Lost Ark, the South Korean action-RPG MMO localized by Amazon, is off to a very successful start. The game has become one of the most played titles on Steam, maintaining a very healthy player base now over a month after launch. Yet Lost Ark isn't without its problems and one issue in particular has recently reignited accusations of pay-to-win monetization. The issue, which is in-part tied to the recent March update for Lost Ark, has led to a direct response from Amazon as well as a shift in plans for the future.
The issue in question, for Lost Ark players who may not be familiar with the problem, has to do with the MMO's endgame grind. Endgame in Lost Ark is broken up into tiers, with each tier increasing in difficulty and requiring significantly more time investment and resources to progress through. Lost Ark's third tier is particularly grindy, with a specific focus on a system called "Honing" that demands massive amounts of resources for incremental power increases. Naturally, these resources can be bought with real money, which in turn has led to players accusing Amazon of implementing a pay-to-win system.
Up until recently, the controversy hasn't been too extreme. That's because Lost Ark had relatively little tier three content. There was no need to hone to gain access to anything. Lost Ark's March patch changed that with the introduction of the Argos Abyss Raid. Argos requires an item level of 1,370, a level that demands players do extensive tier-three honing -- often demanding players pay real money to progress. The controversy reignited, including a lengthy video from Twitch streamer Asmongold criticizing Amazon's decisions.
Amazon's response goes in-depth to describe the current situation regarding Argos and acknowledges mistakes have been made. Specifically, Amazon says its initial analysis showed players would have progressed far enough by now to be ready to challenge Argos naturally, but that didn't work out as planned, due in part to the "price of honing materials increasing due to bots and real-money transactions." With that in mind, Amazon apologizes and says it was a mistake to launch the March update so soon.
The next step for Amazon will be a patch designed to help players progress through Lost Ark's current content. Specifically, it will inject honing materials into the game via Grand Prix rewards, a casual event Guardian Raid, and the upcoming Competitive Proving Grounds season. Additionally, the next major endgame content, Legion Raids, is being delayed until players are adequately prepared for the content. Horizontal content like new classes, islands, and the South Vern update are still on schedule, with a roadmap to arrive in April or May.
Lastly, Amazon will be providing players with a special gift arriving the week of March 21. The gift includes a variety of cosmetics and materials. It's a way to hopefully appease players while Amazon works on the updates it described. Whether Lost Ark players will be happy with Amazon's adjustments, both in the short term and the long term, remains to be seen.
Lost Ark is available now on PC.