The popular MMORPG Lost Ark, launched in 2019, has an extensive array of gameplay options and playstyles available to prospective players. When deciding which aspect of gameplay that fans will want to focus, they will have a choice of five different base classes, each one with drastically varying purposes and skill sets.
Because of this, players will want to have a fair understanding of what these different classes have to offer when creating their character and ultimately choosing what to specialize in. Of these five base classes, the Mage class is perhaps one of the more unique and purposeful options available within Lost Ark.
The Mage Class
The Mage class, as one might expect, is entirely built upon the ability to use magic so that players can gain an advantage in combat. The Mage class uses their spells at long range, meaning the class has a high potential damage output as well as ranged versatility, at the cost of the physicality and vitality that other classes in the Steam record-breaking Lost Ark possess.
That's not to say the Mage is restricted in its spell-centric gameplay. The Mage class is unique in that in can choose to use its magic in a support manner, applying spells to provide crucial buffs and healing auras for teammates during battle. This essentially characterizes the crossroad of gameplay approaches that the Mage offers. Once players reach Level 10 with the Mage, they will have the choice of evolving the class into one of two specialties: the Bard and the Sorceress, one prioritizing a support role, and the other a damage-heavy 'glass cannon' archetype.
The Bard Specialty
One of the two advanced mage classes is the Bard. The Bard is perhaps the most effective support-type class in the game. The Bard maintains Mage's spell casting ability, but sacrifices any damage-heavy abilities in favor of seriously powerful healing and support-buff spells. The bard has a high amount of intelligence, and this stat that directly correlates to the attack power increase of the Mage class and its advanced forms.
As a part of Lost Ark's lore, the bard evokes its buffs, healing effects, and crowd control resistance spells via a Harp, reinforcing the support-focus orientation of the class. The Bard is a perfect choice for players who prefer support gameplay, with the right style making it an invaluable element to team dynamics, especially in raids.
The Sorceress Specialty
The Sorceress is the other advanced class for the Mage, available to players upon hitting level 10. The damage-focused variant of a Mage, Sorceress can invoke extremely powerful spells to decimate foes on the battlefield, but at the cost of having extremely low HP.
The Sorceress uses staves to deal this intense damage in the form of elemental attacks, and can summon a variety of powerful creatures as allies. This advanced class also scales its attack power with the intelligence stat, increasing the already high-functioning abilities of Lost Ark's Sorceress as players advance through leveling.
This class-variant fits the parameters of a "glass cannon," making it a powerful albeit fragile class to utilize. With the aforementioned low HP, players will have to capitalize on the Sorceress' ranged combat and maneuverability to inflict consistently high bursts of damage while maintaining distance. With this variant focusing on damage output, juxtaposing its support-based counterpart in the Bard, the Mage class ultimately has something to offer every magic player's preference in Lost Ark.
Lost Ark is available to play now on PC.
