Lost Ark is a new Massively Multiplayer Online Action Role Playing Game (MMOARPG) from the developers SmileGate. The price? Well Lost Ark is Free, yes that’s right, Lost ark is a Free-to-Play (F2P) game. The game also has microtransactions included in the Lost Ark Store. There is also an exclusive selection of a rotating inventory of items found in Mari’s Secret Store.
The game was initially released in Korea on November 12, 2018. It was later brought to Russia on October 27, 2019 and Japan on June 25, 2020. After the overwhelming popularity in Asian regions, the game was announced to be versioned by Amazon Game Studios for Western audiences in an North American and European (NA/EU) release.
What is the price of the Founder’s Pack?
There are multiple versions of Founder’s Pack that can be purchased. The prices listed below are in USD.
- Bronze – $14.99
- Silver – $24.99
- Gold – $49.99
- Platinum – $99.99
You can see everything included with the purchase of a Founder’s Pack Here.
The much anticipated NA/EU release will be on February 11th, 2022, and players who pre-purchase a Founders Pack will be able to access the game 3-days early on February 8th, 2022.
Check out the Exclusive Avatar Cosmetic Skins available to players who have purchased the Platinum Founder’s Pack.
Is Lost Ark Pay To Win?
Many players criticize the game claiming that there are too many Pay to Win (P2W) elements. The developers state that everything in the game is obtained through playing the game and can be earned without spending a single cent. Most items that are purchased with real world money are purely cosmetic in nature and don’t provide any significant advantage over items obtained through playing.
There is also the option to purchase items that will speed up a player’s progression within the game. The only advantage that gets you is getting to see all the content sooner than players who don’t pay.
It should also be mentioned that simply paying to speed up the process of progression your characters power, doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed to complete the content. In Player Vs Environment (PvE) content, there are still many very difficult mechanics involved. These difficult encounters with bosses require close attention and coordination with your party members.
In Player Vs Player (PvP) content, every character’s stats are equalized. The only thing that matters is the player skill and technique.
There is certainly enough content in Lost Ark that it will keep players busy for a long time. Even for those who choose to pay for some convenience to speed up the improvement of their character.
Lost Ark Free to Play Monetization
In a post on the official Lost Ark website, the developers have stated a number of changes they are bringing to the western audiences. This is in an attempt to make it more attractive to those who are heavily opposed to the P2W microtransactions in many F2P games. There are multiple types of currencies in the game that can be confusing for new players to understand. Here is a infographic showcasing all of the most common currencies.
As you can see, the Royal Crystals are the only currency used that cost real-world money. It will be interesting to see how the new community takes to the game and it’s business model.
