Lost Ark has been out in the West for some time now, and with the most recent updates the team has launched new Jump Start servers, among other updates to the MMOARPG. Alongside the Western updates, the Korean version of Lost Ark received its Thaemine raid, with players rushing for a world-first completion back in September. Lost Ark feels primed to have a great fall, heralded by those Jump Start servers.
We had the chance to chat with Soomin Park, the Franchise Lead on Lost Ark from Amazon Games to chat about the recent updates, class balance, and much more. A massive thank you to the team over at Amazon and Smilegate for chatting with us.
MMORPG.com: From a community standpoint, Lost Ark has gone through a little bit of a tumultuous time in both the KR and NA/EU region. With fresh start servers receiving great praise in the West, what’s the current atmosphere over at Smilegate?
Soomin Park, Franchise Lead: At Amazon Games, the Jump-Start Servers represent a major milestone in what has been a year of collecting feedback from Lost Ark players, both current and lapsed. Throughout 2023, we’ve been making continuous changes to the player experience, while releasing new content every month. And over time we’ve chipped away at so many of the pain points that lapsed players mentioned were keeping them from coming back, along with fixing areas that the seasoned players asked to be improved. We reduced the amount of grind and homework players needed to put into daily activities like Chaos Dungeons and Guardian Raids, and now they yield greater rewards while asking for less time for players to complete. We’ve consolidated item tiers so getting into endgame content isn’t as daunting as it once was. We’ve made the early instances of Legion Raids more forgiving so that players can learn the mechanics of how this content works without fear of being responsible for a party wipe if they make a mistake. We’ve made a lot of changes, all based on player feedback.
And that all led into the launch of Jump-Start Servers. They are designed to create another way for new and returning players to come into Arkesia and learn the ropes while hopefully falling in love with the game, as they prepare themselves for the endgame content. The Legion Raids and endgame content are where Lost Ark truly shines, and we want as many players to be able to participate in them as possible. Both Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG are thrilled with where the past year has taken us, as we’ve learned so much from the fans and worked together to make Lost Ark more accessible and enjoyable for players both new and old. We are looking forward to releasing more great content for the rest of the year, and going into a new year together with the fans.
MMORPG: The simplification of some bosses and raid mechanics has been a topic of discussion of late, but overall seems like a very welcome change. Can we expect more of these in the future with (further) Brelshaza changes, and possibly even Akkan?
Soomin: As noted in the September patch notes, adjustments were recently made to the Brelshaza Guardian Raid. Among them, the number of gates was reduced while the rewards given upon completion were improved. These changes were made to improve the speed in which players can complete the raid, keeping with the goal of streamlining content while increasing rewards so players can make the best use of their time invested in these types of content. Likewise, additional endgame content, such as Guardian and Abyss Raids, will see difficulty adjustments in the November Update. Moreover, we are planning on solo content for players to engage in and progress to the endgame contents more smoothly. The timing for this hasn’t been decided yet, but we will share news with the fans as soon as we can.Since the Brelshaza Raid has seen a major revamp recently in September that was based on player feedback and data monitoring, there is no additional revamp planned for the near future. Akkan Raid, which was first launched in Western territories in August, is still positioned as late endgame content so far. Thus, there is no specific plan for revamps when it comes to Akkan yet. However, when more and more endgame contents get added to the Western version of Lost Ark, we will be able to evaluate if a revamp is necessary based on the player feedback and in-game data.
MMORPG: Talking more about the KR version, Thaemine has been giving the players there a massive run for their money. With such challenging content being showcased, can the players over in the West expect the same fate?
Soomin: The Thaemine Legion Raid exemplifies how truly challenging and unique Lost Ark’s raids can be. While it is brutal and difficult, fans in Korea are having a great time tackling it and racing to be among the first to conquer it. Our goal for the Western version of Lost Ark has always been to deliver content to our players that as closely matches what is currently available in the Korean version as possible. So when Thaemine makes its way to the West, players can expect an elite challenge that will require the best skill and teamwork to overcome.
MMORPG: There have been many strides made when it comes to dealing with dailies and weeklies, with Guardian Raids now set to once per day, Chaos Dungeons are now the point of contention. Even with Chaos Dungeons receiving a very nice change to make them easier, do you feel that further changes are necessary?
Soomin: We are always working together with Smilegate RPG to evaluate what players are doing in Lost Ark, and if that’s working for the community. As mentioned earlier, we spent a great deal of time this year making changes that were requested by both seasoned players and those who wanted to return to the game. That work doesn’t stop with Jump-Start Servers, or at the end of this year. We’ll continue gathering feedback and if we see a change is desired by a significant portion of the community, and that it makes sense for the long-term trajectory of the game and what new content is coming up, we’ll make it. We’re always listening to the players and looking to how we can make Lost Ark a more enjoyable experience for all.
MMORPG: Class balance, at least to me, has been quite good in my entire time playing. Of course, there are a few outliers here and there, but for the most part, things have felt incredibly good ever since the west’s release. Are there any classes you’re keeping an eye on at this time?
Soomin: Thank you for that feedback! We always closely monitor the performance of newly-released classes, but we aren’t really eyeing any particular classes for a rebalance at this time. Smilegate RPG generally works on class balance patches by closely monitoring in-game data and player feedback of all classes, while still sticking to the internal designs on classes’ combat concept and position in-game.
Related:
5 Classes For the New And Returning Jump-starter In Lost Ark
MMORPG: Another controversial topic in the community is gatekeeping. Players being left out for a given reason is never a good feeling, and it’s really tough to try and regulate, remedy, or intervene with the issue. The Lost Ark community is generally fairly welcome when it comes to veterans, but new and returning players, or even players who are learning new content may feel very left out or excluded. Do you feel that this is an obstacle that needs to be intervened with?
Soomin: Gatekeeping is definitely a trend we don’t like to see in the game, as it presents an obstacle to providing a fun and enjoyable experience for all players. A major factor contributing to gatekeeping is the gap in terms of experience and player progression that has grown between veteran players and new/returning players. If you’re new to Lost Ark or coming back after some time away, it can be daunting to see veteran players so far ahead of you who want to be matched up with other players comparable to where they are in the game. Jump-Start Servers were created with the goal of closing that gap between new and returning players, and the seasoned veterans of Lost Ark. These servers provide a place for less experienced players to go and learn the basic mechanics of the game, in a less stressful environment, where they will be paired with other players closer to their level of experience. The progression speed on these servers is also faster, with the goal of helping new and returning players learn the ropes of combat mechanics while speeding them along to the endgame content. Ideally, Jump-Start Servers provide these newer players with a way to prepare for endgame content and a faster path to get there, so they can be ready to join those more veteran players at the endgame. So far, the Jump-Start Servers have been enthusiastically received by players around the world, and we’ve seen both veteran players and newer players band together to learn raids, unravel the lore of Arkesia, and form new friendships. We hope that this initiative will be a strong step forward in making Lost Ark a more welcoming game for all.
MMORPG: Performance has been another thorn in many players’ sides for a while now, but has been improved recently. Have there been any more strides made on your end to better address these issues, and is there anything more us, the players, can do to improve things?
Soomin: We continually monitor the game and player feedback for any areas where performance isn’t where we want it to be, and make fixes and optimizations as needed. This is part of the work we do in keeping an eye on all areas of the game to ensure we are providing a great experience for all Lost Ark players. Player feedback is a huge help in identifying these areas where optimizations and fixes may be needed. The teams at Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG keep a close eye on communication channels like Discord, Reddit, and social media, looking for player feedback on areas like game performance. So keep providing your thoughts on these areas, as the development teams are definitely listening!
MMORPG: The western version of Lost Ark has caught up tremendously with the KR version, and we continue to look forward to updates and patches that continue to give us more and more content to do. Events are a very major part of this, especially during the release of brand new content. A long while ago, it was said that the hope was to get the western version and the Korean version on the same patch, but realistically, that may be very difficult. Ideas involving events celebrating each versions’ successes and accomplishments have been talked about amongst the community. Are there any plans to have synchronous events across regions?
Soomin: To answer the question regarding content versions first, we are striving to narrow the gap between the KR version and our version as best as possible. There are indeed some factors that make it virtually impossible to completely close gaps, of course. Since the Western version of Lost Ark is much more recent than KR’s, bringing the Korean version’s main content such as Legion Raids, Continents, and progression caps all at once could cause imbalance in player progression. Besides that, there is always time needed for localization. Still, we are bringing new contents for Western players in as narrow gap as possible from the KR version with appropriate progression events or boost measures to help keep things running on track. As for the global event, it is difficult for us to give an answer here for Amazon Games or Smilegate RPG, as it would require a new structural process and development. However, we are open to the idea!
