Those who regularly play MMORPGs usually know what to expect. An expert of World of WarCraft can reliably hop onto Elder Scrolls Online and they'll foresee how every system in the game works. But Lost Ark is a different beast. From crafting to questing, it's just cut from a different cloth.
With so many different systems to learn and master, Lost Ark was unafraid to take risks to set itself as a wonderful alternative to the undeniable monotony of the MMO landscape. Some of those gambles paid off in spades. Other chances it took, not so much.
10 Like: Class Customization
Every skill in Lost Ark has received a great deal of love and attention. There will always be opinions about what is best and worst, but every skill, with some levels in it, can work amazingly well. Personal preference often fails to translate to optimized success but Lost Ark provides a welcome exception to this rule.
Once hitting level 50, there are loads of things to do, and they can all be done on the player's terms. Every player can probably enjoy every class because they can choose the skills they like and ignore the ones that they don't like. And, unlike many other MMOs, other players generally won't criticize those decisions for being sub-optimal.
9 Dislike: Gender Locks And Body Image
This will likely be the most problematic criticism of the game. It's easy to patch some issues, but once a culture crops up about ideal body images, it takes work to weed out. Popular streamers hate that they can't make any class the gender they want to be.
The face and head designs are out of this world. Totally top-tier. But the body can't be adjusted to any degree. That tattoo can't be changed, moved, or removed. That waist size can't be increased or decreased. It's a shame that the love given to the facial features didn't bleed over to the rest of the character's physique.
8 Like: Combat
Why is it that Lost Ark has to add more servers? This is likely thanks to the combat, which is about as fun and dynamic as it can possibly be using this medium. Whether it's summoning holy swords from the heavens, turning into a demon, or setting enemies on fire with a flamethrower, everything just feels awesome.
Besides everything working well when gamers invest in it, the visuals are spectacular. There is no sad little arrow flying across a screen move that hopefully puts up big numbers. The skills are an over-the-top heroic delight. Players want to feel like a champion in battle and Lost Ark delivers on this premise.
7 Dislike: Illusion Of Choice
There are several moments in the campaign where it appears that players have a big choice to make. In one instance, players can choose to ally with the primary villains in the game, only to have the character pull out a "just kidding" card.
If the choice isn't real, don't include it. Some games add dialogue options and decisions for role-playing flare, but this is severely downgraded in Lost Ark as the story does not change regardless of what the player selects. These moments should have either been removed or made impactful.
6 Like: Collectibles
The way players get more powerful in most games is by leveling up and collecting gear. Both of those are true in Lost Ark, but there is another avenue for gaining power. The collectibles aren't just for cosmetics, titles, and flare, they make the player stronger with raw stats and rewards.
The Adventurer's Tome keeps track of most such collections. This keeps exploration fresh, encourages gamers to hunt rare monsters, and keeps minds active instead of mindlessly grinding out experience. Finding all the Mokobo seeds in Lakebar may sound like a chore, but it's an enjoyable part of the leveling journey.
5 Dislike: Rapport Dailies
The majority of the daily tasks in Lost Ark are a riot. Instead of doing collection quests or meaningless tasks, players get assigned dungeons to conquer. There are dailies to do alone and in groups that are fun. But that fun grinds to a halt with rapport tasks.
Eventually, players will want to get maximum rapport with all of the NPCs in the game. That means going to each one, giving gifts, doing emotes, and playing music. It's busywork that is severely out of place in a game that seems aware at every other moment that busywork is still work.
4 Like: Monetization
Lost Ark is free-to-play which should terrify any gamer that has played a free-to-play game before. Players brace themselves for hundred-dollar loot boxes and pay-to-win gimmicks. If that does end up happening, it will be a shame, but it's certainly not true right now.
Players that don't want to spend a dime and play diligently can gain access to the most powerful cards, mounts, gear, skill levels, resources, and everything else. In fact, money cannot supplement those who work hard and fill out their Adventurer's Tome. Of course, players can pay for potions and cards. But those who dedicate themselves to crafting and Stronghold upgrades will be just as secure.
3 Dislike: The Stronghold
There is no element that feels more like a mobile game in Lost Ark than the Stronghold. When combat feels so good, sinking time into generic systems that make or do things in exchange for time is boring. And, unfortunately, it is key to making a top-tier character.
It can be decorated to alleviate some of the boredom, yet even this feels like a weak and meaningless cash grab This game has a lot of fun systems between skills, gear, card collecting, the Adventurer's Tome, and more, but the Stronghold does not make the cut.
2 Like: Gear And Loot
There is a natural worry that creeps up in the minds of gamers when they see a gear-leveling system. Knowing they will find better loot later, it feels like a waste to bury resources in any piece of equipment that isn't the absolute best piece in the game.
But Lost Ark allows players to transfer these investments from piece to piece, so none of the investment is wasted. This incentivizes testing and tweaking various items to match different builds. There is a wonderful balance of having the new gear be welcomed without lamenting the old gear getting eclipsed.
1 Dislike: Windowed Tabs
The game is for PC only, which is a shame for console gamers. Although many of the classes would work fine with a controller, it might actually be the interface that prevents the game from moving to the consoles. Because navigating tabs is like opening windows on a computer.
That's not a good thing. The windows often overlap with each other inconveniently and it's clunky. Since there are so many systems in place, players will naturally have to cycle through them often. The clutter isn't pretty or efficient.
Lost Ark was released on December 4th, 2019, and is available on PC.