprisoned for some time and seeks freedom through the use of a powerful artifact.
That artifact is the titular Ark -- a magical item that keeps the universe in balance. Should Kazeros get his hands on it, he'll be able to get free and wreak havoc on the world. That's kind of a bad thing, so it's up to you and your friends to stop him.
Lost Ark Classes and Abilities
There will be a total of five core Lost Ark classes at launch.
- Mage - cal conjurers tap into the ancient magic of Arkesia to cast deadly spells on evil forces, heal the wounded, or support allies.
- Martial Artist - These quick-footed fighters like to rush the enemy with combined attacks at lethal speeds that can only be described as breakneck.
- Warrior - Warriors are the powerhouses of Arkesia. They may not be the most nimble, so they stand their ground and make up for mobility with cataclysmic impact
- Gunner - Whether wielding high-tech weapons or bows and arrows that never jam, keep an eagle eye on these sharpshooters or they may even hit you with their worst shot.
- Assassin - These mysterious melee-makers fight demonic with demonic, channeling the dark powers in the name of the light in quick, colorful attacks.
Aside from these base classes, there will be several "Advanced Classes" that allow you to further specialize in particular abilities.
The Lost Ark gameplay trailer also explained the "Tripod" system, a unique way to enhance your abilities. Each ability can be upgraded up to three times and each upgrade will have multiple options, allowing you to fine-tune your abilities for specific styles of play.
Of course, Lost Ark is a free-to-play game and Smiegate has to pay the bills, so you'll have a fair few cosmetic customization options available for your characters if you'd like to dress them up all fancy-like.
Lost Ark's Ship Helps You Travel the World
Arkesia isn't a single, massive landmass. You're going to have to travel across the sea to get to places. Fortunately, the Lost Ark ship will help you do that.
This isn't some dinky rowboat -- your ship is a decently-sized vessel that has a crew. Each new crew member you add will increase or decrease your ship's resistances and Base Sailing Speed. Your ship will have Skills of its own, too. Naturally, you can also customize the cosmetic look of your ship.
The Stronghold and Gathering Goods
Every player will have their own island base called a "Stronghold." The Stronghold will act as headquarters for your fleet as well as a place to craft items -- as long as you've gathered the necessary materials to make them.
As with most things in this game, the Stronghold can also have cosmetic decorations added to it. The Lost Ark gameplay trailer showed off cooking, potions, and "Battle Items" such as bombs and grenades.
PVE, PVP, and Social Gameplay
Finally, we get down to the most important part of the Lost Ark gameplay explainer: the gameplay. Aside from traveling around the world, players will be able to experience the usual raids and dungeons you would expect. You can also explore "Chaos Dungeons" to fight endless waves of enemies.
If PVP is more your thing, Lost Ark has you covered. A balanced 3v3 Arena mode will let you customize your skills and stats using a point-buy system -- you're not going to have any situations where a Level 50 character smacks around a poor Level 25 character in Lost Ark.
The final item highlighted in the trailer is the social play aspect. While you can play solo, you can also play together with friends or join a guild. Considering all of the challenging dungeons we saw, you'll probably need the help.
Lost Ark is still an unknown quantity, but it's been successfully running in Asia for years and it will probably do quite well in the West, too. You can pre-purchase a Lost Ark Founder's Pack starting at $14.99 or your regional equivalent and get a 3-day head start for playing this free-to-play MMO Action RPG.
What do you think of Lost Ark? Do you think Amazon Games will have the same level of success with this game as it did with New World? Let us know in the comments below!
