Like any MMO, the Lost Ark dungeons are a way of earning some of the best loot in the game and one of the key pieces of end-game content. Lost Ark has a litany of different dungeons that can be accessed while you're levelling through the game. At end-game, you'll likely be seeking out the Chaos and Abyss dungeons which provide some challenging PvE fights for powerful loot. So, for a rundown of how the Lost Ark dungeons work, along with what types of dungeons can be accessed, we've got you covered.
- Do you know how important building rapport in Lost Ark is? Find out in our Lost Ark Rapport guide.
Lost Ark Dungeons: How Do Dungeons Work?
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For those who aren't fully aware of what an MMO dungeon is - it's an instanced location that a player - or a group of players - fight through to defeat enemies and bosses for loot. They generally provide much better loot than you can find through normal questing, but they are also more challenging as a result.
You will come across some dungeons during the main quest, but there are also specific end-game dungeons that work a little differently. A big difference between Lost Ark dungeons and other MMOs is that they can be completed both solo or in groups, which means there isn't a team composition meta like other titles. When you come across a dungeon and interact with it, you are given a difficulty selection, and then the option to matchmake for more players, or proceed alone.
- Ready to hit the seas? Check our Lost Ark Ship guide for all you need to know about the game's boats.
Lost Ark Dungeons: What Types Of Dungeons Are There?
In Lost Ark, there are four types of dungeons, and they all have their own peculiarities which makes them unique.
Normal Dungeons
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These are the standard Lost Ark dungeons that you'll encounter during the main story several times. They are the easiest of all dungeons, featuring bosses that can be easily dealt with due to the need to balance them for solo and cooperative play. This also means they have the worst loot relative to other dungeons, but they provide a good introduction to the general feel of the content.
Secret Dungeons
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These dungeons are hidden across Arkesia and need to be discovered before they can be entered. You can find maps to these places by exploring the normal dungeons a little, or finishing them and earning the map as a reward. They are roughly drawn, with an X to denote where the secret dungeon is, and they generally have better loot than their normal counterparts.
Chaos Dungeons
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The Chaos dungeons really ramp up the difficulty level, with much more challenging enemies and bosses. They have three stages of fighting that are each timed, and you move to other areas through portals. Consequently, they provide much rarer gear and materials for completion and are currently the best method of increasing the item level of your equipped gear.
Chaos dungeons can only be started once you reach level 50 and have finished the main quests in the North Vern area. Lastly, because of their high-level rewards, you can only do two Chaos dungeons in a 24-hour period with full rewards, with the rest resulting in diminishing returns.
- Sick of the ol' keyboard and mouse? Check out how you can activate Lost Ark controller support.
Abyss Dungeons
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The Abyss dungeons are probably the hardest of all the Lost Ark dungeons and have to be completed cooperatively, with the number of players specified by the dungeon.
Due to their difficulty, you need to have finished the Waiting and Leaving quest in North Vern, reached level 50, and hit the item level requirements of the dungeon you want to complete. On top of this, each dungeon can only be run three times a week. One of the hardest aspects of these dungeons is the boss mechanics, which require teamwork from all the participants and their respective classes.
That's our breakdown of the different Lost Ark dungeons, and now you know how they all work, and what separates them.
If you're curious about the Lost Ark Level Cap, check out our primer.
