"It's pretty much pay-to-win": Lost Ark players are vexed at the honing rates and difficulty in progression to end-game

Lost Ark players are increasingly complaining about the pay-to-win nature of the game (Image via Amazon Games)
Lost Ark players are increasingly complaining about the pay-to-win nature of the game (Image via Amazon Games)

Lost Ark is quickly becoming a problem for several western version players if social media is believed. The game's launch was a massive success as more than a million concurrent players joined the game.

Amazon Games has routinely added new content, but some of it has now created problems. The crux of it came with the addition of the new Argos T3 raid. Since there are very few players at level 1370, the majority have started calling the game 'pay-to-win.'

Lost Ark's western version is an extension of the game that originated in South Korea. The game also has versions in Japan and Russia, but all the versions differ in content. The problem with many fans in the western version has been differences in content.

What has irritated most fans is the difficulty of reaching level 1370. Many fans believe that this level can only be reached by spending real-life money, and hence the claims of the game being 'pay-to-win' have arisen.


Lost Ark players call the game pay-to-win

Free-to-play games often get accusations of becoming pay-to-win down the road. It also seems to be an issue with Lost Ark, as players lose patience with the game. Despite the developers stating that the game can be freely played, players believe otherwise.

The problem is not just for new players who may feel that the game is hard. Players will 300+ hours are informing their dissatisfaction over the game and dubbing it as play-to-win.

Players have reached a point where they want the game's name changed.

The accusations of the game being pay-to-win are deterring some players. The general belief is to wait and see if the game improves the situation.

The honing rate of the game has been a major cause of concern. One player stated about a user in Asia who has an incredibly leveled-up weapon. Considering the success rate, it's very likely that the said user has spent a lot of real-life money.

Some users are irritated that the game is also promoting ads on top of all the existing issues.

Some users hope and pray for the developers to pay attention to the game.

As mentioned earlier, the Argos addition hasn't gone down well with the fans. The same T3 content has increased the problems for the game regarding pay-to-win claims.

Finally, the number of players giving up on the game is pretty clear and it's all down to the pay-to-win angle.

In the latest official message, the developers have acknowledged the problems. They claimed they got the maths wrong and thought that more players would be near the required level of the Argos raid.

The developers have also declared that they will be providing more T3 honing materials in the coming days. Whether it appeases the fans will be an entirely different matter.

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