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Lost Ark: Best classes for beginners

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Lost Ark has already seen incredible growth in Eastern regions, offering more than 20 classes for players to explore. For its Western debut, however, players only have access to 15. These are spread across five base classes, each one intended for a different type of playstyle.

If you’re just dipping your toes into the world of Lost Ark — or are an MMO newcomer in general — it’s important to pick a class that’s easy to learn and won’t punish you for making small mistakes.

Here’s everything you need to know about the best beginner classes in Lost Ark.

Further reading

Lost Ark classes explained

Five base classes are available in Lost Ark, each one offering a variety of sub-classes. These sub-classes further specialize the playstyle of their base class and make it easy to find something that fits your needs. Here’s a quick look at every class available in Lost Ark at launch.

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Warrior

Lost Ark Warrior class in full gear.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Above all else, Warriors excel at melee combat and dealing damage. All that power comes at the price of agility. So if you’re looking to dance around enemies and deal damage from afar, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you want to get up close and personal and be the centerpiece of your team, there’s not a better fit.

Three sub-classes are available for Warriors:

  • Berserker: Wields greatswords and boasts impressive defense. Entering burst mode will grant them improved attack speed and movement — offering mobility not typically seen in this class.
  • Paladin: Wields a holy book and one-handed swords. They excel at granting passive buffs to teammates and dealing moderate damage in close quarters.
  • Gunlancer: Wields a gunlance and shield for the best defensive stats in the class. They’re incredibly slow when attacking, although they can deal massive bursts of damage when used properly.

Martial Artist

Lost Ark Martial Artist class on a black background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Moving fast and striking faster, Martial Artists are a nimble class. That speed also comes in handy when dodging attacks — most of its four sub-classes don’t offer impressive defense stats.

  • Striker: Wields elemental gauntlets and attacks with fast aerial combos.
  • Wardancer: Wields light gauntlets and stores up elemental energy before unleashing devastating attacks.
  • Scrapper: Wields heavy gauntlets and delivers a constant barrage of attacks to stagger and defeat enemies with ease.
  • Soulfist: Capable of dealing significant ranged damage, this class is excellent for those seeking a unique twist to the standard Martial Artist formula.

Gunner

Lost Ark Gunner class poses on a black background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Capable of specializing in futuristic projectiles or old-fashioned bows, the Gunner class is all about dealing damage at a distance.

Four Gunner sub-classes are available:

  • Gunslinger: Fast but fragile, the Gunslinger excels at swapping out weapons to tackle their current challenge.
  • Artillerist: Essentially the opposite of Gunslingers. Wielding gigantic guns, this class deals huge damage but isn’t the most fleet of foot.
  • Deadeye: Wields shotguns, double handguns, and rifles to optimize their damage based on their enemies’ weaknesses.
  • Sharpshooter: Uses mechanical bows and specialized arrows to confer special status effects on their prey.

Mage

Lost Ark Bard on a black background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Only two sub-classes are available for Mages, although both deal significant damage while offering little in the way of defense. Here’s what you need to know about the Bard and Sorceress.

  • Sorceress: Wields a staff and calls upon elemental spells to deal damage across large areas.
  • Bard: Heals teammates using their harp, while also bringing several offensive skills to the battle when called upon.

Assassin

Lost Ark Assassin wielding swords.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re looking to slink around in the shadows and deal fast, precise strikes to hordes of enemies, the Assassin class is a perfect fit. Both of its sub-classes further augment this base playstyle, with each one offering something unique.

  • Shadowhunter: Shape-shift into demonic forms to launch devastating attacks and gain increased health and movement speed.
  • Deathblade: Traditional assassin-type class that uses three swords and fast-paced attacks to quickly dispatch enemies.

Best Lost Ark classes for beginners

Lost Ark classes posing on the battlefield.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Every class in Lost Ark brings something unique — and useful — to the battlefield. However, new Lost Ark players should give careful consideration to which class they choose to play first. While it’s possible to thrive as any of the 15 classes, there are a few that are easier to master than others.

Here are a few classes to consider if you’re a Lost Ark newcomer.

Artillerist

Boasting impressive defensive stats and some of the best offensive skills in the game, the Artillerist is a well-rounded class. The ability to deal significant damage at a distance is a key feature of the class. Combine that with its stellar health and defense stats, and it’s easy to see why the Artillerist is a perfect fit for newcomers.

There are a variety of ways to build out this class, although we’d recommend checking out Flamethrower, Air Raid, and Buckshot.

Berserker

It’s never ideal to spam your skills, but the Berserker class makes the bad habit a bit more forgiving than others. Their attacks always deal loads of damage and often push back foes that don’t die after the first hit. They’re a rather squishy sub-class of Warrior, however, so make sure to keep an eye on your health during heated encounters and bring a few more potions than you think you’ll need.

Whirlwind, Crime Hazard, and Hell Blade are all good skills for beginners to master.

Sorceress

Although you won’t be able to absorb many hits before going down, the amount of damage you can deal as a Sorceress makes it a great first class. Not only does she deal damage but also the elemental attacks are filled with dazzling effects that make combat a feast for your eyes. Your dodge skill can also be used to cover significant distances. So even though you can’t take many hits, it’s rather easy to avoid incoming attacks.

Most of the skills you’ll learn early on are viable for quite some time, although Lightning Burst, Frost Explosion, and Blaze are great for eliminating large groups.

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Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…
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