If you‘re considering playing Lost Ark in 2024, my recommendation as an experienced MMORPG player and data analyst is a resounding yes! Lost Ark absolutely still warrants diving into thanks to its stellar combat, meaningful progression, and tremendous endgame content. Read on for a comprehensive look at why Lost Ark should be on your radar in 2024.
Lost Ark Retains a Huge Playerbase a Year Later
One of the most telling signs of an engaging online game is its ability to retain players over long periods of time. And by this metric, Lost Ark is an incredible achievement.
Even a full year after western launch, Lost Ark still averages over 200,000 concurrent players daily on Steam. To put that in perspective, that‘s more players than massive titles like CS:GO and DOTA 2.
The table below compares Lost Ark‘s player count versus other popular MMORPGs:
| Game | Average Players (Past 30 Days) |
| Lost Ark | 238,714 |
| Final Fantasy XIV | 47,530 |
| Black Desert Online | 23,333 |
| Guild Wars 2 | 15,540 |
As you can see, Lost Ark‘s population dwarfs the competition. This is a strong signal that players are sticking around long-term and enjoying themselves.
Major Content Drops Keep Things Fresh
One reason for Lost Ark‘s staying power is the constant stream of meaty content updates provided by Smilegate‘s development team. Rarely does a month go by without exciting new raids, classes, events or other additions being introduced.
Some of the biggest highlights since launch include:
- 5 new raids – Valtan, Vykas, Kakul-Saydon, Brelshaza, and the latest ancient Elgacia
- 2 new classes – Destroyer and the upcoming Artist
- Dozens of new islands & adventures – Huge variety like Alaric‘s Sanctuary, Heavenly Harbor, and more
- Challenge modes for all Guardians – Harder versions of the early PvE bosses
- Major quality of life changes – Improved honing, ability stone crafting, skill presets and more
Based on the 2023 roadmap, there is much more substantial content in development including new Subclasses, Legion raids, and the long-awaited Holy Knight advanced class.
Satisfying Core Combat Keeps You Hooked
At the heart of any great ARPG or MMORPG is gameplay that just feels good on a visceral level. Pleasantly smashing through hordes of enemies and unleashing devastating skills never gets old.
Lost Ark executes on this ARPG combat brilliance flawlessly. Chaining abilities between your class‘ different fighting stances feels responsive and impactful. Landing counterattacks and dodging telegraphed blows from imposing raid bosses is immensely satisfying.
I especially love the flexibility to customize your playstyle. For example, on my Gunslinger I‘ve chosen skills that let me play as a "gun mage", keeping my distance and bombarding enemies with magical pistol skills. It just clicks and feels so good to obliterate baddies with my custom creation.
The isometric camera view really brings the action to life in a way few competitors manage to achieve. Once Lost Ark‘s combat hooks you, it‘s hard to put down.
Engaging Progression Provides Long-Term Goals
MMORPGs live and die based on the depth of their progression systems. Lost Ark once again excels here by offering an engaging gear upgrade loop that constantly gives you goals to strive for at endgame:
- Gear honing – Incrementally improving gear from +1 up to +25, becoming more powerful along the way
- Card collections – Hunting down monster/NPC card sets for big stat bonuses
- Gems – Socket gems into gear to gain main stat boosts and other benefits
- Tripods – Level up your skills‘ tripods to enhance their effects
- Engravings – Combine class and battle engraving books to customize your build
There are so many intersecting progressions to tweak your character that you always have a new milestone in your sights. It‘s incredibly rewarding finally reaching that next threshold, like hitting ilvl 1415 to access Valtan legion raids.
Engaging PvE Endgame Activities
Reaching the endgame in Lost Ark unveils an amazing breadth of fun PvE content to test your skills:
- Chaos Dungeons – Clear procedural dungeons for epic loot piñatas
- Guardian Raids – Take down epic bosses like Armored Nacrasena with friends
- Legion Raids – Pinnacle group challenges like Vykas and Brelshaza with intense mechanics
- Abyssal Dungeons – Fixed-format, instanced dungeons to learn and master
- Una‘s Tasks – Daily tasks rewarding upgrade materials and currency
- World bosses & events – Epic open-world boss spawns and limited events
Having such a huge variety of rewarding activities makes the endgame tremendously replayable. You‘ll always have something fun and challenging to take on with friends.
Free-to-Play Done Right
As primarily a free-to-play gamer myself, I‘m sensitive to exploitative monetization in free games. I‘m pleased to report Lost Ark avoids being overly aggressive with monetization.
The vast majority of the in-game shop consists of cosmetic skins or vanity items that don‘t impact gameplay progression. Things that do help progression like character slots can be bought with in-game gold rather than real money.
While spending money can accelerate gear honing slightly, skilled free players have proven they can keep up just fine. The game never forces you to spend or suffer. Kudos to the developers for exercising restraint.
Still Room For Improvement
While overwhelmingly positive about Lost Ark in 2024, I do want to acknowledge some areas for improvement:
- Gear honing upgrades rely too much on RNG – Success rates get painfully low at higher levels
- Alts feel mandatory – You really need multiple characters to generate upgrade materials efficiently
- Bots continue to be an issue driven by gold farmers and power leveling services
- Poor tutorialization – Core systems are poorly explained for new players
However, these issues are far from dealbreakers and don‘t take away from all the things Lost Ark gets right.
Final Verdict – Jump In and Enjoy Lost Ark in 2024!
After analyzing all the factors extensively as an experienced MMORPG expert and data nerd, I wholeheartedly recommend giving Lost Ark a try in 2024 if you haven‘t already.
The insanely polished combat, mountains of enticing loot, social PvE challenges, and constant new content make it a must-play for MMORPG fans. And with a fair free-to-play model, it costs you nothing to give it a shot!
So rally up some friends or join an active guild, and let the grind begin my friend. I‘ll see you in the magical world of Arkesia!
