This game feels like a weird gambling addiction, you have tried it, stopped it and always calls you back into it. Unless you are into hardcore grind, it's almost impossible to catch up to the vertical progression and when you are almost there, it's gonna ask you to spend 10k gold on *trying* to hone your gear to reach that final level. Out of gold? tough luck, you have depleted your viable gold making sources for this week or it's impossible to progress into higher tier of raids to get some gold. can't get gear = don't have gold = can't get into raids = can't get gold

If you are a casual player, just forget it or play for the world events and quests but don't get into endgame content. They offer express passes pretty regularly for people to progress to some part of the vertical. A true shame, story is pretty decent, graphics and battle styles feel very smooth and it's one of the few games where raids are actually quite difficult. Yet should I be the millionth person complaining about the gender locked classes? the gambling? the gatcha?

People with k+ hours don't recommend this game, do you think that's a mistake?

At first, Lost Ark was an amazing experience. Exploring the world with friends, tackling early bosses, and uncovering the game’s vast landscapes was genuinely fun and exciting. It felt like a grand adventure we were all part of.

But over time, that excitement started to fade. The game became more of a daily routine than a thrill – doing the same tasks every day just to keep up, not fall behind. It started feeling less like a game and more like a second job.

Unfortunately, the community also took a turn for the worse. As time went on, the atmosphere became increasingly toxic, making it harder to enjoy the game or simply play at your own pace.

Eventually, I had to step away. I have other things I want to do in life, and Lost Ark just demanded too much time and energy.

Not for you if you don't like:

- Grinding to level and upgrade
- Pay to win
- Toxic communities
- Gender locked classes
- Character level boosts
- Dark patterns like obscure shops, plenty of currencies, daily logins, loot boxes etc.
- Boss mechanics that wipes the party if one person doesn't know the mechanic

It's not for me, I couldn't "just play the first x hours it gets fun", the negatives far outweigh the main gameplay for me.