In order to let everyone understand what updates and other new features have been the core of the developers’ work over the past month, the developers of Lost Ark have chosen to regularly inform players about them each month. you will find in this article the official statement detailing all this for the month of January 2022.
Official release from Amazon Games Studio
Heroes of Archesia,
As we prepare for the game’s launch next month, we wanted to dedicate our January update to telling you about the new features and important changes we’ve made to Smilegate RPG based on feedback from Closed Beta players, and responding to the open questions we received from players on forums, social media and our Discord server. In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more information on launch details, monetization, and more!
NEW FEATURES
We’ll be posting a full list of patch notes before launch, but we wanted to let you know about a few features that will be available at launch.
Yorn region
- The Closed Beta allowed you to roam Rohendel for the first time, you’ll be able to explore even more Archesia at launch! The Yorn region will be open.
- You will travel underground to the Umars: a people of dwarves who live far below the seemingly barren surface. Umar craftsmen are famous for their skills, so be sure to take the time to enjoy the carefully crafted architecture as you go.
- centuries of construction before resuming your quest for the Ark.
Yorn includes new quests, new bosses, new chaos dungeons, and more.
Feiton area
- Besides Yorn, the continent of Feiton will also be available at launch.
- You’ll probably find Feiton… unwelcoming. The lands making up this continent were poisoned during the Great War, and the aftermath is still being felt today. It is in Feiton that the Delains live, half-human, half-demons, closely watched by a powerful organization of assassins, the Avesta.
- Feiton also includes new quests, new bosses, new chaos dungeons, and more.
Punika region
- Punika is another region that was not included in the Closed Beta test and will be available at launch.
- Punika is a tropical and magical place, with lots to explore and discover, from the beauty of nature to the festivals organized by the locals. You can spend time in the bustling village of Niab or browse the colored sands of Starstand Beach. The land may be lush, but beware the flora and fauna – something strange seems to be happening to the creatures that inhabit the island.
- Along with new bosses and quests, the release of Punika also means more endgame content will be available at launch, including limited P3 content.
Tier 3 content
- P3 content will be available at launch, along with some essential P3 dungeons to encourage proper progression, such as Oreha Volcano (Abyssal Dungeon), P3 Chaos Dungeon, and Guardian Raid Velganos.
- The combat level cap has been increased to 60.
- Additional P3 content will be added to the game after launch to keep pace with player progression, both in terms of new content and optimal difficulty.
Steam Achievements
- 173 Steam Achievements will be available in-game at launch. This mirrors some of the achievements you’ll find in-game (although there are plenty more to unlock in-game too!)
Character choice selection
- Character creation now includes a voice option for your character — each class has 3 or 4 options!
BASED ON PLAYER FEEDBACK
Korean VO DLC options
- Players will be able to choose to use the original version of the Korean voices, as well as the subtitles of their choice. This option will be available in a free Steam DLC pack at launch. Korean subtitles will not be available.
Some early game cutscenes can now be skipped.
- During the beta, we got a lot of feedback from players on the early game experience. The kick off is that a number of cutscenes (apart from important story elements) can now be skipped, even when playing for the first time. Whether you had your fill of the story during the beta or are more interested in getting to the end of the game, this will save you some time, if you want it.
Balance adjustments for game pacing.
- Another big feedback we received during Closed Beta testing was that many players felt the game’s pacing and gear wasn’t up to par. We’ve made sure to make combat balances to combat this issue, and while it won’t slow you down at the start, the late game content will be a bit more daunting for players.
COMMUNITY FAQs
CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION QUESTIONS
- What are the restrictions on character, stronghold, and guild names?
The following restrictions apply: Special characters (!@#$%, etc.), uppercase letters other than the first letter of the name (eg, McFly, WeIrDoGuY), and spaces.
- How does reserving and deleting character names work? After deleting a character, how soon will it be available again? Do I have to play with a character to reserve the name or just create the character?
Completing the character creation process will reserve that character’s name. Character names are not automatically released after a character is deleted. Freeing names for reuse is a manual process that we’ll likely do at some point in the future, but it’s not something we plan to do or start doing regularly in the near future.
- What is the minimum and maximum number of letters allowed in a character or guild name?
Guild names are limited to 2 – 20 characters, character names are limited to 2 – 16 characters. Note that spaces, numbers, and multiple capital letters cannot be used in guild or character names.
- Will character voice selection be available at launch?
Yes, you will be able to select a voice for your character. Each class will offer 3 or 4 options to choose from!
QUESTIONS ABOUT FOUNDER PACKS AND APPEARANCES
- Can Founder’s Packs be stacked for multiple rewards?
Players can purchase one copy of each Founder’s Pack which will stack, meaning they will receive all of the content they purchased in each pack — the only items that will not stack are the 3-day early start and the title of Founder (which is the same for each pack).
- How will Founder’s Pack content be received, and for which classes is it available?
Founder’s Packs will be delivered to your product inventory, where you can obtain their contents once they are delivered directly to your character’s inventory. Don’t forget to open your Nordic Legislator or Platinum Appearance Chests with the character who will equip them because the appearance will adapt to its class! These skins will only be usable on the 15 classes available at launch.
VARIOUS GAMEPLAY ISSUES
- What happens if the guild leader doesn’t log in for weeks?
If the Guild Leader has not logged in after ten days, there is a system that can be used to promote the Guild Deputy as the new Guild Leader.
- Will players be able to get content or rewards from events that have taken place in Korea/Russia in recent years that were time-limited?
Some of these items may appear in our version of the game during various upcoming events or demonstrations.
- Will players be able to change the font of the game?
The in-game font type and size cannot be changed, but the font size in text chat can be changed.
If ever the damage numbers are unreadable on high resolution screens, this is a known bug that is scheduled to be fixed.
- Rather than having expedition-based PvP rankings, can they be character-based?
We have no plans to change this for launch, but we’re always happy to hear your opinions.
THE FOLLOWING
We know there’s a lot of excitement for launch day and a desire for more information, but rest assured we’ll have more details to share with you next week. This article will include launch day instructions, a list of launch servers, information on weekly reset times, exact server opening and pre-load times, and much more.
Ahead of launch, we also plan to share additional details on the Lost Ark business model and monetization, full launch patch notes, information on what sets this version of the game apart from other versions, and more. . A roadmap will also show you our post-launch plans once the game is in your hands, so you know what to expect!
As always, thank you for your support. Don’t forget to follow us on social media and PlayLostArk.com as we get closer to launch.