Lost Ark's Drone-Wielding Machinist Class Lands September 28

Lost Ark is receiving yet another new class in the form of the Machinist on September 28, and publisher Amazon has now detailed the various air strikes, bullet barrages, and futuristic weaponry players will soon be able to take for a spin.

The Machinist is the latest advanced class for the Gunner role, and as detailed in a new blog post, specializes in dealing damage from afar with the help of a high-tech drone. The class's identity skill, Hypersync, decks out the player in a futuristic super-suit, further enhancing the Machinist's abilities until its energy is drained.

When it comes to class engravings, players have two playstyles to build towards. The first, Evolutionary Legacy, emphasizes Hypersync mode, while the second, Arthentinean Skill, is all about increasing the effectiveness of drone-based skills.

The drone does truly look to be the star of the show, allowing Machinists to deal precision laser strikes from afar, use the drones to maneuver around the battlefield, and send a small army of self-destructing drones to a target location. Machinists can even use a drone as a Buster cannon, Mega Man-style.

There are two Awakening skills for the Machinist to choose between. One, appropriately named Air Strike, calls in a massive air strike at a target location, while the other, Final Explosion, sees the Machinist sacrificing their drone in order to deal a gigantic explosion. Not to worry, as a new Drone will immediately take its place, meaning Machinists never have to be without their flying death robot for long.

Machinist will arrive alongside Lost Ark's second update for September, which will also introduce the new Kakul-Saydon Legion raid and special progression events. The free-to-play MMORPG's previous patch brought improvements to the game's Strongholds, balance changes, and various quality-of-life updates, while a summer-themed update in late August introduced the new Pet Ranch feature.