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Lost Ark offers players some amazing adventures while exploring and gaining loot with friends. However, the anticipation of the game is oftentimes dulled by its loading time, which takes longer than for other titles. While not officially stated by Smilegate, the reason that many have speculated for the slow start up of Lost Ark is due to the Anti-Cheat scanning the player's system.
Like any game, especially those that are grind-heavy, having a functioning Anti-Cheat is an important step in ensuring that the game will be as fair as possible and that all players log into an even playing field. After all, no one wants to deal with the unfairness that comes from facing cheaters in the game. But how can players make the start up process faster?
How players can make Lost Ark's start up time shorter
Lost Ark's start up time can take a while, even on a high-end PC. Older systems can struggle even more, with some players reporting that the game can take up to 15 minutes to boot their game for the first time.
The good news is that once the game has been loaded, the loading times are not so long. Waiting to get in is never a fun experience, and players can try a few steps to fix it.
Players can try installing the game on a SDD vs. a HDD
Players who have their game installed on a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) will notice a much longer loading time than those with the game installed on a Solid State Drive (SDD). The reason for this is that an HDD uses moving parts to load the game, while an SSD does not have these restrictions. Players who switch to an SSD notice decreased loading times.
Try shutting down other programs in the background
While it may not be possible to simply transfer one's game over to an SSD, players can try some other methods as well. For starters, closing unwanted apps that are running in the background, such as browsers, Discord, or other such software. With more resources to spend on launching the game, the process can be sped up.
Try to remove the warning logo screens
Note: This method can cause problems for some Lost Ark players and is not always recommended, so proceed with caution.
Players who experience lag during start up can remove the introduction logos and warnings, which should allow players to launch the game right into the server select.
Follow these steps to do so:
- Find the movies folder located at this location on your computer: Open ~\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Lost Ark\EFGame\Movies
- Locate the file called SGintro_USA_Warning.English.ipk. Change the name of the file to something players can easily remember. (The reason for this is to be able to change it back to the right file name if something breaks on the player's game.). It can be named something generic like SGintroUSA.ipk.
Players who change the file name will notice the following two changes to their gameplay:
- The start up time during the first boot should take less time
- They can no longer use the ESC key to skip cutscenes
Removing the warning logo screens will effectively not allow players to skip the cutscenes, so players will need to decide if a quicker start is worth the tradeoff of not being able to skip the cutscenes at all.
