[MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

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Skinypupy
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

Rolled a new toon (Sorceress) and played up to level 17 tonight. While my general opinion of the game being rather soulless and dull hasn't changed much, playing a more interesting class certainly helped make it a little better. Combat has become far more interesting now, and tossing around multiple elemental AOE spells is really fun.

It feels like the Tera had a baby with Diablo 3. The graphical style, the generic plot, the bajillion currencies and upgrade systems like Tera, but with the ARPG gameplay of D3. I don't know that's a winning combo long term, but I think it's interesting enough to stick with for a bit.
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Baroquen
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Baroquen »

Exodor wrote: Fri Feb 11, 2022 11:27 pm
Baroquen wrote: Fri Feb 11, 2022 10:34 pm Got online but Ladon was busy for me too.
I saw on Qt3 that the lock has been lifted - you should be able to create a character on Ladon now.
I checked early this morning (hopefully before the masses awoke) and while it was no longer marked "Busy", it still didn't let me create characters there. I'll try again for the heck of it. Thanks for letting me know.

EDIT: Yep. Realms are open, and I was able to create a character. Thanks!
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by YellowKing »

Can someone PM me guild password? For some reason I can't figure out how to get back into the Wanderers Discord. Thanks!
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Sudy »

The main guild may be full. The password is the same for the 2nd/alt guild and pinned on the Discord if you have access. I'm away from my PC but can nab it for you soon.

Edit: PMd

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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

Apparently everyone’s playing it. Lost Ark sets concurrent player record on Steam. 1.3 million… :shock:
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Sudy »

I wonder how much it being F2P has to do with that. Either its F2P system really is that good, or new players won't figure out it's not for a while. I hope it sends a message to MMOGs currently in development.


I think I'm ready to give up on this one. Despite promises of visually spectacular and more challenging content later on, I don't think I have it in me to get there. They should have led with more interesting stuff. One Steam review really clicked for me... this feels like a mobile game. At least, the early portion of the game does to me. I know its systems go far beyond on that, but the starting quests and combat are pretty much just "click to progress". And I know you could reduce many MMORPGs and ARPGs to that statement, but there's a level of simplification here that's off-putting. The systems have depth, but the content doesn't.

I don't mean to stick around in this thread and be negative. I'm really scratching my head over why I'm having such difficulty progressing. I want so much to be experiencing this with everyone. But it just hasn't hooked me the same way so many popular MMOGs and ARPGs have. Or maybe it's just where my head's at in my personal life right now. I could play New World for 12 hours a day, but Lost Ark I can't lift a finger for. I know the number of systems hasn't helped my interest level. There are already a lot of players deeply invested in endgame prep, and while I can avoid engaging with their posts and videos etc., it's still incredibly overwhelming. Part of that's because a version of the game's been out for a couple years, of course. But I can't imagine wading through infodumps of this sort for a classic MMORPG.

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Daehawk
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Daehawk »

I wonder why they made all the menus and stuff feel lagged? The game play is fine...but go to open the inv or go to options you have this 1 sec pause that makes it feel like its lagged when it isn't. Strange decision.

The view is kinda far away and ..well weird. It looks or feels...weird. Dont know what else to say.

And why start you out with so many powerful skills and on the keyboard keys instead of the number keys at the top like Diablo?..Its hard to manage,. I wonder if a controller would be better or worse.
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Baroquen
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Baroquen »

Well I'm enjoying my second character more than last evening's initial play session. It's not great but it's free, and I generally like MMOs. The biggest thing that will keep me from playing is that I'm enjoying other games more. But definitely liking it more than before.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by coopasonic »

Hit level 41 this morning. Steams says I've played 18.2 hours. I guess I will finish leveling up and by that time the new Horizon Zero Dawn game should be out and I'll be jumping over to that. When I started Ladon wasn't available and I didn't feel like restarting. The game picked up for me when I really figured out the skills. Apparently the Shadowhunter is one of the few classes where the basic attack is actually kind of useful so I wasn't really getting into my skills. If you don't use skills the gauge doesn't fill so you can't go all demon-y on stuff. The game went from pretty dull to fun if a bit too easy once I picked some skills and leveled them up. It's not quite at the crazy mayhem level that Diablo 3 gets too, but it's reminiscent.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

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Sudy wrote: Sat Feb 12, 2022 6:08 pm I think I'm ready to give up on this one. Despite promises of visually spectacular and more challenging content later on, I don't think I have it in me to get there. They should have led with more interesting stuff.
That's about where I am with this one as well, will probably be setting it aside. I've played two classes (Berserker and Sorceress) and while Sorceress is more interesting, combat still isn't terribly compelling. I've played about 8 hours now, and while it does have some interesting set pieces and looks fantastic, I find all of the moment-to-moment gameplay between those cool events to be really dull.

I didn't even redeem my founders pack stuff, since they can only be activated on one toon per account (lame) and I wasn't sure which class I would land on. This may be something I come back to on a rainy day when I don't have anything else in particular to play, but there's too much other good stuff out there right now to play something that is generally 'meh'.
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YellowKing
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by YellowKing »

I'm still having fun with it but Horizon: Forbidden West is going to put EVERYTHING on hold. Even Witcher 3. Not enough hours in the day.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

YellowKing wrote: Mon Feb 14, 2022 2:13 pm I'm still having fun with it but Horizon: Forbidden West is going to put EVERYTHING on hold. Even Witcher 3. Not enough hours in the day.
I totally forgot that was coming out. I was hoping to wait to play it until I got a PS5, but the pull may be too strong (since it looks like that isn't happening anytime soon).
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rittchard
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by rittchard »

It's definitely not a game for everyone, but the good news is since it's free you can always come back any time you want.

I did realize something over the weekend that was kind of a bummer, not really a surprise but I noted the entire 20-ish hours I'd played I'd never just run into someone I knew, even though we hypothetically should all be around the same level/content. That was one of the nice things in New World, it actually felt like a real world where you'd run into familiar people in different towns or sometimes even in the middle of nowhere. This game, I believe, is very heavily instanced, so unless you are explicitly grouped you just don't end up seeing each other. In a game like Diablo or PoE, this really wouldn't be an issue so it really shouldn't be here either. I guess it depends on how much you wanted it to have strong social elements. I think ultimately it reminds me the most of GW2 - lots of different kinds of content but a lot of stuff instanced so everyone typically off doing their own thing.

If you are on the fence, I would still recommend playing up til the big set piece around level 29-30, and if that didn't excite you in the least, I doubt anything would turn it around. As mentioned before, I felt like it was worth playing the game just for that.

That said, the story elements and set pieces that follow are definitely not at the same standard. There's still some OK stuff but nothing that struck me as much. The good news is there are other systems that start to come into play, and in particular the Stronghold (your own island simulator) and the ship/sailing are both refreshing adds to the genre. There's also life skills/crafting if you are into that.

I definitely have my doubts on the longevity of this game for myself. It seems like the so-called endgame is just doing the same activities every day (very mobile game-y as mentioned) to push your gear score up so that you can do the next set of similar activities. I don't get the sense that there is much creativity in terms of items and skills and builds, more of just a series of gates to pass to get to the next gate(s). Now if the endgame activities are a lot of fun in and of themselves, that could work out fine, but if you didn't really get into the combat I could see it being a showstopper. I really like the combat so that may sustain my interest.

I also still want to make alts and fiddle with other classes, and hopefully get into some PvP. I am very curious to see what the 16v16 GvG is like, I imagine it will be a slaughter fest but who knows.

Sorry I realize I was a little all over the place. Hopefully I'll have some more coherent thoughts after another week or so.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Isgrimnur »

The wife gave it a couple hours and punched out due to high levels of bottom-shelf cheese.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by baelthazar »

Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:14 pm The wife gave it a couple hours and punched out due to high levels of bottom-shelf cheese.
I'm not sure what that means... but my immediate thought was that it has a lot of fan-service posterior shots.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by coopasonic »

baelthazar wrote: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:28 pm
Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:14 pm The wife gave it a couple hours and punched out due to high levels of bottom-shelf cheese.
I'm not sure what that means... but my immediate thought was that it has a lot of fan-service posterior shots.
Not that I noticed, and actually apparently the western release has a lot less skin (and more diversity) than the eastern version.

Cheesiest stuff about the game is the story and voice acting.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

baelthazar wrote: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:28 pm
Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Feb 14, 2022 9:14 pm The wife gave it a couple hours and punched out due to high levels of bottom-shelf cheese.
I'm not sure what that means... but my immediate thought was that it has a lot of fan-service posterior shots.
Not anything gratuitous, but lots of the typical "bikini armor" that are a staple of Eastern MMOs.

I would guess that "bottom-shelf cheese" refers to the really, really terrible voice acting and quest design.
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YellowKing
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by YellowKing »

This game might be the first time I've been seriously annoyed with the lack of female clothing. My character (who has legs for miles) has been running around in Daisy Dukes and little else the entire game. I know I'm getting old because I find it less titillating and more wondering how the poor girl isn't catching cold running through the snow in that get-up.

It's also the first time I've felt rather embarrassed for my own avatar. Here she is talking to kings and court officials wearing an outfit that would make a stripper blush. Every time I found leg armor I was praying it wasn't more micro-shorts.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Sudy »

It's embarrassing, and there have been articles on Kotaku and Rock Paper Shotgun. But this is an issue that doesn't change until the average gamer cares about it. In the west, that change has already been happening over the past decade or more. In Korea where this game was developed I don't know enough about the culture. But whatever they "censored" or changed isn't enough. Let porn be porn, dating simulators be dating simulators, and games about killing demons (or whatever this is) be games about killing demons. It just doesn't feel inclusive.

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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Reemul »

This a nightmare if you are EU based. 5000+ queues for all servers or just cannot connect messages all evening. I can play 45 mins before work in the morning but no chance in the evening. Apparently there is going to be a brand new central eu server set up but no transfers so that would mean starting over again and the founders stuff is not transferable either.

I am enjoying the game but....
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Malificent »

It's funny, all my gaming feeds seem to have at least one article talking about how boring/unoriginal Lost Ark is and how that it isn't really for the author. But for me, this is a perfect fit. I'm a former WoW player who always bailed at max level -1/2 because I had no interest in doing massive raids. I also love Diablo style combat and Lost Ark's combat is interesting for me because it is Diablo designed to make you feel epic by killing hordes (rather than single monsters).

Lost Ark is technically an ancient MMO, which works well for me. I can stream to my work computer during lunch and get an hour play in, which I certainly couldn't do with a modern engine. Everything is pretty well polished and the early grinding has been super accelerated. I made "max level" at 50 in 3.5 full days by doing nothing but main quests (and the cute little 15 sec side quests that sit right next to the main quests). I'm 2 arks out of 7 along in the main quest, so I have tons of main storyline to play if I want. Or...

1. I can grind if I want, run through Chaos Dungeons (fight hordes) or Guardian Raids (single boss monsters) both of which can be run both joint or solo.
2. I can wander around in my ship and see cool stuff. The other day I wandered on to a random small island where I transformed into a tiny rock creature and helped a bunch of them start up a festival. Part of that quest had an interesting/weird mini game involved with it.
3. I can satisfy the completionist in me and go looking for the stuff in each continent to fill my adventurer's tome or look for all of the various collectibles they have available.
4. I can do the mining/foraging/excavating thing and craft stuff to use
5. I can build up my stronghold and make it look amazing.

And there's more stuff I haven't gotten to it. Lost Ark certainly isn't original in mechanics. All of these things have been done before. Lost Ark just wants to give you ALL OF THE THINGS in one package, which works for me. I can do some lightweight stuff in the lunch hour and then play some more intensive combat stuff in the evening.

This is definitely not for everyone and god, I wish they would give my player some pants. But it fits for me and since I'm the most important person, that makes me happy. ;)
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by coopasonic »

Reemul wrote: Wed Feb 16, 2022 1:06 pm This a nightmare if you are EU based. 5000+ queues for all servers or just cannot connect messages all evening.
I've never seen a queue and have played every day since release. Good to be in the US I guess?
Malificent wrote: Wed Feb 16, 2022 2:42 pm It's funny, all my gaming feeds seem to have at least one article talking about how boring/unoriginal Lost Ark is and how that it isn't really for the author. But for me, this is a perfect fit. I'm a former WoW player who always bailed at max level -1/2 because I had no interest in doing massive raids. I also love Diablo style combat and Lost Ark's combat is interesting for me because it is Diablo designed to make you feel epic by killing hordes (rather than single monsters).
I am still playing it but honestly not sure why. The combat feels pretty brain dead. Avoid the red circles, hurt the boss. Every time I boot it up I think I should just reinstall Diablo 3. Very similar but D3 does it all better. t was free so totally worth the price of admission, just not worth my time as soon as any other game hits my plate.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Malificent »

coopasonic wrote: Wed Feb 16, 2022 3:16 pm I am still playing it but honestly not sure why. The combat feels pretty brain dead. Avoid the red circles, hurt the boss.
For me, at this point in my life, that's a feature, not a bug. I challenge my brain through board games. I want my video game to be mindless fun. At least for right now.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Fretmute »

coopasonic wrote:
baelthazar wrote: Tue Feb 15, 2022 4:28 pm Cheesiest stuff about the game is the story and voice acting.
Yeah, they definitely spent top dime on the voice actors.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Daehawk »

Im giving Lost Ark another try. Im trying to teach myself to play using my new controller. It IS easier with a controller than the keyboard but there are still SO many buttons and button combos its a nightmare. But better. Im actually playing instead of wondering what Im doing. I still cant seem to get some stuff easy to use and tap buttons on the keyboard at times. This game is very very button happy. Ive never liked that in a game but Im trying.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by rittchard »

I think Malificent's post above is the most solid review of Lost Ark from a more or less "casual" player's point of view. That would be how I'd sum up my positive viewpoints.

On the negative side, though, as I continue through the game, there are times the game can feel like a never-ending and very mechanical grind. I don't necessarily view "grind" as a bad thing all the time, as I find repetitive gameplay can often be relaxing if it is done right. But here it has an odd unnatural feel to it, in spite of all the fun gaming options you have at your disposal. Like Mal said, taking your boat and just sailing around and discovering new locations could be a game in and of itself. Ditto to the stronghold and crafting aspects.

A lot of the problem is just me; I wish I could turn off the OCD part of my brain and just kind of let myself play in a more natural flow. Instead, it almost feels like work: I have to do xx and yy at least twice every day, collect this, donate here, go there, then login with my alt and do the same thing. Please note you don't actually HAVE to do these things, but my personality makes me prone to want to do things efficiently and support guild progress, so that OCD part of me makes me feel like if I don't do all the things I am letting myself down.

Ultimately the game can come across as an infinite grindfest. Post 50 you are required to get to gear level XXX before you can progress the story. Certain content doesn't become available until you increase your gear level. I think the idea is to keep having intermediate unlocks to push you forward and keep you motivated to get to the next thing. Increasing your gear level isn't too difficult a process, but as mentioned above can feel like a very mechanical process. Once you get to XXX, you are treated to the next chapter in the story, which is fairly rewarding, but once that is done you are again put into a section of "upgrade gear level" to get to YYY, which is of course made more difficult and time consuming. This kind of content gating is one of my least favorite things in all MMORPGs, and this game is filled with it. I guess thus far they have made the gates fairly achievable, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to hit one soon that I completely lose patience with.

Negative comments aside, this game really does have a lot of fun elements to it (again I refer to Mal's post above). But I think you need a particular mindset (and/or a ton of free time) to really enjoy them properly.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Malificent »

rittchard wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 1:49 pm A lot of the problem is just me; I wish I could turn off the OCD part of my brain and just kind of let myself play in a more natural flow. Instead, it almost feels like work: I have to do xx and yy at least twice every day, collect this, donate here, go there, then login with my alt and do the same thing. Please note you don't actually HAVE to do these things, but my personality makes me prone to want to do things efficiently and support guild progress, so that OCD part of me makes me feel like if I don't do all the things I am letting myself down.
I do have to fight that aspect of myself - well, I got to go do Una's tasks, and get my crafting in and build up my stronghold, etc etc. Next thing you know it's a job. But I eased up when I realized it was very similar to me feeling like I was getting behind on watching TV or playing board games (or insert content stream of choice). I think it was Yellowking who said he treated it like a library - you wouldn't feel bad that you couldn't read ALL the books, so you just enjoy what you're in the mood for.

So I try and make myself remember that for this. I'm never going to do everything in this game. It's too much. So I'll do whatever I feel like at the time and rent an activity from the library of Lost Ark. I spent my lunch break today filling slots for one of my Adventurer's Tomes by buying a bunch of bread crumbs and turning them into a Donut Maiden. It was mindless and what I needed. But if I felt like I had to do it, it would certainly sour me on the whole thing.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by rittchard »

Malificent wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 5:12 pm
rittchard wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 1:49 pm A lot of the problem is just me; I wish I could turn off the OCD part of my brain and just kind of let myself play in a more natural flow. Instead, it almost feels like work: I have to do xx and yy at least twice every day, collect this, donate here, go there, then login with my alt and do the same thing. Please note you don't actually HAVE to do these things, but my personality makes me prone to want to do things efficiently and support guild progress, so that OCD part of me makes me feel like if I don't do all the things I am letting myself down.
I do have to fight that aspect of myself - well, I got to go do Una's tasks, and get my crafting in and build up my stronghold, etc etc. Next thing you know it's a job. But I eased up when I realized it was very similar to me feeling like I was getting behind on watching TV or playing board games (or insert content stream of choice). I think it was Yellowking who said he treated it like a library - you wouldn't feel bad that you couldn't read ALL the books, so you just enjoy what you're in the mood for.

So I try and make myself remember that for this. I'm never going to do everything in this game. It's too much. So I'll do whatever I feel like at the time and rent an activity from the library of Lost Ark. I spent my lunch break today filling slots for one of my Adventurer's Tomes by buying a bunch of bread crumbs and turning them into a Donut Maiden. It was mindless and what I needed. But if I felt like I had to do it, it would certainly sour me on the whole thing.
I absolutely LOVE your attitude towards this Mal!!!! I need to get my head into that zen space :P. Yesterday I was running around trying to get more materials for gear upgrading, which led me to an island where the quest was to help a loser dude get a date. Honestly it was a really fun moment and I loved it. Another island was filled with super cute pandas. This game has so many of these little hidden gems but I don't know if I'd ever see them if someone didn't specifically point me to them.
Last edited by rittchard on Fri Feb 25, 2022 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by coopasonic »

I'm logging in for like 5 minutes a day to get the daily login bonus, send out my ship and start some research. I have no idea why I keep doing that since I am not actually playing the game at all and really don't see myself playing it for real. I guess I just want those daily login bonuses I will never need or use.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

I went back to this after finishing Witcher 3, mainly because I've got a week until the next game I want to play comes out. It has kinda started to click now, and I ended up spending 3-4 hours with it tonight. I'm understanding the flow of things a bit better, which has certainly helped.

Doubt it's something I'll stick with long term, but I don't actively dislike it as I did before. How's that for a glowing endorsement? :lol:
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Exodor »

I hit 50 but because I did so many side quests the end-game content didn't open up to me - I still have to grind through more story missions before I get access. It's kind of killed my motivation to play. I'm still logging in daily to get the login bonus and contribute to the guild.
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Sudy »

TheLazyPeon posted a glowing post-50 review video that almost makes me want to try it again, but I just know I'd never make it there.
Last edited by Sudy on Sat Feb 26, 2022 11:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

Sudy wrote: Sat Feb 26, 2022 11:40 pm TheLazyPeon posted a glowing post-50 review video that almost makes me want to try it again, but I just know I'll never make it there.
His reviews are what convinced me to give it another shot.
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Sudy
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Sudy »

Hmm. The thing is, I feel like maybe if I just switched classes. But I don't want to play as far as I did again.

Some of those sorceress abilities look like a lot of fun.

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Skinypupy
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

Sudy wrote: Sat Feb 26, 2022 11:42 pm
Some of those sorceress abilities look like a lot of fun.
I found the Sorceress to be overly fiddly, and actually went back to the Berzerker.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
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Skinypupy
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

Got to the “Helm’s Deep” mission this afternoon, which is one of the most eye-popping and intense sequences I’ve ever seen in all my years of gaming. Truly brilliant.

I’m actually somewhat amazed at how the game has turned around over the past 6-8 hours. The questing doesn’t feel as mindless, there have been a number of very fun dungeons and set pieces, and even the story has become infinitely more interesting. I’m starting to get quite hooked, and haven’t even gotten to the bulk of the “good stuff” yet (just unlocked the castle at level 28).

Frontloading all of the boring, mindless, laughably bad slog for the first 4-6 hours is certainly…a design choice. :?
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
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Skinypupy
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

Did another major dungeon last night and got my first Ark. I'll give Lost Ark full credit...what it does well, it does very, very well. The set pieces in this game are truly magnificent, and are an absolute blast to play. When you're mowing through hundreds of mobs on a rain-soaked battlefield, or battling a demon that takes up half the screen while the castle crumbles around you, it is honestly breathtaking. They absolutely nail those bits.

Unfortunately, everything in between them is still mindless grind. After a very rousing couple of hours as I headed to Luterra Castle, the quests have defaulted back to boring fetch or kill X quests that I barely even bother to skim.

It also feels like they dump way too much on you once you hit the Castle. You get absolutely bombarded with text dump explanations for about 20 different complex systems and multiple new currencies and timers, none of which I really understand. I still have no idea how the whole etching...nodes...enchanting thing works with the stones and have just been randomly clicking on stuff to see what happens. It all makes very little sense. I am finally starting to piece together the Stronghold stuff, although it seems like mostly uninteresting busywork to me.

My guess is that I'll likely play to end game and mess around with some of the cool stuff there for a bit, then be done with it. Certainly feel like I got my money's worth after a terrible start, but I don't think the end-game grind will be particularly interesting. I just hit 34, so we'll see how this week progresses.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
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Daehawk
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Daehawk »

I wish all the npcs wouldn't just stand around moaning and sighing all the time. They sound like a pack of zombies or something. Its very annoying trying to do quests or talk to other npcs quest people or simply stand there the whole while these npcs are moaning and sighing away . Stupid sound clip.
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Skinypupy
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

After bouncing hard off New World, I decided to revisit Lost Ark. I couldn't remember any of the mechanics or systems, so I just started fresh on a new server. It's been quite fun, and I'm reminded of what a solid ARPG this one is. You can tell a ton of care went into creating the detail of the world, and it truly looks fantastic. The set pieces are just as fun the second time through, and they seem to have streamlined things a bit. It's taken me significantly less time to get through the "intro" (everything up to unlocking Luterra Castle)...first time took me around 15 hours, this time took me around 9. Most of that is probably because I'm now fine just skipping through all the dialog because I know the story is garbage.

The biggest problem is still the massive info and system dump it gives you the moment you hit Luterra Castle. It's still entirely overwhelming to have multiple systems, currencies, and options firehosed on you the moment you get there.

The other problem is that, as far as I can tell, the game is about 75% bots in the lower level areas. Nearly everyone has nonsense names of random letters like "Rewqyhico" or "Qncirlspdosngor", none of them ever assign a custom title, display a guild, use transmogs, have any custom pets or mounts (like you get from pack purchases or the store), never respond to any chat interaction, or display any other indications that they're actual players. I assume they're simply farming to get to max level and then do...whatever bots do. It's all a bit weird to have a bunch of people around, but knowing that none of them are actual players.

TL:DR - Still a pretty fun game hampered by excessive currencies and complicated RNG systems. I know the top tier endgame is P2W, but I'll never get far enough into it for that to be an issue.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
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Skinypupy
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Re: [MMORPG] Lost Ark Online

Post by Skinypupy »

Put about 35 hours into it this time around and got up to level 45 but I think I'm out. It's a beautiful game, but two things really bug me:

1. It's all bots. All of it. I landed in the main hub city in the third major zone today and just for kicks decided to count how many players I saw that were bots vs. actual players. The final tally after about 30 minutes was 42 bots...3 actual players (including me). I know it shouldn't bug me since I play mostly solo anyways, but it's just very weird and offputting. There's no chat at all, there's no interaction with other players (I have yet to see a single comment in zone chat), no one queues for dungeons, no one joins gathering nodes to do them faster, no one helps clear trash mobs or bosses (granted it's not really necessary)...it's simply bots as far as the eye can see.

2. Way too much RNG and way too many currencies. I'm 2/3 of the way through the leveling process and my inventory is about 2/3 full of currencies, trinkets, recipes, and other doodads that I honestly have absolutely zero clue what they do. Nor do I know where to go to find out. You'd think they would have at least given a hint by now. The few systems that are explained are done so incredibly poorly. For example, I've gone through the in-game tutorial twice, read all the item text, and even watched two "how to" YouTube videos on it and I still don't understand the engraving system at all.

The systems I do understand are mired in RNG that ends up feeling unlucky to the point of rigged. For example, you have to "facet" ability stones before you can use them. You get a specific number of attempts (with a decreasing success percentage chance each time), and if you get a specific number of successes it unlocks abilities on the stone. The number of successes to unlock the abilities is typically around half of the total attempts available (i.e. 8 successes in 15 attempts, 11 successes in 24 attempts, etc.). I've faceted over 30 stones, and every one of them has miraculously ended up just 1 success under the number required to unlock the ability. You can, of course, buy items in the shop which increase the percentage chance. :lol:

In short, cool game that is fun to play and looks amazing (honestly one of the most beautiful MMO's or ARPG's I've ever played) that is buried in bots, RNG, and incomprehensible nonsense. Shame, really.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
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