Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG responded to mounting concerns on the state of Lost Ark by addressing the ‘pay-to-win’ Argos raid along with the MMO’s massive bot spam problems.
The devs admitted they mistakenly added content in the Lost Ark March patch update that proved to be too advanced for the amount of material that was currently injected into the game. This, along with the studio’s constant struggle with spam bots, made it increasingly difficult for players to proceed in the game, according to the devs.
Moreover, the team is looking to make up for lost ground by fast-tracking the release of new skins and classes for players to sink their teeth into.
From fixing Lost Ark’s crippled economy to bridging the gap between mid-game and late-game progression, there’s a lot coming to the MMO in the next week.
Lost Ark progression and new classes
The Lost Ark developers made an error when it launched the Argos Abyss Raid. They believed more players would have reached, or be near to, item level 1370 must faster.
As T3 materials became scarce and players continued to explore T1 & T2 content, there was a spike in the difficulty that “made Lost Ark feel pay-to-win,” AGS said.
To get players back on track, AGS will prioritize introducing more materials to progress as well as increase the rate of bringing new classes and skins to the game.
Lost Ark bot spam
The Lost Ark economy and material availability were tanked due to an influx of bot accounts taking up gold and resources as well as “overlooked variables” like cash transactions.
The devs have banned over 1 million bots ahead of today’s announcement, and they plan to double down on the work that still needs to take place.
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To combat bots, AGS is going to take a two-pronged approach by continuing its massive ban waves while also giving players a chance to earn a higher volume of progression material through events as well as distributing more gold later in the game.
Lost Ark honing material update
Lost Ark players have felt the shortage of T3 progression materials and the devs are going to directly improve that with ample amounts of chances to earn more honing mats.
“Casual” Event Guardian Raids will give players a chance to farm honing materials and get more reps in for players who want to grind with their parties.
Meanwhile, the Grand Prix will now be able to reward Tailoring and Metallurgy Books for people to strive for better overall honing rates.
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Lost Ark PVP will compensate players with a lot more rewards when Season 1 of Competitive Proving Grounds launches next week. AGS and Smilegate RPG hope this will be another huge avenue for players to explore when farming honing materials and progression items.
Lost Ark free gifts
AGS and SGRPG know they have ground to make up after frustration in the Lost Ark community built up. As such, the devs are giving away loads of gifts including skins, Legendary Card Packs, and more.
Starting on March 21, players will find everything from new Mokokon cosmetics to animal skins available free of charge.
Lost Ark players are already appreciating the transparency from the devs as the team targets the game’s biggest problems months after its western launch.