Heroes of Arkesia, In last month’s April & May Roadmap, we gave a first look at what you could expect in May’s major update. In that article, we discussed our approach of monitoring player progression and feedback to find the correct release timing for more end-game content, such as the Valtan Legion Raid and the Deskaluda Guardian Raid. After closely monitoring alongside Smilegate RPG, we feel that enough of our player base has reached the item level needed to participate (or is within easy striking distance to get there over the next few weeks) and have decided this is the right time for these activities to enter the western shores of Arkesia. It is never our goal for players to feel they need to pay to progress, and players who haven’t reached the item levels required to participate shouldn’t feel pressured— continue to enjoy the journey of exploration and challenging yourself at your own pace. For newer players eager to hit the high levels required to participate in end-game activities, we hope that the Express Event Missions and extension of the Guardian Raid Event to May 19 will help you progress while still teaching the vast variety of mechanics and game modes in Lost Ark. As existing fans of Lost Ark know, there are still many new activities, challenges, enemies, and more that have yet to be released, and we can’t wait to bring more experiences to Arkesia. We’re excited to introduce the first Legion Raid this month and can’t wait to witness your battles against this legendary foe. With that, let’s dive into the content arriving in May. [h2]LEGION RAID - VALTAN (NORMAL & HARD MODES)[/h2] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/4rDmYbt6rK8YGwihsQpxdZ/5816a381539d8038ba3ee352a065933c/episode_Valtan_08_1920x1080.jpg[/img] Valtan will introduce the first Legion Raid into the western version of Lost Ark. Legion Raids are difficult team-based activities that require teamwork to understand and execute the strategy necessary to counter each Legion Commander's unique characteristics, abilities, and mechanics. As Legion Raids are challenging and take time, there are gates (or checkpoints) that will save player's progress as they advance through the Raid. Valtan is an eight-player Legion raid, has 2 gates, and introduces a swathe of new mechanics. Players will need to be item level 1415 to attempt normal difficulty, and 1445 for hard. The Valtan Legion Raid will also introduce a new rarity for gear - “Relic”. Relic gear can be crafted from materials earned in the raid. It provides more impactful armor and weapon bonuses, alongside bigger stat bonuses and more engraving nodes on accessories. [h2]DESKALUDA GUARDIAN RAID[/h2] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/1xKsg7LamNCEPy1hJIowvt/c8c8a4c1ca1ea5537247c3f6f21ba22d/Descaluda_05_1920x1080.jpg[/img] Guardians are powerful entities that can tip the scales toward good or evil. A new Guardian will arise and must be vanquished before they usher in an age of darkness. Deskaluda will require an item level of 1415 to attempt. As with the other Guardian Raids, you can attempt to vanquish Deskaluda alone, with a party, or matchmake with up to three other heroes. Similar to the rewards in the Valtan Legion Raid, players will also have a chance to earn Relic quality accessories from defeating Deskaluda. [h2]DESTROYER ADVANCED CLASS[/h2] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/1lRc0vqyB3SIciI5BmRM8w/4a8d2f148595e609683b54ff1d71b3a7/destroyer_characterart_1920x1080.jpg[/img] We’ve talked about the cataclysmic impact that Warriors have on the battlefield, but nothing embodies this better than the hammer-wielding Destroyer. Armed with a variety of skills centered around charging into the heart of the fray, their hammer attacks are so catastrophically crushing that Destroyers can bend gravity to their will— slowing, launching, pushing and pulling enemies— whatever it takes to utterly, beyond a shadow of a doubt, destroy them. Dealing massive stagger damage, the Destroyer is a welcome addition to any party attempting to vanquish powerful foes. The Destroyer will join the Berserker, Paladin, and Gunlancer as the fourth Warrior Advanced Class. [h2]ADDITIONAL MAY CONTENT[/h2] [h3]CHALLENGE GUARDIAN RAIDS[/h3] Challenge Guardian Raids will add a new weekly activity for players looking for a challenge. Each week, players can attempt to defeat three Challenge Guardians. Every Guardian has their own required item level to enter, and each week one Guardian will rotate out, replaced by a different foe. Differing from a normal Guardian Raid, Challenge Guardian Raids will apply ‘Scale of Balance’ so that your characters’ item level will be adjusted appropriately to that of their enemy. Additionally, players cannot use the Battle Workshop in the raid region. However, with increased challenge comes increased rewards. Rewards for each Challenge Guardian can be obtained once per roster, per week, and offer more diverse rewards than normal Guardian Raids. [h3]NEW QUESTS & OPEN WORLD ACTIVITIES[/h3] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/2C5MhD3SAJNeYRVtE8fb5v/5237919d5e34c1ab1ada8ede684adb28/Wild_Wings_Island_02_1920x1080.jpg[/img] South Vern Activities - Chaos Line Hard Mode, Thunderwings Field Boss, the South Vern Chaos Gate, South Vern Ghost Ship, and South Vern Chaos Dungeons will all be arriving in Arkesia. Wild Wings Island - Arkesia is a vast land, filled with a myriad of menacing and sometimes, well, less-menacing threats. Seeking revenge for eating their friends and family, Crispy Golden Chickings are planning to raid the island. Players turn into a chicken or beer to battle the Chicking boss to earn event coins. The quicker you defeat waves of enemies, the quicker more Chickings appear and the more coins you can earn! Wild Wings Island is a new event island where players can participate in co-op quests or join solo to help suppress this unique uprising. [h3]NEW GUILD ACTIVITIES[/h3] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/5F7VqzcvxyBAK20VerEbTh/3ae4b806eba416cdbc9b0132520a1923/Raid_Match_02_1920x1080.jpg[/img] While being in a guild has been a helpful source of finding raid groups and providing benefits like the guild shop, new PvE and PvP guild activities will be arriving in May. Issue challenges across Arkesia to control guild bases to prove your guild is the best around. Island Siege - A PvP guild activity that allows you to battle other guilds in PvP combat. Your ranking is determined by how many points you earn from capturing objectives and defeating enemy players. Earn rewards and perks like gems, accessories, ability stones and more. Raid Match - Enter a base with your guild and challenge the powerful Sylmael Devourer. Once summoned, you’ll have limited-time to cooperate with your guild and quickly destroy the Sylmael Devourer. The faster you kill, the more you move up in the guild rankings. If you’re not in a guild yet, time to start searching! You can use the [Alt-U] hotkey or find the guild menu on the list of menus by pressing escape. Once there, if you’re not in a guild, you can browse through and apply! Many awesome Lost Ark content creators also have series of guilds for their communities, so make sure to see if there are guilds for any communities or friend groups you might already be a part of. [h3]NERIA’S WARDROBE[/h3] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/umhrp0op95v1/2vWRMNzqnI3mmuig9MVkt8/5fdcab83d30f6156892d6b66f7d9db12/LA_Nerias_Wardrobe_Group_Shot_1920x1080.jpeg[/img] We heard players wanted more skins, so we’re adding a month of Neria’s Wardrobe alongside the normal store updates that will happen in May. Neria’s Wardrobe is a limited-time skin shop that sells individual skins (head, chest, pants, etc.), and will be around for roughly a month. Players can buy individual items for their character, such as snapback hats, t-shirts, jeans, fit and flare dresses, and more. Your character will be modeling modern fashion while fighting epic bosses. [h3]QUALITY OF LIFE UPDATES[/h3] May will also introduce a bunch of quality of life changes, including front and back attack indicators, the ability to check daily & weekly content participation in a new menu, UI updates, improved party finder & party invites, updated loot dismantling, convenience features for Market/Auction House, and a few fun features, like being able to randomly summon favorited mounts and new hairstyles for customization! [h3]BALANCE TUNING & UPDATES[/h3] Including a recent rework of the Destroyer Advanced Class to increase his impact on the battlefield, Smilegate RPG recently released a balance patch on many of the Advanced Classes to tune, update, and further define these classes’ roles on the battlefield. We’ll provide more specifics for players unfamiliar with these changes in the release notes, but you can look forward to these changes coming to Arkesia alongside the Destroyer. [h2]LOOKING AHEAD[/h2] We’re excited for the new activities coming to Arkesia later in May, seeing players attempt the first Legion Raid, participate in more end-game content, and watching Guild vs. Guild action ramp up. We know that players are always curious what’s on the horizon. Now that we’ve locked in Valtan, Deskaluda, & more end-game content for May, we’ll be taking a look at the roadmap for summer and share a glance later this month at our plans. As always, we’ll continue monitoring player data and feedback into our decision making, and look forward to hearing your thoughts. We appreciate and thank you for your continued support as we progress on this adventure together!