As we all know, Lost Ark is finally heading to the west with a Fall release planned. While we’re all anxiously awaiting news of the beta and dreaming of playing, some of us may still be wondering: How do I pick my class?
Honestly, it’s a good and fair question. With 15 classes planned for release, it’s not easy to pick just one, especially when there are so many awesome, unique choices. So, to make things a bit easier for the undecided among us, let’s take a look at the classes and how to pick the best one for you!
Assassin
Assassins in Lost Ark are a bit different from what you might expect. They’re not based around stealthy combat like in other games, but rather on lightning-fast melee combat and flashy animations. There are just two options for Assassin players, Deathblade and Shadowhunter.
Deathblade
Deathblade is the sword-wielding Assassin option. It features combo-centric fast-paced combat, and is all about flying around and dealing damage with duel swords.
The class also provides notable buffs and debuffs, like an attack speed boost to allies and increasing an opponent’s damage taken – perfect for those of you out there that like to tear enemies down quickly.
Shadowhunter
Shadowhunter is a bit of a unique class. It features key mid-ranged spells that combo well with melee attacks and gains access to a very special spell allowing them to transform to greatly increase damage.
Overall, the class is quite simple and covers a good range of single target, area of effect, and powerful cooldowns.
Gunner
Gunner is the premier ranged option in Lost Ark. It’s a bit different from most traditional MMOs, with a key focus on guns, although it does feature one bow option and actually has three very different gun-wielding classes.
Artillerist
Artillerist is a heavy gunner type of class. It features a big gun that can transform into a few different modes and is all about massive, slow attacks. It excels at AoE damage and can easily take down hordes of monsters.
There are some drawbacks however, as moves are slow and a lot of their spells are area targeted. This means both monsters and players can simply move out the way, making it a bit difficult to pull off, especially in PvP.
Deadeye & Gunslinger
Deadeye and Gunslinger fit together as they are essentially just a male and female version of the same class. They use three guns: a shotgun, dual pistols, and a sniper rifle, all of which have different ranges and unique skills.
It’s a quite difficult class as you have to constantly be switching between your weapons to get the most damage out, as well as spending a lot of time in close range, as your shotguns do the most damage. However, they are also the most mobile classes in the game, so it’s a good choice if you want a high skill cap class that can run circles around opponents.
When it comes to the difference between the two, it’s not that much, but deadeye is better for sniping, while gunslinger is superior with the shotgun.
Sharpshooter
Last but not least comes the sharpshooter, the bow-wielding Gunner option. It features fast, long-ranged attacks, as well as a pet bird!
It’s a traditional ‘ranger’ class that allows you to sit back and rain down destruction on your opponents from afar, and is the only class in the west that has a stealth mechanic. However, a key drawback is that Sharpshooters are very squishy. It’s a great pick if you’re a looking for something like a ranger as you pick your Lost Ark class.
Mage
Mages are the traditional spell casters of Lost Ark. They come in two flavors: Bard and Summoner, which play two very different roles.
Bard
Bard’s are a support class featuring a harp as a weapon. They provide many useful buffs to allies and are also able to heal party members.
Overall, Bards are a great pick for anyone who wants to play a support role and are always in high demand, so if you want to be universally loved go for a Bard!
Summoner
Summoners are well, summoners. They summon followers to aid in combat, but also have a variety of offensive spells and fill the class fantasy of having magical allies do work while you cast spells from afar.
The class also has solid AoE damage, and is a great pick for anyone looking to play a Mage / Sorcerer type of class.
Martial Artist
Martial Artists are another self-explanatory class. They’re all about a martial arts theme and use either their fists or melee weapons to do damage, as well as spells. There are three options, the Scrapper, Soulfist, or Wardancer and all are a good pick for your Lost Ark class.
Scrapper
The Scrapper is the ‘heavy’ version of Martial Artists. The class features giant gloves as weapons and is focused around big, slow hits and sacrificing movement for massive damage.
It also features a unique gameplay element – Chi. Skills effectively cost Chi and to maximize your output, you need to use a good balance of skills to keep your Chi even. Despite this, it’s actually a great beginner class that’s good at both PvE and PvP.
Soulfist
Soulfist is best described as a ‘jack of all trades’ – a class which can do a bit of everything, but isn’t quite the best at anything. It has a good mix of melee and ranged spells and you’ll often be combining both in your attacks.
The class can be fairly complicated and has a fairly high skill cap due to its mixture of abilities. It’s not for everyone, but definitely appeals to people who want to be able to do a bit of everything.
Wardancer
Wardancer is an agile melee class that utilizes armored gloves as weapons. They’re one of the fastest classes in the game, both in terms of attack speed, as well as mobility.
As a Wardancer, you’ll enjoy close-ranged and fast-paced gameplay, but it does come at a risk – you’ll be very squishy, so you need to stay on top of your reaction time and manage your cooldowns. It’s a great class for anyone who enjoys ducking and diving in and out, and being agile while getting damage in.
Warrior
Warrior’s are the traditional heavy melee class – big weapons, big armor, and go smash. They come in three different forms and are actually the most versatile class, fitting three different roles in Lost Ark.
Berserker
Berserkers are the damage option for Warriors. They feature a giant sword and are all about big, heavy hits. The class can be a bit sluggish in terms of attacks, as their abilities are more about power than speed.
They’re great in both PvE and PvP, providing a ton of damage and even surprising mobility for a heavy class. It’s a great pick if you’re looking for a ‘heavy’ melee class that excels at dealing large amounts of damage.
Gunlancer
Gunlancer is the closest you’ll come to a tank in Lost Ark. They use a shield alongside a gun mixed with a lance and are all about being a big heavy warrior, soaking up damage and even taunting enemies.
You can do surprisingly high damage, but overall the Gunlancer is a pick for players who want to be a big beefy tank and take damage.
Paladin
Paladin is a support class, similar to the Bard. They’re all about buffing allies and making sure your friends are able to do the best job possible
They can be a bit complicated, as your support skills require knowledge of the classes you are buffing, but they’re also highly desired and as a Paladin everyone will want to be your friend!
Now that you know all about the classes, it’s time to (hopefully) pick your Lost Ark class and get ready for your adventures in Arkesia!