Lost Ark has just released its Art of War update which brings introduces 48v48 realm versus realm PVP mode and the game's first Specialist class: the Artist. Lost Ark has also had quite a few quality-of-life improvements with the update as well as numerous balance changes. In addition, various progression events tailored to new characters should make it easier for players looking to try out the Artist class.

When Amazon Games brought Smilegate's popular Korean free-to-play MMORPG to Western audiences, Lost Ark initially shattered Steam records as droves of players packed into the game to see what all the fuss was about. Since the Western version of Lost Ark is several years behind the original in terms of content, Amazon Games has been periodically updating the game with new content, classes, and systems at a steady pace so that players have a chance to progress through the content rather than dropping it all at once. Though each update brings Lost Ark closer to parity with the original, there have been some slight deviations.

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The game's Art of War update finally introduces the much-discussed Artist class, which was the subject of some controversy recently due to Lost Ark's censorship of the Artist's skins to "fit Western norms." The Artist is unique among Lost Ark's classes in that it doesn't fall under the five base classes like Assassin, Gunner, or Mage, but rather is the game's first Specialist class. The Artist is a support class that can summon creatures and objects by painting them, resulting in a visually spectacular and mechanically diverse kit. Click here to see the full Lost Ark patch notes.

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The other highlight of this Lost Ark update is the Tulubik Battlefield, a massive faction-based 48v48 PVP mode. Once players have reached rank 3 with their chosen faction through the Rowen PvP content, they can sign up to fight for their faction at the Tulubik Battlefield. Similar to World of Warcraft's Alterac Valley, the mode features a large battlefield with numerous bases for players to capture and tip the scales of the fight. As players rise through the ranks of their faction, they'll unlock new faction skins to show off their PvP prowess.

The update has also brought along some progression events including the Punika Powerpass which lets players jump alternate characters past lots of story content and straight into some item level 1340 gear, just in time for the new Artist class. According to Lost Ark's 2023 roadmap, players can look forward to some challenging new raid content with the game's next update sometime in April.

Lost Ark is available on PC.

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