A recurring system in MMORPGs, professions are no exception to the rule in Lost Ark. The game has a system where every component is useful, regardless of harvest level and rarity. Let's take a closer look at how it all works.
Introduction
As often, the introduction to professions is included in the progression of the story. We will be asked to complete a quest introducing us to the first NPC concerned. This one will then tell us about the forge of an object and will give us a quest to harvest materials. However, as this quest is story-related, it will not be necessary to use the profession to complete it. The materials in question are harvested by killing monsters. It may sound weird, but the idea was just to tell you the starting NPC and activate the unique account quests that unlock the attached skills. You saw correctly, these quests are unique for the account. It will therefore only be possible to do them once and the secondary characters will have access to the professions from the start.
To find these quests, go to the quest log interface (J key by default). At the top you will find a "guide" section with purple quests. This is where those of the professions will appear as you progress. A word of advice, do them when you are on the maps, it will save you from coming back to them later and redoing the trips unnecessarily.
fishing quest
Quest selection interface
Thus, after advancing the story to the city of Lacus, you will have access to the guide quests to explain the following six professions:
- Picking
- Slaughter
- Extraction
- Hunting
- Fishing
- Search
Some are directly achievable on the Lacus map, but others will require advancing to the next ones to find the corresponding NPCs.
Once the corresponding quest has been accepted, you will have to speak to an NPC, who will explain to you what the profession is useful for and ask you to equip yourself with a crafting tool. You can find it from the Crafting Tools Merchant. By the way, take a copy each, always with the idea of saving travel.
Tool Merchant Location
List of first tools to buy
Once equipped with the tool (by clicking in the inventory), you can access the menu for using your profession. To do this, click on the B key, which will activate a specific utility skill bar and replace your combat spells. By doing so, you will have to deactivate it to deal with any aggressive monsters.
And to finish with a good news, your resources will not arrive in your inventory. They will take place directly in an inventory dedicated to resources, accessible via the "reserve" tab at the top of the interface (I key by default). This tab is common to all characters.
Quests in detail
- Extraction
- Fishing
- Picking
- Hunting
- Abatement
- Search
Start in the town of Lacus.
Carte de Lacus
PNJ extraction
Extraction of iron ore
Start in the town of Lacus.
fishing quest
NPC in Lacus to the northeast
Eastern fishing area
The right time to take out the fish
Start at Meldrinic Monastery.
Map where to do the picking quest
Picking NPC
First plants to collect
Hunting NPC
Targeting and attacking prey
Slice the corpse to harvest materials
NPC Slaughter
Felling a single tree
Start in the forest of Bilbrin.
Dig Map
Search NPC
Object search
Near object detected
Dig up the reward
skills
Each profession has its share of passive skills. You will access the interface through the N key (default). Here is a business interface as an example:
It presents three zones: on the left, where we see the professions and their levels. At the top, where we have the equipped tools. And the larger part in the middle and on the right which shows all the bonuses linked to the selected profession.
Each level unlocks interesting skills for the profession. This allows you to harvest better resources, larger quantities, or provide new tools such as the fishing net for example. The game will give you all the details you need for this, the interface being more than complete on this side. But, know all the same that each action costs you a certain number of energy points, which are gradually recharged during the day. It is therefore advisable never to let it fill up to the maximum, otherwise you will "lose" energy points that you would not have been able to spend afterwards.
Tools
Each tool is offered in various qualities. The most common are normal (green) and uncommon (blue), but you will also find rare (purple) and legendary (orange) during the adventure. The appeal of these higher quality tools is their durability and the number of bonuses they have.
Here is a small anthology of the bonuses that it is possible to have:
- No longer interrupts the harvest when entering a fight with a monster (the most important, because the points are often next to monsters).
- Increases the chance of harvesting rare resources.
- Increases the chance of harvesting common resources.
- Increases harvesting speed.
- Reduces energy cost.
- Reduces durability consumption.
Being limited to a maximum of 3 bonuses, you may have to change tools depending on the quality of the resources you are looking for. But be aware that it will not be difficult to obtain tools with interesting bonuses, even taking into account the random nature of said bonuses. Indeed, the tools can be built in the fortress, once the plans have been acquired via laboratory research or from merchants, quest rewards...
Utility
Professions are generally far from useless in MMORPGs, and Lost Ark is no exception, far from it. Skills are essential for progress. They allow you to build many combat objects, thanks to the fortress. These will help you compensate for the weaknesses of your characters during clashes against certain bosses, by improving a type of damage that you do not naturally have for example.
On the other hand, it is also what will allow you to build the advanced boats, otherwise you will not have access to the most advanced areas of the game. Indeed, these areas are protected by storms and other events that will harm your ship. Without one suitable to combat these elements, you will not be able to cross it entirely and will face exorbitant repair costs.
