Heroes of Arkesia,
In our Bringing Lost Ark to the West article we shared our high-level philosophy and vision for what players in NA and EU can expect in our version of Lost Ark. Today we’ll share more information on the business model, along with some of the changes and adjustments we’ve made. We want Lost Ark to be fun and fair, so getting the business model right for our players is crucial. Smilegate RPG has made an amazing game, and we aim to honor their original design while increasing the accessibility of the game for our new audiences.
Business Model Overview
Lost Ark will be a completely free-to-play game with optional in-game purchases, Founder’s Packs, and other bundles released alongside new content. The in-game store features a vast array of cosmetic items for head-to-toe character customization, and convenience items such as auto-looting pets or items that allow you to access your storage while in the field. Additionally, players will have access to Mari’s Secret Store — offering special, rotating deals. Lost Ark also features a player-to-player trading post. The trading post allows the community to play an active role in the valuation of items and makes the economy within Arkesia highly flexible — letting players trade items as they see fit.
Amazon Games has been working with Smilegate RPG to update the business model to more closely align with Western norms and player expectations. Here are some key adjustments:
To ensure all purchases in-game feel optional, it is important players have a path to acquire all items in our in-game store without having to make a purchase. Most items are available with Crystals which can be earned by trading gold at a player-run exchange. Any item without a Crystal price will be tradable via the in-game trading post. This means that all items will be available for in-game, earnable currencies (with few exceptions, such as Founder’s Packs and services like name changes).
We have updated how pet features function. Originally, players would rent features on their pets each month and the pets would gain additional functionality. An epic-grade pet will be available for free as a quest reward in the early stages of the game. In our version, pet purchases are permanent and the features that were previously rented are now available through Crystalline Aura benefits. Auto-looting remains a default feature of pets, regardless of whether or not you have Crystalline Aura active.
We tuned the timing on Mari’s Secret Store to make products stay in the store for longer periods of time, giving players more time to make a purchase decision. Players will have 72hrs before items rotate out of Mari’s Secret Store.
We reconstructed the premium service, Crystalline Aura, to provide fair and fully optional benefits and avoid potential pay to win mechanical advantages. Examples of these changes include removing increased movement speed and increased combat XP from the Crystalline Aura benefits, and adding in some of the PC Cafe benefits, like half-priced ship tickets and free Triport trips.
In-Game Currency Overview
Like many other free-to-play games, Lost Ark features several in-game currencies that serve different purposes. Below is an overview of the in-game currencies in Lost Ark and how they are used.
Founder’s Packs Overview
Interested adventurers can prepare for their odyssey by becoming a Founder. Your Founder's Pack will equip you for the many journeys ahead by granting you access to the upcoming Closed Beta, a 3-day head start access at launch, and stuffing your inventory with plenty of exclusive items to aid you on your adventures. You can find the full list of contents, pricing, and information on where to purchase on our Founder’s Pack page, and get a first look at the content available in them in our Founder Pack Content Showcase article.
Looking Ahead
During our Closed Beta test beginning November 4 and running until November 11, players will receive 40,000 Royal Crystals when they first login, but no real money purchases or monetization systems will be active during this time. These Royal Crystals are for Closed Beta only, and will be removed after the beta along with the items you get with them. Since we are actively testing and refining the monetization systems in game during Closed Beta, players may see remnants of the original business model or parts of unfinished systems that are currently being tested. As this is a beta test, we may discover that some revisions are necessary and may make further changes as a result. We appreciate your patience and would like to hear any feedback you have on these systems or decisions.
Make sure to follow our social channels and PlayLostArk.com to stay up-to-date as we move to Closed Beta and beyond. Here’s where you can find us:
We look forward to adventuring with you in Arkesia soon!
