Lost Ark is reacting to what players really want with the 2023 roadmap

2023 has been a great year for Lost Ark and there is lots more exciting content to come every month between now and August. There’s never been a better time to jump in with more raids, dungeons, and character classes on the way. 

The MMO RPG has already had some big highlights this year, from a crossover with The Witcher series to a new continent to explore, new raids, the Artist class, and explosive PvP battles – and that was just part one.

Now, not only has Lost Ark’s exciting roadmap been revealed but the Lost Ark dev team has directly addressed the fans in an open letter, which detailed their top priorities. 

First though, let’s look ahead to what players will get to enjoy this spring and summer with the latest Lost Ark content roadmap. This one runs from May to August, but there will be more content to look forward to after this too. 

Lost Ark’s May to August Roadmap

Here’s what’s coming to Lost Ark in May through to August 2023: 

Roadmap

• May
• June
• July
• August

May

Starting off with this month, here’s what’s coming to Lost Ark in May 2023:

Slayer Advanced Class

Following in the footsteps of the Artist Advanced Class back in March, the new Slayer Advanced Class will arrive in May. This female spin on the Berserker class will be the fifth Advanced Class in the Warrior category. 

The Slayer is built for combat, using her greatsword and Burst Mode to cut down foes with ease. Burst Mode is unleashed when the Slayer fills their Fury Speciality Meter, allowing them to boost their attack damage and movement speed to dominate the battlefield. 

The class will have their own Speciality skill unique to them, called Bloodlust, which will unload a devastating series of slashes and thrusts into enemies to seize victory. 

Finally, the Slayer class will release with their own powerpass and progression events for those who want to jump in from the start. Needless to say, this will be a class for those who like to get up close and personal with their enemies.

The Ebony Cube

The Ebony Cube will merge the Boss Rush and Cube events, in which heroes fought off hordes of enemies. The new event combines all of the rewards of both modes but promises to reduce the grind, meaning players will find clearing waves of enemies even more enjoyable than ever. 

The event will feature three levels: 

• 1st Forbiddance – Item Level 1302+
• 2nd Forbiddance – Item Level 1490+
• 3rd Forbiddance – Item Level 1540+

Keep an eye on the Lost Ark website to see what’ll happen to the remaining tickets and how to grab new ones. It’s also worth pointing out that the devs plan on tweaking Knowledge Transfer to aid character progression and reduce some of the prerequisite conditions and duration. 

Players will also start receiving free battle items in Guardian Raids (relevant to each Guardian) to use within each, as well as instructions on how to use them. These items will disappear after the raid but will help newer players get through earlier raids and prepare them for later ones. This should be a useful way to help new players catch up and take part in more events. 

Proving Grounds Season 3

Season 3 of Competitive Proving Grounds PvP also arrives in May and will allow players to prove themselves as a warrior and climb up the season’s ranks – while earning rewards. Although seeing your name at the top of the leaderboard may be reward enough!

It starts in May, but there’s no confirmed end date for Season 3 of Proving Grounds and will likely continue for several months. 

June

Here’s what’s coming to Lost Ark in June 2023:

Elgacia Continent  

While February brought the Rowen Continent, June 2023 will allow players to enter a new location, the Elgacia Continent. Not a huge amount is known about this mysterious new region, but what we do know is that it’s being invaded by Demons and only the Heroes of Arkesia can stem the tide. 

In the lore, this is due to the coming of Kazero, which has caused Dimensional Rifts to appear all over the world. Now it’s Elgacia’s turn to face this threat. To access the new area, players must reach Kadan and Nineveh who’ll lead them there.

The region will feature key locations such as the city of light, Eronnor, the Hestea Garden, and the sacred Mount Phylantos. To enter the continent of Elgacia, players must first get to Level 1460.

Kayangel Abyssal Dungeon 

Dungeon diving is a huge draw in Lost Ark and the good news is that a new Abyssal Dungeon will be released in June as part of the updated content plan. This time it’s Kayangel Abyssal Dungeon, a four-player area that opens up once the main Elgacia story has been completed. 

It will feature various difficulties depending on each player’s level, but naturally, the harder the setting, the richer the spoils! 

Fortunespire Floors 26 – 50

The next 25 floors of the Tier 3 Tower will also be released in June, providing players with new battles and challenges to overcome as well as some valuable rewards. Who’s heading straight to the top?

July

Here’s what’s coming to Lost Ark in July 2023:

Kakul-Saydon Legion Raid Inferno Mode

For those who enjoy an infernal challenge, the Kakul-Saydon Legion Raid is getting an Inferno Mode. These raids are the toughest of the tough and only truly elite players will be able to survive, but those who do earn not only the bragging rights, but the best rewards too. 

Inferno Raids aren’t just about finding the best in-game rewards, they’re about proving your battle prowess to the world with titles, achievements, and Stronghold structures to be won.

To take on the Kakul-Saydon Legion Raid in Inferno Mode, you’ll first need to be Item Level 1475 and possess a full build set-up in the Book of Coordination.

Elgacia Epilogue

By July, players will have had a whole month to explore and complete the story on the Elgacia Continent. This is when the Epilogue quests will release, continuing the story and seeing how the continent is rebuilding after you stop the Demonic hordes. 

Music Box of Memories

Not only will July feature a variety of quality-of-life updates for Lost Ark, it will also introduce the Music Box of Memories. This item will allow you to locate ‘Memory Orbs’ while out exploring the world. Placing a Memory Orb into the Music Box will allow players to experience new stories based on the memories they collect.

We’re looking forward to exploring the memories of Arkesia’s denizens to see what secrets and rewards can be discovered. Who knows what stories will be waiting for us in the Music Box of Memories?

August

Here’s what’s coming to Lost Ark in August 2023:

Akkan Legion Raid 

August will bring another Legion Raid, this time designed to stop the Plague Legion Commander Akkan whose corrupted flesh is now causing disease and pestilence to spread across Aetanople. Worse, his spells are causing the souls of the dead to continue to walk the world, and they need to be put down.

To get to the bottom of this menace and defeat it once and for all, players will need to journey to Arthetine and take down Akkan in a new eight-player Legion Raid. The normal and hard versions of the raid are coming in August. 

The entry requirements for the Akkan Legion Raid are as follows:

• Normal: All 3 gates can be entered with Item Level 1580
• Hard: All 3 gates can be entered with Item Level 1600

Aeromancer Advanced Class

August will bring a new Advanced Class to Lost Ark, the Aeromancer. This female illusionist will be able to conjure destructive spells and manipulate the weather on the battlefield – all while armed with a deadly umbrella.

Once the Aeromancer’s Sun Shower Raindrop Meter fills she’ll be able to increase offensive attack power and movement speed. However, her weather fronts not only batter enemies, but also protect her allies. 

While enemies are constantly damaged, the Aeromancer’s companions will receive a defensive buff as they’re protected by her storm. 

The Aeromancer Advanced Class will launch in August with her own powerpass and progression events. 

Sonavel Guardian Raid

August won’t only bring the Akkan Legion raid, it will introduce the Sonavel Guardian Raid. This raid will see players hunting the former Elemental King Levanos who’s been corrupted and turned into Sonavel, and who now seeks to destroy what he once swore to protect.

To challenge Sonavel in this new Guardian Raid, players will need to hold an Item Level of 1580.

Post-August content

Part 2 of Lost Ark’s 2023 content plan will keep players entertained until the end of the summer with new raids, classes, regions, and stories to explore. The content roadmap also promises various bug fixes, store updates, events, and more quality-of-life improvements to optimize the player’s experience over the coming months.

Lost Ark will be releasing content monthly throughout the year for the remainder of 2023 – even beyond August. So, keep an eye on our Lost Ark content to be one of the first to hear about it. 

How Lost Ark will become more appealing for newcomers and veterans

As well as revealing the Arkesian goodness players can look forward to in the roadmap, Lost Ark’s developers released an open letter that explained how they will be making the game more accessible for new players whilst retaining what veteran players have come to love.

For those experienced players, there is going to be an added emphasis on keeping them hooked and rewarding the time they invest into Lost Ark. This will ensure that players always enjoy returning to the world of Arkesia and have the best experience.

As well as updates to the Argos Abyss Raid (check out the full details here), this also means addressing the topic of dailies. While some players have called for a reduction in Daily Tasks, many other players love them as they are invaluable, especially to hardcore players. Therefore, the devs are actively researching the best ways to make this system work for everyone. 

While returning players are being catered for, the Lost Ark dev team is actively working hard to make the game welcoming for new players. New players are joining Lost Ark all the time – and sticking around – but as with any leading MMO RPG, there’s a lot to learn, and for some players, this may be their first experience with the genre.

The great news is that Lost Ark is becoming even easier for new players to learn as they embark on their first quests across Arkesia. Players will now find reaching level 50 a simpler experience, allowing them to catch up to their friends quickly to join them in raids and dungeons that were formerly just for high-level players. Improving the Battle Item Experience gained will also allow players to progress more quickly.

New players will also find it easier when collecting horizontal content materials with Runes/Tripods/Cards/Gems becoming more plentiful, allowing for faster upgrades.

The Silver Honing system will be expanded when the Slayer class arrives with the aim of reducing players’ reliance on silver and honor shards. This should make gear progression much easier going forward and is a welcome change, especially for those who want to create alternative classes after initially choosing the one they started with.

The ‘Knowledge Transfer’ system will also be tweaked to prevent the need to replay story quests. Going forward, players should only need to go through each story quest once (unless they choose to again). The aim is to be able to progress with as few restrictions as possible. More will be revealed soon when it comes to the improvements to the Knowledge Transfer.

It’s also important to point out that the devs have also said that there are plans in place to reduce the number of bots in the game. It’s clear that players have much to look forward to and it’s refreshing to see a development team actively striving to improve everyone’s experience.

A further update is to come in an article in May, once more changes have been implemented. So far, the reception to this letter, and the level of transparency provided, has been overwhelmingly positive. 

It’s great to see game devs who are actively listening to the community and making changes to enhance every player’s experience. There really has never been a better time to visit the world of Arkesia.

Looking to master all of Arkesia’s heroes? Be sure to check out our other Lost Ark guides:

Artillerist | Deadeye| Gunslinger | Sharpshooter | Bard | Sorceress | Deathblade | Shadowhunter | Berserker | Paladin | Gunlancer | Scrapper | Soulfist | Striker | Wardancer | Reaper