Lost Ark

What to Know

Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 39

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Being that it’s an MMOARPG, Lost Ark demands a massive time investment – but its outstanding variety of locations, strong combat system, and stunning sense of scale help it overcome some of the more tired MMO conventions.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 39

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 39

Being that it's an MMOARPG, Lost Ark demands a massive time investment - but its outstanding variety of locations, strong combat system, and stunning sense of scale help it overcome some of the more tired MMO conventions.

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Critic Reviews for Lost Ark

Critic Reviews

Score Distribution

39

Reviews

Average Score

100

Ranges

8/10

Gabriel Moss (IGN)

With an outstanding variety of places to visit and a strong combat system, Lost Ark is an extremely generous free-to-play action-RPG-MMO that draws a lot from Diablo – including its well-worn story about humans and Heaven teaming up against demons.

February 18, 2022 |

Full Review

It’s too early to have a final verdict on Lost Ark, but the game feels deep and surely its growing day by day. We are having fun discovering its world and we appreciate that it actually is free-to-play way more than it is pay-to-win.

February 16, 2022 |

Full Review

Recommended

Giulia Garassino (Spaziogames)

78/100

Rick Lane (PC Gamer)

Excellent combat and a stunning sense of scale help steer Lost Ark through its more tired MMO conventions.

February 8, 2022 |

Full Review

Gabriel Moss (IGN)

8/10 - (Read Review)

Giulia Garassino (Spaziogames)

Recommended - (Read Review)

Rick Lane (PC Gamer)

78/100 - (Read Review)

Excellent combat and a stunning sense of scale help steer Lost Ark through its more tired MMO conventions.

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Read the Reviews (39 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
CGMagazine	Dayna Eileen	8 / 10	02-08-2022	With some small setbacks like pay-to-win features and awkward movements, Lost Ark manages to stand out with its overall style, story, and game mechanics. Free-to-play is going to push this game to the top now that it’s in the West.	Read review
COGconnected	Mark Steighner	82 / 100	02-08-2022	Lost Ark is a polished, solid, substantial, and engaging free-to-play MMORPG that is very solo-friendly and offers a vast amount of well-made content for just about everyone. The combat is exciting and fun, the classes are appealing and varied, and the world is colorful and lush, if not necessarily state-of-the-art. The story isn’t going to turn heads, but the number and range of quests and side activities will keep you happily entertained. I’ve only scratched the surface, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the end game has to offer and what kind of community coalesces around Lost Ark.	Read review
Digital Chumps	Zachary Perry	9.2 / 10	10-03-2021	Lost Ark is a wonderfully fun MMOARPG with a compelling story and unique gameplay. If you can wrap your head around it all, that is. The game itself is a breath of fresh air with its 2.5D style and fast-paced combat. However, for an “open-world” RPG, Lost Ark takes its time opening the world to you. A barrage of info-dumps for lore and tutorials make Lost Ark overwhelming at first. With some time, exploring, and no shortage of patience, you can see what Lost Ark really has to offer.	Read review
Digital Trends	Andrew Zucosky	4 / 5 stars	02-08-2022	So long as you’re willing to play by its rules, Lost Ark it is an absolute blast thanks to its perfect blend of visceral ARPG combat and steady MMO progression.	Read review
Eurogamer	Emma Kent	Not Recommended	02-28-2022	Action-packed dungeons make Lost Ark’s early stages a real romp, but without a convincing hook beyond the combat, things get a little stale.	Read review
Everyeye.it	Giovanni Panzano	8 / 10	02-22-2022	Lost Ark is a title that lives on ups and downs, but that manages to entertain the player thanks to a frenetic and rewarding combat system that is in fact the beating heart of this MMORPG.	Read review
Forbes	Paul Tassi	Recommended	02-08-2022	I am incredibly impressed with the size and scope of Lost Ark. Even some of the later storylines started to resonate with me a bit, albeit there’s a ton of throwaway sidequest content that exists just to fill space. I am less impressed with the game’s loot system so far, but I know I have not fully mastered all its finer details at this point. But in a game like this I wanted to get excited about new drops, but other than things looking cool, that never really happened in the first 40 hours here. Another complaint is that because this is such a well established game that already got a number of updates over the years, dumping everything here all at once can feel overwhelming. It’s just a whole lot of stuff and systems and things to sort through, and it’s easy to feel lost.	Read review
Game Informer	John Carson	8.3 / 10	02-28-2022	Amazon Game’s second run at the MMO market is very impressive. The years of content already created for Lost Ark provide an enticing package filled to the brim with fun activities and exciting locals to explore. Each class is wonderfully unique, and the customization systems allow for an abundance of freedom to tailor to a variety of playstyles. I’ve had a great time with Lost Ark in these early days, and I’m looking to sink many more hours into it with friends over the coming weeks and months. Those looking to scratch an Action/RPG itch or sink time into an MMO won’t go wrong giving this adventure a fair shot.	Read review
GameGrin	Neil Hetherington	9 / 10	02-08-2022	A massive time sink which needs an entire rainforest of sticks to shake at. Just grab it and jump in.	Read review
Gamer Escape	Justin Mercer	8 / 10	02-08-2022	Visible effort went into nearly every avenue of the game, making it an easy recommendation even if it doesn’t bring much innovation to the space. The quality of the combat and the variety of content on offer elevates this ARPG experience to be a cut above the rest. The only thing you can stand to lose in trying out Lost Ark is time, and even in a gaming landscape defined by competition for said time, it’s absolutely worth giving a gander.	Read review
Gamers Heroes	Blaine Smith	9.5 / 10	02-08-2022	Despite its brilliance, Lost Ark’s ARPG nature won’t be for everyone. However, if you’ve been yearning for a new free-to-play experience to explore, you won’t get much better than this. The combat is exciting, the progression is quick and accessible, everything about Lost Ark screams a level of quality we’ve not seen in an MMO for many years.	Read review
GamesBeat	Jason McMaster	80 / 100	02-11-2022	Lost Ark, at the end of the day, is a very good ARPG with MMO mechanics. The way the game funnels you through the initial content is like an amusement park ride with side quests. After that ride, though, you get dumped out at this giant, unexpected playground full of stuff to do. If sailing around the map, hunting giant monsters, and chasing upgrades sounds like a good time, then this might be the game for you.	Read review
GameSpace	Ed Orr	8 / 10	02-08-2022	A well-crafted and highly polished ARPG that is certain to fare better than Amazon’s previous outings. If you want plenty of lore, a deep narrative tale, and combat that gets straight to the point then Lost Ark is worth your time.	Read review
GameSpot	Richard Wakeling	7 / 10	02-24-2022	Excellent combat and an engaging endgame are undercut by Lost Ark’s archaic MMO quest design and emphasis on microtransactions.	Read review
GameWatcher	James Bentley	8 / 10	02-08-2022	With so many studios trying to hit the coveted MMO market, one thing is clear if you want to succeed	Read review
Gaming Nexus	Elliot Hilderbrand	8.8 / 10	02-08-2022	Lost Ark is light on the MMO, and heavy on the action- RPG, taking all the elements from MMOs that make them great, and a few that make them a bit dull to fans of the genre. It’s easy to get lost in the customization before you even set foot in the fleshed out world. The five main classes are the big star, each feels and plays differently enough making me want to replay the game just to try them out. Being able to tackle this game with friends will make for a better overall time with the game, but it isn’t required to have a good time. Lost Ark warrants a look if you like action-RPGs, MMOs, or both.	Read review
GamingTrend	Ron Burke	Recommended	02-14-2022	There’s a lot to see and experience in Lost Ark, and the asking price to try it is just your time. It’s very clear that this game is a juggernaut, and even friends of mine who aren’t into the genre have had their interest piqued enough to give it a go. Here’s to hoping Smilegate, Amazon, and Tripod Studios can capitalize on an incredibly strong start and fulfill the promise buried under all these screens.	Read review
God is a Geek	Mick Fraser	8.5 / 10	02-08-2022	Lost Ark is fantastic, but like all MMOARPGs, it demands a massive time investment and a ton of extra reading to get the most from it.	Read review
GRYOnline.pl	Patryk Manelski	8.5 / 10	02-08-2022	Lost Ark is a good game that gets better over time. There should be enough content for everyone, but it all comes down to how Amazon will manage this game in the future. I’m sure that Lost Ark will be popular, and its very accessible gameplay model should attract new players to join the fight.	Read review
IGN	Gabriel Moss	8 / 10	02-18-2022	With an outstanding variety of places to visit and a strong combat system, Lost Ark is an extremely generous free-to-play action-RPG-MMO that draws a lot from Diablo – including its well-worn story about humans and Heaven teaming up against demons.	Read review
IGN Italy	Stefano Castelli	8 / 10	03-02-2022	A fun	Read review
LevelUp	Luis Sánchez	7 / 10	02-24-2022	Dragged down by a dated and boring campaign, Lost Ark is saved by an engaging and visually attractive combat system. Although it has payed elements, it’s a good choice for an MMO with tons of content.	Read review
MMOGames	Marc Pavey	9 / 10	02-08-2022	Lost Ark feels more solid. I had a lot of fun and look forward to returning to the game to explore the many different environments, and to dive into some challenging dungeon content. The sole impediment to me playing further is that my character is on the impermanent PTR. We recommend you check out Lost Ark, and will see you in Arkesia soon!	Read review
MMORPG.com	Nick Shively	7 / 10	02-08-2022	While it’s clear that Lost Ark isn’t necessarily an ARPG, but rather a traditional Korean MMORPG with an isometric view, Smilegate is very clearly looking to cater to a specific audience. Lost Ark finds itself focused on a never-ending gear treadmill, and it does an extremely good job at it. Unfortunately, casual players who want to explore an interesting world or want diverse or more dynamic content will likely be let down. And while Lost Ark is fun, the arduous leveling process and repetitive endgame will likely lead to polarizing opinions about it, with most players either loving or hating their experience in the end.	Read review
Niche Gamer	Brandon Lyttle	7 / 10	02-13-2022	Lost Ark tries to be an MMO however and features a shared world (with multiple “channels”, similar to WoW’s controversial “shards”). But with a limited amount of NPCs and resources at any given time this is probably for the best. For a free to play game, the graphics are fairly good for an action RPG.	Read review
Oyungezer Online	Cevdet Emre Kızılcan	7 / 10	02-24-2022	Lost Ark’s biggest fault is that it’s trying to be everything at the same time. This means that instead of a “good system”, there are “many systems that are average or above average”.	Read review
PC Gamer	Rick Lane	78 / 100	02-08-2022	Excellent combat and a stunning sense of scale help steer Lost Ark through its more tired MMO conventions.	Read review
PC Invasion	Logan Broadley	9 / 10	02-08-2022	If you want an MMORPG that respects the time of casual players, while also giving hardcore players plenty of content to keep them busy, then Lost Ark is worth considering. It’s combat is wonderfully fun. The story is entertaining and packed with epic moments. Plus, there is a wide variety to the endgame content, including equalized arena PvP.	Read review
PCGamesN	Wren Romero	Recommended	02-10-2022	Like all of those great games, Lost Ark is also a relentless grind for better loot. A bland story and occasionally rote quests are easy to accept when the rest of the game is so good – especially in the world of MMOs – but I do find this aspect a bit troublesome. Free-to-play MMOs tend to rely on ‘whales’ who spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on the game, and I can’t help but feel that the game is testing my willingness to spend on conveniences. There’s a dark side to such an addictive gameplay loop, so keep your friends close as they venture into this exciting new world.	Read review
PCMag	Gabriel Zamora	4 / 5 stars	02-08-2022	Lost Ark is a fantastic, free-to-play MMORPG that features exciting combat, attractive visuals, and a seemingly endless endgame.	Read review
Polygon	Kazuma Hashimoto	Recommended	03-09-2022	And I haven’t even mentioned naval travel, field bosses, or timed battles. In its sheer breadth of content, Lost Ark is gargantuan, and learning its intricate systems means being rewarded every step of the way, for a very long time. As it stands, after 90 hours, I have roughly 40% of each region completed, and have multiple characters well into the second tier of endgame content.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Ed Thorn	Not Recommended	02-08-2022	Excellent Diablo-like combat struggles to make up for a grind levelling process baked into a cookie-cutter MMORPG template.	Read review
Saving Content	Ryan Widmer	4 / 5 stars	03-04-2022	With all that said, who exactly is Lost Ark for? If you’re looking for the next Diablo game, you won’t necessarily find it here. The combat and perspective may fool you initially, but this is a theme park MMO with all the good and the bad. If you’re willing to put in the effort and sink potentially hundreds of hours into a game, you will find that Lost Ark has almost too much content, and more importantly, loads of content still to come that hasn’t been released from the Korean version. It’s hard to ignore the mediocre early game content that isn’t done any favors by the lackluster story and characters but anyone willing to stick around for the 15-20 hours required to reach the endgame will find genuinely one of the most fun and addictive MMOs to hit the market in years.	Read review
Screen Rant	Leo Faierman	4 / 5 stars	02-23-2022	Anyone discouraged from those popular concerns of free-to-play MMOs will find that Lost Ark is gentle in its pay-to-win leanings. There are predictably seductive premium purchases to be had, but most of them revolve around time-savers and special mounts/skins, and hopefully there’s some more free Lost Ark content to come. The architecture of the game seems geared towards dutiful endgamers with decent daily rewards that won’t require dozens of hours a week to maintain. Past that, the early stages of its arrival look promising and there’s considerable content to devour at launch, all for free. Lost Ark is easily worth the download and feels remarkably fully-formed, but it should really thrive with new world events and additional endgame content.	Read review
Shacknews	Donovan Erskine	9 / 10	03-05-2022	Lost Ark is the gold standard of Modern MMOs. Smilegate and Tripod deliver an incredibly polished experience that gives players dozens of dishes to choose from, all equally delicious. It hits on all those classic MMO beats, while injecting a fresh style and approach to all of it. Lost Ark has already proven to have some strong staying power in the east, and is now set up for a long and fruitful lifespan in the west.	Read review
SpazioGames	Giulia Garassino	Recommended	02-16-2022	It’s too early to have a final verdict on Lost Ark, but the game feels deep and surely its growing day by day. We are having fun discovering its world and we appreciate that it actually is free-to-play way more than it is pay-to-win.	Read review
TechRaptor	William Worrall	8 / 10	02-16-2022	Lost Ark is a great MMO for those willing to put up with a bit of grind. As long as you have friends at your side you should be fine.	Read review
Twinfinite	Zhiqing Wan	4 / 5 stars	02-08-2022	Lost Ark might be one of the most banal games you’ll ever come across if you’re just looking at it from a narrative point of view, but it’s a prime example of how good gameplay and combat can carry the entire experience. Sometimes, all it takes is the appeal of watching your tiny numbers gradually grow into big numbers for you to get hooked on a game.	Read review
We Got This Covered	David Morgan	4 / 5 stars	02-08-2022	As with any MMO, Lost Ark is tricky to review on release. The most I can say is I enjoyed the mindless questing, beautiful locales, and great game feel. I can’t speak on the endgame, but the fact that I’m excited to jump back in on launch day to do it all again with friends is a pretty good sign for now.	Read review

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About Lost Ark

Game Description / Storyline:

Embark on an odyssey for the Lost Ark in a vast, vibrant world: explore new lands, seek out lost treasures, and test yourself in thrilling action combat. Define your fighting style with your class and advanced class, and customize your skills, weapons, and gear to bring your might to bear as you fight against hordes of enemies, colossal bosses, and dark forces seeking the power of the Ark in this action-packed free-to-play RPG.

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