Lost Ark's Redemption: Smilegate Revamps Progression

Lost Ark's April update brought major changes to progression in the MMO as Smilegate aims to refresh the game.

Lost Ark isn’t as popular as it once was. When it launched in 2022 it had 1.3 million players on Steam at once. but that number dropped over the year. By 2025 only about 20,000 players remain which is much lower than before. However things might be changing. After a big update Smilegate’s MMO has started to gain players again. With important changes and updates to progression this could be Lost Ark’s chance to recover.

Earlier this month Smilegate said it would lower progression costs for new and returning Lost Ark players. Whether you are new to the game or coming back after a break getting used to its systems can be tough. There are many materials weapon and armor tiers and mechanics that help you get stronger but they can be overwhelming.

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That’s why Smilegate made changes to make honing easier. You now need 50% fewer materials to reach advanced levels 1 to 20. The cost of shards and silver for tempering stages 1 and 2 as well as the first 20 honing levels is also reduced by 20%. Since honing is key to upgrading gear in Lost Ark this is a big improvement.

Smilegate has lowered the cost of weapon and armor transcendance making it easier to upgrade your gear. They also reduced the gold costs for restoration and purification so you will have more currency moving forward.

Alongside The Lost Ark April 2025 patch brings a new event that helps you earn powerful honing support effects. The event running until Wednesday July 23 offers rewards like silver or gold and other resources. Completing it will also give you achievement rewards for item levels 1640 to 1680 making it easier to reach the thresholds for future chaos content according to Smilegate.

Smilegate is also making changes to the T-3 Honing Deadzone which slows down progress for casual players. They are also reviewing the gem system because it limits both character progression and playstyle options.

After the update, the MMO is doing better than usual in terms of player count. It went up from around 20,000 players at peak to just over 30,000. It is a good start and hopefully shows a fresh start for Lost Ark as Smilegate works on fixing the games main issues.

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