Lost Ark revealed its May Content Update, and it has a massive amount of changes, improvements, and additions. The patch will go live after a 4-hour downtime on August 17, 2025.
Lost Ark May Content Update Includes Huge Changes, New Activities, and More
Heroes of Arkesia, rejoice! The full patch notes of the May Content Update for Lost Ark have been revealed. It is good to say that this update is huge. Among the newest features, the first Legion Commander Raid, Deskaluda the latest Guardian Raid, more South Vern activities, Quality-of-Life changes, and class changes are definitely the most exciting.
We here at Fextralife have condensed the patch notes to highlight the most important things to look forward to in today’s patch. Let’s jump in!
Destined for Destruction
First up is the newest advancedclass, the Destroyer. This hulking monstrosity is theWarrior’sfourth advanced class, coming after the Berserker, Paladin, and Gunlancer.
We discussed him in more detail in theMay 19 confirmation articlebefore. However, in a nutshell, the Destroyer is the perfect choice for players who would rather take a slower approach to combat. Destroyers are so powerful that they can even control the very earth with mighty swings of their hammer.
The Destroyer can even create cataclysmic shockwaves that unleash terror upon their foes. Unfortunately, Amazon did confirm that the Lost Ark May update will not include a powerpass for the Destroyer’s release. Hope you have some knowledge transfers ready!
Lost Ark Class Changes
The Korean version of Lost Ark just recently received a major balance overhaul on many classes just a few weeks ago. It is also good to see that, despite being relatively new, these changes are also coming to the Western shores.
There are too many changes to list, but we will be providing a TL;DR for most classes here.
TheBerserker’sMayhem Class Engravingis getting a minor nerf. Outgoing damage will be capped at +16% instead of the current +18%. Players under the effects of Mayhem will also only receive 40% healing effects from potions or actual spells.
On the other hand,Berserker’s Techniqueis being buffed to be a more viable choice by buffing the Crit Damage it does.
Gunlancershave a relatively short list of changes. The most notable update isShield Bashreceiving Weak Point Lv. 1 effect, as Blue Gunlancers did not easily have access to this effect before.
ThePaladin’s overall PvE Damage by Skills increased by 4.8%, and some skills have been changed from Front Attack to Back Attack.
Martial Artists
Wardancers,Scrappers, andSoulfistsall received flat damage increases for their PvE skills. The increase is +18%, +24% and +7%, respectively.
For the Soulfist specifically, theEnergy Blastwill also get a larger damage increase.Merciless Pummel’s range is also being increased by 40% (no more needing to stand exactly beside a target to hit it!).
Glaiviers will also receive buffs to Thrust of Destruction, which makes it an extremely dangerous skill now. Starfall Pounce’s Ground Explosion tripod will also be updated to make it a viable endgame choice as well.
Strikersbasically got nothing, just Front Attack skills being converted to Back Attacks.
TheArtilleristupdates make it so that theBarrageMode will be more effective. They can now dodge out of dangerous situations while in Barrage Mode. Previously, players would have to deactivate the mode before they could roll out of the way.
Sharpshootershave Weak Point added or upgraded in their Atomic Arrow and Charged Shot skills.
BardsandSorceressesget small tweaks, all things considered. The Bard‘s Damage Taken Debuff on monsters will all have their durations increased by 1 second.Prelude of Stormcan also perform counterattacks.
Sorceress will be able to Counter Attack withIce Shower. TheIgnitersubvariant will have a small nerf, with a 2% damage decrease.
Last but not least are our sneaky friends. TheDeath Blade’sSurge Class Engravingis being tweaked to be a bit more balanced. The maximum damage this skill can do will depend on a Full 20 Stacks of Surge Enhancement.
TheShadow Huntercan now move farther withRushandDemonic Slash.
Additional Activities
Lost Ark’s May Content Update will also be adding a ton of new activities. Most of these will focus on higher item leveled players (about 1415 and above). What’s exciting about these activities is that most of them will feature Relic-tier gear, which is one step higher than the currently available Legendary.
Relic Tier gear is the pinnacle of power in Lost Ark and provides a massive strength spike in most cases. In fact, Relic class jewelry is immensely powerful, as they can grant high levels of Combat Engravings.
Valtan Legion Raid
The first-ever 8-manLegion Commander Raidis being introduced in today’s update. As this is the most difficult encounter in Lost Ark’s NA/EU release to date, it will have “gates” or checkpoints so players can save their progress.
Amazon has also confirmed that the Legion Raids will introduce a new mechanic: the Sidereal Skills. Raid groups will be able to call upon the help of the legendary Sidereals in their battles against the Commanders. A Sidereal Skill meter will gradually fill up over the course of the fight depending on certain conditions and milestones.
Valtan’s raid will feature three Sidereal Skills:
To be able to face off against Valtan, players must be item level 1415 for the Normal Mode and 1445 for Hard Mode.
South Vern Activities
To keep players invested in theSouth Vern region, the Lost Ark May Update will bring upon more activities for this area. As this is the most “endgame” area, all of the new activities here will be focused on high-level players. It will require a minimum of 1415 item level, similar to the other activities introduced in this patch.
We will get the following added to South Vern: Chaos Dungeons (item level 1415, 1445, and 1475), Chaos Gates, Secret Dungeons (from maps dropped in gates), Ghost Ship, and Hard Mode Chaos Line.
Thunderwings, the newest Field Boss, is also being added to South Vern. This beast will require players to be 1460 to be able to consistently damage him. Lower item level characters will still be able to participate in the Thunderwings fight, though they will miss a lot of their shots. To maximize the time, it would be best to group up with other players for participation. Dark Grenades also help, as these items reduce the boss’ defense and will help other players involved.
Deskaluda, Challenge Guardians, Guild Activities, and Wild Wings Island
Lastly, we have Deskaluda the newest Guardian Raid. We will also have Challenge Guardians and Guild activities. There is also a new Chicken focused island that will reward players with materials and honing books.
We discussed them previously, so check this article out formore info.
In-Game Lost Ark Store Updates
Fans of cosmetics are also in for a treat in Lost Ark’s May update. Aside from actual purchasable items, the Skins purchased from the shop will now have a preview feature. Players can now preview a Skin from the selection chest before committing to one. Previously, one would have to go back into thein-game storeto show what a skin would look like.
Neria’s Wardrobe
For those who want to let down their hair, or dress a bit more casually, Neria’s Wardrobe has got you covered. This set will consist of individual skin pieces instead of whole outfits. you’re able to buy separate head, chest, pants, gloves, and shoulder items.
Since this is a more relaxed set, most of the items will be an assortment of t-shirts, jeans, dresses, and other casual wear. Your characters will look so comfortable!
Destroyer’s Premium Skin
Similar to theGlaivier, the release of the Destroyer will also include his premium skin. This will be called “Shushire’s Will”. Destroyers will definitely look the part with this skin, as they are heavily armored and have an even heavier hammer at the ready.
This set can be purchased with either Crystals or Royal Crystals. It will also be available for purchase individually or as a bundle with other useful items for the journey.
The Dawn Armor & Weapon Collection
Multiple classes will also get some cool-looking outfits in the May update as well. Introducing the Dawn Collection, which contains some really high-quality skins. The preview image teased by Amazon included the Gunlancer, Scrapper, Berserker, Bard, and Artillerist.
We aren’t sure if there will be more classes than what was shown. The Korean release of this set back in 2016 also had skins for the Destroyer, Wardancer, Soulfist, Deadeye, and Sharpshooter. It also had skins for theArcana and Summoner, which aren’t currently implemented in the NA/EU Lost Ark release.
It looks like the Glaivier, Sorceress, Paladin, Shadow Hunter, and Deathblade will be a bit left out for the Dawn Collection. These classes weren’t in the game at the time of release in Korea.
Lost Ark’s Quality of Life and Other Changes
Next, let’s take a look at some miscellaneous changes for everyone. These include many QoL features implemented across the years in other regions, taking our version up to par with those.
New Character Customization Options
The May update will add a total of 25 new hairstyles to the game. This will be split into 5 cuts for each of the 5 basic classes. Warriors will also get 5 new Premade Looks and 5 Presets without any facial hair.
Also, the Mage classes will have the option to have human ears! Previously this class only had access to elf ears or other various creature ears.
Interface Changes
Dungeons Anywhere and Character Participation
A new Integrated Dungeon menu is being added. This feature will list all Abyss Dungeons, Guardian Raids, Abyssal Raids, and Legion Raids available to the character. Players can instantly join or queue the above activities from anywhere in the world via this menu.
The button for this will be available on the minimap or can be accessed with the hotkey (ALT+Q).
A new sub-menu will display each characters’ daily and weekly activity participation. It will make it easier for players to keep track of timed activities such as Una’s Daily Tasks, Daily Guardian Raids, Weekly Abyss Raids, etc.
No need to manually login to each and every character and walk to the associated structure in town to check, and will save tons of time in the long run.
The Auction House
The more business-focused Lost Ark players will appreciate the changes to the auction house. More advanced filters will be implemented for better search results.
Also, items that haven’t been sold and are about to expire can be automatically re-listed in the Auction house. This means the item doesn’t need to go into your mailbox and players won’t have to manually list the item for sale again.
The Auto-dismantle feature will also be updated. You can now set it to immediately destroy items with undesirable Stats or Engravings. This should lessen the time it takes to manually examine everything if they’re sellable or not.
Back-Front Indicators
Combat encounters will also be updated as the May Update is introducing the much-requested Front and Back indicators. New, customizable indicators can be added to mark a boss’ front and back sides.
The shape and color of the indicators can be customized in the options menu. This addition will make it easier to determine if you’re going to be able to successfully land a Back Attack or Front Attack. Highly useful for classes that rely on specific sides of a boss to deal the most optimal damage.
It definitely looks like May’s Content Update will be one of the biggest yet for the Western Release of Lost Ark. To be better equipped, check out ourLost Ark Wiki. We also havevarious guidesavailable to help out new adventurers. Check out ourGold guide!
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