Character Creation for Lost Ark covers information regarding the diverse options available to players for choosing their character when starting a new game. The first and most general division is among five different character Classes. These are broad archetypes that define the character's set of abilities and gamestyle, as well as its initial Stats, Skills and look. Further in-game players can decide among different, more distinct sub-classes. These distinct classes determine specific abilities and specialties that differentiate each character even more.
Classes are gender-locked, highly customizable character types. This means players can't change the class' pre assigned gender, but they can change their appearance. Ranging from skin tones, eyes color, different face types and presets, there are plenty of options for players to modify how the default character looks.
Character Creation in Lost Ark
Selecting Your Character's Class
When creating a new character, players must choose from 5 different Classes. These are Warrior, Mage, Gunner, Martial Artist and Assassin. Each Class has their own strengths that differentiate them from the rest. For instance, Gunner characters have greater Range in combat than Martial Artists due to their use of firearms, but the latter have higher Mobility stats.
Upon selecting a Class, the player can then preview one of the different sub-classes contained within. Note that these Advanced Classes are not effectively chosen until further progression in the game. These sub-classes vary from one Class to another. For example, Warrior Class characters can be of one of three types: Berserker, Paladin and Gunlancer, while Assassin characters can be divided in 2 sub-types: Shadowhunter and Deathblade.
Customizing Your Character's Look
The character creator stage allows the player to modify a vast array of cosmetic features in depth, ranging from costumes and generic preset faces to custom tattoos and eye-line colors. The changes are updated in real time to the model which can be observed by rotating it and zooming in or out on it.
The features that can be changed and personalized in the character creator stage include:
Costumes, Actions & Preset Settings
Costumes:
- Costumes are preset clothing wore by the character at game start. There are 5 predetermined costumes to choose from and they vary from one Class to another, so the ones available to, for instance, Assassins, is not the same to those at hand for Mage characters.
- Note that you can obtain and change costumes as the game progresses.
Actions:
- Actions or emotes are special animations or gestures performed by the character. Like Costumes, Actions can be obtained in-game so the player is not restricted to the Action chosen in Character Creation.
- Actions are not a merely cosmetic feature, as they are sometimes needed to progress through the game. For example, the player may need to greet NPCs to unlock quests.
Presets:
- Allows the player to save up to 5 preset configurations of a character's customization.
Base
Players start off by basing their characters on one of 25 presets or by generating a random one with arbitrary attributes. These include different faces, hairstyles, eyes, skin tones and makeup that can then be modified in the following tabs. Resetting will discard any changes made to the preset base and revert it to its predefined configuration.
Face
Similar to Base, the Face tab offers twenty-five presets and a Randomize button which generates an arbitrary face. Unlike the Base tab, this only affects the face and its features and does not modify other head elements.
In Face Detail Settings, various features of the face can be modified by adjusting a series of sliders. These are:
- Eye: Size (Width and Length), Position (Interval & Height) and Angle.
- Eyebrows: Shape (Height and Angle).
- Cheek: Protrusion & Height.
- Chin: Size (Size and Length) and Jaw Shape (Protrusion & Angle).
- Nose: Nose Type (Size, Length and Protrusion)
- Mouth: Mouth Shape (Height)
Hair
This section offers 20 different hairstyles for each of the five Classes. Note that hairstyles vary from one Class to another. So, for instance, the hairstyles available in the Character Creator Stage for the Mage Class are different to the ones offered to Martial Artists, even though both Classes are female characters.
Players can customize diverse aspects of their characters' hair. This are:
- Hair Color Amount: One single color or 2 colors combined. Selecting two colors means more options for further customization, like pattern shapes, contrast and color length.
- Hair Color Value: Both of the possible hair colors can be selected with a chromatic color wheel or with a Hex (Hexadecimal) color code.
- Hair Gloss: Burglar and Range settings sliders control the amount and extension of the hair's reflection.
- Detailed Settings: Available only when the Two Colors option is enabled. Contrast (controls the blending range of both colors), Pattern Shape (influence of the predefined blending pattern), Length I & II (limit of each color).
Eyes
The Eye tab allows for shape and color tweaking of the eyes. Players can modify:
- Pupil Size: Controls the pupil's diameter.
- Symmetry: Switches between controlling the parameters for both eyes or for each one independently. This allows, for instance, for the character to have one eye of each color.
- Eye & Iris Color: Color selection for the Iris and Pupil separately. Uses the same system as Hair and Skin, chromatic color wheel or with a Hex (Hexadecimal) color code.
- Pupil Morphology: Up to fifteen different pupil shapes to choose from.
Skin
The Skin tab includes options for customizing the look of the character's skin.
These options include:
- Skin Color: Determines the color of the character's skin. Uses the same system as Hair and Eyes, a chromatic color wheel or with a Hex (Hexadecimal) color code.
- Skin Age: This slider controls the intensity of predefined wrinkles and other age-related skin marks.
- Skin Gloss: Burglar slider controls the amount of skin reflection.
- Freckles: Controls the intensity of predefined freckles on the skin.
Makeup
The Makeup tab provides options to customize cosmetic aspects of the character's face.
These options are:
- Eyebrows: Lets the player change the color of the eyebrows.
- Eye: Provides a set of predefined make-up styles to choose from. It also lets the player change the eye line and shadow colors independently.
- Makeup: Allows for selection of different Rouge predefined styles as well as its color.
- Lips: A set of lipstick style presets to choose from and a color selection setting.
- Tattoo: This section provides multiple face paint alternatives and customization options. Players can choose among 4 categories: Picture (Allows for color customization), Avatar, Tattoo (Includes options to personalize color, size, location in face and symmetry) and Sticker (Options for controlling its location in face, size and symmetry).
- Accessory: This final section provides different preset accessories.
The alternatives depend on the selected Class: - Mage characters can select different ear shapes.
- Warrior and Gunner characters can choose among various preset facial hair styles.
- Assassins and Martial Artists have no Accessory tab.
