​Lost Ark's Art of War Update Leaves a Lot to Be Desired

Apr-05-2023

Lost Ark got a major content update earlier this month and presented a new class, PvP updates, events, and a brand-new season pass. The 'Art of War' is supposed to be one of the three major updates coming to the game this year. Raid content is also coming in April, so there's a lot to be amped up for.


The new Artist advanced class is fantastic to play around with and more support classes are always welcome. They are essential to endgame content and finding sufficient party utility can be troublesome. The Arkesia Grand Prix is also a part of this patch and it's fun to get into in the event that you didn't get to attempt it when it made its first appearance.


While most of the update has been fun, the introduction of the Tulubik Battlefield is something I was greatly amped up for and things and it really didn't live up to my assumptions. A lot of work needs to go into the PvP mode for it to be fun.


The Artist is an Interesting and Fun Class


The Artist is a new advanced class that feels like a really engaging version of Bard and it is a blast to play. The class revolves around generating personality and Harmony orbs. You can use your Sunrise and Moonfall orbs to heal or increase damage. While the class is a lot of fun to play and you can keep your teammates alive through a lot of damage, the parties you end up with dictate your experience.


Countless players actively run from your defensive skills, and it becomes annoying to safeguard everyone. DPS players running from their support is a pain I've developed to accept in MMORPGs as well as in other genres of games as well, yet it is infuriating nonetheless.


In terms of mechanics, Artist is fairly fun and the hitboxes of the Artist's abilities are exceptionally generous. You can also cleanse debuffs, shield allies, buff their damage, and significantly more. The healing orbs feel fantastic to use and it could take a couple of additional days to completely master the rotations for the class, yet it most certainly gets a thumbs up from my end as a Bard player. The only issue I have with the class is when everyone is too scattered around, making your unit wasteful at supporting your teammates.


Tulubik Battlefield Needs Immediate Attention


I was advertised for the new Realm vs Realm mode and after waiting for the update to drop, I was sorely disappointed. I'm sure not everyone will have the same experience as me, however I can barely at any point track down a full game after the first week.


I expected legendary 48v48 combat with objective-based gameplay. In any event, when I really do get into Friend Games, it is usually with unbalanced team sizes where one team totally rolls over the other side. There is no equalized gear system so in the event that you don't have some top-level PvP sets, you won't have a great time assuming that you go facing decked-out opponents.


Summoners also feel unimaginably oppressive in the game mode and while Tulubik probably won't be the primary focus of the developers, I trust it gets some attention because realm vs realm combat can be a lot of fun.


Friends have started bringing up that the Korean servers stopped caring about Rowen long ago and the sentiment is slowly being shared by the global server players as well. On the off chance that you're able to find an adequate number of players on your server, it very well may be a fun easily overlooked detail to do on the side during your Lost Ark adventures however I continue to face the dreaded "Fail to start Friend Match" screen.


Going by how the Korean servers have totally abandoned Rowen in general, I fear that the global servers could suffer the same fate. Society Wars 2 has gotten its real combat down to a science and while it probably won't be great, it's one of the most fun activities I've encountered in a MMORPG. Lost Ark's Tulubik Battlefield certainly has potential and I trust Smilegate improves it or works on a more refined encounter in an alternate mode.


A New Battle Pass


The battle pass system has been done to death in games and a lot of games are taking care of business. While the "value" of a battle pass is subjective from one player to another, I feel the Ark Pass does a fairly respectable work. The free track gives you all the standard stuff including shards, silver, honing materials, Legendary Card Packs, Sparkling Coins, and more.


Season 3's Ark Pass should merit your consideration only in the event that you are searching for honing materials. You really want to spend 1,500 Royal Crystals for the Top notch Pass which is worth about $15 USD. Are the honing materials worth the effort? You essentially get twofold the honing materials compared to what the free track offers. On the off chance that you are a regular player, it very well may merit your consideration.


The Super Exceptional Ark Pass cosmetics for Season 3 are also very decent and assuming that you are into cosmetics, it is something you can investigate. Nothing has changed about the game's monetization through the battle pass, and Season 3 continues the pattern of offering a fairly respectable battle pass system.


My Thoughts on the Art of War Update


The Art of War update is fairly enjoyable yet it missed the mark concerning my expectations solely because of the Tulubik Battlefield. I trust the mode gets some affection to fix its issues as the idea of a realm vs realm mode is appealing to me as a previous Organization Wars 2 player and I very appreciate Lost Ark's combat.


In the event that you are not a Lost Ark veteran, I strongly suggest looking at the Art of War update for the Story Express, Hyper Express Plus 2, and the Punka Powerpass, all of which can help you progress rapidly and catch up to other players ahead of the forthcoming raid content. Veteran players can anticipate Brelshaza Hard Mode and the Hanumatan Guardian Raid, the two of which are scheduled for an April release.


The main Lost Ark Gold of the game is very versatile, you can use them to trade with other players.  If you have not yet encountered a suitable website, you can try P2Pah. Many experienced players will choose to buy Lost Ark Gold from their website.