Leveling in Lost Ark is the first of many hurdles players must overcome in order to reach the endgame. Fortunately, leveling in Lost Ark is also incredibly easy. Solo content is a breeze, and the MSQ is generous with experience, so players can gain levels quickly.
Characters in Lost Ark start at level 10. The current soft cap is level 50, with the hard cap being level 60. It can be argued that the real content doesn't begin until the end game, and since loot will be cycled out frequently until then, players should focus on hitting the level cap as quickly as possible.
Completing Quests
MSQ
Completing the Main Story Quest, or MSQ, will reward the most exp for players. As such, this should be prioritized if leveling is the player's objective. By completing MSQ alone, players should be able to reach level 40.
Side Quests
Side quests yield nearly as much exp as the MSQ, and line up relatively well in terms of completing them alongside the MSQ. Players should be grabbing these whenever they see them and knocking them out for a healthy boost to levels.
Sudden Quests
Over the course of Lost Ark, there will be several Sudden Quests that appear. These are similar to FATEs in Final Fantasy 14. They are typically easy to complete, despite the time limit and restricted zones in which they must be completed. They will yield a larger amount of exp than side quests, so they should always be done when they appear.
Utilize Speed Via Mounts To Level Faster
Speed is the name of the game when it comes to leveling quickly in Lost Ark. Players are given a mount before leaving the starting city. The summon time for the mount is near instant, so it should be used at every given opportunity to navigate the sprawling maps quickly. Additionally, as Triports are unlocked across the map, utilize them to quickly traverse. Yes, there is a cost associated with them, but it's relatively small and is fairly easy to make up.
Unlocking the end game should be players' primary goal when playing Lost Ark. The story only drives so much of the content and many players will be farming Chaos Dungeons, Voyages, and Guardian Raids. That being said, multiplayer does work once the prologue is completed, but doesn't really do anyone any good until the endgame. So, in order to maximize playtime and rewards, it's best to solo everything until hitting the soft cap of level 50. At that point, bring some friends in, and tear the endgame to pieces.
Lost Ark is currently available on PC.