LOA ON Summer 2024 Summary

LOA ON is an event that takes place twice a year in Korea, where the director of Lost Ark and key members of the production team put on a showcase regarding past content, the state of development on previous promises, as well as the future direction and releases of the game. Without further ado, here's what happened at LOA ON on June 8th 2024!

Third Awakening System

Announced a long time ago, this system is meant to serve as both an improvement on Awakenings, as well as how your character's entire gearing process works. It requires a roster-wide quest in order to unlock, and it is split into two parts - Ultimate Skills & Ark Passives.

Ultimate Skills

Each class will receive Ultimate versions of their already existing two Awakening skills, significantly changing their power, effects, and animations. You will still have access to your regular Awakening skill, with the Ultimate version becoming available in the same skill slot when the conditions are met (conditions have not been shown yet).

Additionally, each class will receive between 2 - 3 Ultimate Skills, which are similar to your regular skills, but only one can be slotted in at a time, and they go into a new skill slot (default keybind T).

Ark Passives

This essentially replaces the entire current gearing process, and will be split into multiple layers to account for everything. You can freely swap between traditional gearing and Ark Passives at any given time, depending on preference and progress (similar to how Engraving Support works). Ark Passives are split into multiple tabs and effects, with available points mainly coming from new gear, as well as accessories:

The first tab deals with selecting Combat Stats (Crit, Swiftness, Specialization, etc.), Gear Set Effects (Nightmare, Hallucination, etc.), as well as other undisclosed effects. It has been mentioned that Gear Set Effects are slightly different from the current ones, but no specifics were given. The points for this tab come from your weapon & armors.

The second tab deals with effects that function as a replacement for your Class Engraving, as well as entirely new effects on the third and fourth rows. A given example was Gunlancer receiving a new Spacebar skill that moves them forward. Other potential effects may include identity skills for builds where the Class Engraving normally removes it. The points for this tab come from your accessories.

Although not talked about specifically, the third tab also provides combat bonuses and other effects to aid you in raids. The points for this tab come from your bracelet. There may be additional sources of points, but it has not been mentioned.

Progression System Changes

In order to alleviate the path for new players and alt characters, several progression systems will be nerfed. Although no specific values or changes were announced, here's a list of what will be touched upon:

• Traditional Honing
• Gear crafting costs
• Set level upgrade cost
• Elixirs
• Transcendence
• Combat XP (1.5x current ratio)

Solo Raids & Co-op Raid Changes

Solo Raids are meant as a way for newer players to deal with raid anxiety, providing them with an avenue to learn the game at their own pace. This will include solo versions of the following raids:

• Valtan
• Vykas
• Kakul-Saydon
• Brelshaza
• Kayangel
• Akkan
• Ivory Tower

These raids will share the same lock-out as their co-op version, as well as consuming one of your three weekly gold-earning activity counts.

Rewards

Regular drops, such as accessories and raid-specific materials, will be the same as the co-op version of the raid. The Gold reward will be lower, but in order to offset that, you will receive more bound honing materials from this version.

Buff System

In order to ensure fair participation in this kind of content for all classes and archetypes, a special set of buffs becomes available for Solo Raids. You can select one out of six different buffs to aid you in clearing. Out of these, two have been shown:

• No Witnesses: Causes all attacks to be registered as Back Attacks, regardless of where they landed.
• True Support: Massively increases damage dealt to targets affected by Brand skills.
  • Sword of Justice
  • Harp of Rhythm
  • Paint: Drawing Orchids
  • It is currently not clear exactly how this buff works. The actual effect might be somewhat different.

Raid Changes

On top of the Western nerfs to the Thaemine raid, KR will receive new specific nerfs:

• Gate 1 - The last phase can now be skipped by killing the boss before it happens.
• Gate 3 - The safe spot pattern at 225x and 55x HP bars will now have a guaranteed safe spot in all cardinal directions.
• Gate 3 - Clash will be made easier to interact with.

Gate 3 of Ivory Tower will be removed from both the co-op and solo versions.

Older content will receive Gold nerfs in order to combat inflation (this is relevant to KR and will likely reach the Western version much later).

New Horizontal Content

Music Box of Memories

The Music Box of Memories collectible will be expanded into its third part, where you will find out the true identity of Leviyan, the mechanical rabbit construct you've been delivering the Memory Orbs to. This chapter will also feature songs by a new and famous composer, although it was not specified who.

Additionally, the process of acquiring some Music Box collectibles will be made easier, with the given example of not having to visit Phantomwing Island multiple times anymore for Orb #2.

Crimson Maps

This is a new category of collectibles, and although no specific information has been provided, it was suggested that it expands upon the story of Pirate Lords.

Musical Performances

This is a new activity that allows you to pair up with other adventurers and play music together in main cities. There are likely no rewards associated with this, as it is meant to be a social feature.

Korean Summer Skins & Events

Mokoko Express

There will be a new edition of the Mokoko Express event, taking new characters to 1600. This will include a 1520 Powerpass, item level 1520 Brelshaza Gear (Level 2), and item level 1580 Akkan Gear (Level 3), eliminating the need for raids such as Kayangel and Akkan along the way and significantly hastening the process. Additionally, the selected character will instantly receive combat level 60, and further progression will be supported, with milestones up to 1610, 1620, and 1640.

Summer Event

The summer event in Korea is called Light Cast on the Abyss, and is meant to deliver on the promise of a more serious approach to the theme of events, to reflect the ongoing state of the world of Arkesia. No specific details have been provided.

Ark Pass

A new version of the Ark Pass will be released alongside other events.

Summer Skins

A new line of summer skins will be released.

North Kurzan

This continent expands the story of South Kurzan. After the defeat of Echidna and Behemoth, it leads up to the final battle of Chapter 1, against Kazeros himself!

After the main story is completed, the map of North Kurzan will become a warzone. This serves as a replacement for Chaos Dungeons. Similarly, it uses the Aura of Resonance system (and rest), but gives significantly higher rewards in a more engaging and open world type of content. There is only one daily entry instead of two.

Along with this continent, there will be a graphic update to the model of NPCs relevant to the main storyline, among which:

• Shandi
• Balthorr
• Sasha
• Inanna
• Madnick
• Bastian
• Wei

Kazeros Raids

Following the release of North Kurzan, two new Kazeros Raids will become available. Both raids measure two gates in length, and although the difficulty was not specified, they appear to be moderate.

The first raid features a rematch against Akkan, and a new and powerful opponent - Aegir, Ruler of the Abyss. The theme of this raid revolves around defending against the forces of Kazeros.

The second raid features a rematch against Brelshaza, who now wields ice magick, and a new and powerful opponent - Narock, Ruler of the Abyss. The theme of this raid revolves around going on the offensive against the forces of Kazeros.

The newly introduced Kazeros Raids will feature new Battle Items (similar to Ivory Tower's Gate 2). However, these items must be crafted by players and are not provided for free. It has been mentioned that they are more of a crutch while learning the raid, and will not be required once you become experienced.

Season 3 & Tier 4

Season 3

There was a brief passing through the history of Lost Ark. Season 1 featured Guardian Raids as end-game content and quickly became stale, failing to retain players. Season 2 was a significant improvement, with Abyssal Dungeons and Legion Raids as end-game content. However, the director and the development team acknowledge that there are several outdated systems and ideas about the current iteration of the game, and Season 2 has been going on for too long (4 years).

For these reasons, we will be making a transition into Season 3, overhauling and expanding several systems, as well as fixing some of the existing issues. The Combat Level cap will be raised from 60 to 70, and the Roster Level cap will be raised from 300 to 400. This also means the amount of available Skill Points will be increased, and potentially the maximum level of skills will be raised.

In order to help declutter the game, some old content will be removed:

• Rehearsal mode
  • Replaced by Solo Raids
• Thronespire
• Tuluvik Battlefield (Rowen)
• Chaos Line
• Guild vs Guild

Continuing this streamline process, some of the game's currencies will be unified:

• Stronghold Tokens
• Sea Coins
• Rehearsal Tickets

Additionally, it's been mentioned that Providence Stones have become somewhat irrelevant and underused, so new uses will eventually be found for them.

The guild system will receive an overhaul. It can now be managed at a roster-wide level, but you can still have other characters join different guilds. Bloodstone quests and other acquisition methods will be significantly improved. The community aspect of the guild system will also be complimented by new and improved features.

Stronghold menus will receive improvements, requiring fewer clicks to perform actions. Additionally, runes will now always be available at an NPC in the Market area, removing the need to wait for the right rotating merchant to spawn in your Port area.

A new pet feature will be introduced alongside Relic grade pets. Although it was not specified what this feature does, it was mentioned that it gives combat related effects, and multiple pets can be selected to form a Patrol, applying their combined effects to your entire Roster. Additionally, the option to remove pets from your Roster has been added.

Life Skills will be rebalanced, the aim being to increase the value of the ones that became irrelevant as the game progressed. Currently, Excavating is the top profession, and this update aims to bring the rest in line. Furthermore, tools with decent options will be easier to obtain, in order to lower the entry point to Life Skills.

An overhaul of PvP will also take place. The Free for All and Co-op modes will be removed, and a 1v1 mode will be added. The need to maintain your Competitive Mode rank will be removed, and rewards will be granted the moment you reach a new rank, instead of having to wait for the end of the season.

In order to alleviate progression for newer players, a new breakpoint has been added at 24 awakenings to relevant card sets (only Light of Salvation showcased). New card sets have also been mentioned, essentially providing the same value as Light of Salvation, but converting your damage to different elemental attributes in order to better accommodate content that features weaknesses to those elements. These sets should not feature new cards, instead being made up of existing cards, but this is subject to change.

Acknowledging how valuable existing Ability Stones with high nodes are for players, additional effects have been added to Combat Engravings, based on the amount of successful nodes your Ability Stone holds. This effect only applies when using Ark Passives, and changes at 6, 7, 9, and 10 nodes. Although they still grant a damage increase, the value of a 9/7 or higher Ability Stone is lower in this system than it is in traditional gearing, compared to a 7/7.

For the detrimental effect lines, they are likely to activate Level 1, 2, and 3 at 6, 8, and 10 nodes respectively.

Relic Engraving Books will be added to the game, raising the maximum setup limit to six full engravings. Also, in the Ark Passives system, Engravings function a bit different. The given example used Grudge:

• Rare - Grants you the base engraving value (+12%)
• Epic - Grants you extra effects with every 5 books you read (+0.75/1.5/2.25/3%)
• Legendary - Grants you extra effects with every 5 books you read (+0.75/1.5/2.25/3%)
• Relic - Grants you extra effects with every 5 books you read (+0.75/1.5/2.25/3%)
• Additional effects are available based on Ability Stone nodes (+3/3.75/5.25/6%)

Effectively, this means you must acquire Engraving books for all the Combat Engravings you want to use in the Ark Passives system. Class Engravings do not follow this model, since they are included in the second tab of this system. All currently learned Engravings will carry over.

The new Vision Rune will also become available, providing +10% Cast Speed and +20% Stagger to the skill it's attributed to. It is unclear whether this is the only new rune, but there are likely to be more introduced later.

The current limit of 18 enhanced Tripods will be removed, instead applying the maximum level available for that Tripod when you select it.

Chaos Dungeons and Guardian Raids can now be in progress while you are in a lobby in Party Finder. New mouse cursor options and new damage number options will also become available.

There will now be a permanent Engraving Support applied to all characters in Tier 3 (exact copy of the current Express Event version, which can be toggled on or off). Bound Level 5 Gems can be obtained after clearing Punika's Main Story Quest, and Bound Level 7 Gems can be obtained after further clearing the storyline (exact point unspecified). Accessories can also be bought from the same merchant.

Among other changes, all early guide systems will be improved, in order for new players to have a better experience, marked by significantly less confusion. A new combat system will be added, called "Just Guard". This system functions like a parry, and is similar to Counter mechanics. It aims to allow you to deflect specific attacks by pressing G (default key) at the right time, and will be added retroactively in most content.

Improvements to Combat Engravings have been mentioned, specifically to Ambush Master and Master Brawler, as well as aiming to make underused engravings more popular. No further details have been given.

Tier 4

Season 3 will also bring Tier 4 with it. Unlike previous Tier jumps, there will be no hard reset this time. Instead, most of your gear will be transferrable to Tier 4 equivalents, gaining or losing minor amounts of power along the way. Overall, your character's power should be around the same level as before transitioning, but significantly more will become available to unlock.

Fort Khnuart will become available. This is a new area accessible at item level 1620, where you can transfer your Tier 3 gear into Tier 4, as well as obtain new items.

Current Akkan Gear can be converted into Tier 4 Relic Gear (capped at +20) at item level 1620, instantly jumping to item level 1640. Ancient Tier 4 Gear (capped at +25) will be obtainable at a later point.

In order to improve the visual readability of your gear, Elixirs and Transcendence will no longer be attached to gear, and can be accessed via a separate menu. Additionally, a Glow Library will be added, allowing you to display any previously unlocked Weapon Glow, regardless of whether you've passed that enhancement level already (e.g. you can have a +25 weapon, displaying a +22 glow).

Gear quality capacity has been raised from 100 to 120, and it appears to use a new type of materials. Additionally, a pity system has been added, where after a number of unsuccessful attempts, the next one is guaranteed to pass. Both of these changes only apply to Tier 4 Gear.

A new upgrade system is introduced, which functions somewhat like honing for accessories. Although not confirmed or denied, there appears to be no RNG involved in the success chance of enhancements, and it has been confirmed that these items are tradeable at all times, regardless of the enhancement level. This system will provide your character with Vitality, STR/DEX/INT, and new random combat effects.

New Tier 4 Gems will be introduced, featuring higher values than their Tier 3 counterparts. Current gems can be transferred to Tier 4 at a minor downgrade - Tier 3 Level 10 has been shown to be converted into Tier 4 Level 8. However, thanks to the increased values of Tier 4 Gems, the actual change in power is minor. Based on the presented image, derived values are as follows:

• Tier 4 Level 9 Damage Gem: +40% Damage, +9% Support Skill Efficiency, +1% Attack Power
• Tier 4 Level 8 Damage Gem: +36% Damage, +8% Support Skill Efficiency, +0.8% Attack Power
• Tier 4 Level 9 Cooldown Gem: +22% Cooldown Reduction, +1% Attack Power
• Tier 4 Level 8 Cooldown Gem: +20% Cooldown Reduction, +0.8% Attack Power
• Tier 4 Level 7 Cooldown Gem: +18% Cooldown Reduction, +0.6% Attack Power

Additionally, Damage Gems now feature unique effects applied to support classes. The shown example is a +8% increase to Stroke: Hopper's Shielding from a Level 8 Gem. Similarly, all gems now feature an additive increase to your base Attack Power.

Since the Combat Level cap was raised to 70, Tier 3 bracelets will have reduced efficiency. For this reason, new Tier 4 bracelets will be introduced alongside significant improvements to how they function, as well as new effects. Instead of being forced to roll away lines, they will now be stored into bracelet-specific history, which then allows you to choose the desired line from all outcomes rolled on that line, on that bracelet. It is uncertain whether you can repeat this choosing process at any time or if you are only allowed to pick once at the end.

For Sidereal Weapons, a new Elgic Infusion will become available, with enhancements to +9 and +10 coming at a later date.