Heroes of Arkesia,
Earlier this month we shared a first look at our upcoming roadmap and plans to release the next evolution of Lost Ark in the shape of Tier 4, along with new raids and many other key updates. Today, we have a few key updates to that plan. From thousands of lines of text in our supported languages to the accompanying voice lines, there’s a lot that goes into preparing major updates for their release into Arkesia’s Western shores. We’ve hit a small delay in our localization timeline, but we’re excited to share an update to the plan that we built in collaboration with Smilegate RPG during our recent trip to Korea, which factors in player feedback we’ve seen since announcing the roadmap.
If you’ve been playing recently, you probably noticed that the Super Mokoko Express (and other key events) are set to draw to a close on September 25, and likely had a suspicion that was the planned release date for Tier 4. You would’ve been correct, and we’re going to use that date as a reference point for the updated plan. With that context, let’s take a look at the updated plan for September and October.
September Update
Behemoth Raid - September 11
With a limited pool of revives available, prepare for mayhem as you attempt to fell the enormous dragon and earn Gold, honing materials, and Weapon Transcendence materials. We will release the 16-player Behemoth raid earlier than planned (in Tier 3) and reduce the Item Level requirement to 1620, allowing you to get a head start on the characters you plan on bringing to Tier 4. Behemoth will drop Tier 3 honing materials upon its release.
Releasing Behemoth in Tier 3 will allow players additional time to work on Weapon Transcendence and have a new challenge to undertake before the vast amount of new experiences arriving in Tier 4. Additionally, when Tier 4 drops, players will be able to focus on completing North Kurzan and familiarizing themselves with the massive amount of new content, which we think will be a better overall experience for the Lost Ark community.
Along with Behemoth, Arktoberfest will return and grant you with important progression materials items such as Oreha Fusion materials, Transcendence Restoration tickets, and Elixirs (potent), along with a few seasonal themed items. Arktoberfest Event Coins will be earnable through normal daily activities— so we hope this event continues to help you prepare for Tier 4 without requiring additional steps.
October Updates
October will feature two updates, planned to release two weeks apart. The current progression events will be updated to end with the release of the first update on October 9, instead of the current September 25 date.
Tier 4 Release - October 9
Tier 4’s release will be delayed by two weeks to ensure our localization teams are able to fully translate the new stories and systems in all of our supported languages. While we know that the two-week delay will be disappointing for those already prepared to experience new adventures in Tier 4, we hope that having additional time battling Behemoth to earn Weapon Transcendence materials, two extra weeks of Gold income, and additional time to complete the progression events will help the majority of players feel better prepared for their journey into Tier 4.
Apart from Behemoth, everything announced for the September Update will now release on October 9.
We’ve also decided to rename “Express Servers” to Ignite Servers to avoid confusion with Super Mokoko Express passes, which will continue to be a recurring system in Lost Ark. Our goal with these servers are to ignite the spark of new players and give them the tools needed to join the fight against Kazeros quickly. We are preparing a new system on ignite servers that will make it easier for players to get familiar with the game and efficiently grow in power, before moving their character off ignite and into a legacy server. This system will be brand new to Lost Ark and first introduced in the NA/EU version of the game before anywhere else. Heading toward the release of Ignite Servers we’ll share more information on the events and user experience— we’re still working to ensure that these servers include everything a new or returning player will need to prepare for battle, and the specifics may change.
Aegir Raid - October 16
Aegir will be the next Kazeros Raid, releasing a week after Tier 4. This 2-gate Raid will require players to face off against dangerous threats, with Akkan returning for a fight in the first Gate, and Aegir appearing as your foe in the second Gate. The Aegir Raid will reward players Tier 4 Ancient Gear, which can be honed further than Relic gear to help activate the Ark Passive system.
We will be monitoring player progression as we approach October, and may release Aegir on October 23 depending on the progression status of end-game players. We know that this date is important to many of you, and will share a confirmation ahead of time.
Looking Ahead
Before Behemoth arrives, we still plan to introduce nerfs to Akkan, Thaemine, and Echidna on August 28 (the first of which snuck into the August Update build). Additionally, we know there are still many conversations in the community around the recent changes to bound gold and progression systems such as Elixirs and Transcendence. We are continuing to monitor feedback and data surrounding the recent updates to all of these systems, and will work to bring any changes announced in Korea as soon as possible.
Our team is also working on some other long-term projects we’re excited to share more detail about in the coming months, such as releasing the API for the Western version of Lost Ark— something we know players have long been wondering about. We are also investigating an update to ensure that player progression is not locked behind completing the Hard version of a raid for certain types of progression systems. While the additional challenge should provide additional rewards, we also want to ensure players are still able to progress through systems if they are able to vanquish the normal version of a raid.
Our teams at Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG are dedicated to continually improving the experience in Arkesia, and appreciate both the feedback and support we’ve seen from the Lost Ark community. Have feedback for our teams? Let us know in the Official Lost Ark Discord, our social channels such as X, or stay on the lookout for surveys. Many recent adjustments and some of the changes detailed in this plan are directly influenced from recent feedback threads and surveys. If you have ideas, make sure to participate in the conversation and Lost Ark community!
We can’t wait for the stories, challenges, and more that await this fall with the arrival of Behemoth, North Kurzan, Tier 4, Aegir, and more. In the meantime, we’ll see you in Arkesia, preparing for the adventures to come.