Player housing is an option in Lost Ark, as it is in most MMORPGs. In contrast, instead of handing you a single building to oversee, you’re faced with administering an entire island full of vendors, NPCs, and various structures.
You’re not alone if you’re feeling daunted by Lost Ark’s Stronghold; it’s the game’s most intricate structure before the endgame. Here’s a comprehensive Lost Ark Stronghold guide to getting the most out of your Stronghold in Lost Ark.
Table of Contents
What is the Stronghold in Lost Ark?
In Lost Ark, the Stronghold is your little haven. It’s up to you how you want to decorate it, build structures, and organize parties with your pals.
Expanded player housing is akin to a mobile strategy game, where crafting and building can be sped up utilizing various sorts of currency.
Lost Ark’s Stronghold has a lot to offer in crafting, as it allows you to obtain powerful equipment without spending a lot of money.
High-level players may also benefit from passive attribute increases, which can be built or crafted by individuals. The Stronghold is Lost Ark’s take on player housing, complete with a wide range of crafting and cosmetic possibilities.
How to Unlock the Stronghold in Lost Ark
After finishing the “Clerk Theo’s Invitation” quest, you will be granted a stronghold. After retaking Luterra Castle, which occurs around level 25 in the main story, you’ll be able to access this task.
If you complete the quest chain, players will unlock your estate’s fast-travel song. Even if you uncover your fortress, its full potential will remain a mystery. It’s possible to gain more amenities for your estate if you complete quests, research projects, and raise Stronghold’s ranks.
How can you manage your Stronghold in Lost Ark?
Enter your music sheet menu to gain access to your fortress (F2 by default). Teleport to your defense with the “Song of Hearth and Home.” While exploring your estate is an option, pressing Ctrl + 1 will take you directly to the first structure and feature you want to see.
When you press this button, you’ll be able to access all of your Stronghold’s features through a series of menus. Press Ctrl + 2 to enhance your home’s appearance. In the management menu, you have access to the following options:
- Lab: Research new features and crafting opportunities for the fortress in the lab.
- Workshop: Crafts and other products can be made at the workshop.
- Station: In charge of directing team personnel to perform their daily tasks and the game’s climax.
- Manor: Set benefits for your fortress with the help of Manor.
- Training Camp: Increase the level of your alts by two levels.
- Knowledge Transfer: Increase a character’s level to 50 by transferring knowledge. It’s gold-plated.
Before we go any further, let’s look at each option and see what it does.
Lab
Your Stronghold’s lab serves as a key to new functionality. You may use the lab to unlock new recipes for the workshop, improve the Stronghold, and open new ship types.
Research projects often necessitate the use of minerals and wood, which can take several hours to finish.
Workshop
At the endgame, new things are made in the workshop. Here, you may find everything from HP potions to fighting goods to tools to cosmetics for your Stronghold.
You can use your lab to research new recipes for your craft. A wide variety of trade-related supplies are employed in this menu.
Station
To assign crew members for specific missions, you must first unlock the vessel. You can find rewards from the Chaos Dungeons and the Guardian Raids in these tasks and currency for your Stronghold.
Manor
In your Stronghold, you have the option of building structures that have a non-active effect. Using this menu, you can control which of your passive effects will be active at any given time.
Platinum founders, for example, acquired an aesthetic train that provides passive boosts to your Stronghold’s crafting.
Training Camp
You can use the training camp to passively raise the level of your characters once you reach level 52. You can only level other characters with a maximum of 2. Using this approach, you can only level alts up to 58 if the current character has a 60 level.
Based on the character’s present level and your maximum level, it can take days or even weeks to complete the training camp. It is a free XP farm because you can use characters that are currently training.
Knowledge
In other words, this is a more effective training facility. You can spend 600 gold to level up any character after finishing the “Nothing is Impossible for Cykins” quest. It will take eight hours to perform this process from start to finish.
How To Upgrade And Level Your Stronghold in Lost Ark
Your lab unlocks tiers for most of the stations in your Stronghold. Prioritize your study if you encounter options like “Workshop Lv. 2” or “Manor Lv. 2.”
In unlocking more choices in your Stronghold and continuing quest lines related to this system, you must complete certain research activities.
In some cases, a certain fortress level is required for some alternatives. There are times when upgrading a component of your Stronghold may not be possible because you lack the necessary resources.
Strongholds, like characters, have a level associated with them as well. As a player, you gain Stronghold XP by engaging in stronghold-related activities.
Stronghold XP is gained by crafting, researching, and sending crew members on trips. When playing Lost Ark, make sure you have a station mission running. It will help you level your fortress quickly.
Lost Ark: Obtaining Stronghold Materials
As previously stated, various tasks and rooms will necessitate the use of diverse materials. Whether it’s wood, ores, food, or plants, we need it. Nothing is given away!
To maximize your Stronghold’s potential, you’ll need to gather resources, and you’ll need to trade for those resources.
Press “B” to switch to your trade skill tools while you’re out and about. Using your trade talents includes gathering ore, flowers, and timber.
You may find rare and unusual ingredients in harvesting materials, which can be employed in more exotic recipes. However, in case you’ve forgotten where to look for helpful information, the following are the top picks:
- Ores: Lakebar
- Flowers: Dyorika Plain
- Wood: Sunbright Hill
In addition, you can trade your material. Traders around your island’s spawn location will trade exotic materials for everyday items if you have a lot of them.
Exchanging Materials
An exchange trader can be found at the island’s spawn point that will swap rare materials for more common ones, allowing you to progress your fortress much more rapidly.
Your island’s rotating commerce merchant will have these on hand. Crew mission seals can also be exchanged in this section. However, the conversion rate isn’t exactly one-to-one.
Lost Ark: Additional Stronghold Features
Keeping a watch on your Stronghold for the above traits is essential, but don’t stop there. You can find everything from particular station tasks to trade merchants to resource farms in the game. Once they’re available on your island, they’re usually followed by a short instruction.
Trade Merchants
For a short period, trade merchants can be found selling unique things. You can gain particular commodities, recipes, and crew members by exchanging seals from station missions with these vendors. You should check your Stronghold regularly to see what’s available from the vendors who come and go.
Resource Farm
Your Stronghold will have a dedicated resource farm once you complete the “A Verdant Land” stronghold quest. However, there is a considerable restriction:
You cannot trade or sell the commodities you harvest from this island’s trade skill farm. You can only use them in the creation of other things.
Additionally, You can utilize the resources found on this island to create custom chest bundles in your workshop. You can sell the items you make using these materials to other players.
Feasts
Once your fortress has reached level ten, the feast menu will be available to you. Using feasts, you may create powerful consumables, such as two-hour buffs for you and everyone in your fortress. These powerful buffs can be used with other consumables and continue to work even if the character dies.
Special Station Missions
It is possible to unlock your station’s Chaos Dungeons and special tasks by reaching level 50 and finishing the quest “Ealyn’s Request” in north Vern.
You can obtain endgame treasure by completing special tasks identical to station missions, except they also grant endgame loot.
You can get more loot by completing a particular task for the Chaos Dungeon, for example, and your normal station mission rewards. They affect your daily endgame restrictions.
Pet Ranch
When strongholds in the Korean client reach a certain level, they receive access to a pet ranch, where they can turn their unwanted pets into resource farmers. With the help of four animals, your ranch can produce cookies over time.
These cookies can be exchanged for new pets or upgrades to your current pets at a vendor. Since the pets in Lost Ark have changed between the KR and NA versions, this system is no longer as functional as it once was.
Leveling Characters with the Stronghold
This mechanic deserves its section because it is so powerful. You can entirely skip leveling your alternate characters by using the training camp and knowledge transfer options.
In contrast to the Powerpass that can be obtained at level 50, this feature does not have a limited number of applications.
Training Camp
Any character that has reached level 52 can access the training camp. Allows you to increase the level of your alternate characters without paying.
If you’re looking for a way to level up your alts without spending any Gold, this is the best option. Be sure to take advantage of the training camp’s ability to allow you to play characters that are currently using it.
Knowledge Transfer
Knowledge transfer is a new function in Lost Ark that allows you to raise any character to level 50, a significant improvement.
Once the mission “Nothing is Impossible for Cykins” has been completed, players will have access to this system. It requires 600 Gold and eight hours to finish, unlike the training camp.
In the endgame, Gold is a crucial component. Thus we don’t advocate using this technique unless you have a continuous supply. It’s a terrific approach to extend your character pool once you’ve done so.
What is Action Energy in Lost Ark?
Action Energy is a time-limited in-game resource. Your daily Action Energy allotment is predetermined and replenished over a day.
Actions like crafting, studying, or dispatching a crew on a Station mission deplete this resource in your Stronghold. It’s essential to keep an eye on this, but don’t be too stressed out – novices rarely have access to enough information to exhaust their Action Energy.
It is, however, imperative that a Stronghold specialist assess which activities are most vital and may be deferred to a later date.
Lost Ark: Stonghold Tips
- Maintain a constant state of readiness by keeping a mission in mind. You’ll want to gain XP and seals as much time as possible.
- First, upgrade the Manor. In the future, this will allow you to do lab research.
- Send your team on an extended station mission before you terminate your play session. That way, when you return, it will be waiting for you.
- To get the most out of your experience in Abyss and Legion raids, take advantage of the free stat boosts provided by feasts before you begin your journey.
- Trade merchants occasionally sell collectibles since they are so hard to come by. They can award you stat boosts, skill points, and other benefits.
Lost Ark: Stronghold Research and Upgrades
There’s no set order if you’re looking to upgrade or do research. It’s all up to you, of course, and what you’re concentrating on.
If you enjoy cooking, you can spend your time upgrading your kitchen, or if you prefer to focus on the Stronghold, you can spend your time upgrading your warehouse space. But here are some of the most valuable upgrades that have been implemented.
- Stronghold Cost Reduction
- Expand Storage
- Crafting Recipes
- Reduce Energy Cost
- Headquarters Upgrades
- Reduce Research Time
- Building Upgrades
That concludes our walkthrough of the Lost Ark Stronghold guide! Now that you know a little more about the Stronghold, you can make the most of it. The Stronghold isn’t essential, although it does provide some benefits and ease some of the more challenging aspects of the game.
