Since Amazon Game Studios' New World took the MMO genre by storm with innovative concepts, many have also kept an eye on Lost Ark, a Korean MMORPG that was published in its original market in 2019. The game has since been in the works for a worldwide adaptation, published by Amazon Game Studios, and a technical beta is in place that will end November 11. Lost Ark is also considered an ARPG at its core, meant to rival games like Path of Exile and the Diablo series while dabbling in typical MMO elements.
Despite Lost Ark not being a new game, many were keen to participate in the beta from Tripod Studios to see what all the hype around the MMORPG was about. There are many similarities to and differences from comparable titles, and when combined they make for compelling gameplay with interesting concepts. Even though Lost Ark is still a few months away from being fully released worldwide, it's likely a good chunk of what is seen in the technical beta will make it to the final game, which means it's a good time to compare its direction with that of other ARPGs and MMOs.
Lost Ark Compared to ARPGs and MMOs
One of the most striking similarities between Lost Ark and games like Path of Exile is its setting, which features several demonic enemies to fight with all means necessary. The isometric view is also a big giveaway for its ARPG influences, as well as the fact it comes with plenty of loot that allows players to progress their characters. Skill progression is more similar to games like Diablo 2 and Last Epoch, in which players can dedicate points to upgrade their abilities and change them to something slightly different, whereas Path of Exile is more focused on a general Passive Tree and Gem Links to customize builds.
ARPGs tend to be either single-player experiences or feature some form of party play when it comes to harder content. Lost Ark is more an MMO than it is an ARPG in this regard, as the game is built to make players run into other people as they go through each area of the game - not only in social areas like cities and settlements. Another major difference from classic ARPGs is that Lost Ark doesn't have procedurally-generated maps, rather players can traverse every zone in the game knowing it will have a pre-set path to progress.
Enemies also don't respawn as they would in ARPGs, where players often reload a specific area and it fills again. Rather, the respawn rate in Lost Ark is more similar to that of games like New World, in which killing an enemy means that players will have to wait a certain amount of time for it to respawn. Lost Ark's MMO origins can be seen in how many classes are available for players to choose from, with customization options and the ability to make stunning characters that can't always be appreciated in full detail because of the isometric view.
Lastly, as far as the actual gameplay goes, Lost Ark is defined by the presence of multiple skill bars that allow players to juggle between various commands similar to World of Warcraft. Overall, Lost Ark strays from the design philosophy of its ARPG influences more than it does from MMOs, but its mix of both is ultimately successful in execution.
Lost Ark will release worldwide for PC on March 31, 2022.