Whether you view it as solely an ARPG or a full-blown MMO, Lost Ark quests are plentiful, and are littered throughout the game. They make up the vast majority of how you'll spend your early days, weeks, and even months exploring its vast lands, so it's important to know the differences between them and how to access them.
Some Lost Ark quests are there for EXP, whereas others exist as fun story details. It's very easy to fill your quest list with missions and requests that'll do little to get you closer to the finish line, so we've pieced together this mission list to keep you on the right path.
Only just getting into Lost Ark? The Lost Ark Founder's Packs are still worth a look beyond their early access unlock. Likewise, you'll want to check out the Lost Ark classes guide and Lost Ark tier list before deciding on your future main character. Just pay close attention to the Lost Ark gender lock system before you make any decisions. It can derail your options.
How Long Is Lost Ark?
Being an MMORPG, the question of how long is Lost Ark is an incredibly difficult one to answer. Its length depends entirely on what you consider the end of the game to be. For the most part, though, the quest tends to relate to how long the campaign goes on for until multi-man raids and endgame boss battles kick in. For that, Lost Ark is only around 14 hours long.
If you're running straight through the story and refusing to pick up and clear optional sidequests, you should be able to dash through the main campaign in around 14 hours and reach what most would consider the pinnacle of the Lost Ark experience. If we're talking clearing every quest and unlocking every collectable seed, mount, pet, card, and item set, we're talking thousands up thousands of hours.
Get Yourself a Pet: Lost Ark Pets Guide
Which Lost Ark Quests Should I Do?
The answer to that question depends entirely on what your aim is with the game. If you want to soak up the lore, refuse to move into new zones until you've cleared every quest in the area. Just because they're not advancing the story as a whole, that doesn't mean random NPCs can't teach you a thing or two about the world around you.
If you want to rush through the story and reach endgame and max-level content, you'll want to focus on the yellow quests. These turn purple once you edge close to the max level, so keep an eye out for that change.
Want to bond with a few NPCs and unlock some unique text conversations? Look for quests with the Heart icons. One of the early examples would be Neria, one of the women you'll find in the Prideholme tavern upon clearing the demon invasion campaign there at around level 15.
click to enlargeLost Ark Quests - What Does Each Lost Ark Quest Symbol Mean?
Like any MMO, Lost Ark quests are a dime a dozen - but they're certainly not all essential to your progress. Lore nerds and completionists will get a kick out of completing the lot, but if you're only looking to complete the absolutely necessary ones, you'll want to learn the difference between each Lost Ark quest symbol:
Lost Ark Quests - Main Symbols
- Orange/Elaborate crest - Main Story
- Yellow crest - Sidequest
- Question Mark - Completed quest ready for turn-in
- Heart - Rapport quest (NPC relationship)
Lost Ark Quests - Extra Symbols
- Red crest - Roster quest
For reference, Roster quests are Lost Ark quests that can only be completed once per character on the account. These contribute to account-wide buffs.
How Do I Open the Lost Ark Quests List?
There are a bunch of ways you can open the Lost Ark quests list depending on your control scheme.
- Click a quest name on the quest list on the right side of the screen
- Click the 'Adventure' button and then onto 'Quest Journal'
- Tap the 'J' key on your keyboard
If you're playing on a controller, the way to open the Lost Ark quests list differs only because there's no default button set to it. More on that below.
How Do I Open the Lost Ark Quests List on a Controller?
Sadly, there's no button automatically assigned for the quests list on a controller, meaning you can't open the Lost Ark quests list with your gamepad with the default layout. You can change this by following the steps in our Lost Ark controller guide, but you can always use the right thumbstick to mimic some of the pre-set methods of opening the window - like clicking a quest name or the 'Adventure' button.
And that's about it for the Lost Ark quests list for now. There's a lot more to go over in far greater detail, but a lot of that will have to wait until we're all much, much deeper into the game. For now, though, why not check out what we know about Lost Ark skins and the Lost Ark AFK timer. They're both very different subjects, but they're equally as helpful to read about this early into the game's lifecycle.