See which ones players are using the most
Lost Ark has taken over the west after its release. Players can’t seem to put it down with its engaging gameplay, smooth animations, and freedom of class customization. It helps that there’s a severe lack of good ARPGs that this game was able to fill. The game offers 17 specializations through 5 classes, each one with unique gameplay. See which one players love the most and whether it matches your favorite to farm Lost Ark gold with.
Contents
Specialization Popularity Rankings
Note that the data gathering method is not 100% accurate. Still, it was done to reflect actual numbers as closely as possible. Here are the rankings of the specializations from highest to lowest.
- Sorceress
- Deathblade
- Berserker
- Paladin
- Glaivier
- Bard
- Shadowhunter
- Gunlancer
- Gunslinger
- Artillerist
- Wardancer
- Scrapper
- Striker
- Sharpshooter
- Destroyer
- Soulfist
- Deadeye
As you can see, Sorceresses dominate the ranking list. It also shows in-game, where you can’t walk ten steps without encountering a Sorc player. Parties usually have one, sometimes even two of them. They’re an excellent all-rounder class, though a bit squishy. They work best with a good party that can divert attention away from them while casting their devastating skills.
Deathblades are sitting at number two, with their smooth combos and fast-paced gameplay. That feeling of chaining skills into a light show of death is sublime. Berserkers at third, in contrast, are slower and use more charge attacks. They’re still satisfying classes nonetheless.
Paladins are a bit of a surprise at number four for the reasons stated below. It’s great to see them rise in popularity, though. Bard, too, even at a lower position at six. Glaivier at rank five is an excellent pick as a tank-DPS.
From Shadowhunter to Striker, they’re uncommon. They’re not as common as the top three classes, but you’ll see them around often enough. As for the rest, they’re not as popular as those on top because of myriad reasons. Still, balance updates keep on going. The rankings could be flipped in a few months due to all the nerfs and buffs going around.
Supports Need to Be More Popular
Paladins and Bards ranking at fourth and sixth respectively are pretty high for support classes. However, there needs to be more as most players love to use DPS characters more often than not. Someone calculated that in a usual 8-man raid party, two of those need to be support classes. That means 25% of players should be either Paladins or Bards.
There’s a lack of players who play support, which is also seen in other MMOs like WoW. The most common reason is that they don’t like the gameplay of support characters. Others think it’s because of insufficient support design. Whatever the reason, there is a lack of players who want roles outside of DPS ones.
Most of the time, it may have something to do with the west having a ‘games as a power fantasy’ mindset. When you’re playing a DPS, all you need to focus on is to attack, sometimes dodge. Another evidence that corroborates this is the fact that there are DPS builds for primarily support classes/characters.
Support classes require different thinking and perspectives, and you’ll never be on top of the DPS rankings. If you are, there’s something wrong with your party. Healers have to keep track of their allies’ health and buffs. Tanks have to take care of positioning and maintaining aggro. They run on different mental patterns, and not many people have the right mindset to play them. They think it’s bland and uninspired.
It is okay to have preferences, but don’t take it too far. Sometimes raids hinge on the presence of support classes, and most players would rather have them on the team than not.
This problem isn’t isolated to the western version only; it’s also a problem in the Korean version, meaning it may not be only a cultural thing. Another probable reason may be game design, which could be fixed with the regular balance patches.
Don’t Worry About the Rankings
While your preferred class may not be high in the rankings, this is meaningless. It’s simply a reflection of the players’ preferences as a whole. You can still play whichever class you want. In a way, it also reflects the meta, though not precisely.
If you’re not having fun with a popular character, maybe one of the more unpopular ones may be for you. There might be fewer guides and builds for them, but if you love it enough, you won’t think creating a new one isn’t a chore at all.
The most important thing is to have fun playing the game. Whether that includes using a class on the top or bottom of the rankings shouldn’t matter. Everybody has different preferences, so a few characters will become more popular than others.
Keep on enjoying Lost Ark and earning that Lost Ark currency & Lost Ark items!
