Blog

Aug 18, 2023

2023 Roadmap

Heroes of Arkesia, We’re excited to share the third and final part of the 2023 roadmap, which includes the major planned content pieces arriving in Arkesia during the rest of the year. Join Franchise

Heroes of Arkesia,

We’re excited to share the third and final part of the 2023 roadmap, which includes the major planned content pieces arriving in Arkesia during the rest of the year. Join Franchise Lead Soomin Park, Product Manager Andy Lin, Head of Editorial Henry Stelter, and Community Manager Roxanne Sabo for our team’s first video update.

The roadmap content discussed are highlights we know players are eagerly awaiting, but the roadmap is not a comprehensive list of every change arriving in Arkesia over the next few months, and could change. As we approach each month, more details will be shared. There will be plenty of other quality of life (QoL) updates, balance tuning, adjustments to support new and returning players, and unique events. Stay tuned to our website and social channels for future release notes including the full list of new content, cosmetics, balance changes, events, bug-fixes, and more included in our major monthly updates. With that, let’s dive in.

The normal written roadmap can be found below.

Before diving into the upcoming plans for September through December 2023, we have additional changes that players can look forward to experiencing in the August Update. The full release notes will be available next week, ahead of the update’s release.

Chaos Dungeon Adjustments

For Chaos Dungeons, our first priority is to improve the playability of the dungeon itself. Fatigue in Chaos Dungeons is not a problem that can be solved by simply reducing the number of encounters, and if Chaos Dungeons are fun and rewarding to play, players will feel less fatigued.

The first phase of our overhaul of Chaos Dungeons includes increased rewards such as cards, higher level gems, more silver, along with enemy AI tweaks to reduce the time it takes to play a single dungeon by roughly 25%.

We plan to work with Smilegate RPG to make further improvements as we continue to listen to player feedback and in-game data.

Guardian Raids

Guardian Raids will be adjusted to one per day, and the rewards will be increased.

We are aware of the reluctance to play with new users due to content fatigue. We want to continue to improve this by reducing content fatigue, and we'll start by increasing the base supply of cards. Along with increasing the supply of cards in Chaos Dungeons and Guardian Raids, we plan to increase other sources of supply, such as adjusting the frequency of Wandering Vendors.

We’re excited to announce Jump-Start servers, a system we hope will provide a fresh beginning for new or returning players who are interested in giving Lost Ark another try. Over the year, we conducted focus groups and other feedback mechanisms to understand what might prevent interested players in giving Lost Ark another try. We heard a few consistent themes: Gatekeeping, bots, and the daily grind.

Many parts of the game require other Players to complete. By bringing together a big group of Jump Starters at the same time, we expect the early and mid game to feel much more lively, and to reduce the amount of gate keeping in raid lobbies. We recognize that the game encountered many challenges at initial launch, with a steep progression curve, Bots and stability issues. We’ve made serious strides in addressing these and feel confident that the Western service is in a good place to bring players back.

There will be a server available in each region. Players will get a South Vern pass to ‘Jump-Start’ a character immediately to Item Level 1415. Jump-Start servers will be isolated from other servers, with independent matchmaking, party finder, marketplace and auction house. This allows restarting players to have an independent experience that’s unaffected by existing servers/regions. Players on Jump-Start servers will receive materials that provide faster vertical and horizontal progression, including honing materials, card packs, and more, and will also benefit from the ongoing Super Mokoko Express event that kicks off on all servers in August, which goes up to Item Level 1540. Jump-Start Players will be able to get an abundance of free honing materials in a special event shop, helping them quickly climb to Item Level 1580.

We’ll have more information to share closer to the launch of the September Update.

Yoz’s Jar is a new consumable that will introduce a variety of Epic and Legendary skins. If you have a skin you don’t like or wear anymore (or maybe one from Yoz’s Jar you’re not a fan of) you can break it down for “Cloth”, which can be used with a Jar (either Season 1 or 2) to roll a new skin from a determined list. Yoz’s Jar and Cloth will be sold in the store. Cloth can also be obtained by dismantling Epic skins looted from Yoz’s Jar. In addition, there will be discounted packs of Cloth and Jars available on a monthly basis. Players can break down the skins that are no longer tradable (because the trade limit of 3 times has all been used up) into Cloth as well. Not all Skins can be broken down to Cloth. Only skins that are purchased by Royal Crystals (tradable) can be broken down. The Epic and Legendary Skins in Yoz’s Jar can be traded in Auction House, so players can use Gold instead of Crystals to purchase.

This new cosmetic system will also give a 10% chance to acquire Legendary skins, which provide better benefits than Epic skins. No worries if you like a different skin more than the looks of your new Legendary one with bigger bonuses, you can ‘Overlay’ the skin you like over the Legendary skin.

The Yoz’s Jar system will be updated to include 1,000 Amethyst Shards when the result is an Epic skin. As a part of this update, we’re adding new purchase options to the Amethyst Shop, including Silver, Dawn skins, and various reagents for players to customize their skins. The Dawn Skins will even be available for Slayer, Artist, and Aeromancer. We’re also committing to refreshing the Amethyst Shop once a year.

Legendary Skins are something that players have been waiting for, and we wanted to take the time to get it right. We listened to your feedback, and we heard that you wanted access to the Legendary skins as they were in the Korean version. We’re excited about the changes made to Yoz’s Jar, which were done in careful collaboration with the Smilegate RPG team. We wanted to smooth out the drops and make each pull feel rewarding, even if you didn’t get a Legendary.

Thirain and Nineveh are two characters that players have gotten to know very well during their time in Arkesia — and now there’s an opportunity to further deepen those relationships.

Thirain has been busy with work, but the royal ball is quickly approaching! This ball is meant to commemorate the day that he ascended to the throne, but behind Luterra’s excitement for the event, Thirain is facing hardships that he only trusts you with.

Nineveh is always a bright spot in Arkesia, working hard to help others. Her animal friends have prepared a surprise party for her, but before she can celebrate, she collapses due to a mysterious chaotic force! It seems there is more beyond Nineveh’s cheerful exterior; deep wounds and stories that she is ready to reveal to you.

Sail over to Primal Island and brace yourself — you’ll have to fight, steal, and survive against fierce competition in a new battle royale style event where you’ll drop into an arena to face off against other players and hordes of ferocious dinosaurs, fighting to defeat your opponents and be the last one standing. The arena is open to competitors item level 1490 and higher, but your item level and stats won’t help you much here. Players will need to scavenge gear during the match and upgrade it in real time.

A new Ark Pass season will be available, including free tiers for all players, and premium tracks with more rewards and cosmetics.

Pleccia is a new continent that players over item level 1475 will be able to visit. Pleccia is a continent of romance, art, and freedom. Players can enjoy the fantastic view of Pleccia Port and Prehilia Prairie, and interact with unique NPCs including the Vediches, Yoz illusionists, and more. The story of Pleccia begins in Luterra - with rumors of strange things happening in the beautiful continent. Players must solve the mysteries surrounding the Vediche family, the priests of Sacria, and an old friend to reach the end of the story. After the story has ended, players can search for a unique set of collectible items to receive special rewards, and look for hidden achievements unlockable only in Pleccia. And don’t forget, you’ll need to finish the Pleccia story before Voldis— more on that soon.

A new Trial Guardian Raid is arriving. Face off against Caliligos, the master of lightning in a special challenge that displays both the first clear in the region and fastest clear time! Earn new titles to show off your accomplishments if your group is triumphant.

Localization for the identity meters, skills, and class engravings have not been finalized, and names may change.

Souleater – the Master of Specters – is an Assassin subclass who wields a giant scythe to collect her enemies’ souls. Souleater can choose to attack in three different ways: directly with the scythe, by summoning the dead, or by turning into a reaper.

Souleater’s class identity is ‘Reaper Mode’, which puts her into a powerful reaper form after players have filled the Soul Stones identity gauge. Souleater also has a second identity meter, the ‘Possession Meter’, used only in Reaper Mode. The two identity meters can be filled up using specific types of skills, and knowing when to use the identity meter is critical.

Class Engravings:

Full Moon - helps players fill up Soul Stones to quickly enter Reaper Mode, and burst enormous damage in a short window. For those who want to land powerful strikes with big numbers while playing the Souleater, this engraving would be it.

Dark Moon - is an engraving that does not use Reaper Mode, but instead uses the identity meter to enhance existing skills instead. It provides a speedier and agile combat experience to players, compared to its counterpart.

Progression events for the Souleater class will be released to help players level up their new characters, including an Express event along with a free Powerpass.

Voldis is a new continent with an entrance Item Level of 1520 and above. The continent of Voldis is the land of sages and alchemy, with the magnificent city of Kalinar located at the mouth of Ketsla River. The city is always bustling with tourists seeking for advice from the renowned sages. The city itself has a fantastic view and is full of cute Homunculi dashing to and fro as they run the citizens’ errands. Voldis is home to the Sages, who delve into the secrets of the human body with alchemy and ancient knowledge. They are well-respected for their vast knowledge and powers, and with the Chaos Guardians returning, their aid will be more than helpful in the upcoming war.

Outside of the city, much of the continent is full of giant trees – all part of the Great Rainforest. The Rainforest holds many mysteries, with powerful monsters lurking in the shadows. Players can get help from the Raiyas, the people of the Forest, to enter the Sage’s Tower and reach the end of the story. After the story has ended, players can complete their Adventurer’s Tome, as well as complete a brief set of epilogue quests.

The Ivory Tower is a new Abyssal Dungeon located in Voldis, which has 4 gates. The entrance Item Level is 1600 for the Normal difficulty and 1620 for Hard Mode. The rewards include Honing Materials (Refined Protection Stone, Refined Obliteration Stone, Radiant Honor Leapstones, Honor Shards), Gold, special hidden rewards, and the new Elixir system.

Elixirs are a new system which will drastically increase player’s combat abilities by imbuing their gear with new, powerful effects. Epic elixirs will be obtainable through the Normal mode of the Ivory Tower Abyssal Dungeon, while Legendary Elixirs can be earned via Hard mode. Once obtained, Elixirs need to be refined and imbued onto a player’s gear.

To refine an Elixir, players need to first get ‘Ductility Catalyst’ by paying gold and Chaos Stones. Catalysts are also acquirable through Wandering Merchant in Voldis.

The refining process requires both a certain amount of Gold and Catalysts. Players have a set amount of tries for each refining process (11 tries for Epic, and 14 tries for Legendary), and players can use the advice from the three Sages of the Tower to pick the best outcome possible. Players will need to think carefully and use the advice well – it’s important to understand the logic of the system.

There are powerful Set bonuses to aim for when special conditions are met. The refining process is unlike any other experience in Lost Ark – it relies on a certain amount of luck, but it also requires the players to think carefully and logically to plan for the best outcome.

Once the Elixir is done refining, players can imbue the Elixir to their equipment to get bonus effects. There are various types of bonuses that Elixirs provide – categorized broadly into offensive, defensive, and utility. Players can choose a maximum of five abilities for each Elixir and refine two out of the five. So there will be 10 abilities once refining is done – two for each equipment, without the weapon.

A new Ark Pass season will be available, including free tiers for all players, and premium tracks with more rewards and cosmetics.

We’re excited to witness players experience the unique events, explore new parts of Arkesia, battle in new PvP events, and prepare for the challenging experiences awaiting in the new dungeons and raids over the coming months. In the meantime, stay tuned to our website, social channels, and the release notes for the full list of new content, store updates, events, bug-fixes, and more over the coming months.

Head over to YouTube to let us know your thoughts on the video component of the Roadmap, and if you’d like to see this type of content heading forward.

We’ll see you in Arkesia!