Is Lost Ark free to play in North America and Europe?

Now that we have official confirmation of the Lost Ark western release, it's time to consider other details such as the business model. It's not uncommon for Korean MMOs to undergo a monetization system change when making the leap to the other side of the world, as Bless Online and Kingdom under Fire 2 have proved before. Is Lost Ark free to play in North America and Europe, or is western publisher Amazon Games ask you to reach out for your wallet upfront? That's what we're going to clarify right now for you.

Is Lost Ark free to play or buy to play?

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Since this topic is usually dealt with much confusion – and most of the times the publishers are to blame due to poor communication or last minute changes -, we thought we should clear this up. The brand-new Lost Ark global website has a handy FAQ that says the following:

“Lost Ark is free-to-play. Once it launches, you can download the game on Steam. You can purchase Founders Packs on Amazon.com (granted via a Steam key) or directly from Steam.”

As you can see, Lost Ark is free in North America and Europe but you have the option to purchase one of three founder's packs if you want to support the game. These packs may include things such as a head start, in-game currency, exclusive mounts and pets, along with various other items. Considering the overwhelming positive response from the community after the short closed technical alpha, it looks like the wait was entirely worth it.

With the western Lost Ark release date set for late 2021, this MMORPG from Smilegate is shaping up to be one of next year's big hits. It looks like we'll finally get the Diablo MMORPG that many have been waiting for but Blizzard has never delivered on – Diablo Immortal surely isn't going to be the one to beat this sprawling MMO from the makers of one of the most profitable games in the world, the shooter CrossFire.