Our first glimpse of Lost Ark came in 2014, when we described it as "an exceptionally good looking ARPG." It finally launched four years later, but only in Korea—it wasn't until earlier this year that a Western release was confirmed, with localization being handled by Amazon Games.
Lost Ark is currently expected to be out in early 2022, and with the new year rapidly approaching Amazon and original publisher Smilegate have kicked off a week-long closed beta test. Set to run until November 11, the beta test will feature the new Martial Artist Striker subclass, dungeons and raids, islands to sail to and explore, and other updates to the live game in Korea.
"We are proud to be Smilegate RPG's partner in the West and have been working tirelessly with them to provide Lost Ark fans with the best game experience possible,” Amazon Games vice president Christoph Hartmann said. "Players around the world have shown their enthusiasm for Lost Ark and our closed beta is a chance for players to experience it for themselves and provide feedback to our teams as we ready for launch."
To get into the Lost Ark closed beta, head around to playlostark.com and pick up a founder's pack, which are available through Steam or Amazon for $15 to $100, and include various bonuses like exclusive pets, titles, in-game supplies, and "head start" access to the game three days before it goes fully live. Alternatively, you can sign up for a chance to be randomly selected for admission at playlostark.com.
