Lost Ark | Tier 4 Q&A
What new content are you most excited for players to experience for the first time with Tier 4?
We’re really excited to introduce Ark Passive, which is the core of the T4 gear upgrade system!
It has been over two years since Lost Ark was introduced to Western players.
In that time, a vast amount of content was added to Lost Ark, each time coming with new progression systems. But over time, the system became increasingly complex and difficult to learn for new players. There is also a lot of outdated content that exists in the game that is no longer used by most of our players.
So together with Amazon Games, it was decided that it was time for change. In the new tier, various progression systems will change more intuitively, and players will be able to experiment more and try various battle settings with less stress.
For the time being, T3 and T4 gear will be used together, but when players completely switch to T4, they will be able to experience and enjoy a freer combat style.
How will Tier 4 Accessories, Engravings, and Ability Stones differ from Tier 3?
In Tier 3, accessories had Combat Stats such as critical/swiftness/specialization and engravings, but Tier 4 accessories do not have these. Instead, you can grant special options through accessory polishing, and Ark Passive Enlightenment points are provided depending on the polishing stage. You can use enlightenment points to obtain effects corresponding to existing job engravings, and new skills can be opened when a certain number of points are used.
The engraving system has been changed from having players decide which engraving to use by equipping accessories, to selecting the desired engraving based on the engraving book you have read. Therefore, the inconvenience of having to change all accessories to change the engraving is now gone.
Additionally, unlike before where there was no difference unless you read 20 of same engraving books, the engraving is strengthened slightly every time you read 5 engraving books.
Ability stones now provide additional effects, based on the engraving stage of the stone. You can also obtain a higher Vitality bonus through upgrade.
For new and lapsed players coming back to Lost Ark to participate in Tier 4, what are some content and events that they won’t want to miss?
If you are a player starting Lost Ark for the first time, or want to try a different class for the first time, or just want to add a high-level Alt character to your roster, I highly recommend trying out the Ignite server.
The JSS server that was held last year was a server focused on new users, so it wasn't really appealing to players who already had several characters with high gear levels.
This time, the Ignite server that will be introduced in October will be appealing to lapsed players as well, as you can transfer one character you raised on the Ignite server to the Roster you are already playing on.
Of course, events will be held on the existing servers as well to celebrate the arrival of Tier 4. Please look forward to the events that will offer abundant rewards.
What’s the best way to approach using an Ignite Server, especially for lapsed players? How is the team planning on making these servers fun for everyone?
Ignite server is a server that provides many types of growth benefits, where players can quickly raise their characters to gear level 1620. Players can transfer one character between 1600 and 1620 to the existing servers, choosing between character transfer and Roster transfer.
Expedition transfer is a method recommended for new players who do not have roster information on other servers, as some of the roster information players have progressed on the Ignite server will be transferred along with the character.
Character transfer is a method recommended for players who already have a roster on another server. Roster-related information will not be transferred, but you can add the character progressed on Ignite server to the existing roster. It will be a great benefit for players who already have rosters, but do not have high-level characters yet. Of course, it will also be an opportunity for players who have continued to play Lost Ark diligently to quickly progress a 1620 character for free.
What are some tricks and tips for honing characters to be able to participate in Tier 4?
Advanced honing can be done with both T3 and T4 gear. T3 gear requires T3 materials, and T4 gear requires T4 materials. If you have a character with a lot of T3 materials left, it may be an option to first do Advanced honing before transferring to T4 gear.
Since Honor Shards cannot be transferred to T4 shards, tempering before you transfer can save you some T4 Fate shards. On the other hand, if you have a character without many Honor shards left, it is recommended to do Advanced honing after transferring to T4, and just enjoy the content for 1640 and above.
What was the purpose behind implementing Ark Passive and how will it enhance the character-building experience?
In Tier 3, in order to change activated engravings, players had to change all their accessories, ability stones, and also read new engraving books. Because of this, it wasn’t easy for players to make changes to their combat settings. In Tier 4, these settings are absorbed into Ark Passive, making it easier to change to other settings, which will increase players' degree of freedom.
‘Ark Passive’ is a new system that improves character abilities. The character's abilities, which were previously strengthened through gear sets, accessories and class engravings, are now converted into Ark Passive points and will be used to grant various effects.
Ark Passive will be operated in three types, but players will begin with the 'Evolution' type and the 'Enlightenment' type. The 'Evolution' type uses given points based on gear and activates combat effects that can be commonly used by all classes. The ‘Enlightenment' type uses points that are given based on accessories. This type will replace the existing class engravings. Points are provided depending on the quality of accessories, and additional points can be earned by polishing accessories.
The last type, ‘Ascension’, allows you to gain additional effects related to the Hyper Awakening skill and Hyper Awakening Techniques. ‘Ascension’ points can only be used when Ark Passive is turned on, but any character with gear level 1640 or above can acquire the Hyper Awakening skills and Hyper Awakening Techniques through quests. Therefore, it is possible to use those even without the ‘Ascension’ Points, but you can gain additional effects by opening the Ark Passive.
How has the experience of localizing Tier 4 for the West been? Is there anything different in the Western version that isn’t included in the Korean version and vice versa?
In the case of the Darkness Legion Commander Thaemine Raid, several nerfs that were not included in the KR service were applied. This was to reflect the situation in the West where the update interval was much shorter compared to other regions, and the changes were made so that the raid could be cleared with a slightly lower level of gear.
Behemoth raid, which arrives in September to the West, was originally added as a level 1640 raid in KR, but was added as a level 1620 raid in the Western service. Hit points and damage output have been adjusted to match the lower level.
There is also some content that was/will be introduced exclusively to the Western service. For example, the Ignite server that starts in October and the progress support through the server are not included in the KR service. It was introduced first in the Western service among all service regions.
Since the update interval and service situation are different between regions, we will continue to closely monitor and make appropriate adjustments.
How is the team approaching player feedback once Tier 4 launches and onwards?
Recently, I feel Amazon Games is listening to users' opinions a lot. Amazon Games has delivered users' feedback and suggestions to our team at Smilegate RPG regularly, and based on those opinions many updates have been made to the Western service, with more updates scheduled for the future. In addition to the feedback provided by Amazon Games, we will also continue to provide updates that are suitable for the Western service through in-game data extraction and analysis.
What were the inspirations behind creating the Aegir Raid? How should players prepare for the raid beforehand?
Aegir is the ego of a giant lava giant that emerged from the Antares volcano. High above the rugged Avek Valley lies the Nameless Fortress. Here, the Allied Forces engage in a life-threatening final battle to stop the giant from advancing toward Elnead. However, Akkan blocks the player's path. Akkan uses the dead he has absorbed to attack, and even summons the spirit of Demon Beast Commander Valtan, who had previously died, and continues the battle. And the giant, which was gradually approaching the Nameless Fortress, joins the battle and unleashes powerful attacks across a wide area to aid Akkan in his battle.
Players need to stop Akkan and battle Aegir, the Oppressor, inside the giant's body.
Aegir summons parts of the giant's body with his powers, and uses his new weapons to unleash agile and spectacular attacks. Players will need to overcome the distorted space created by Aegir and use it to their advantage. If Aegir is not stopped, the lava giant will destroy the fortress and head towards Elnead. And if that happens, there will be no one left to stop the giant’s advance.
