Lost Ark is a popular MMORPG that allows players to participate in instanced raids against powerful bosses. Raids represent some of the most challenging and rewarding content in the game. Naturally, many players want to run raids as often as possible to collect epic gear and other rewards.
However, there are some limits in place on how frequently characters can participate in raids. Let’s take a look at how the Lost Ark raid lockout system works and the different factors that affect raid availability.
Daily Raid Resets
All raids in Lost Ark reset on a daily basis, meaning you can enter and collect loot from each one once per calendar day. The daily reset occurs at a set time each day:
- 2am PDT
- 5am EDT
- 10am UTC
During the reset, raid instances are refreshed and any previous lockouts from the day before are cleared. This allows all players to run each raid once again after the reset occurs.
So in simple terms, you can raid once per day on a given character. But there are some additional factors that can affect raid availability.
Weekly Raid Resets
While normal raids reset daily, weekly raids work a bit differently. Lost Ark’s two highest difficulty legion raids – Legion Raids – reset on a weekly basis.
Legion Raids:
- Vykas Legion Raid
- Valtan Legion Raid
These raids reset every Wednesday at the daily reset time. So you can run each Legion raid once per week. The weekly lockout spans from Wednesday reset to next Wednesday reset.
Number of Characters
While an individual character can only loot a given raid once per day (or week for Legion raids), you can run raids multiple times by using multiple characters.
For example, if you have six level 50 characters ready for end-game raids, you could run a raid like Valtan six times per week – once on each character.
So the number of max level, raid-ready characters you have dictates how many times you can loot each raid. Players with several alts have more chances to collect loot each lockout period.
Party Size and Bonuses
Most raids in Lost Ark are designed for a party of eight players. However, it is possible to run with fewer players and still complete the raid.
Running raids shorthanded can be challenging, but also provides some incentives:
- Less Competition: Less players means less competition for coveted loot drops.
- Bonus Rewards: Having fewer party members provides bonus raid rewards to offset the increased difficulty.
Here are the extra rewards for running raids with a limited party size:
| Party Size | Rewards |
|---|---|
| 8 players (full party) | Normal rewards |
| 7 players | Chance at an extra chest containing random rewards |
| 6 players | Chance at two extra chests |
| 4 players | Chance at three extra chests |
As you can see, running with fewer players significantly increases your loot potential, if your group is skilled enough to complete the content shorthanded.
Practice Mode (Legion Raids Only)
The two weekly Legion Raids have a Practice Mode that offers additional runs for learning purposes:
- Practice Mode has no weekly lockout.
- You do not receive rewards for completing Practice Mode.
- Practice Mode has easier mechanics than Normal/Hard mode.
- Once your party enters Practice Mode, you cannot switch to Normal/Hard mode.
So while Practice Mode does not offer loot, it provides valuable experience for tackling these challenging Legion raids. You can run Practice Mode as many times as you want each week.
Traveler’s Map (Abrelshud Raid)
Abrelshud Raid offers a unique way to farm the raid called Traveler’s Map:
- Traveler’s Map is unlocked after clearing Abrel NM/HM once that week.
- Does not require weekly clear to enter.
- Offers rewards based on performance/score.
- Can run repeatedly each week.
- Allows you to select/target specific raid rewards.
Traveler’s Map provides a way to farm Abrelshud past the once per week lockout. This lets you target items you still need from the raid.
Conclusion
To summarize the key points:
- Each raid can be looted once per day, per character.
- Legion Raids reset weekly rather than daily.
- Having more max level characters allows you to run raids more times.
- Smaller party sizes offer more bonus loot potential.
- Practice Mode provides unlimited farming for learning Legion Raids.
- Traveler’s Map lets you farm Abrelshud past the weekly lockout.
So while you are limited to a set number of runs per time period, there are ways to maximize your raid farming through multiple characters, party sizes, and special modes. Players willing to put in the time and effort can find ways to experience Lost Ark’s raid content as often as they would like!
