Is Lost Ark Dead?
Lost Ark has seen a dramatic drop in players a year after its release. Is the game finally dying?
Lost Ark is reaching its first anniversary in the Western Region. While it has grown to be one of the most popular MMOs in recent years, it is apparent that its active player count has been steadily declining. With the recent ban wave, about 2/3 of the total population was culled, significantly reducing the number of active Lost Ark accounts. Has the game finally died?
Spoiler Alert: Lost Ark is Not Dead
Fortunately for fans, Lost Ark is far from being a dead game. While there has been a substantial drop in active players, the Korean MMO still has a healthy population playing it. Even with the recent ban wave, the number of users averages around a hundred thousand. Though it may not have as many players as World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV, enough people are farming Lost Ark gold to say that game is very much alive.
Going deeper into the game’s issues, botting is still a rampant problem, as the recent ban wave showed how most active accounts are AI-controlled. It has been common to see bots running around doing activities that reward gold, such as dailies and life skills. Fortunately, these AI-controlled characters haven’t caused any problems with queues, but they have negatively impacted the game’s economy.
Lost Ark Statistics
As one of the most popular MMOs up to date, Lost Ark has seen a tremendous number of players during its first year. The game peaked at around 1.3 million concurrent players, while its total count is now at 16.5 million users. However, the last number only indicates the number of accounts created, not the active player base.
In terms of active users, the game has significantly dropped to around 170,000, which is still a large population. The Korean MMO averages about 90 to 150,000 players daily. Compared to most massively multiplayer online games, Lost Ark still has a considerable following and a steady stream of updates, ensuring that players remain engaged.
Lost Ark Won’t Become Uninteresting Anytime Soon
Lost Ark’s advantage over other MMOs is that it already has ready-made content since it has been around since 2018 in other parts of the world. Players in the West won’t have to worry about any shortage of content. While additional features are being introduced to Lost Ark West, a bunch of new things is also being added.
Currently, Western players have yet to catch up to other servers such as KR and JP. The most challenging boss in Korea right now is Akkan. Meanwhile, Lost Ark West only has Brelshaza. There are tons of content still waiting to be available for western players.
Aside from great content, Lost Ark also features a unique playstyle that sets it apart from many MMOs. It incorporates ARPG elements into massively multiplayer online games. This combination of genres makes playing extremely enjoyable and thrilling for gamers looking for a new type of MMO.
Lost Ark Issues
While Lost Ark is indeed very much alive, there are still some issues that AGS and Smilegate RPG should address. These problems have been very persistent and are detrimental to the players’ experience. Resolving them should be a big priority for the developers.
The main issue that the game is facing right now is rampant botting. The severity of the problem was further highlighted after the recent ban wave. The average concurrent players were cut down from around 300k to 170k, which shows how many bots are in the game.
The devs have been implementing quarterly wave bans to remove suspected bots. Unfortunately, many real players have been falsely barred from the game due to glitches in the game’s anti-bot system. To mitigate this, a captcha has been added to the game to set up more walls to prevent AI-controlled accounts from entering the competition.
Other issues in the game involve scripting and hacking. Many players have also reported frequent game disconnections due to errors with the servers or the EAC. These issues have contributed to many adventurers leaving the game.
Lost Ark Still Okay
In general, Lost Ark is still thriving in the MMO scene. While several players have left the game, it still has a considerable population of adventurers farming Lost Ark gold. With more upcoming content lined up, it won’t be surprising to see a spike in active users in the game.