Lost Ark Wreck The Halls Update Adds Summoner Class And Cracks Down On Bots

Lost Ark's Wreck the Halls update is coming December 14, adding the Summoner advanced class alongside new raids and even more trade restrictions for new players in an effort to combat the game's botting problem.

The Summoner is the latest Mage advanced class, and as their name implies, they have the ability to summon forth various spirits to aid them in battle. Their gameplay revolves around collecting a resource that is used to summon increasingly more powerful Elemental spirits.

A large chunk of the patch notes are dedicated to new ways Amazon and Smilegate RPG are looking to crack down on the MMO's botting problem, an ongoing issue for the free-to-play game. What the developers deem "untrusted new accounts" (aka accounts that haven't enabled Steam Guard or made a purchase in Lost Ark) won't be able to access the in-game auction house, market, send mail, or participate in player-to-player trading. These new restrictions will only affect new accounts created after the update goes live. Amazon states that over a million bot accounts have been banned from Lost Ark in recent months and that its efforts to combat bots and their impact on the game's economy is ongoing.

Two new raids, one Legion raid and one Guardian raid, are also coming in the update. Players with an item level of 1430 or higher will be able to challenge Brelshaza, commander of the Phantom Legion. Caliligos is the new Guardian raid, and is a formidable looking lightning dragon players can challenge if their item level is 1490 or above. Those who are able to conquer the new content will earn gear for a newly added Bracelet accessory slot.

It wouldn't be an update for a live-service game in December if it didn't also include a holiday event, and so the Wreck the Halls update additionally includes some festive new event quests on Festivity Island. The in-game store, too, will have sport some new holiday-themed cosmetics to keep players looking warm throughout the winter. Check out the full Lost Ark Wreck the Halls update patch notes for more details.

It's been a busy year for Lost Ark, which launched in February and quickly climbed the Steam charts with a concurrent player record of 1.3 million players. Lost Ark still ranks among the most-played games on Steam on any given day, and Amazon and Smilegate RPG have been quick to add new content over the last 10 months, with regular updates that have introduced new classes, islands, and raids.

For those already looking to the horizon for what's next in Lost Ark, the game's Witcher crossover event will be coming in January. The event will introduce a new Witcher-themed island, cosmetics, and story quests that will see Geralt team up with players to solve an interdimensional mystery.