Just like in any MMORPG in Lost Ark item quality is a very important key to success in all activities. Getting to know what quality means on each of your equipment pieces and how that affects your character is crucial. As one of the driving forces behind players’ will to grind, items play an important role in the economy of the game as well. Everyone that has played Word of Warcraft knows how good it feels to get a unique or very rare item. That thrill is something wonderful and a big part of why many players farm for dozens of hours for loot.
However, a big part of the loot grind is knowing what you will get and how good that really is. For most MMORPG fans the enjoyment comes from anticipating how high their stats will get to witnessing it on the charts. To understand how important Lost Ark item quality really is let’s first learn a little about the game. Then let’s see what really makes an amazing piece of gear in this fantastic game.
Lost Ark – Quick Introduction
Lost Ark is one of the more recent MMORPGs to hit the gaming world and has had a massive impact on it. Only a few titles have managed to captivate such a large audience upon release. The game developed by Smilegate RPG quickly became a sensation with its stunning visuals, immersive gameplay, and epic storytelling. Lost Ark perfectly blends action-packed combat with deep exploration in its rich and detailed world. The seemingly endless landscape grants players a sense of freedom through this unforgettable gaming experience. The game’s reputation before its release led to an astonishing number of players eagerly queuing to be among the first in servers. This excitement from players quickly created a loyal and dedicated fanbase that to this day plays the game. Even a year after the game’s release to America and Europe it is growing in popularity.
The game is set in the fictional world of Arkesia, a story-rich realm full of ancient secrets and menacing creatures. The plot focuses on the fabled Ark, a mythical artifact capable of granting immense power to those who possess it. In the story, the Ark is shattered into many fragments and scattered across the land. It falls upon the players to gather set fragments and keep them away from the wrong hands. Players have a few classes to choose from, each unique and suited for a particular play style. No matter if you prefer to be the powerful Warrior, the swift and agile Assassin, the powerful Mage, or even the healing Bard, there is a class for everyone. As you progress through the game your options expand as you unlock advanced classes that further enhance your character’s abilities.
But what would the classes be without a good combat system, luckily this is one of the defying traits of Lost Ark. The game features a fast-paced and engaging combat system that weaves in melee and ranged attacks. Each combo is devastating and gives players a sense of accomplishment. To pair with it their items impact the damage and speed of each attack and ability thrown out. Lost Ark’s combat is fluid and satisfying, which when paired with its responsive controls gives a lot of room for skill expression. Because of this, there is an intense PvP culture that lets players fight it out to see who is the very best.
The Visuals and Gameplay Loop
The combat and story are not the only highlights of Lost Ark, they are simply what players see at first. Lost Ark is visually stunning and so is every area players explore and fight in. From the lush forests and sprawling cities down to the deep dungeons. Each area perfectly depicts the atmosphere and its enemies match the theme. As you travel through Arkesia you will always be surprised by each intriguing encounter. The world truly is alive, full of side quests and secret treasures waiting to be claimed.
The gameplay loop is enhanced thanks to the robust social experience. Each player is encouraged to work with friends or random adventurers. Whether you are doing a dangerous dungeon or going into PvP you never have to do it alone. All this paired with an amazing community truly makes the game shine even more. Thanks to the flexible party system you don’t even have to struggle to join your friends as it is a seamless experience.
Lost Ark does not shy away from the endgame and side content, in fact, full of it. There are many compelling mini-games, crafting systems, and even player housing players can dive into. But most importantly the late-game dungeons offer great rewards and give a satisfying challenge for all. As time goes on we will only see more new content and things to do come to the game. So what are you waiting for, try the game out it cant hurt, especially since it is completely free.
How important is Item Quality in Lost Ark?
One of the most important characteristics of items in Lost Ark is their quality. Lost Ark item quality is present on all armor, weapons, and even jewelry. The item level is the first component and determines its basic stats, which is quite important. At first, you may think only this is important but really you should be looking at the quality as well. Item quality ranges from 1 to 100 and makes a shocking difference.
Let’s say we have two identical weapons and both are stage 302 with the exact same rarity and tier. Even if they are on paper the same item quality can make one much better than the other. In just a difference from 38 quality to 43 the bonus damage goes from 1.14% to 1.29%. This is a lot for just a measly 5 Lost Ark item quality point difference. In extreme cases, some weapons with a high or perfect item quality can be better than those of a higher stage than them.
However, jewelry does kind of have a unique standing when it comes to quality. This is because each piece of jewelry has some engraving. Because of this the inscription on your jewelry completely alters its initial impression, so keep an eye out.
Is Gear Quality Important?
Lost Ark item quality is extremely important as it will not only increase your character’s stats but also give bonus effects. Each piece of gear has a unique bonus it gets from item quality. Depending on the item here are the effects you may encounter:
- A bonus to damage based on weapon quality
- The two types of defense, magical and physical, along with vitality are all impacted by armor quality.
- Many different stats are given a bonus by wearing jewelry including rings, earrings, and necklaces. The only examples here are critical hit, specialization, and swiftness.
Many newcomers think they can simply get an item’s quality up to 100 by improving it. This is a common misconception with honing. Honing simply increases an item’s level but it can never affect an item’s quality. This is quite good still since if you have gotten a lucky roll on a piece of gear you can keep using it. Simply hone it if it is lacking behind your other gear until you get something better.
The best way to get endgame gear is to do Abyss Dungeons, Chaos Dungeons, and Guardian Raids. This is all very difficult content that you may struggle to do, especially at first. Do remember that you can go in with friends to make the process a little bit easier. If you are just starting out and new to Vern Castle don’t worry a great deal about the quality of your possessions. But if you do manage to get a drop with high Lost Ark item quality, make sure to keep it on you.
How do You Get More Stats
Stats are a very important part of your character and are essential to your power and effectiveness in battles. There are many ways to obtain more stats within the game some of the most popular ones are:
- Leveling up: Simply by going through the game you will gain experience points and level your character up. With each level, you will get stat points to allocate. This is one of the two main ways you will get your stats, especially in the early stages of the game.
- Gear and Equipment: Equipping high-stage gear is the second easiest way to get more stats on your character. Each piece of gear will grant bonuses to various attributes such as attack, power, critical hit chance, and of course defense.
- Enhancements and Upgrades: Once you have reached max level and have a good set of armor the next step is enchantments and upgrades. Enchanting allows you to add bonuses to your gear such as more damage or defense. While upgrading gear will simply increase its base stats of it. To do this you must use specific resources gathered from quests or dungeons.
- Skill Points: Skill points are vital to a character’s strength. Not only because they grant you your abilities but they also allow you to upgrade them.
- Attribute points: Similar to Skill points, Attribute points allow players to specialize their characters even further. These points can be used to enhance any basic attribute of a character to fit your playstyle.
- Astral Core System: Finally, the Astral Core System is Lost Ark’s last way to improve your character. Astral Cores are special gems that can be slotted into your gear. Each core will provide additional bonuses to its corresponding statistic. These are the most impactful and last upgrades you will make to your character.
Conclusion
The Lost Ark item quality system is very good as it gives players a clear goal to aim for. Apart from it, there are also many other ways to improve your strengths which is great. Mainly because it reduces the amount of luck required to become strong within the game. While it is ideal to have all 100 quality gear you truly don’t need it unless you are doing the hardest content in the game. Players can slowly reach perfect gear by strategically investing in stats and utilizing other methods to gain strength. All while farming for their ideal armor sets through the many dungeons available.
