Alright, so folks have been pinging me, asking, “Hey, what’s the deal with Lost Ark classes in 2024? Got a tier list?” And yeah, I guess it’s that time again. Lemme tell ya, putting these things together ain’t exactly a walk in the park, but someone’s gotta do it, right? Or at least, I feel like I gotta share what I’ve been seeing and doing.
My Grind to Figure Things Out
So, where did I even start? Well, first off, I just played the game. A lot. Like, an unhealthy amount, probably. I dusted off characters I hadn’t touched in ages, and tried to get a feel for the new balance patches, the new raids, all that jazz. You can’t just read patch notes and call it a day, you know? You gotta feel how the class flows, how clunky or smooth it is in actual combat.
Then, I started watching. Hours of VODs, streams from guys who actually know their stuff, not just the loud ones. I was looking for patterns, what classes were consistently clearing the hardest content, what compositions people were running. It’s not about just copying, but seeing what’s effective in different hands.
I also spent a good chunk of time lurking in forums and community discords. Yeah, a lot of it is noise, people complaining their main isn’t SSS+ tier, but sometimes you find gold. Real discussions about class mechanics, specific fight strategies, stuff that actually matters.
The Messy Part: Trying to Rank ‘Em
This is where it gets tricky. How do you even define “tier”? Is it pure DPS? Is it utility? Survivability? Ease of play? For me, it’s a mix of everything. A class might pump out insane damage but if it dies to a light breeze or needs a PhD to play optimally, well, that factors in.
I started by just making notes. Real basic stuff.
- How’s the damage ceiling? And the floor?
- What kind of party buffs or utility does it bring?
- Is it a piano class or can a mere mortal play it?
- How does it fare in the latest endgame stuff?
My desk looked like a madman’s conspiracy board for a while. Scraps of paper, spreadsheets that made no sense to anyone but me. I was trying to weigh everything, you know? Like, some classes are gods in organized groups but feel awful in PUGs. How do you balance that in a list?
I remember one time, way back, I was all in on a class everyone said was “top tier.” Invested everything. Then a balance patch hit, or a new raid came out that just didn’t favor it, and bam, felt like I wasted months. That kinda stuck with me. It’s why I try to look beyond just the current hotness. Made me realize these lists can actually mess with people if you’re not careful, or if they take ’em as absolute gospel.
That whole experience, getting burned like that, is kinda why I started digging deeper myself. I didn’t wanna just follow some list blindly anymore. I wanted to understand why a class was good or bad. So I started testing things myself, arguing with guildies, really trying to pick apart the mechanics. Guess that’s how I ended up being the guy people ask for this stuff.
Putting It Down on “Paper”
So after all that playing, watching, and note-taking, I started to actually categorize them. I went with the usual S, A, B, C tier structure. People get it, it’s straightforward.
- S Tier: The cream of the crop. Super strong, versatile, brings a lot to the table.
- A Tier: Really solid choices. Maybe not as broken as S, but still fantastic.
- B Tier: Good, viable classes. Might have a few more weaknesses or need a bit more work, but can definitely pull their weight.
- C Tier: Playable, for sure. But you’re probably gonna have to work harder to match the output or utility of higher-tier classes. Often more niche.
I tried to be honest. If a class I personally loved wasn’t quite hitting S-tier numbers or utility, I had to put it where it belonged. No favoritism, or at least, I tried. The goal was to give a decent snapshot of where things stand right now, for most players doing the current endgame content.
I remember specifically mulling over the supports. Their “tier” isn’t just about their personal HPS or DPS, but how much they enable the team. That took a lot of back-and-forth in my head.
So, What’s the Point?
Look, this tier list, any tier list really, isn’t the absolute law. It’s a guide, a conversation starter. The game’s always changing, patches drop, new content comes out. What’s S tier today might be A tier tomorrow. And player skill? That’s the biggest wild card. A great player on a B-tier class will smoke an average player on an S-tier class any day of the week.
So yeah, that was my process. A whole lot of playing, a bit of research, and a ton of trying to make sense of it all. Hopefully, it helps someone out there figure out what they wanna play, or at least gives ’em something to argue about. That’s half the fun, right?
