2022-04-21T13:20:38 02:00

Lost Ark: All classes at a glance

In Lost Ark, five basic classes and a total of 15 specializations are available in the EU version. In the original South Korean version, which was already released in 2019, there are even six basic classes and 22 specializations. To get a feel for what to expect in the MMORPG, check out this class guide:

Which classes and specializations Lost Ark offers on the EU servers
For whom the classes are suitable
Whether they are ranged or melee fighters

If you still need some tips to find your way around the role-playing game, we recommend you take a look at our beginner's guide to Lost Ark.

Things to know about the classes in Lost Ark

First of all, you have to choose between the five basic classes in Lost Ark. You play these for ten levels before choosing a specialization. Since the first ten levels pass comparatively quickly, you can always start over with a different class if your choice doesn't appeal to you at all.

At level 10, you will choose a specialization. It is important to know that in Lost Ark there is no typical distribution à la tank, melee or ranged fighter, or healer. Nevertheless, there are classes that are better suited for supporter roles than others.

For the release of Lost Ark in the West, all classes will start with genderlock. This means that the respective classes or specializations are either male or female. The fact that this can be adjusted individually will only come at a later point in time. However, some specializations have a counterpart that differs only minimally from the play style.

Forexample, the artificer and the death shooter are both considered gunners, only one is female and the other is male. There is little difference in their skills and playstyle.

Warrior

If you choose the warrior, you'll have three specializations at your disposal from level 10. We'll introduce them to you in more detail below.

Berserker

Weapon: Two-handed greatsword
Role: Melee
Suitable for: Beginners who like to jump into the middle of the fray

The Berserker is a melee warrior who deals massive damage with his greatsword. When he enters burst mode, his movement and attack speed increase. The two-handed blade allows the Berserker to deal not only point damage, but also a lot of area damage.

Berserkers are easy to learn and just as easy to play, which makes them especially suitable for beginners. But beware: while Berserkers have a rugged look, they're less durable than you might initially think. So be a little careful when you throw yourself into hordes of enemies.

Even in PvP, the Berserker can be seen. But especially ranged fighters - especially snipers - usually have an easy time with the Berserker.

Paladin

Weapon: Sword Book
Role: Melee, Supporter
Suitable for: more experienced players who can quickly switch between damage and support

As in other MMO(RPG)s, the Paladin in Lost Ark is a hybrid class that deals its melee damage at short to medium range. It also has valuable supporter skills, which pay off on the offensive skills of the party.

The Paladin is equipped with a sword as well as a book, which is reflected in his spells. The blue spells relate to his melee skills with the sword and are pure damage. The gold skills are supporter skills that usually support the entire party.

Note that some skills on the Paladin cannot be cast immediately, but have a cast time. So you need to position yourself well - ideally far enough away from the enemies - to cast certain spells.

Incidentally, paladins are a very popular class in groups, along with bards, because of their support abilities.

Pistol Lancer

Weapon: Pistol Lance Shield
Role: Tank
Suitable for: Players who want to protect their team and have good timing

The Pistol Lancer is the closest thing to a tank found in other MMORPGs. It is designed to block and absorb incoming damage from the party. The better you block with your shield, the more effectively you avoid damage.

While the Pistol Lancer is considered a damage dealer, it has a hard time keeping up with other classes when it comes to dealing damage. The situation is different in PvP: While Assassin and Berserker are more common, if you encounter a Pistol Lancer in player-versus-player, watch out!

Martial Artist

The martial artist class impresses mainly with high agility and fast-paced attack combinations. You have four specializations at your disposal.

War dancer

Weapon: Light combat gloves
Role: Melee
Suitable for: Experienced players who have good movement and fast reaction time

The War Dancer is one of the most agile classes in Lost Ark. She has high mobility and a fast cast time. Her range is low, as well as she takes a lot of damage when she gets hit. That's why you'll take a high risk as soon as you rush into groups of enemies.

The specialization seems quite easy to play at first, but if you spend some time with the War Dancer, you'll quickly realize that it takes some practice to be able to play it confidently. The better you keep track of your spells' cooldowns, the more effectively you can use the class.

Scrapper

Weapon: gauntlets
Role: Melee
Suitable for: Connoisseurs who know exactly what they're doing and can master their class in their sleep

If the War Dancer is a bit too "lax" for you, you should opt for the Scrapper. This specialization is a little less flexible and has longer cooldowns, but you'll make up for it with damage.

The highlight of the Scrapper is that you have to keep your Qi balanced while playing. To do this, you'll have two different types of abilities at your disposal, which make use of either the one or the other qi side. Use your spells skillfully so that you get the maximum damage out of the balance.

Soul Fist

Weapon: Elastic gauntlets
Role: Close-range and long-range fighter
Suitable for Full professionals who want to become one with their class

The Soul Fist is - like the Paladin - a hybrid class. It plays like a cross between a scrapper and a warrior dancer, performing melee as well as ranged attacks.

Compared to the other two classes, the Soul Fist's abilities have a higher range, but they also require a lot of practice. The switch between melee and ranged combat must be spot on, so that the actions become explosive combos.

Striker

Weapon: Elemental Combat Gauntlets
Role: Melee (Battle Monk)
Suitable for: Fans of fast-paced martial arts gameplay

Basically, the Striker is the male version of the three martial artists just mentioned. The Battle Monk uses the power of the wind to blow his opponents to kingdom come. The mix of quick movements, kicks and punches makes the Striker a powerful class.

If you've played Diablo 3, this class is most similar to the monk you can choose there.

Lance bearer

Weapon: Lance
Role: Melee
Suitablefor: Beginners who want to venture into melee combat

The lance bearer is another subclass of the martial artist and relies on, you guessed it, a lance as a weapon. This grants her a long range as well as high damage and in combination with her high mobility makes her perfect for beginners.

She starts with two combat stances, Focus and Storm, which allow you to specialize her in single damage or group damage.

Cannoneer

Does the Cannoneer class sound exciting to you? Then take a close look at the four specializations it offers.

Artificer / Death Shooter

Weapon: two pistols, shotgun, rifle
Role: Melee as well as Range-DD
Suitable for: experienced players, as you'll have to skillfully switch between weapons

Even though the artificer and the death shooter are listed separately in Lost Ark, they are by and large one and the same specialization. The only difference is the gender.

Both have fast-paced combat gameplay, but they don't hold up too well. Here, the better you keep the enemies at bay, the healthier for your well-being!

The special thing about the artificer and the death shooter, respectively, is that they have three different types of weapons: A shotgun for close combat, two pistols for mid-range attacks, and a rifle for range. Basically, with these specializations you'll hit in any situation - as long as you switch to the right weapon quickly enough.

Artillerist

Weapon: gigantic firearms
Role: close to mid-range fighter
Suitable for: experienced players who know how to handle heavy guns

A look at the gameplay with the Artillerist shows that he is rather of the sluggish faction. However, this is not because of him, but because of the gigantic firearms he carries around. However, the Artilleryman makes up for his sluggish mobility with his immense damage.

This specialization also requires some practice, as many abilities are positional and want to be timed well. Only if they are well placed will you do damage to creeps or bosses.

While the artilleryman is a valuable support in PvE, the few will probably encounter him in PvP. Due to his inertia, other players can often easily avoid his attacks.

Sniper

Weapon: Mechanical bow
Role: Range-DD
Suitable for: Players who like to stand in the background, but want to dish out some serious damage

The sniper is currently the only specialization that is supported by a companion, an eagle. It also has a very high range, which is why you can stay nicely in the background due to the fact that you don't take much damage.

Especially in PvP, the sniper proves to be an extremely strong special class due to its agility and range.

Mage

While Lost Ark in Russia or South Korea has another specialization in the form of the Summoner, this will only be introduced here at a later point in time. Therefore, there will only be two specializations for the release in the West for the time being.

Bardin

Weapon: Harp
Role: Range-DD, Supporter
Suitable for: Players with helper syndrome

The Bardin has offensive spells, but her strength is in support. There she mainly strengthens the defensive abilities of the party members. Accordingly, she is just as popular a class as the Paladin.

However, the Bard is a bit more difficult to play than the Paladin, since you have to use the spells at the right moment to benefit your companions. You'll also have to keep an eye on your own health bar as well as that of your teammates.

Sorceress

Weapon: Wand
Role: Range-DD
Suitable for: Beginners who want to get to know Lost Ark

The Sorceress is not very different from comparable classes in other MMORPGs. She can't withstand much, which is why you should urgently keep enemies at bay.

However, she does a lot of damage with her spells - both single-target and area damage. If you stay in the background, you won't have anything to worry about. In addition, you can control entire groups of enemies with appropriate casts.

Assassin

The two Assassin specializations in Lost Ark are perfect for newcomers. The class isn't too complicated and is fun to play as well.

Shadowhunter

Weapon: -
Role: Melee and ranged combat
Suitable for: Beginners

The Shadowhunter combines melee and ranged combat skills. What's special about this specialization is that she can transform into a powerful demon form and deal massive damage. You'll still need a bit of movement, though, because your goal is to rush into groups of enemies quickly, deal damage and pull out again quickly.

Deathblade

Weapon: Double blade longsword
Role: Melee
Suitable for: Beginners

The Deathblade lives up to its name, as it has a double blade as well as a longsword. As usual for Assassins, the Deathblade is very agile and nimble. But woe betide it if it gets damaged, then it can quickly look grim.

There's a bit of Supporter in the Deathblade as well, as it distributes useful buffs to the other party members.

More guides to Lost Ark and other MMORPGs on GameZ:

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