The latest Korean patch notes for Lost Ark have dropped, sending hopeful western players into a tizzy. The Korean patch adds a new public prologue and a planned progression revamp, but it’s the battlepass – Ark Pass – that has some gamers concerned. In Korea, the battle pass will be split into three mutually exclusive tiers, the top two being paid and aimed chiefly at high-end characters; rewards for paying for the pass include things like stacks of currency, upgrade materials, mounts, minipets, card packs, cosmetics, and special missions.
Obviously, we don’t know whether we’re getting exactly this pass or what the top two tiers going to cost us in the end. The skins, we note, are mostly in the top-tier pass, and overall, it’s pretty standard fare for the modern MMO industry. Plus, most of the stuff in the battlepass is kinda… well, not all that desirable and maybe not getting worked up over. Perspective is helpful.
“While we don’t have full details to share today, we want to assure players that the western version of Lost Ark will be a fair, fun, and great gaming experience where in-game purchases are completely optional,” the studio said in response to questions about microtransactions last week, which of course is not definitive at all and is essentially the same thing the company was saying in June.
As for the test schedule itself? Developers let slip that Amazon is not planning to have an open beta after the closed beta. Expect lots of wipes.
Meanwhile, Amazon has begun the full rollout of previews for all of the classes launching initially with the western version of the game; up first is the Warrior and its enhanced classes, the Berserker, Paladin, and Gunlancer. We’re tucking the video down below so you have something soothing to watch after getting fussed over the battlepass.
