There are a lot of non-descript terms that aren’t really well explained in Lost Ark. Whether it’s a poor translation or multiple uses of the same word for different things, new players will no doubt find it difficult to understand all the effects that skills have and how they function.
We’re here today to explain what everything in those tooltips means and how they affect gameplay.
For many skills there are differences when used for PvE versus PvP. Our first tip is the hotkey for seeing the differences in the tooltip. By default, holding the ALT key while hovering over an ability will toggle the tooltip from PvE to PvP.
Types of Skills
Skill Usage
- Normal – Attacks in the direction where the mouse is located.
- Point – A reticle will appear on the ground, telegraphing the location of where the ability will be placed with a second skill key press.
- Holding / Charging – Hold the skill to completion, for however long you want, or to a predetermined Perfect Zone. The Perfect Zone provides improved damage.
- Combo – Press the skill key multiple times to continue the series of attacks. There is a brief window of opportunity with these skills so that you don’t have to perfectly time it or continuously press the button. Certain Tripods can increase the duration of this window.
- Casting – A casting animation causes a delayed attack in the direction where the mouse is located.
Lost Ark Skill Effects
Front Attack
Skills that hit the front of an enemy will provide a damage bonus. The skill inflicts 20% more damage and has 10% increased neutralization damage. Bonus damage can be increased by up to +25% via Engraving.
Back Attack
Skills that hit the back of an enemy will provide a damage bonus. The skill inflicts 5% bonus damage and has a 10% increased chance to crit. Bonus damage can be increased by up to +25% via Engraving.
Counter
Skills with Counter in the description provide a way to interrupt a boss when they are charging specific abilities. The boss will glow blue when they can be interrupted. Countering a boss can only be done when using the ability on the FRONT of the boss. Once interrupted the boss will pause for a moment. Certain bosses require using counter multiple times in order to advance the fight, so get practicing in Trixion or anytime you see an enemy with a blue highlight!
Stagger
Skills with a Stagger Level (aka Neutralization/Impairment) are utilized with bosses that have a thin purple bar under their health bar. Once the bar is depleted the boss will become Exhausted; no longer moving and unable to attack. Some bosses will deal massive damage if not enough stagger has been dealt to the boss in time.
There are 6 levels of Stagger:
- Low, Medium-Low, Medium, Medium High, High, High+
There are also Battle Items which have Stagger that can be used to quickly deal with this mechanic (Whirlwind Grenade, Clay Grenade).
Part Break
Skills with Part Break (aka Destruction/Weak Point) are utilized when bosses have separate parts that can be destroyed. Once destroyed, a beneficial effect will be applied; deal more damage, receive reduced damage, heal health, etc. There are 5 Levels of Weak Point. There is a Battle Item that causes high damage to the destroyable part (Destruction Bomb). There are some Tripods and also a Battle Item that improve the level of Part Break of skills (Corrosive Bomb)
Super Armor
Super Armor provides immunity from movement impairing skills (crowd control, CC) during the skill usage and sometimes for a short period of time afterwards. This will cause your character to have an outline highlighted glow and will prevent either:
- Super Armor: Paralysis Immunity (Level 1 CC; ex: stagger)
- Super Armor: Push Immunity (Level 2 and below CC; ex: knock up)
- Super Armor: All Immunity (Level 3 and below CC; ex: stun)
Crowd Control (CC)
There are 3 levels of Crowd Control often referred to as Soft CC and Hard CC
Level 1 (Soft CC)
Soft Stagger – Interrupts movement; brief inability to perform actions; applicable only while not using an ability. Applied to normal monsters and players. Virtually every attack has this component. This effect can be chained indefinitely against Challenge or lower Monsters. There are runes which improve the effect of stagger. There are diminishing returns when used against players represented by the Scale Symbol above their nameplate.
Hard Stagger – Interrupt movement and skill usage; brief inability to perform actions; applicable while using abilities. *The game refers to skills that are immune to this effect as “Super Armor: Paralysis Immunity“.
Level 2
Knock-up /-down /-back – Interrupts movement and skill usage; lifts the character into the air / knocked off their feet onto the ground / pushed away from caster. Knocking up is also referred to as Juggling as it can be chained indefinitely. The game refers to skills that are immune to this effect as “Super Armor: Push Immunity”
Using the Spacebar Dash during this effect will use a separate longer cooldown known as the “Get Up“
There are certain Tripods that provide immunity to this effect.
Level 3 (Hard CC)
There are many different types of level 3 CC. All of them prevent movement and skill usage for a period of time determined by the skill. Typically, 1-4 seconds in PvE and 1-2 seconds in PvP. The game refers to skills that are immune to this effect as “Super Armor: All Immunity“. Typically available while using Awakening Skills and when using the Spacebar Dash.
These are the types of Hard CC:
- Faint
- Petrification
- Fear
- Pest
- Sleep
- Electrocute
- Paralysis
- Stun
- Freeze* immovable to other attacks (ex: can’t be knocked up)
Battle Items such as the Panacea remove this effect.