Lost Ark is an MMORPG video game that was first released in Korea and Japan and later expanded to the United States.
It’s a pretty fun game, and a lot of people enjoy playing it. It’s free, has tons of content, has great visuals, and has a lot of treasures and other surprises.
While many people love it, it’s not for everyone. Some people report getting bored with some of the content and quests, which can end up feeling more like a chore as time goes on and you play the game enough times.
There’s no point of playing a game if you’re not enjoying it. Whether you’re up for something new or are simply curious about other games that are similar to Lost Ark or which you can play when you’re bored, this article is for you.
Today, I will go over the 11 best Lost Ark alternatives.
Best Lost Ark Alternatives
1. World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is one of the most popular MMORPG video games out there. The game takes place in Azeroth, a fantasy world full of magic.
First released back in 2004, World of Warcraft has maintained its popularity throughout the years. In 2010, it reached 12 million subscribers, and it continues to get updated and supported.
According to The Gamer, World of Warcraft is the greatest MMORPG video game of all time, due to the vast amount of content and player variety. As such, it certainly beats Lost Ark in many aspects.
If you’ve never played World of Warcraft before, you can trial it for free up to Level 20. You’ll get to live in a fantasy world in which you defend the magical land of Azeroth against scary monsters and dangerous dragons, with a variety of heroes you can choose from to play.
If you like the game and plan to continue playing it past Level 20, you can sign up for the subscription and unlock additional features, like the social features that will allow you to make friends and build a community.
The subscription also gives you access to higher-level dungeons and a lot of new content – you’ll love it!
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2. Black Desert Online
Black Desert Online (BDO) is an excellent Lost Ark alternative if you have an itch for MMORPG games but are getting bored with Lost Ark. Like Lost Ark, it is a Korean video game.
The play style and visuals are pretty different; BDO is sandbox based. Black Desert Online was first released back in 2015, but the mobile and PlayStation/Xbox versions were only released a few years later.
Therefore, if you’ve never played BDO, now is the time to try. Some people prefer it to Lost Ark, but try it out for yourself to see what you prefer.
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According to one reviewer, there aren’t many MMORPG video games that create worlds that are quite as realistic and believable as Black Desert Online.
Some activities you can do include fishing, skinning animals, growing crops, trading, and more. It features an active combat system, including mounted combat.
All in all, Black Desert Online is a classic and solid alternative to Lost Ark. Since the games are so different, you really have to try both out for yourself.
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3. Path of Exile
If you’re looking for a dark fantasy alternative to Lost Ark, why not check out Path of Exile? It is an online action RPG, and the best part is that it is free!
Path of Exile’s developers promise that it will be free forever and that you will never have to pay to win.
The game takes place in a fantasy world called Wraeclast. This world is dark, scary, gritty, and rough – it’s a good break from all the other cheery RPG games and their cheery characters.
Various terrible events have taken place in this dark world of Wraeclast, and when you come across its inhabitants, prepare to be a bit scared by those monsters.
The game incorporates gems that allow you to do special activities, making gems very valuable for trading. The trade economy is based on orbs, though.
The game also offers advanced character development, allowing for even more fun. In fact, according to PC Gamer, Path of Exile wins against Lost Ark when it comes to character progression.
In addition, Path of Exile has a much better loot system than Lost Ark, according to PC Gamer. Path of Exile just provides a more steady stream of loot, which makes things more exciting and unpredictable.
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4. Elder Scrolls Online
The Elder Scrolls is a series of RPG video games focused on open-world and free-form gameplay. Altogether, the series has sold dozens of millions of copies, attesting to its popularity.
I’m going to focus on The Elder Scrolls Online, an online game. It doesn’t require any subscription to pay (although it did at one point), and PC Gamer cited it as one of the best MMO games available on the market.
The game takes place in a fantasy world called Tamriel. There, you can fantasize about being in medieval times.
There are various mythical characters you may come across, and magic does exist in Tamriel.
Elder Scrolls Online takes place in the second era of the fantasy world Tamriel. You can develop your character so they can go to different zones and discover new creatures and mythical enemies.
Using the different classes and available spells and arms, you can develop and customize your character, making The Elder Scrolls Online a particularly fun game to play.
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PvP combat with other players is sometimes fast and always exciting. You’ll be on your feet at all times, second-guessing about what is coming next.
You’ll find the combat very action packed and busy – perhaps a bit too packed with action for your taste. You have to try it to see, though.
How does Elder Scrolls Online compare to Lost Ark?
If you’re a casual player, Elder Scrolls Online might be better for you. It doesn’t require as much commitment, so even if you have very limited time to dedicate to the game, you can still play it.
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5. Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2 is an MMORPG video game that is also a good substitute to Lost Ark. It is entirely free to play, and it was developed by Arena Net.
Guild Wars 2 takes place in a fantasy world known as Tyria.
What makes Guild Wars 2 unique? One thing that sets it apart from other MMORPG games is the personal story aspect.
All players have a role in shaping the future of this fantasy world called Tyria. This idea – that the storyline of the game is based on the actions of the user – is rarely present in multiplayer games, although many single-player games have it.
You’ll start by creating your custom character. You can customize your character any way you want, using your own personal life story to decide on things such as personality and moral values.
There are five cities you can start your character’s story in, depending on its race. The enemies you will need to fight are called Elder Dragons, with one of them, Elder Dragon Zhaitan, constituting a main threat.
You’ll come across various organizations you can team up with to fight these Elder Dragons. Additionally, you’ll come across various other threats and other allies to team up with on your journey to Orr, a dead city.
When playing Guild Wars 2, you set your own destiny. You decide what your future is, although you can invite guests to help you as you move along.
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6. EVE Online
EVE Online, while an MMORPG game like Lost Ark, is different in that it is set in space. If you love space and want to play an MMORPG game that has a space theme, EVE Online is the game for you.
While playing EVEN Online, you can embark on a galactic adventure, complete with combat action, exploration, piracy, trading, and a lot more.
There are seven thousand star systems to explore in this spaceship-based game, and you can even engage in politics and war. Every hour, over 750 ships get destroyed, which means there is a lot of action going down at any given time.
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Hundreds of thousands of other players play this game, so you’ll never get bored. There are a few hundred ships you can fly, each with different sizes, capabilities, and features.
Don’t think that’s cool? New York’s Museum of Modern Art thought that EVE Online was cool and influential enough to give it a permanent position on display at the museum, according to VentureBeat.
The exhibition features real gameplay, with clips from over 500,000 players in over 230 countries and territories. People play EVE Online on all corners of the globe!
What do I mean by politics and war being core features of EVE Online?
Let’s look at some of the races on EVE Online and their relationships with each other. The Amarr race, which discovered how to travel faster than light, enslaved the Minmatar race.
Eventually, the Minmatar rebelled and gained independence, although not all of them did.
While there are additional races in the game, there are only four races playable: those two and two others, which are Caldari and Gallente. The Gallente Federation, led by the Gallente, is democratic and free, founded on ideas such as liberty and freedom – it is the only democracy in the game, in fact.
You can create up to three characters per account and choose a different race for each character. One thing worth noting is that each race also has bloodlines – for example, the three bloodlines of the Gallente are Gallente, Jin-Mei, and Intaki.
You can learn more on the EVE University Wiki.
Why don’t more people know about EVE Online? Well, EVE Online is a very niche game.
It’s been around for a long time, and it has its diehard fans. But not everyone likes flying a spaceship.
If you do, though, it’s the best Lost Ark alternative for you.
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7. RuneScape
RuneScape is an MMORPG game that has been around since 2001, making it one of the older games on this list and in the market in general – it’s been around way longer than Lost Ark.
Of course, the modern version of the game is updated – it’s not the same one that was released back in 2001. RuneScape Classic, the classic version of the game, was shut down by the developer (Jagex) back in 2018.
Playing RuneScape means you will enter Gielinor, a fantasy land with kingdoms and regions. Using magical spells, you can get from one region to another; you can also simply walk.
There are different monsters in the different regions, and you can partake in quests.
You can play RuneScape alone or with friends. There are over 285 million players – not surprising, given its amazing visual effects.
RuneScape is free to play, although there are some skills that are limited to premium members. Getting a subscription will also open up over two hundred extra quests.
There are 28 skills altogether, which include fishing, cutting wood, mining ore, smithing, construction, and others.
You can train and gain experience in different skills by doing them.
A lot of people feel that the quests in RuneScape are superior to those in Lost Ark. Gamers in the know say that RuneScape beats most other MMORPG games when it comes to quests, despite some of the older quests lacking in quality compared to the newer ones.
Besides, RuneScape gives you more flexibility in choosing your destiny and deciding how the game will proceed compared to Lost Ark, in which players don’t have as many customization options.
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8. The Lord of the Rings Online
I can’t really talk about Lost Ark alternatives without mentioning the Lord of the Rings. If you are like me, you grew up reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s books, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
If you were a fan of the book, you will probably enjoy the video game, The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO), a bit better than Lost Ark.
The game takes place in Middle Earth, a mythical place invented by J. R. R. Tolkien. If you’ve read his books, you’re likely familiar with Middle Earth.
Like in the book, Middle Earth, which existed thousands of years ago, is inhabited by dwarves, elves, and hobbits. Those are all playable races, but there are seven races in total.
The game has 11 classes, including Burglar, Hunter, Lore-Master, and others. There are thousands of character customization options altogether, which is certainly one of the appeals of The Lord of the Rings Online.
There are different regions in Middle Earth. For example, there is Gondor, the Shire, and the Mines of Moria. Descending to the Mines of Moria, a deep underground area, is both exciting and nerve-racking at the same time.
You can complete quests and earn deeds. Along the way, regardless of which region or subregion you head to, you will come across the famous NPCs.
NPCs are non-playable characters.
You can join up with other characters to complete battles, raids, and skirmishes.
One thing that sets The Lord of the Rings Online from Lost Ark and many other MMORPG games is that while Lost Ark has classic PvP combat, The Lord of the Rings Online does a twist on that.
PvP stands for Player vs Player combat, in which two players in a multiplayer game can engage in combat with each other.
What The Lord of the Rings Online offers instead is PvMP, or Player vs Monster Player. This is also known as Monster Play.
You’re still playing against real people – don’t worry. However, instead of fighting their characters directly, you’re playing against monsters that they created.
It’s a little different and very fun.
Now, PvP is still technically possible, as you can challenge another player to a duel. However, it’s mostly just for fun, as you won’t be able to earn or win anything from it other than the satisfaction of winning against the other player.
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9. Albion Online
Albion Online is a sandbox MMORPG game available on multiple platforms – you can play it on desktop or download the mobile apps for Android and iOS. It is based on the Arthurian Legends, and it takes place in Albion, a fantasy world where you can fight to conquer territories and expand your empire.
Unlike Lost Ark and many other MMORPG games, Albion Online uses a classless system. There are no classes in the game; instead, the equipment and gear you wear determines how you play.
Check out the Character Builder, where you can find different builds for PvP and PvE.
When fighting monsters, you’ll be able to collect new resources to create new weapons.
Albion Online offers a truly player-driven economy, in which equipment and items are created by you and other players. You can decide to start your own farm, for example, and grow crops or tend to animals.
You create your own weapons, too, which means that you are in control of your destiny.
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10. Skyforge
If you’re a fan of sci-fi, you’ll likely find Skyforge a suitable alternative to Lost Ark. You’ll be playing in the fantasy world of Aelion, trying to defend the planet from aliens who aim to invade it.
You can become an immortal God in Skyforge; you’re no ordinary character. There are 17 classes altogether, and you can switch between them at any time, instead of being locked into one like you are when you choose a character in Lost Ark.
Players can develop different classes at the same time and switch on demand, making it easy to spice things up and avoid getting bored.
Even after becoming a “God,” you can still progress your character and gain even more powers. For example, you can eventually become an “Elder God,” helped by your followers.
Eventually, you can join the Order of Keepers. Only a select few will be able to join the Order of Keepers – they are the ones who determine destiny.
Skyforge is free to play, and it is an MMORPG game. Both PvP and PvE are available.
One cool thing about Skyforge are the new maps released each week for different invasions. The maps help you learn how to fight against the invaders, depending on where the invaders are attacking and their species.
Different invaders include, but are not limited to:
- Demons, who are born in worlds broken by astral
- Mechanoids, who want to enslave all inhabitants of the planet Aelion
- Reapers, who are sneaky enemies that are hard to spot
While Skyforge is free to play, you can sign up for a premium subscription to access better rewards, travel faster, and other bonuses.
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11. Grim Dawn
Last on our list is Grim Dawn, an ARPG game where you live in a fantasy world where humans are about to go extinct.
It has excellent reviews on different sites, and many people say that it simply has many more interesting fights and quests than Lost Ark, despite losing when it comes to character creation and classes.
In the fantasy world of Cairn, where the game takes place, two enemies fight each other: the Aetherials and the Chthonians.
None of them are particularly friendly to humans, though. The Aetherials want to use human bodies as resources, while the Chthonians want to destroy humans altogether.
These two powers are not from this world, and it is their fighting that has decimated humanity.
In this terrible world devastated by war, some humans have survived, despite humanity being used as a pawn between these two otherworldly enemies.
If you like games that take place in an apocalypse, Grim Dawn is a great alternative to Lost Ark.
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Wrapping It Up: What Is the Best Alternative to Lost Ark?
I recommend starting with World of Warcraft, and it’s just one of the best MMORPG games out there.
Depending on your tastes, though, you may want to try out some of the other MMORPG games that I listed in this article.
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