Heroes of Arkesia,
On March 15 the Artist Class will arrive in Arkesia accompanied by special progression events in the March “Art of War” Update. The Artist is capable of tactical versatility with illusion powers from her brush, and specializes in supporting her team. With her magical brush and flowing ink, the Artist can either choose to attack foes directly or summon holy beasts by painting them. While the Artist's attack power is on the low side, she is capable of providing strong support to allies, and rescuing them from peril with her illusion powers— making her a welcome member of any party. The Artist is the first Advanced Class an entirely new class category; Specialists, who will have more than one appearance in 2023.
Before we dive into the class specifics and details on the progression events, we have a quick note if you missed our original announcement about bringing the Artist to the West.
We know there’s been a lot of speculation in the Lost Ark community on how the Artist Class would arrive in the Western version of Lost Ark, and we want to be transparent with players excited for its release. Previously, we’ve stated that there may be some content in the original version of the game that gets adapted for Western audiences. While our goal is to preserve the authenticity of the original game, we also work with Smilegate RPG to make localization updates to ensure the game feels approachable and representative of our Western players. Nothing gameplay-related will change for the Artist Class, but some skins will be modified to better fit Western norms. Specifically, skins with short skirts will have shorts added underneath the skirt, and other skins will have adjusted pant lengths or tights added. We will be working to preserve the original spirit of the skins when applying these changes to ensure players will have a variety of compelling customization options for this uniquely versatile class.
CLASS IDENTITY
The Artist can fill the Harmony Meter Identity Gauge by landing skills on foes, filling up three Harmony Orbs. Harmony Orbs can be used to cast Moonfall and Sunrise. These two Identity Skills do not have a cooldown.
- Moonfall - (Uses 2 Orbs) Strike the ground with a powerful stroke. Temporarily increase Outgoing Damage of all party members within 24 meters.
- Sunrise - (Uses 1 Orb) Focus energy and summon a Sun Marble at the target location within 10 meters, which recovers HP. Up to 3 Sun Marbles can be summoned at once, and each Sun Marble lasts for 60s.
CLASS ENGRAVINGS
As an Advanced Class, the Artist features two unique Class Engravings. Full Bloom improves her support capabilities, while Recurrence bolsters her offense.
FULL BLOOM
When casting Sunrise, the energy spreads to recover the HP of Party Members within 24 meters of the Artist and Sun Marble:
- Level 1 - Recovers up to 7% of the Artist's Max HP.
- Level 2 - Recovers up to 11% of the Artist's Max HP.
- Level 3 - Recovers up to 15% of the Artist's Max HP.
RECURRENCE
Upon using Moonfall or Sunrise, gain an effect that temporarily increases the Artist's Critical Hit Rate and Critical Damage:
- Level 1 - Increases Critical Hit Rate by 6% and Critical Damage by 20% for 60 seconds.
- Level 2 - Increases Critical Hit Rate by 9% and Critical Damage by 30% for 60 seconds.
- Level 3 - Increases Critical Hit Rate by 12% and Critical Damage by 40% for 60 seconds.
SKILLS
- Stroke: Ink Shower - Concentrate dimensional power into the brush and inflict Damage as you spread your energy.
- Stroke: Sprinkle - Concentrate dimensional energy into the brush and then inflict Damage to foes in a cone-shaped area up to 9 meters away.
- Stroke: Hopper - Ride the brush and bounce up, draw an arc, and then travel 6 meters. Inflicts Damage to foes around the landing spot before knocking them down. Can be used up to 3 times in a row.
- Stroke: One Stroke - Channel dimensional power into the brush and unleash it 12 meters forward to inflict Damage and knock down foes.
- Stroke: Upward Stroke - Lunge 2 meters in the target direction and draw a large circle to inflict Damage and send foes airborne. This skill can be used twice in a row.
- Paint: Inkrise - Summon an ink swamp within 12 meters of the target location that lasts for 4s. Targets in the swamp receive Damage every 0.5s and suffer Move Speed reduction for 2s.
- Paint: Butterfly Dream - Draw orchids and butterflies that inflict Damage to foes up to 8 meters ahead of you. After the butterflies fly forward to inflict Damage, draw orchids and butterflies a second time to deal the same amount of Damage again.
- Paint: Drawing Orchids - Unfold a 14-meter-long Artist's Scroll in front of you and push foes back with Damage, then inflict Damage every 0.5s a total of 6 times.
- Paint: Pouncing Tiger - Summon a black tiger with the dimensional energy imbued in the ink to inflict Damage and knock foes down.
- Paint: Moonsketch - Make a drawing on the ground at the target location within 12 meters for 2s, that unleashes an explosion to inflict Damage and lift foes into the air.
- Paint: Starry Night - Concentrate dimensional power into the brush to change the space and inflict Damage every second for 0.6s on foes within a 6-meter radius up to 5 times.
- Paint: Door of Illusion - Create a dimensional opening at the target location within 12 meters to teleport one party member to your location. The dimensional opening lasts for 10s, allowing party members to interact with it and travel as far as 32 meters. The transported party member generates a shield that absorbs Damage for 6s.
- Paint: Ink Well - Leap and smash the ground with the brush for Damage, then create a puddle of ink that lasts for 3.5s. The ink puddle inflicts Damage over 12 hits, then launches foes in the air upon expiration, dealing additional Damage.
- Paint: Sun Well - Create an Artist's Scroll at the target location within 10 meters. The Artist's Scroll lasts 4s, inflicting Damage every 0.5s. Instantly recovers partial MP for all party members within 24m.
- Paint: Crane Wing - Draw and summon a crane that attacks foes.
- Paint: Sunsketch - Gather dimensional energy into the brush and inflict Damage to nearby foes. Incoming Damage is reduced for all party members within 24 meters.
AWAKENING SKILLS
Masterwork: Spectacle - Summon an 8-meter-wide Artist's Scroll and start drawing to deal Damage 5 times. Any foes caught in the attack are then lifted into the air for additional Damage and inflicted with critical resistance reduction and movement speed reduction.
Masterwork: Efflorescence - Levitate in the swirl of flower petals and inflict Damage to foes within 24 meters. Grant a shield (absorbs Damage) to every ally within range. The Artist also gains 2 Harmony Orbs upon use.
PROGRESSION EVENTS
The following Punika Powerpass, Hyper Express Plus, and Story Express progression events will all run from March 15 to June 14. Unlike prior progression events, this update’s character designation and mission periods are the same.
PUNIKA POWERPASS
Players will receive a Punika Powerpass after completing Punika's quest “Berver's Friend” during, or before, the event period. The Punika Powerpass will function like the North Vern Powerpasses available to players in the launch version of Lost Ark— once you’ve completed the storyline through that continent, you can use it to bring an alternate character to that point in the game. With this version of the Punika Powerpass, you'll receive Item Level 1340 gear.
HYPER EXPRESS PLUS
Pairing well with the Punika Powerpass, players will be able to designate one character between item Level 1340 and 1445 on their roster to participate in the Hyper Express Plus Event, where they’ll earn honing materials to quickly level up to Item Level 1445 and beyond. The designated character will earn rewards every 15 Item Levels up to 1445, including a wealth of Silver, honing materials, Gems, Engravings, and even a Legendary Card Selection Pack!
ENGRAVING SUPPORT SYSTEM
As a new feature available with the Hyper Express Plus, the Engraving Support system lets players choose 4 engravings to be in effect at level 3 during the event. Here’s how to get started:
- After selecting a Hyper Express Plus character, the Engraving Support button will light up.
- Click the Engraving Support button to open the Engraving Support page and select your 4 desired Engravings.
- Press the Activate Engraving Support button to start using their effects.
The effects of Engraving Support will also be shown in your Character Profile.
STORY EXPRESS
Clear story missions to level up a character from Item level 1 to Item level 1340 and earn rewards like Item Level 1340 Argos Legendary Gear that will help you progress even further. With progression to Item Level 1340, the Story Express event also sets you up to take advantage of Hyper Express Plus and more easily get any new character up to Item Level 1445.
Any character that has not yet completed the ‘On the Border’ quest from Rethamis can become a designated Story Express character. Select Story Express Character through the ‘Event Quest’ window and clear story missions for valuable progression materials. Story completion rewards include Crystalline Aura (14 days), Epic Class Engraving Recipe Selection Pouch, Epic Combat Engraving Recipe Selection Pouch, and additional honing materials. Skipped quests via a Powerpass or Knowledge Transfer will not offer Story Express completion rewards.
You can only have one designated Story Express character per account. If you delete your Story Express character, you will not be able to designate another one.
NEW & RETURNING LOG-IN BONUSES
This upgraded log-in reward track will support new and returning players with 15 days of rewards to help kickstart their journey through Arkesia. It includes new and improved bonuses including Engraving Recipe Selection Chests (Uncommon to Legendary), a variety of Honing Material Selection Chests, Pheons, and a Legendary - Epic Card Pack.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Artist and the progression events aren’t all we have planned for the March Update— the 48v48 PvP Tulubik Battlefield releases along with quality of life updates, balance changes, new events, cosmetics, and the third Ark Pass! Stay tuned to PlayLostArk.com and our social media channels for the full list of updates in next week's Release Notes. Until then, we'll see you in Arkesia.