Lost Ark notably took the gaming community by storm during its Western release and is now enjoying a comfortable status in the MMORPG genre. For many players, it's currently the best marriage between an MMORPG and an isometric ARPG; seeing as how it's still one of the most played MMOs around, Lost Ark is certainly doing something right more so than other titles.
On the surface, it's easy enough to understand what makes the game so successful. And despite being a somewhat typical Korean MMO grinder with some disagreeable schemes, Lost Ark more than compensates for that by providing players with some of the following mechanics and gameplay aspects that make it a cut above the rest.
8 Flashy ARPG Combat
Most isometric ARPGs have impressive and hypnotic combat already, but Lost Ark's animations and fluidity make it more satisfying to witness and control. Skills and spells have some of the weightiest feedback and feel more impactful compared to other MMORPGs where players almost need to play piano on their keyboard for a rotation.
Moreover, the damage numbers are almost cathartic to witness here, especially if they're from critical attacks. Movement in Lost Ark is also more animated compared to something like Path of Exile and the impact of the players' actions is heavier compared to the typical theme park MMORPG.
7 Dynamic Visual Presentation
One of the many things that awed potential fans before the Western release was how Lost Ark handled its cutscenes. The transition from dialog to gameplay was smooth and seamless, with the camera changing to an overhead view once it was time to give control back to the players.
This was more of a boast of how the game's gameplay graphics are the same ones being used in cutscenes, giving players a more connected and involved presence in the story (though some might say the story is a weak part of the game). Regardless, this kind of presentation gives the game a higher quality and production value.
6 Exploration Content & Rewards
Lost Ark is also famed for its numerous islands and each of them contains thousands of collectibles, achievements, and secrets since it's essentially an open-world environment with tons of nooks and crannies. The environmental quirks and reward system for engaging with them are similar in scale and care compared to something like Guild Wars 2.
That already makes it better than most MMORPGs where environments are usually just empty backdrops. Players can easily reap hundreds of hours of content just by chasing these collectibles and exploring them in general. Lost Ark has some interesting locales, some of which might have more captivating quests compared to the main quest.
5 Satisfying PvP
Plenty of times, a PvP implementation in an MMORPG falls apart, especially if the game's mechanics were solely intended for PvE. Changing them up too much and making them an isolated mechanic for PvP can make the game feel too different or unfamiliar. Thankfully, Lost Ark handles this well.
While it also created a separate mechanic and rules for its PvP, PvP combat feels largely the same and has the same weight to it. It's just that the PvE metric determining damage and player performance is flattened here to make it fairer. Balancing is different and surprisingly, it works better than most other MMORPGs with PvP, thanks in part to the ARPG combat.
4 Up-To-Date Visuals
Compared to the gameplay visuals of similar games like World of Warcraft or even Diablo Immortal, Lost Ark is considerably ahead in adhering to contemporary standards. In-game characters (and also those in cutscenes) look great and they have joints and more natural movements, again lending the game a feeling of having higher quality.
Skill and spell effects also look flashier and less awkward compared to other similar games in the genre. Of course, this advantage is a given since Lost Ark was released later, but it's for people who value visuals and fidelity in their games, Lost Ark would certainly ruin other older MMORPGs or ARPGs for them.
3 Accessible Gameplay
Both MMORPGs and ARPGs can be notorious for their complexity with a few exceptions in the genre. Titles like Final Fantasy or the aforementioned Path of Exile often shower players with a barrage of spells, icons, gear combinations, upgrades, and many other mechanics that are too much for tutorials to explain.
Lost Ark is also guilty of this to a certain degree, but potential players will be pleased to know that it's about as accessible as Diablo 3 when it comes to character builds. Yet, it's still intricate enough for min-maxers. There's a high skill ceiling in Lost Ark but the learning curve is thankfully not that steep and players don't have to type too much on their keyboards just for a skill rotation.
2 Stylish Cosmetics
While Lost Ark lifted so many mechanics from ARPGs, it's an MMORPG at its core, which means its cosmetics are MMORPG-level. The customization here is vast enough to be considered an endgame for a lot of players. Fashion Ark, so to speak, is a good goal for many given the aesthetics of their characters and how well-designed they are at default.
Thanks to the more modern visuals and more appealing sense of style from the developers, cosmetics in Lost Ark are a more fun affair compared to the notably blockier and low-polygon models of other MMORPGs and APRGs. Some cosmetics are immersion-breaking, but most of them are motivating.
1 Engaging Endgame Raids & Dungeons
As is the case with many ARPGs, anything that isn't endgame or late game is merely the prolonged tutorial stage. But where Lost Ark manages to outdo other ARPGs or even MMORPGs in their endgame design is in the quality of their bosses and dungeons.
Raids and dungeons in Lost Ark have more involved combat and some jaw-dropping cinematics. The mechanics are easier to adapt to due to the isometric view and it's also easier to coordinate actions with teammates. Some of the most recent raid bosses in Lost Ark improved the game's content and presentation more than ever, so now's a good time to join in.
Lost Ark is available on PC.