【South Korea】The Patch is Done, But What Changed? A Guide to Post-Login Tasks

On December 10th, Lost Ark underwent a major update. While the new story arrives on the 24th and the new raid on January 7th next year, significant updates have been implemented, including the new Guardian Knight class, balance adjustments, and adjustments to Tier 3 honing intervals. There’s a lot for adventurers to know. There are also details you might miss if you don’t carefully read the patch notes, such as the 10x honing chance or the introduction of DLSS. Refer to the guide below to enjoy the game more efficiently.

1. Enter your Tier 1 Stronghold and start research.
   • Start research for ‘Tier 3 Honing Required XP Reduction 4’ and ‘Tier 4 Honing Required XP Reduction 1’.
2. Open the Integrated Storage to receive rewards and claim all Milestone rewards.
   • You’ll receive a large number of Single Raid Medals.
   • Claim T4 Support Boxes and Silver.
   • Daily Una’s Tasks have been changed to Milestones; growth mission rewards are retroactively granted.
3. Daily Content: What changed?
   • Chaos Dungeon rewards are now bound; gems have been removed from them.
   • Gems now drop from Guardian Raids.
   • In exchange, Fate Fragment rewards are now tradable.
   • Una’s Tasks have been removed; their rewards have been transferred to Milestones.
   • Bound gold from weekly Una’s has been moved to Chaos Gates.
   • Field Bosses and Chaos Gates have become extremely important!
   
   ▲ 고봉밥 패치가 들어온 12월 10일 업데이트
4. Elixir Changes: ‘Blunt’ enhancement / ‘Master Brawler’ reduction condition changed.
   • Elixirs have been moved to the Evolution Node.
   • A new high-efficiency node called ‘Crush’ has been added. Choose between ‘Keen Blunt’/’Master’ and then select ‘Crush’.
   • The critical hit cap for ‘Blunt’ has been increased to 120%.
   • The reduction condition for ‘Master Brawler’ has been changed to losing 3 stacks when hit with a debuff.
5. DLSS (AI Upscaling) Added.
   • Can be applied in Settings > Video > Screen Effects.
   • Two options provided: DLSS (NVIDIA exclusive) and FSR.
6. AI Ability Stone Cutting Function Added.
   • Convenient automatic engraving is now possible.
   • Easier to achieve cuts like 7/7, 9/7, etc.
7. Abrelshud, Morduim Single Mode Added.
   • Karma’s Vestige and Thunderwrought Prison are sold in the Single Mode shop.
   • Metallurgy quantity has also been expanded – a must-buy!
   
   ▲ 통합 보관함, 이정표에서 보상을 받아
   • Entry level is 1670/1680, same as Normal mode.
   • ‘Flame Magic Scroll’ has become a free item, given for free in Gate 1.
8. Equipment Honing: Karma 10x Chance Added.
9. Major Content Gold Rewards Reduced.
10. Gold Shop Added.
    • Legendary Cores, Level 7 Radiant Gems, etc., are now sold for gold.

The honing cost reduction research allows you to receive honing bonuses when leveling sub-characters. It’s recommended to do this first after logging in! It’s okay to use Instant Complete. Also, be sure to claim the retroactively granted Single Medals, Silver, and other rewards from the Integrated Storage.
The ‘Milestone Mission’ on the left side of the minimap is new content that replaces weekly Una’s Tasks. It’s a structure where you enjoy daily content, consume points, and choose the rewards you want. There are also Growth Missions, most of which are already completed. Just claim them.

From the perspective of an active adventurer, the biggest change is the daily content overhaul. Guardian Stones/Destruction Stones obtained from Kurzan Frontline and Chaos Dungeons are now character-bound. Transferring them from sub-characters to main characters is no longer possible, and selling them is blocked. This is an update to curb botting or large-scale multi-boxing. In exchange, rewards from Fate Fragments have become tradable.
Also, gem, accessory, bracelet, and ability stone rewards have been removed from Kurzan Frontline and Chaos Dungeons. These rewards have been moved to Guardian Raids and Field Bosses. Now, Guardian Raids are the primary source for Brilliant Gem Fragments, accessories, bracelets, and ability stones.
With weekly Una’s Tasks transferred to Milestones, the bound gold reward has been removed; this reward has been moved to Chaos Gates. Guardian/Destruction Stones can be obtained in large quantities from Field Bosses. From now on, you’ll need to consistently clear Chaos Gates and Field Bosses to receive rewards similar to before.

With the removal of Elixir Transcendence, Transcendence has been changed to a stat provided by equipment, and Elixirs have been added to the Evolution Node. Transcendence hasn’t changed much, but Elixirs have had their main options changed and applied. A ‘Damage Received Reduction’ effect has been added to all nodes, allowing you to gain 8% damage reduction. While ‘Keen Blunt’ and ‘Master’ maintain their main options, a new node ‘Crush’ has been added, changing it so you can gain a whopping 20% evolutionary damage. Combinations like Keen Blunt+Crush or Master+Crush are expected to be primarily used.
Next, ‘Blunt’ and ‘Master Brawler’ have changed. For Master Brawler, the reduction condition has changed from being staggered to being hit with a debuff, and it now loses 3 stacks. For Blunt, the critical hit rate cap has been increased to 150%.

Single Modes for Abrelshud and Morduim have also been added. This means all growth phases up to Act 4 and the final act are now in Single Mode. It has become easier to pass through the Karma and advanced honing phases. In Single Mode, you can only receive materials from the Normal phase, but Thunderwrought Prison has been added as a weekly reward, allowing you to gradually obtain some level 40 advanced honing materials.
In the Gold Shop, you can purchase basic equipment needed for your setup with gold. It sells excellent equipment that can be used immediately after purchase, such as Ancient-grade 3-engraving accessory boxes and T4 Ancient-grade bracelet boxes. You can also purchase Legendary-grade Cores and Level 7 Radiant Gems.