For those with a Founder’s Pack, Lost Ark is now live for its three-day head start. There have been some launch issues typical for demand, with some server queues, but the team continues to work to resolve these. There are also some launch patch notes out today to look over as you’re waiting to get in.
The launch notes detail what has changed based on closed beta feedback, testing, changes in the Korean build, and more. These notes lay out some of the differences for those who participated in the beta, as well as for anyone jumping in for the first time. Relevant to first timers is the newly updated Prologue and starting features. There’s a “Welcome Challenge” now added to help new players pick up tips and adjust to the mechanics as they kick off their adventures in Arkesia. These initial missions will be simpler and increase on a difficulty curve as you go through them and start to advance.
Among the changes are the launch level cap of 60 now in place and the roster (which was “expedition level” is now at its cap of 250. Every level you gain after 50 gets you extra skill points. The Summoner class has been removed, while the Sorcerer is now in to match the Sorcerer release in Korea.
To support the release, there's also a strong amount of PVE and PVP challenges to take on. With the three new continents that have been added, there are field bosses and Chaos Dungeons for each of them. They are adding several Abyss Dungeons & Guardian raids as well as a new tower. The Shadespire tower with floors 1-50 was active during closed beta but now with the launch they've added a new tower called Fatespite, also with floors 1-50. Both of them are accessible from any of the major cities.
We are now seeing improvements in players being able to download and decrypt the game, and have confirmed this with the team at Valve. We will continue to monitor the situation.
— Lost Ark (@playlostark) February 8, 2022
There are many new islands as well, with about 70 in closed beta, and three new continents and 27 more islands have been added. The sailing and sea content in this game is definitely part of the exploration, so it's no surprise they've added more.
In addition to the practical changes there have been accessibility options, updated and polished UI, unlocking the friends list from characters, and other features that help players enjoy their experience.
For more on the extensive list of launch notes, including plans for monetization, changes to bolster the free to play goal of the game, and everything else added or changed, see the full notes over at Lost Ark.
