LOA ON Winter 2023 (KR) & Roadmap (EU/NA) Summary
Overview
With the conclusion of the 2023 Winter LOA ON, a lot of updates were announced in the showcase. Former leader Jeon Jae-Hak also took over as Lost Ark's new director. This will mark the end Gold River's tenure as game director (according to him). Let's look ahead at the main highlights of the event.
Korean Road Map
Overview (Click Here)
Highlights (KR)
New Class "Breaker" (Male Scrapper)
Uses fists similar to Scrapper. He is a head attacker that also has a Hitmaster variant. It's described to be a high skill ceiling class with “auto attack” enhancing skills.
Ultimate Awakenings (3rd Awakening)
New system that will release in Summer 2024 for all classes. Will require a filled meter to unleash the ability. It gives a skill tree to your existing Awakening skills.
South Kurzan (New Continent)
The land where everything began. This is where you will find out more about Kazeros.
New Raid (Echidna/Ladon)
It has 2 gates. The first boss seems like a pirate leader with a demon moveset, the second boss is called Echidna/Ladon (the original Covetous Legion Commander before Vykas betrayed her and stole her title). There will also be a new "Allied Skill" move similar to Sidereals. The director stated the current item level will be 1620 normal, 1630 hard (subject to change).
New Added Honing System
Seems like a friendlier honing experience for upper item levels (Akkan gear above +19 – 1620). Every time you hone, it will go up a random value. Once the gauge fills, it levels up. More info will be released soon.
Behemoth Raid (16 Players)
An epic raid that will be composed of 4 groups (of different ilvls for each gate?). More info will be released soon.
Strike Raids
Raid/Events that will take place across Arkesia. Battles take place in maps such as Luterra Castle.
QoL Improvements
- Increased Kayangel stone upgrading materials, Akkan materials, and cheaper elixirs
- Horizontal Content can now be queued across severs and will now scale with the player amount
- Express Event for faster horizontal items
- Skill Transparency (less clutter)
- New honing skip option to do it in a single click
- Chat room improvements
- MVP system improvements
- Kharmine, Azena&Inanna added to wandering merchants.
New Systems
- Solo Raid (Guide System)
- StyleBook (share/look at player presets)
- Music Box Composer System (make music)
Q&A
- They are removing Entropy Set, not back attacking. Still working on it.
- Kharmine, Azena&Inanna added to wandering merchants soon.
- Yearning is a problem to them as well, looking into it.
- They will make getting collectibles easier, but won't reduce it.
- Vertical content is the highest priority, with a faster content cadence.
- They value player experience while playing for the future of Lost Ark.
- New raids should add new experiences to avoid being boring/static.
Road Map EU/NA
The latest Lost Ark video unveiled the 2024 roadmap for the EU/NA region. This roadmap introduces new endgame content, a fresh class, and various quality-of-life improvements. Read on for an overview of what to expect! Additionally, the video hinted that the content showcased isn’t an exhaustive list; there are exciting “surprise” drops and further QoL enhancements in store.
January
Brelshaza Inferno
The Inferno difficulty within Legion Raids is the pinnacle of challenges in Arkesia. Instead of traditional rewards, it offers prestige through titles, achievements, and Stronghold Structures. To face the Brelshaza Inferno, adventurers need an Item Level 1560 and a meticulously optimized build from the Book of Coordination.
February
Second Anniversary Celebration
To mark the game’s anniversary, AGS is hosting a series of exciting in-game events with corresponding rewards. At the Arkesia Festival, players can engage in weekly co-op quests, earning tokens for valuable rewards.
Valtan Extreme
Valtan, returns in a formidable new raid iteration. Rewards encompass initial bonuses upon clearing the 2 Gates, alongside subsequent rewards for re-clearing. Each roster can enter the raid once every 2 weeks, with gate progress linked to the character that initially cleared the 1st Gate. Requires an item level of 1580 for Normal Mode and 1620 for Hard Mode.
March
Breaker Class
The new Breaker Class, is coming to the West in March. It’s a male version of the Scrapper, focused on relentlessly bashing enemies using Heavy Gauntlets, mobility, and combos. Look out for it during the progression events, including the Super Mokoko Express Event and Event Powerpass.
Light of Destiny & Thaemine Prelude - Story Quests
The Light of Destiny update in Lost Ark will unveil the location of the Lost Ark, drawing us closer to the end of Story Chapter 1. As Sacria investigates events in Pleccia, the situation becomes increasingly unpredictable. Brace yourself for chaos as you follow your path and discover answers to crucial questions about the journey to find the Lost Ark after Voldis. Prepare for a new location and revelations!
Thirain, vowed to protect the people of Luterra and Arkesia since the emergence of Chaos Gates. However, suspicious events are unfolding in Luterra. Embark on a new line of story quests that lead to the Thaemine Legion Raid, with a prelude requiring an Item Level of 1520.
April
Thaemine
Having once conquered half of Petrania alone, Thaemine faced Kazeros and accepted the role of the Legion Commander of Darkness. The 8-player Thaemine Raid has two modes: Normal Mode (1610 ilvl, 3 Gates) and Hard Mode (1630 ilvl, 4 Gates). Players can earn rewards every 2 weeks from Hard Gate 4. There is no special difficulty setting for the Thaemine Raid; it will be released at the original Korean difficulty level, with the nerf patch being released at a later time.
Transcendence Gear Progression System
Gear Transcendence is a new system that allows players to enhance their gear’s basic effects using ancient power sealed within ruins. This enhancement results in increased damage, improved defense, and special abilities. The necessary crafting materials for Transcendence can be obtained from the Thaemine Legion Raid.
Additionally, the Road to Thaemine progression event will debut in this update, assisting players in advancing toward the raid and other endgame content.
Vescal Guardian Raid
Vescal, a new 1630 Guardian Raid, will be released alongside Thaemine. As a Chaos Guardian, Vescal hunts enemies using powerful sound waves. Like other Guardians, you can attempt to clear the Vescal Raid once a day for increased rewards.