Lost Ark Update, Amazon Games and Smilegate RPG's to Collaborate

In the latest Lost Ark update, Amazon Games has confirmed that the much-anticipated class buffs, absent in the Western version, will be introduced in January 2024. While the Soul Harvest update successfully unveiled the Souleater class, players longed for the sweeping class buffs previously seen in the Korean version.

Addressing player disappointment, Amazon Games shed light on adapting updates from the Korean version to the Western release. This involves meticulous testing, reviewing hundreds of changes, and adjusting to ensure compatibility. The comprehensive procedure generally takes about three months, from initial assessment to final tweaks.

The Soul Harvest Update will not include the recent balance changes made in Korea. We know players are excited for the changes and want to know when changes will be brought to the West.

To help set player expectations, we're working on an article that will dive into our…

— Lost Ark (@playlostark) November 14, 2023

The recent clamor for balance changes, freshly released in Korea, prompted Amazon Games to provide insight into their decision-making and update implementation process, showcasing their commitment to player feedback.

Collaborative Efforts for Expedited Updates

Recognizing the eagerness of the Lost Ark community, Amazon Games is actively collaborating with Smilegate RPG, the game’s developers, to expedite the release of balance updates beyond their conventional base build system. This collaborative approach aims to bring more positive news to the dedicated player base.

To understand the intricacies, let’s delve into the concept of “base builds.” These are Korean build versions, encompassing updates released in Korea between specific periods, meticulously packaged by Smilegate RPG and Amazon Games.

The November 2023 update, for instance, amalgamates features from patches between July 5 and September 13. Each base build comprises numerous updates spanning system/UI enhancements, combat and character adjustments, guild-related improvements, and backend changes invisible to players.

Balancing Player Expectations

With the highly sought-after balance changes that recently released in Korea, we wanted to let players know we hear their feedback and give a look into our process.

Learn more here!
📜 https://t.co/SAQyF4gQhA pic.twitter.com/Q9Ux2DAdxp

— Lost Ark (@playlostark) November 24, 2023

While the delay in experiencing the class buffs may be disappointing, the confirmed timeline offers assurance that the updates are on the horizon. Enthusiasts can continue immersing themselves in the captivating world of Lost Ark, knowing that Amazon is trying to enhance their gaming experience.

Notably, some updates are exclusive to Korean content or systems yet to debut in the West. Smilegate RPG undertakes to remove or rearrange these updates to align with the Western player progression.

This necessitates extensive testing before applying the Korean base build to the Western version. While simultaneous releases pose challenges, the advantage lies in additional testing for West builds fine-tuning updates based on player feedback.

The Lost Ark community can anticipate a revitalized gaming experience in January 2024 as Amazon Games gears up to deliver the much-anticipated class buffs with the latest Lost Ark update. Most Quality of Life (QoL) and balance updates occur through base build updates, typically rolled out every three months.

Some Korean balance updates may undergo further rebalancing post-release, ensuring optimization before integration into the base build. With the November update encompassing the latest Korean base build, the team is gearing up for the next base build scheduled for January 2024.

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