Heroes of Arkesia,
Join Smilegate for a behind the scenes preview of the Guardianknight class before she devastates Arkesia on February 4.
Q: What was your goal when designing this new class?
We wanted to create a special class without relying on any of the existing options. This approach allowed us to explore what might normally seem like an impossible concept— a class that directly utilizes the power of Guardians. The Guardians that players encounter are consistently presented as massive beings capable of overwhelming, destructive attacks. Our top priority was to actively incorporate those defining traits into the Guardianknight class.
We believed that the contrast between the Guardianknight’s seemingly delicate appearance and her overwhelming, unexpected power would provide players with a uniquely enjoyable experience. For this reason, her abilities were also designed around a sense of reversal. When the Guardianknight enters her Incarnation state, her appearance changes dramatically and her skills are explosively enhanced, providing an entirely new pace of combat. Through this design, we aimed to establish a clear identity that is fundamentally distinct from all existing classes.
Q: The Guardianknight harnesses the power of fallen guardians to unleash a ferocious barrage of claws, wings, and scales. Walk us through your process behind developing this unique mechanic.
Guardians are entities that appear throughout Arkesia as either allies or enemies. We felt that creating a class capable of directly wielding Guardian power would be an exciting concept and spent a great deal of time considering how best to express that overwhelming strength. Our starting point was the idea of a Guardian, Embereth, who is a massive being capable of freely controlling the power of fire. Embereth fit this concept perfectly.
We paid close attention to details that would make players truly feel as though they were wielding Embereth’s power. These included visual elements like Guardian wings unfolding during skill usage as well as summoning shield-like forms inspired by hardened scales to block powerful enemy attacks. Through extensive iteration, we were able to establish abilities that are uniquely characteristic of the Guardianknight.
Q. Why was a halberd chosen as her weapon? What was the goal of choosing this new type of weapon?
One of the biggest development challenges was selecting a weapon that had never been used in Lost Ark before, yet would still be perceived by players as cool. In the end, we couldn’t imagine any weapon more fitting than the halberd. The image of a slender young woman, empowered by Guardian strength, effortlessly swinging a massive halberd far larger than her own body with one hand felt like a universal fantasy shared by the development team.
We already had strong reference material and experience in designing powerful, destructive actions unique to long polearms. The halberd proved to be the perfect weapon to fully leverage that know-how, plus we were confident that this type of action would be fun and impactful.
Q: Please tell us more about the development of her unique transformation from concept through release.
Although the Guardianknight inherits the power of a Guardian, we did not want her to freely wield that power at all times, so we introduced a new resource system based on Embereth’s energy. As a result, players are encouraged to think carefully about skill order and resource management during normal combat.
This tension and minor stress are intentional design elements. When the Guardianknight enters her Incarnation state, all resource restrictions are completely lifted, and her skills fully evolve. The stress players experience from managing resources transforms into a sense of exhilaration. It’s a feeling of becoming an omnipotent being, free from all limitations. The unrestricted release of overwhelming power through Incarnation after careful buildup during normal play is the payoff for mastering resource management.
Q: What went into designing the Guardianknight's destructive audio?
The sound design focused on vividly expressing the contrast between her sleek appearance and the immense weight and power of her massive halberd. We also wanted to emphasize the intense transformation when Guardian power awakens.
To convey the heft of the halberd, the largest weapon yet in Lost Ark, we combined deep, wind-cutting sounds from wide swings with heavy metallic impact effects to create a sense of unique, crushing force. More specifically, Incarnation skills were designed with significantly greater weight and intensity than normal skills, enabling players to audibly feel the explosive power as it’s unleashed.
We further enhanced the character’s appeal through four distinct and expressive performances by voice actors. During pivotal moments when her power is released, spatial audio effects were emphasized to fill the screen with a sense of overwhelming scale and presence.
Q: How do you want players to feel when using the Guardianknight?
We want players to feel the thrill of controlling the overwhelming power of a Guardian. In her normal state, she may feel restrained or even incomplete. But once her inner power is fully unleashed, players will experience the exhilaration of breaking those limitations. Spread your wings and soar freely through the battlefield. Nullify enemy attacks with impenetrable scales. As combat intensifies, the true potential hidden within her continues to bloom.
The Guardianknight offers an entirely new way to experience combat. We can’t wait to see what players will do when Lost Ark’s first original class releases as part of the Guardians’ Rage update on February 4.
Thanks for your support and we’ll see you in Arkesia!
