The latest part of the Lost Ark Spring update ‘The Art of War’ is here, as the Lost Ark April patch notes arrive for the fantasy MMORPG. This month’s patch brings plenty to look forward to, with the arrival of Brelshaza hard mode and its corresponding new tier of Ancient gear. There’s also a new guardian raid, the opening of Fortunespire tier three, the introduction of powerful Sidereal gear, and of course plenty of snazzy cosmetics to delight players.
Ancient quality gear can now be crafted using materials earned from the incoming hard mode of the Brelshaza legion raid. You’ll have to reach item level 1540 first and equip a full six-piece set of Relic gear from the Phantom Legion Commander raid before you can craft the new Ancient gear. You’ll also be able to earn Ancient accessories from Brelshaza Hard, the South Vern chaos dungeons on despair level one and two, the Proving Grounds, and the new Hanumatan guardian raid.
As for Hanumatan, this giant, ape-like Solar Guardian has arrived and come to the conclusion that the humans are, in fact, the greatest danger to Arkesia. Of course, that means you’ll have to convince him otherwise by challenging him in combat. You’ll need to be item level 1540 to do so, but you’ll also have a chance to get your hands on the Legendary Galewind Rune if you’re successful in your showdown.
Completing the Brelshaza legion raid now has a chance to drop an item called ‘Sidereal: Galatur’s Will’ that can be used to begin a new questline that will allow you to forge and level up new Sidereal weapons. These powerful tools avoid the usual chance involved in honing and are guaranteed to be upgraded when the prerequisites are met. You can also upgrade them with powerful Sidereal skills, with a free initial upgrade once you hit level six.
Elsewhere, the first 25 floors of Fortunespire’s tier three tower have opened – this starts at item level 1490 and climbs up incrementally to 1530 at the highest floors. There’s also a Sweet Sugarpetal festival that runs April 12 to May 10, with the opportunity to earn a ‘Sweet Cake headwear selection chest’ and even more rewards.
There are also two new Lost cosmetic collections coming to the in-game store to tempt you. The first is a series of spikey, flaming Petranian Knight armour sets that are sure to make you stand out on the battlefield with their skeletal, scaled structure and colourful flames bursting from the chest and head. If that’s too heavy metal for you, you can also dress up as a ‘butler’ (that looks a bit more like a gangster to me) or a maid, if you prefer.
Lost Ark Spring update – April patch notes
The Lost Ark Spring update releases on March 12 at 6am PDT / 9am EDT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST, following an estimated six-hour downtime for server maintenance. Here are the full patch notes for the Lost Ark Spring update:
Brelshaza Hard Mode
The Phantom Legion Commander returns in a more challenging version of the 8-player Legion Raid. Hard Mode increases the difficulty and increases the rewards, ushering in the new Ancient quality of gear & accessories. Brelshaza Hard mode requires:
- Item Level 1540 for gates 1 & 2
- Item Level 1550 for gates 3 & 4
- Item Level 1560 for gates 5 & 6
The new Item Level requirements aren’t the only difference, as Brelshaza Hard introduces a variety of new challenges and mechanics.
Hanumatan Guardian Raid
The Solar Guardian Hanumatan is hallowed in Anikka. The martial artists of Anikka followed Hanumatan’s movements to develop a martial art. A powerful force of destruction in the Chain War 500 years ago, Hanumatan has sensed chaos looming in Arkesia and has woken from a long slumber. After spectating the state of the world with dispassionate eyes, he has come to a conclusion: Humans are the enemies endangering Arkesia. Hanumatan must be stopped, before his cold and furious wrath destroys every life form on Arkesia.
Challenging Hanumatan in a Guardian Raid will require Item Level 1540, and like Brelshaza Hard Mode, Ancient accessories can be earned by successful parties harvesting the Guardian’s soul. Like in other Level 6 Guardian Raids, there’s a chance that the Legendary Galewind Rune can drop (once per Roster). The related Aberrant Mist Forest Island has been added.
Ancient Quality Gear and Accessories
Ancient Gear
- Ancient gear can be crafted with materials acquired from Legion Raid Phantom Legion Commander Brelshaza Hard mode. The following conditions must be met before crafting Ancient gear:
- Reach Item Level 1540.
- The Achievement ‘Phantom Shard Remnants’ level 1, earned by equipping a full 6-set of Relic gear from the Phantom Legion Commander Raid (simultaneously, and regardless of the set bonus).
- Tier 3 Upper Relic gear can be transferred to Ancient level gear. The gear’s quality and set levels are maintained when transferred, unless the new piece has a higher quality.
- Ancient level gear can be honed up to level 25, with each additional honing level adding 5 Item Levels.
- Ancient gear shares the same set effects and options with Relic gear.
- Added 3 New Honing Effects. Upon reaching Ancient weapon honing level +22/+24/+25, the weapon’s effect will be updated.
Ancient Accessories
- Ancient accessories have been added, and can be earned from the following activities:
- South Vern Chaos Dungeons: Despair Level 1 & 2
- Hanumatan Guardian Raid
- Brelshaza Hard mode Legion Raid
- Proving Grounds
- Ancient accessories Engraving Effect Points:
- First Active Engraving Effect: Max 6 – Min 4
- Second Active Engraving Effect: Max 3 – Min 3
- Negative Engraving Penalty Effect: Max 3 – Min 1
- Bracelet upgrade function added:
- You can upgrade Relic grace bracelets to Ancient grade bracelets.
- The Relic bracelet must already have a granted bonus before you can upgrade it.
- When you upgrade your bracelet, the previously granted bonus will be enhanced and changed to a fixed bonus. One grant bonus slot will be created and a random bonus will be granted. The newly created and granted bonus can be changed up to 3 times, regardless of how many times you’ve granted a bonus before upgrading your bracelet.
- The first time you grant a bonus after upgrading your bracelet will cost 38,000 Silver, the same cost as granting a second bonus for an Ancient bracelet.
- Go to the Bracelet Specialist NPC in major cities to upgrade your bracelet.
- When you upgrade your bracelet, you will need 100 Crushed Radiant Hero Bracelets, which can be obtained by dismantling Ancient bracelets.
Fortunespire
The first 25 floors of the Tier 3 Tower open. Starting at Item Level 1490 and increasing incrementally to 1530, there are a variety of valuable rewards. From card packs and honing materials to a Skill Point Potion and a Legendary Class Engraving Recipe Selection Chest, to the victor go the spoils.
Fortunespire entry requirements:
- Floors 1 – 5: 1490
- Floors 6 – 10: 1500
- Floors 11 – 15: 1510
- Floors 16 – 20: 1520
- Floors 21 – 25: 1530
Fortunespire rewards:
- First Clear rewards per floor can be attained once per Roster, such as a new Masterpiece, Skill Point Potion, and Achievements.
- When clearing the floors again with other characters on the same Roster, different rewards can be attained, such as honing materials. First clear rewards are Roster bound, while additional clear rewards are character bound.
The final 25 floors will open in a future update.
Sidereal Weapons and Quests
Sidereal Weapons are a new type of gear in Lost Ark, available to be earned from a new questline starting at Item Level 1520. The quests start with a ‘Sidereal: Galatur’s Will’ item that drops from completing either the Normal or Hard mode of the Brelshaza Legion Raid, which can be used from the inventory to trigger the new questline. From there, a chain of quests begins that continue as the weapon is leveled up.
Unlike other gear that can be honed with varying probabilities, Sidereal Weapons ‘evolve’ at a 100% probability once the required materials have been collected and applied, and the relevant prerequisite quests. The weapon’s appearance changes every 2 levels.
Two new upgrade materials have been added to upgrade Sidereal Weapons; Sidereal Energy and Romantic Ingredient Kits. Sidereal Energy can drop from completing Brelshaza Gate 6 (Normal or Hard) and Kakul-Saydon Gate 3. 100 ‘Phantom Intentions’ (earned from Brelshaza Hard mode) can be exchanged for 1 ‘Sidereal Energy’ at the ‘Legion Raid Exchange’. Romantic Ingredient Kits can be crafted from Trade Skills in the Stronghold.
Sidereal Unity unites a Sidereal skill to your Sidereal Weapon, granting a particularly powerful effect. There’s an effect available for each of the seven Sidereals. The first time you upgrade your Sidereal Weapon to level 6, you are granted a Unity effect for free. Afterward, changing the Unity (to a different Sidereal) requires Stones of Chaos. The amount and conditions vary depending on when the change is being made:
- Level 6: 20 Stone of Chaos, Completing a quest “The Mysterious Blueprint.”
- Level 7: 20 Stone of Chaos.
- Level 8: 25 Stone of Chaos, Completing a quest “Call of the Illusory Bird.”
- Unity can be applied and checked by the button located at the bottom of the Character Profile UI.
- Sidereal Unity Skills can be used with [Ctrl] + [V] & [Ctrl] + [B]. Passive Skills are auto-activated when the conditions are met.
Sidereal Unity Skills/Effects cannot be used in:
- The Rowen Continent after selecting a faction.
- Content that adjusts a player’s stats.
- Content that involves PvP.
Quests and Content
- Added the South Vern Despair Chaos Dungeons, new achievements, and titles. Entrance Levels:
- Despair 1: 1540
- Despair 2: 1560
- Added the T3 Hall of the Sun ‘Inferno’ mode Boss Rush. Requires Item Level 1540 to enter. Related Stronghold Special Dispatch, achievements, and titles added.
- A series of quests have been added that take place on Wisdom Isle. These quests forward the ongoing story of Lost Ark, and serve a prerequisite for story quests that will arrive in future updates.
- Competitive Proving Grounds Season 2 draws to a close with this update.
Sweet Sugarpetal Festival Event
The Lopang Corporation manager Hytino needs help, and can be found in major cities to kick off an event quest line. With special event Daily Una’s Tasks available, a variety of rewards can be earned from daily completions and for earning Una’s reputation points as the event continues.
From cosmetics like the Sweet Cake Headwear Selection Chest to Leapstones and even a Relic Rapport Selection Chest, the rewards are as sweet as the event. The event will run from April 12 to May 10, so ensure you earn the rewards while you can!
Store Updates
Two new cosmetic collections arrive: one straight from Petrania, the land of darkness and chaos, and another perfect for spring Stronghold cleaning. A new ‘Bonus Room’ section was added to the in-game store that grants bonus items when all the offerings in a section are purchased.
Additional minor details, quality-of-life tweaks, and bug fixes, along with additional images of some of the new armour sets and cosmetic collections, can be found on the Lost Ark website.
Take a look at the Lost Ark Artist class that recently made its way to the multiplayer game after much anticipation. Meanwhile, PCGamesN spoke to Amazon Games about how Lost Ark year two is planned to “greatly reduce the gap” between regions. We’ve also found all the Lost Ark Mokoko Seeds, so you don’t have to.