Lost Ark, a new free to play MMORPG from Smilegate RPG and Amazon, has finally arrived, and the first question we ask ourselves is, which class to choose in Lost Ark? Undoubtedly, its wide variety of playable styles will have put or will put in a bind those adventurers who are going to create their first character before enjoying Arkesia.
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This video game has a very balanced class system so that there is no class that stands out too much over others. All of them have their pros and cons, but even so, it is not easy to choose one. Your play style will be the one that decides for you and if you do not have it clear we propose the following complete guide with all the 15 possible classes to create your first character in Lost Ark:
How do the classes work in Lost Ark?
Lost Ark shares a base with titles such as the well-known World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV, among others, but applied to a game style that is similar to franchises like Diablo or Path of Exile. This feature makes Smilegate RPG's work feel different on the battlefield and affects the way the classes behave.
To begin with, there is no famous Trinity feature, or what is the same, defensive, healing, and damage classes. In Lost Ark all classes are able to do damage, only one is able to withstand a little more assaults and two with healing capabilities. However, it does not work like any other MMORPG, so you have to adapt a little to this new mechanic so little established in the genre
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This particular gameplay system offers a number of positive aspects that few people think of when they think about it. On the one hand, it forces the player to take care of their own life, pay for their bad decisions and mark a turning point in the encounters that take place in Lost Ark. On the other hand, it gets the healing and tanking classes out of trouble in most situations and gets the player to adopt a more committed stance to the game. Therefore, skills and potions will be the best allies of all characters in Lost Ark.
There are five different class archetypes which already gives us a clue that in Lost Ark everything is quite different; Warrior, Martial Artist, Gunner, Mage and Assassin. Each archetype has two or more specializations available and this is when the doubt about which class to choose in Lost Ark begins to overwhelm us.
As we have already mentioned, no matter which class you choose, your character will be valid for any content in the game and will be up to the expectations of the group. Among the community, especially those who have been playing the game since its first release in Korea, it has become fashionable to elaborate Tier lists (a kind of list where the classes are listed from best to worst) with the most suitable classes for PvE and PvP, but the truth is that this is only valid if you want to squeeze the maximum potential of each class. And even so, there are too many variants to be taken literally, since the classes are very well balanced.
Certainly, there are classes such as Paladin, Bard or Gunlancer, support classes, which are not as suitable for applying damage to enemies, but that is because their role in the battle is almost as important or more important as that of those who are experts in reducing the life of their opponents to a minimum.
Class considerations in Lost Ark
Before choosing a class in Lost Ark, we must look for ourselves. The most important thing is to feel comfortable with the character we are going to play with and that is decided by our play style. Smilegate and Amazon's RPG game archetypes are distributed between two play styles: melee or ranged. If you like to feel the breath of your enemy in your neck, it is best to choose a melee archetype, but if you dislike this, the archetypes with a ranged attack will be your best choice.
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Warriors, martial artists and assassins are those who can attack melee while gunners and mages will attack from a distance. And yet, both can interchange their positions depending on the specialization you choose. This is the case, for example, of the Paladin. This specialization is very versatile as it can attack melee, execute flashes of light from a distance or help the group with shields, extra power or healing.
Last but not least is the gender restriction in their classes. That is to say, each class is associated with the male or female gender, so if you plan to use a Paladin to travel around Arkesia, you should know that it can only be male. If, on the other hand, you plan to cast magic spells, the female gender will be chosen for this class. These restrictions are typical of Korea that we have already seen in other titles such as TERA. We present you the complete description of all the classes to choose your character in Lost Ark with their pros and cons:
Lost Ark Warrior Class
The Warrior archetype has three specializations, each different from the previous one. Among its ranks are the Berserker, Paladin and Gunlancer. Choosing one of these specializations is perhaps the most advisable option for any player since all three are very important in Lost Ark.
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The Berserker specialization is the one that in any other MMORPG we would commonly label as warrior, since it carries a large sword with which it delivers powerful attacks. It is perhaps the most brutal class of Lost Ark and a regular in the aforementioned lists for its skills to quickly lower the opponent's life. However, it is not an easy class to get the most out of due to its slow attacks and its wide selection of attacks and possible combinations.
The Paladin is one of the best classes in the game and one of the most used by players. His versatility is key as he can deal moderate damage to enemies, perform small heals to the party, boost party characteristics and has both ranged and melee attacks. It is a somewhat squishy class at the start and compared to its Gunlancer or Berserker companions, it falls on the battlefield more easily. Advancing through the 50 levels available in the game, his defense will be greatly strengthened, although he will not be more resistant than the rest.
The Gunlancer is the only class that can withstand the attack of a large number of enemies. Its shield, armor and skills make this class be classified more as a tank than as an enforcer. It has protection skills for the group, a hook to draw the attention of the enemies and others to cause great damage. Even so, it is not a class that enemies should tremble for since it is one of the least damaging, but on the other hand and together with the Berserker, it is still at the top of the lists due to its skills to withstand damage.
Lost Ark Martial Artist Class
Under this archetype, there are four specializations or classes similar to each other but each with distinct abilities: Striker, Wardancer, Scrapper and Soulfist. To put a recognizable simile, they would be like a typical monk class, as in Diablo III, which uses its fists to apply damage to its opponents.
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The Striker and the Wardancer are two classes very similar to each other. Both have devastating power that they draw from the strength of their fists, which allows them to execute elemental damage with some of their abilities when they have the required energy. They share some abilities but also have their own. They are fast, highly mobile classes, with the ability to change direction in the middle of the battle and their gameplay requires them to execute combos at all times.On the downside, there is their lack of defensive skills and how soft they are in combat, which makes them prone to die easily if we don't get used to their peculiar style.
The Scrapper is the slowest specialization of the Martial Artist branch, although she still uses her fists to destroy her enemies. Its slowness is compensated by a higher attack power than the rest of its archetype and it is also the most fun to play thanks to its identity system, the indicator that appears in the center of the skill bar. It requires some skill to use this class because you must work out the balance of its two powers to get the most out of its potential, but it is nevertheless a very viable class for all types of content in Lost Ark.
The last specialization of the Martial Artist is the Soulfist, a class with very few followers but with a potential that makes it an option focused on the most courageous or those looking for challenges. Its identity system is somewhat complex to use and requires to be very attentive to their skills to master it completely. Unlike the rest of its branch, it is very capable of executing hits from a distance thanks to its spiritual or melee powers and, therefore, very suitable for both PvE and PvP. It is not the most recommended specialization for novice players, but if you like challenges, it may be the best option.
Lost Ark Gunner Class
The Gunner archetype is focused on ranged damage through the use of firearms. In it we find the Gunslinger, Artillerist, Deadeye and Sharpshooter, and as with the Martial Artist, the Gunslinger and the Deadeye share both the gameplay and most of their skills. They are classes that deal great damage to enemies, with brutal critical values and greater survivability than the Martial Artist, although they are just as weak when it comes to taking hits.
The Gunslinger and the Deadeye use three firearms; shotgun, double pistols and sniper rifle. These are classes in which you should study well the skills associated with their weapons to know at what point you have to change your identity style, linked to the type of weapon you want to use. The shotgun does decent damage at close range, the double pistols are the basic weapon of both with more skills and serve for short-medium distance, while the sniper rifle is the most powerful weapon and is used, thanks to its laser sight, to attack from far behind the roar of battle. This feature allows them to attack from different distances but also makes them, together with the Spirit Fist, a difficult class to master.
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The Artillerist would be the Berserker specialization of the Gunner; an untamed beast dealing damage to enemies. This powerful class is capable of destroying enemy defenses with its complete arsenal composed of missiles, cannons, turrets, flamethrowers or laser beams. Its counterpoint? Its mobility is null. It is a class that needs to stay still to blow up everything in its path and the skills that allow the Artillerist to move force him to do it very slowly. On top of that, its weapons need to load slowly before pressing the fire button so it is not very viable for PvP. However, it is a simple devastating and highly recommended class if you don't want to complicate your head with rotations, positioning or mobility.
The case of the Sharpshooter is quite curious because he doesn't actually use the rifle that gives the class its name or a weapon that resembles it, but a bow. It is the typical hunter class of any MMORPG, only that it also works well at close range. It is a class that stands out for its sustained damage, unlike the Artillerist, which does most of its damage at the beginning of the battle. His skills allow him to regularly summon a hawk that harasses the enemies causing more than remarkable damage. He is fast, capable in PvE and PvP terrain and very fun to play.
Lost Ark Mage Class
This archetype is, along with the Warrior, one of the most interesting archetypes. It includes two powerful specializations that are also very popular in Lost Ark; the Bard and the Sorceress. And if we go further, the most important specialization of the game or, at least, the most demanded.
That privilege is held by the Bard, a support, damage and healing class that is vital for high-level content. The Bard, while attacking his enemies with more than decent damage, although lower than other classes, is able to apply damage to enemies, boost his party's characteristics and heal them quickly. The difference between the Bard and the Paladin is that the former heals faster than the latter, fills its identity gauge more easily and has more mobility. On the other hand, the Paladin heals more but needs more time to be effective, applies damage to the enemy more easily and has a higher damage. It is a support class and although it can perform healing tasks, do not expect the classic healer of other games. Here, she only supports -save the redundancy- the group to make the job a little lighter. And yes, she attacks with a harp that emits somewhat annoying musical notes that not many players can tolerate.
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The Sorceress is the most classic specialization of all existing in Lost Ark since it is the typical magical class classified as Mage in most MMORPGs. You can expect from her a massive power of destruction, aggressive both in area and to a single enemy and a staging of skills worthy of the best pyrotechnic festival. Despite being very easy to use and highly recommended for newcomers to the genre, its life drops shockingly if we are not skilled at dodging punches. Fortunately, it is very agile, has several dashes or dodge moves and a shield that cushions the damage.
Lost Ark Assassin Class
The last archetype features a very agile and fast Deathblade class and a powerful Shadowhunter. Both, with the power of darkness, are capable of inflicting large amounts of damage in a short time with very different styles from each other.
The Shadowhunter, for example, carries two boomerang swords that allow her to be lethal at short and medium distances. As if that wasn't enough, she is able to transform into a demon thanks to her skills, which gives her not only great damage but also good resistance to the damage she receives. Unfortunately, she is slower than usual and we must measure our movements well to get the most out of her.
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The Deathblade is the complete opposite. It is ranked as one of the fastest classes in the game and is able to stun enemies in multiple ways while applying damage over time. She uses three swords to do so and her versatility is such that she has skills for everything; escape, survival, trait boosting or raw damage. At the same time, she can be fearsome in both PvP combat against PvE content.
What is the best class in Lost Ark?
As we mentioned before, all the classes are fairly well balanced, so there is no one class whose characteristics stand out above the others. The play style and the player's own experience are what will determine which is the best class to create a character in Lost Ark.
Class recommendations for beginners in Lost Ark
If this is your first time in this type of videogame and you don't want too many complications, there are several specializations that may be to your liking. The most recommended are Berserker, Sorceress, Artillerist or Paladin. This last one requires more attention at maximum level but thanks to its versatility it is an all-rounder and its learning curve is quite comprehensive.
Class recommendations for advanced students in Lost Ark
If you are an expert player in the MMORPG and ARPG genre you can use this to your advantage to create a fun class, such as anyone attached to the Gunner or Martial Artist archetype. Both have very agile and fun classes, a bit more complex to master and with a good repertoire of spectacular skills. Although they are valid for both contents, you can find in them a little more fun (due to their speed) in the player vs. player arena, where they can crush their opponents in a flash.
However, no matter which one you choose, you can be sure that all Lost Ark classes are valid for any content, whether in a group or alone. All of them are fun to handle, have a great balance and stand out in points where others fail.
