Hugely Popular Korean MMORPG Lost Ark is Finally Sailing to Our Shores This Fall

If you’re into your MMOs, then you’ve likely heard of Lost Ark. Developed by Smilegate RPG, the game is a huge success in its native Korea, and has betas live in Japan and Russia. But the game has never officially been released outside of those countries. That all changes this Fall courtesy of Amazon Games, and here’s the announcement trailer to prove it:

Lost Ark‘s official North American and European release was one of Summer Game Fest’s biggest surprises, and it’s a pretty big deal. The game already has a player base at just under 1.75 million! I’m not sure I can manage another MMO right now, but from the beautiful visuals to the Diablo-like gameplay, I’m extremely intrigued. Especially because it’s free-to-play! So you can explore the world of Arkesia at your own will!

Arkesia is a huge world with seven continents to explore, and the aim of the game is to explore and seek out treasure. But with Kazeros and the demon legion returning, years after being defeated by the powerful relic known as the Ark, it’s up to you to save this world while looting for treasure and trawling through dungeons.

In Lost Ark, you get the chance to mold your character into a specific class, each with a distinct look and feel to them. There are five classes to start off with, and as a ninja and machinist main in RPGFan’s favourite MMO, the gunner and assassin classes are looking mighty tempting. What’s especially fascinating about these classes is that each has multiple different advanced classes that you can branch out into. A bard, for instance, falls under the mage class, and the deadeye falls under the gunner class. There are fourteen of these advanced classes to try out, so there’s no shortage of playstyles to experiment with.

Really, the biggest draw for me (other than dressing up my MMO avatar in ridiculous costumes) is the combat, and it looks seamless in the trailer. You can see characters expertly dodging attacks and parties syncronising to maximise damage flawlessly. It looks chaotic and exciting in the best possible way. Seeing how classes work together, and how flexible the skill customisation will be in-game will define just how great the combat is. From these early impressions, and videos online, I’m impressed.

There’s so much to unpack, as with any new MMORPG, but you can check out Lost Ark‘s website for a really in-depth look at what the game will offer when it launches later this year. There’s a closed beta test going on right now, so we’ll surely hear more soon on the release schedule. Let’s hope it doesn’t have to compete with a particular expansion that also launches towards the end of the year.

Lost Ark‘s Steam page is also live with some additional details, and more screens and gifs to really grab your attention. The minute we hear more about a release schedule, we’ll let you know when you can really start planning your next MMO character.