When the first big Lost Ark update was announced to be coming this month, the focus was on its endgame nerfs, aimed at making some of its Abyssal Dungeons and Guardian Raids easier, as well as the addition of a new activity called Abyss Raids. That update has now arrived, and the 5.9GB patch also includes a few surprising extras. Mainly, a grand prix.
Only available for the next month, you can enter the Arkesia Grand Prix racing event once per day at the beginning of any even-numbered hour—you have to be there right on the hour to participate. The race transforms you into a naruni, one of Lost Ark's oddly adorable little triceratops creatures, and sends you off around a racetrack in one of two teams of seven players competing to make it to the finish line and apparently eat a bunch of cakes? Yeah, I don't know either.
To participate in the grand prix you need to be at least level 50. Talk to the Arkesia Grand Prix Manager in whichever major city hub is nearest you to enter—they'll be highlighted on the map with a pink exclamation mark. Note that you can only enter once per roster. No sneaking back with a different character, though I guess if you've somehow got to level 50 on two different servers you could enter again that way?
- WoW next big patch, Undermine(d), gets a release date, starting the countdown clock until my gaming time is entirely consumed with doing donuts in my new ride
- Monster Hunter Wilds' first title update is overflowing with new stuff: A long-awaited Grand Hub, Arch-tempered Monsters, Arena Quests, and most importantly, fashion
The March update also adds a new set of skins to Lost Ark's surprisingly barren cosmetics store, though only the one outfit. Called the Omen set, it's dark and spooky and will make you look a bit like Reaper from Overwatch. The deluxe special package version also includes a wallpaper for the character select screen and a mount called the ghost horse to make your Dark Rider cosplay complete. It'll be available for the next 35 days, after which the April update will presumably arrive
The previously announced Abyss Raid, which pits players against a boss called Argos, and the next story episode, called Kadan, are both included in the update for players who have somehow made it far enough to run out of other things to do already. Bug fixes mentioned in the full patch notes include fixes for the client becoming unresponsive after switching to fullscreen mode and then alt-tabbing, as well as issues with controller support.
Those patch notes also mention the first season of competitive play in the Proving Grounds is due later this month. Wins and losses in a Team Deathmatch mode (which you'll be able to queue solo for) will be tracked in your Competitive Match Average score, and the better the score the better the rewards you get at the end of the season. Entry will be available to anyone who has reached Tier 1 in the Proving Grounds. More details, including the date it begins, are apparently on the way.
Finally, a new set of daily log-in bonuses has arrived, with 25 rewards including honing materials, rapport items, card packs and the like. No repeat of last month's Tropical Chamkuri mount, though, so you have my sympathies if you missed out on scoring a sweet chocobo-looking bird to ride around on.
