Lost Ark Class Overview

Identity

Shadowhunter's identity gauge is called Shadowburst Meter, and it is charged by using Intruder skills. While the main focus for Demonic Impulse is on Demon Skills, Perfect Suppression removes their ability to Demonize, keeping them in Human Form.

Playstyle

Demonic Impulse focuses on quickly rebuilding Shadowburst Meter in order to remain in Demon Form for as long as possible, unleashing powerful Demon Skills.

Perfect Suppression moves away from the Demon Form, instead opting to generate Shadowburst Meter to enhance specific Normal skills and deal increased damage thanks to Encroachment Release tripods.

Shadowhunter's Synergy (Damage Amplification) increases the damage that the enemy receives from your party.

For more details, check out the Perfect Suppression and Demonic Impulse guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Reaper's identity consists of a Persona meter and a Chaos meter. They are both filled by using your Shadow and Dagger skills. Filling up your Persona meter allows you to enter Persona Mode (Z), expending your meter and putting you in a state of Stealth for 10 seconds and spawning a controllable Shadow Illusion. After filling the Persona meter, you can then fill up your Chaos meter, putting you in Chaos Mode and granting you increased stats.

Playstyle

Hunger focuses on quickly filling up the Chaos meter to enter Chaos Mode, remaining in it throughout the fight in order to enhance her damage and speed.

Lunar Voice focuses on quickly and repeatedly filling up the Persona meter, allowing you to enter Persona Mode and enhance your Swoop skills, unleashing powerful and precise attacks.

Reaper's Synergy (Poison: Corrosion) reduces the enemy's defense, increasing the damage they receive from your party.

For more details, check out the Hunger and Lunar Voice guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Souleater's identity consists of 3 Soul Stones and a Possession Meter. While Soul Stones can be built up by hitting both Ghast and Stygian skills, the Possession Meter can only be filled with Stygian and Deathlord skills. Soul Stones are required in order to use Deathlord skills.

Playstyle

Full Moon Harvester focuses on building Possession Meter through a mix of Ghast, Stygian, and Deathlord skills, allowing you to enter Deathlord Mode and quickly unleash an enhanced version of Deathlord skills, dealing devastating damage.

Night's Edge focuses on dealing consistent damage while filling up the Edge Meter, occasionally using enhanced Deathlord skills for a short and powerful burst. Once the Edge Meter is full, you are forced into Soul Snatch Mode, causing a tempo switch in your rotation. During Soul Snatch Mode, you receive significantly reduced cooldowns for your Ghast skills, but your Deathlord skills are disabled.

Souleater's Synergy (Damage Amplification) increases the damage that the enemy receives from your party.

For more details, check out the Full Moon Harvester and Night's Edge guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Artillerist's identity consists of a Firepower Meter and a Barrage Meter. The Firepower Meter has three levels that ramp up your damage as they get filled up, but it will rapidly decay if you are not actively attacking. The Barrage Meter fills up when you use Normal skills and allows you to enter Barrage Mode when full, giving you access to powerful artillery skills.

Playstyle

Barrage Enhancement focuses on utilizing Normal skills to generate Barrage Meter and enter Barrage Mode as often as possible, raining down a burst of artillery fire each time.

Firepower Enhancement moves away from using Barrage Mode, instead focusing entirely on Normal skills and maintaining your Firepower Meter at its highest at all times, allowing you to keep blasting your enemies.

Artillerist's Synergy (Armor Destruction) reduces the enemy's defense, increasing the damage they receive from your party.

For more details, check out the Barrage Enhancement and Firepower Enhancement guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Deadeye can swap between three different weapon stances, allowing you to skilfully adapt to any situation. Pistol skills are used for mobility and engagement, Shotgun skills deal high damage in melee range, and Rifle skills deal moderate damage at long range.

Playstyle

Enhanced Weapon uses all three weapon stances, but most of your damage comes from Shotgun skills, which become significantly more powerful when used from close range.

Pistoleer only has access to Pistol skills, allowing you to unleash a hail of bullets in a highly agile and stylish playstyle.

Deadeye's Synergy (Weakness Exposure) increases the Crit Rate of your party's attacks against the enemy.

For more details, check out the Enhanced Weapon and Pistoleer guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Gunslinger can swap between three different weapon stances, allowing you to skilfully adapt to any situation. Pistol skills are used for mobility and utility, Shotgun skills deal concentrated damage in melee range, and Rifle skills deal significant damage at long range.

Playstyle

Peacemaker uses all three weapon stances, but most of your damage comes from Shotgun and Rifle skills, relegating Pistol skills to fulfilling a utility role.

Time to Hunt cannot use Shotgun skills, instead using her Rifle skills to unleash devastating long-range shots, while her Pistol skills allow you to remain on the move.

Gunslinger's Synergy (Weakness Exposure) increases the Crit Rate of your party's attacks against the enemy.

For more details, check out the Peacemaker and Time to Hunt guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Machinist's identity consists of Core Energy which is generated with Drone and Joint skills. Once your Core Energy is filled up, you can enter Sync Mode, unlocking powerful Sync skills and gaining a strong shield for the entire duration of Sync Mode. Unlike other classes, your regular skills consume Battery instead of mana, which means you need to be mindful of managing this resource, since support buffs will not regenerate it.

Playstyle

Evolutionary Legacy focuses on quickly rebuilding Core Energy in order to remain in Sync Mode for as long as possible, unleashing powerful Sync skills. Additionally, some of your Sync skills have special effects when used in quick combination with other Sync skills.

Arthetinean Skill moves away from the Sync Mode, instead relying on commanding your drone and using your SMG as your primary tools for Normal, Drone, and Joint skills in a more tactical playstyle.

Machinist's Synergy (Fighting Spirit Enh.) increases the Attack Power of everyone in your party.

For more details, check out the Evolutionary Legacy and Arthetinean Skill guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Sorceress's identity consists of an Arcane Meter. By consuming varying amounts of it, you can activate Arcane Rupture to increase the damage of your elemental skills and boost the effects of skills that have specific elements, or you can use Blink for mobility.

Playstyle

Igniter focuses on fully building up her Arcane Meter and activating Arcane Rupture to unleash a devastating burst of skills.

Reflux relies on constantly and rapidly slinging spells at your enemies while staying on the move by using Blink.

Sorceress's Synergy (Damage Amplification) increases the damage that the enemy receives from your party.

For more details, check out the Igniter and Reflux guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Summoner's identity consists of Ancient Energy, which allows her to summon Ancient Elementals to help aid her in battle. As your accumulated Ancient Energy increases, you gain access to a wider variety of Elementals, ranging from a Giant's Foot smashing your enemy to an Elemental Lord unleashing their power. Additionally, she is able to summon powerful companions (or Summons) to fight by her side.

Playstyle

Master Summoner focuses on enhancing her Ancient Elementals and constantly making good use of them for damage and utility. Akir is her favorite elemental!

Communication Overflow focuses on enhancing your Summons, such as Maririn and Pauru, allowing them to do most of the work for you.

Summoner's Synergy (Corrosion Diffusion) reduces the enemy's defense, increasing the damage they receive from your party.

For more details, check out the Master Summoner and Communication Overflow guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Arcanist's identity consists of a Card Meter, which allows you to draw from a deck of Tarot Cards when filled. You can hold up to two Cards at the same time, and using them grants unique effects. Additionally, there's a special stacking mechanic called Ruin Detonation, where Ruin Stacks are generated through Stacking skills and detonated by Ruin skills, empowering their damage.

Playstyle

Empress's Grace focuses on Ruin Detonation, quickly accumulating Ruin Stacks through Stacking skills and strategically using the right Cards to empower her Ruin skills even further.

Order of the Emperor focuses on rapidly cycling through your Normal skills, generating Cards and allowing you to consistently have several of their respective buffs active. Occasionally, you can detonate the Ruin Stacks that you've accumulated passively while cycling through other skills.

Arcanist's Synergy (Weakness Exposure) increases the Crit Rate of your party's attacks against the enemy.

For more details, check out the Empress's Grace and Order of the Emperor guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Soulfist's identity consists of a Hype Meter with three levels. This allows you to enter a state of Hype, with each level granting you progressively stronger effects, but also significantly lowering the duration. Once Hype ends, there will be a short exhaustion period where you cannot enter this state.

Playstyle

Robust Spirit focuses on rising straight to the third level of Hype, allowing you to take advantage of a massive burst window and annihilating your enemies with your Awakening skill, World Decimation. The exhaustion period after each burst window is relatively long.

Energy Overflow focuses on managing all three Hype levels to maximize the amount of time spent in this state and your damage output, through a constant flurry of attacks. Playing around Hype timing and its exhaustion period creates a dynamic playstyle that can change with each encounter.

Soulfist's Synergy (Fighting Spirit Enh.) increases the Attack Power of everyone in your party.

For more details, check out the Robust Spirit and Energy Overflow guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Wardancer's identity consists of Esoteric Orbs, filled up by landing your regular skills. Consuming Esoteric Orbs allows you to unleash powerful Esoteric Skills against your enemies.

Playstyle

Esoteric Skill Enhancement focuses on constantly generating Esoteric Orbs, making sure you have as many as possible available with each use of Esoteric Skills in order to empower their damage.

First Intention locks away your ability to generate and use Esoteric Orbs and Esoteric Skills, instead focusing on strengthening your martial arts skills.

Wardancer's Synergy (Weakness Exposure) increases the Crit Rate of your party's attacks against the enemy.

For more details, check out the Esoteric Skill Enhancement and First Intention guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Glaivier's identity consists of a Dual Meter with three bars, filled up with each skill that lands on an enemy. Additionally, you have access to two stances - Focus and Flurry, each one coming with its own set of skills. Swapping between stances can be done freely, but in order to gain the buffs that come with it, you must consume one bar of the Dual Meter.

Playstyle

Pinnacle focuses on masterfully swapping between stances and using the right skill for each given situation. Normally, the Focus and Flurry stances come with separate buffs, but this build harmonizes them and grants you both effects combined regardless of the stance you are in.

Control locks away your ability to enter the Focus stance, instead utilizing your Dual Meter to empower some of your Flurry skills through the Final Decision tripods in a fast-paced playstyle.

Glaivier's Synergy (Target Weak Point) increases the damage of your party's Critical Hits against the enemy.

For more details, check out the Pinnacle and Control guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Striker's identity consists of Esoteric Orbs, filled up by landing your regular skills. Consuming Esoteric Orbs allows you to unleash powerful Esoteric Skills against your enemies.

Playstyle

Esoteric Flurry focuses on swiftly unleashing multiple Esoteric Skills, with each one consuming a single Esoteric Orb.

Deathblow focuses on significantly empowering your Esoteric Skills, with each one consuming all available Esoteric Orbs at once.

Striker's Synergy (Weakness Exposure) increases the Crit Rate of your party's attacks against the enemy.

For more details, check out the Esoteric Flurry and Deathblow guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Breaker's identity consists of a dual system, using a Shock gauge and a Stamina gauge. Using Shock skills consumes some of your Shock gauge and generates Stamina gauge in exchange, while using Stamina skills consumes some of your Stamina gauge and generates Shock gauge in exchange. Additionally, you have access to a meter that behaves differently, depending on your Class Engraving.

Playstyle

Asura's Path focuses on alternating between your Shock and Stamina skills in order to fill up your Asura Energy, allowing you to enter Asura State and enhance your basic attacks into a powerful flurry of blows.

Brawl King Storm focuses on quickly building up your Tenacious Power through Stamina and Shock skills, allowing you to enter Brawl King Stance. While in this state, you gain additional stats and the ability to use Falling Blossoms, a new and incredibly powerful skill.

Breaker's Synergy (Damage Amplification) increases the damage that the enemy receives from your party.

For more details, check out the Asura's Path and Kingfist guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Gunlancer's identity consists of a Shield Meter, which allows you to enter a powerful Defensive Stance. Once in Defensive Stance your Shield Meter turns into an unyielding shield, granting you Super Armor and access to Battlefield Shield.

Playstyle

Combat Readiness focuses on upkeeping your Defensive Stance for as long as possible, empowering your Shield skills. This allows you to become a truly resilient warrior that your allies can rally behind.

Lone Knight primarily focuses on using your Lance skills in precise burst windows. While this build allows you to go on the offensive and trade blows head-on with your enemies, its defensive capability is sacrificed in exchange for combat prowess.

Gunlancer's main Synergy (Armor Destruction) reduces the enemy's defense, increasing the damage they receive from your party. Their secondary Synergy (Open Weakness) increases the damage that the enemy receives from your party. This damage increase is more efficient for skills with the Back Attack and Front Attack affixes.

For more details, check out the Combat Readiness and Lone Knight guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Paladin's identity consists of a Piety Meter that fills up when you land your regular skills. When full, it allows you to activate Holy Aura, granting your party a powerful damage buff while healing them and reducing damage taken at the same time, thanks to Blessed Aura.

Playstyle

Paladin is one of the Support classes in Lost Ark. Your primary role revolves around providing your party with various damage buffs, but keeping your party members safe through Shields, Damage Reduction, and Heals also falls within your responsibilities. This effectively makes having a Support class in every party a necessity.

For more details, check out the Paladin guide!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Destroyer's identity consists of a Gravity Meter and three Gravity Cores. You gain Gravity Cores by using Concentration skills, allowing you to empower a Gravity Release skill at three Cores. This empowered skill will generate Gravity Meter, which once full allows you to activate Hypergravity, significantly empowering your basic attacks and defensive capability in exchange for becoming almost stationary.

Playstyle

Rage Hammer focuses on using Concentration skills to generate Gravity Cores and empower your Gravity Release skills. Gravity Release skills can become incredibly strong, dealing monumental damage with each blow and often shielding you from harm.

Gravity Training focuses on using Concentration skills to generate Gravity Cores, empowering your Gravity Release skills and filling up your Gravity Meter, allowing you to consistently enter Hypergravity. Once in this state, your focus shifts on relentlessly smashing down your enemies.

Destroyer's Synergy (Armor Destruction) reduces the enemy's defense, increasing the damage they receive from your party.

For more details, check out the Rage Hammer and Gravity Training guides!

Pros & Cons

Identity

Slayer's identity consists of a Fury Meter that fills up when you land your regular skills. When full, it allows you to enter Burst Mode, granting you increased damage and speed, and access to Bloodlust, an incredibly powerful skill.

Playstyle

Predator focuses on quickly building your Fury Meter at the beginning of the encounter and entering Burst Mode, then fighting against your own identity to remain in Burst Mode for as long as possible, until you inevitably become Exhausted. When that happens, there's a short period of cooling down when you are unable to enter Burst Mode again.

Punisher focuses on repeatedly building your Fury Meter throughout the fight, entering Burst Mode when it fills up and quickly unleashing a powerful rush of damage on your enemies.

Slayer's Synergy (Damage Amplification) increases the damage that the enemy receives from your party.

For more details, check out the Predator and Punisher guides!

Pros & Cons