Getting into a new MMO is rarely easy unless you have a solid foundation from previous experiences. Lost Ark is no exception to the rule. Unlock PvP, distribute your stats well, buy Lost Ark items, and have the right reflexes: learning is relatively complex for newcomers, as for some people who have missed out on essential elements. To avoid annoying postures, we summarize the essentials of the little things to know.

 

 

The basics: unlocking access to PvP

If you haven't already, you need to reach level 26 and Chateau-Luteran to unlock Lost Ark PvP. Once in the enclosure, a secondary quest will guide you in every corner, with a planned passage in the arena, in which you can discover PvP.

The critical thing to consider: the level of your character has no impact on your performance in PvP. In all cases, you have the same number of characteristic points to distribute, which guarantees you stats as balanced as each of your opponents, regardless of their experience levels. That being said, let's move on to the final preparations before your first games.

 

 

The small passage in the parameters

As often with PC games, a detour through the settings box is necessary. These simple adjustments can give you small advantages on the battlefield, so you might as well take advantage of them. The first piece of advice we have for you may not be thrilled since it's about Force 21:9 aspect ratio in the Video settings section. Don't vomit when you see all those black bands on your screen, but rather take advantage of the new extended field of vision available to you. This format allows you to gain a lot in terms of the side view, giving you a significant advantage in the heat of battle, especially on opponents who are unaware of this setting or simply refuse to comply with it.

Then go to the Game section of the settings page, specifically to the Control and display part. Two options are of interest here: Cursor Aim and Camera Shake. First, we strongly advise you to deactivate it. Cursor aiming is similar to the automatic aiming seen in other games. Here, it comes in handy when you're in the body in a 1vs1 game mode, but… that's it. The rest of the time, it will not allow you to cast your spells well, which requires some anticipation of the opponent's movements. Because, yes, its effect is to aim for the nearest enemy location. Disable this if you want to progress. Tour de France winners no longer have small wheels.

Finally, as for Camera Shake, you can keep it. But we still advise you to deactivate it to have a minimum of visually embarrassing elements during your confrontations.

 

 

A good preparation

Parameters: Check. Now let's move on to the last preparation phase: your character's staff and statistics.

Shard of Chaos: At first, you don't need the most advanced equipment. We advise you to look at Aiter, the general supplies merchant located within the walls of Chateau-Luteran. The latter sells a special item: Awakening: Fragment of Chaos, which is none other than… your ultimate ability during your fights. Yes, you read correctly. In Lost Ark, you have to checkout to send your most beautiful fireworks. Also, keep in mind that one chaos shard is equal to one ultimate ability use only. So remember to build up a small reserve if your budget allows it, and don't forget that this ability has a 4-minute cooldown. It's huge, so use it wisely, which we will explain to you a little later in this article.

Coordination book: There is a heading " Coordination book " on the game launch screen (where you choose the desired game mode), and there is a heading "Coordination book". This is where you can mount your build as you wish by distributing your characteristic and skill points and choosing your spells.

For the 1000 characteristic points to be distributed, it is advisable not to innovate too much and to follow the best players on this basis:

1 to Critical Damage (so you can place critical costs); 750 in Speed ​​(the most important stat in PvP); and a choice of 249 Domination (which allows you to do more damage to stunned, knocked back, or debuffed enemies) or Specialization (which grants you different bonuses depending on your class). The best thing is to check what you have to gain in the game using your Specialization stat.

The next phase is choosing your spells and allocating your skill points. To have an optimized build, we can only advise you to go to the maxroll.gg site, on which you can capture some awesome builds. For non-English speakers, we may offer you a small in-house guide in the coming weeks.

Finally, be aware that creating several sets of stats and skills in your coordination book is possible. Up to 5, to be more precise, which is perfect for creating one for each game mode, but also keeping two for performing various tests. Above all, please do not deprive yourself of it.

 

 

Once in the arena

To progress in combat, there is no secret: you have to play again and again and observe and analyze the habits of the best players. Between YouTube and Twitch, you have real gold mines at your disposal to perfect your mechanics. But, before being able to wash the different lobbies, you must already master a few basics:

Play with enemy cooldowns: A considerable part of the fights in Lost Ark is played out on Cc (Crowd control), or your ability to stun and knock enemies back. We will come back to the subtleties of this part a little later. In the meantime, there is a small mechanic to print that could turn a lot of confrontations to your advantage.

We immediately think of the excellent management of the enemy dash. When you manage to put an opponent on the ground, it often tends to run away with energy to avoid taking your next combo/spell head-on. Well, know that this dash has a cooldown (CD, cooldown) of 12 seconds, which means that if you knock the enemy down again, then he is defenseless. It seems pretty silly and rudimentary, yes, but we guarantee that the proper management of this mechanism is essential. If your enemy no longer has his dash to flee, this opens the way for you, for example, to place your ultimate ability for sure. And, with 4 minutes of CD on the latter, it is better to be sure to place it at the right time.

Items in the arena: In team modes, stay alert to the items that appear (Dynamite to inflict damage, stun and inflict a burn; the Chicken to regenerate its health, etc.). These can be real game-changers, provided you judge the situation well. By this, we mean, for example, leaving them for your teammates if they need them more than you do, but also taking them even if you don't need them to prevent opponents from benefiting from them. Do not rush on these objects at the slightest opportunity, but do not leave them lying around either. It's all about analyzing the situation, which can be easier for you with a silly piece of HUD.

The importance of health bars: Another essential element for team 3vs3. You can distinguish allied and enemy health bars on the right and left sides of your HUD. This simple indicator is handy. First, it lets you know if one of your teammates is in bad shape. In this case, you can help him, maybe save him, and direct him towards a fresh Chicken to perk him up (an actual brother move). In the other direction, you can also be aware that an opponent is low and therefore finish him off even if he intended to hide quietly. It's pretty simple, but this information allows you to have a better overall view of the battlefield.

 

 

Go to the next level

One of the most unique (and perhaps most frustrating) aspects of PvP in Lost Ark is the sheer amount of stuns and Control mechanics of the different classes. The stun effect is the biggest thing to get used to: most attacks stun you when hit, paralyzing you for about half a second.

But the latter is only the first and weakest of the possible CCs. Level 2 CCs (or staggers) knock you to the ground. At the same time, level 3 ones inflict a change of state on you (Freeze, Complete Paralysis, etc.). The more powerful the Cc received, the longer you remain at the mercy of your enemies.

You can avoid this by dodging attacks, using skills that provide you with a shield, or using skills that have a "super armor" effect. Otherwise, you can go straight to finding specific super armor, which protects you from some of these pesky effects. To direct you to the latter, we would need a whole dedicated guide.

As in many games, mastering the fundamentals is essential in Lost Ark. Here, we've talked about elementary mechanics on paper, but if you manage to perfect all that, you're sure to become a terror that no one wants to cross. Promised.

 

Related: Lost Ark: End-Game Content Overview!