Lost Ark has earned a reputation for mixing World of Warcraft’s MMO systems and Diablo’s gameplay. If you’ve played the beginning of the game, then you’ll get flashes of Diablo’s brilliant ARPG mechanics. This is where Lost Ark’s endgame earns its good name.
The endgame in Lost Ark is a vastly different experience from grinding through the main story. In fact, they almost feel like two totally different games. Early levels in Lost Ark play like a game in its adolescence – it’s moody, it’s trying to figure out what it wants to be, and it isn’t sure how to do it. In comparison, Lost Ark’s endgame knows that it wants to be a fun game. It loses the heavy mood from its previous section and finds meaning for itself by creating several different game modes that any player can enjoy.
Let’s dive deeper into Lost Ark’s endgame and see what it has to offer.
Cross-Server Friendship is Magic
Entry into the continent of Vern signals the moment players have officially stepped into the endgame. At this point, players are no longer as bound to the main story as they were previously and are given new ways to enjoy the game.
For a start, you can finally play with your friends on other servers . Before this point, you could only play with friends on the same server. Now, you’ll have access to cross-server game modes so you can play with all of your friends.
At Vern, you’ll have access to Chaos Dungeons, Guardian Raids, Cube, and Abyss Dungeons. Each of these modes has a small introduction quest that players have to do first, but once that’s done then you’re free to play them as much as you want.
Chaos Dungeons are similar to Diablo’s Greater Rifts in that you’ll be thrown into a map packed to the brim with enemies and expected to blast through them all. Each run in the Chaos Dungeon scratches the same itch as late-game Diablo in that your character will be mowing down dozens of enemies at a time with each ability cast. Out of all the modes, this one is the most relaxing. Just put some music, click through enemies, and collect your shiny new loot.
Guardian Raids play like a quest from Monster Hunter – players track a large monster on the map then work together to slay it. This mode will usually require more coordination from you and your party because of how punishing mistakes can be. Players will be limited on the potions they can use, so too many mistakes will result in a faint.
The Guardians themselves are also terrifying creatures that will telegraph their biggest attacks and introduce unique mechanics for the players to juggle. One Guardian may blind players, while another will create orbs that players must work together to destroy or else the Guardian will consume it and get permanent buffs.
Cube feels like it was inspired by the recent surge in roguelike games. Players can earn tickets to enter the Cube through farming the other modes. Once in the cube, you’ll battle your way through different floors that each have a random modifier and a different layout of enemies. Some floors may increase everyone’s crit damage and throw a bunch of suiciding enemies at you, while another floor will cut everyone’s health by 75% and may only have ranged enemies to fight. Whenever you conquer a floor, your party’s rewards get better and there’s no punishment for failing.
Abyss Dungeons are harder versions of the regular Dungeons that were introduced in the campaign. These dungeons feel more like streamlined versions of traditional raids in other MMOs. They strike a great balance between Chaos Dungeons’ break-neck pace and the Guardian Raid’s focus on just bosses.
Players fight their way through the teeming hordes of monsters in the dungeon before fighting a boss at the end. These bosses will sometimes have “wipe” mechanics – mechanics that will kill everyone in your party if you don’t stop the boss – so your raid party has to be aware of how to prevent the attack when they face off against any of the bosses in this game mode.
Endless Choices
But what if you’re looking for something less stressful and more chill? Lost Ark’s endgame still has you covered.
If you’re in the mood to just hop into the game with friends and relax, then you can sail the world together and explore islands. Each island offers a new experience, unique loot, and unique quest chains. One island will have you help a small child dress like a turtle, while another island will become a bloodbath through a PvP free-for-all mode. Some islands will also rotate based on time, so the experience and what islands are available to you will keep changing.
When all else fails, there’s still plenty of story to complete. At the time that you’ve reached Vern, your character will have only collected three out of the seven Arks needed to save the world of Arkesia. Progressing through the story will also help unlock more gear, more quests, and eventually send you to new continents.
Failing all of this, if you prefer to just relax and get to know the characters in the game, then Lost Ark has an entire rapport system with its NPCs. You can give gifts to them, talk to them and get personal quests from them.
Be aware that exploring islands, completing the story, and building rapport with the NPCs are not cross-server and can only be done with your friends on the same server.
Regardless, Lost Ark’s endgame has a little bit of something for everyone, though you may find yourself wishing that some of this stuff cropped up much sooner to break up the early-game grind.
Want more content to grind through? Check out the Best Roguelite Games RANKED, or the Best Vampire Games To Sink Your Teeth Into.
