Lost Ark's revolutionary Paradise mode headlines the free MMO's new roadmap

The Lost Ark Paradise mode is set to arrive this month, as Amazon Games and Smilegate lay out a fresh roadmap for the free-to-play MMO and ARPG. The experimental system aims to offer a more approachable way to play, with new activities and equipment designed to appeal to players who might have been turned away by the endgame-focused grind. Also included in the latest Lost Ark roadmap are the Valkyrie class, a female Paladin counterpart, and a limited-time event dungeon and eight-player raid.

The third installment of the Lost Ark roadmap for 2025 kicks off with the new Paradise system. Previously outlined in the May developer update, this is a different way to play that's been designed specifically for the global version of Lost Ark as Amazon Games looks to broaden its appeal once more. It transforms the experience of one of our best MMORPGs to speed up progression and offer more experimental, solo-friendly content while earning valuable rewards through a blend of three connected activities.

Your journey through Paradise begins with Elysian, where you'll be fighting waves of monsters and gathering a new set of Legacy of Paradise gear, used specifically within the mode. This gear features several tiers and can be upgraded through 'restoration' to increase its base stats, and later 'resonance' to add bonus effects once certain thresholds are met. Higher levels will be unlocked as the season progresses, and these items will reset between seasons.

Once you've geared up, you can head to the Crucible to take on bosses in one-on-one battles that utilize your Legacy of Paradise gear. This means you'll be able to complete it on any class, including supports. There will be particularly valuable rewards for your first clear, and you'll also earn Hell Keys for beating a Crucible fight, with more awarded based on your weekly position on the leaderboard for your chosen class.

These Hell Keys can then be used to enter Hell itself, a 100-floor dungeon reminiscent of classic Diablo where the challenge and rewards ramp up as you progress ever deeper. There will be loot, upgrade materials, and Paradise gear available to claim, and you'll be given a choice of options at the end of a run to allow you to choose what you're most interested in. "Clearing floors will be easy, like a chaos dungeon" Amazon explains. "It's more about trying to hit some lucky effects and descend as far as possible."

July will also bring adjustments to solo raid difficulty to make it easier for new players, and will bring back the Mokoko Bootcamp for Aegir Act 1 hard mode and Brelshaza Act 2 normal mode. Balance changes from the May and June class updates on Korean servers will be incorporated, Gems will be improved to enable easier switching between damage and cooldown types, and Una's Task is being reworked from daily tasks to weekly rewards to reduce the need for a mandatory every-day grind.

The new advanced class formerly described as the 'female Paladin' is now the Valkyrie, and it arrives in August. You'll be able to spec it for a support build that can protect her allies using divine shields, or lean into a DPS specialization capable of summoning holy swords to smite down her foes. There will be "several progression events" and a legendary class gift arriving at the same time to help you get your Valkyrie up to speed.

August also marks the launch of the Prestige Shop, which allows you to claim rewards based on the total amount you've spent in the regular in-game shop. You'll be given Prestige Points equal to 10% of the Royal Crystals you've used, and this will apply retroactively to your account, meaning you'll be paid out for past spending.

A new limited-time raid event is the highlight for September; Abyssal Beasts are emerging across Rimeria, and you'll be able to take part in two separate fights during this period. The Abyssal Wrath, Narhash event dungeon scales in difficulty from one to four players, and offers weekly clear rewards per character. The Flame of Darkness Tarkal is a one-gate, eight-player boss fight offering ancient-grade accessories, honing materials, Destiny Stones, and a Gold reward chest.

Beyond that lies the Kazeros Raid, which is planned for the fourth quarter of 2025 and teased as "one of the most ambitious fights in Lost Ark history." Whether you're an active player or have been pondering a return to Arkesia, there's going to be plenty of reasons to check in with the free Steam game in the coming months.

If Paradise has you tempted, take a look through our guide to all Lost Ark Mokoko Seeds. We've also rounded up the best games like Diablo if this particular perspective on the action tickles your fancy.

You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We've also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.