With so much content in Lost Ark, it's easy for players to get disoriented. There's so much to do, from boss fights in Abyss Raids to Sailing Co-op. That being said, one of the game's core features is the Stronghold, which also contains more sub-content that players will have to learn. Fortunately, this Lost Ark Stronghold Guide will cover most of what adventurers need to understand.
What Are Strongholds?
Strongholds are the players' own private islands. The area functions as the players' base of operations and crafting station. The fortress offers multiple services like sending crewmates on dangerous expeditions or boosting alt characters passively to become stronger.
The Stronghold’s crafting feature is an essential service that players will make use of the most. This system allows players to create tons of helpful stuff, from Battle Items to Honing Materials. Investing in the island presents a lot of perks to the players.
How to Unlock Strongholds?
Adventurers will have to progress through the main storyline until they unlock Luterra Castle to unlock this feature. This usually occurs around level 25. Once the castle has been retaken, a quest will appear as part of the main questline called Clerk Theo’s Invitation. However, not all the services in the Stronghold will be unlocked right away. Some services like memory transfer and character boosting will be available at later stages in the game.
After unlocking the island, players will also learn the Song of Hearth and Home. This song can be used to fast travel from anywhere in the world to the Stronghold. Gamers can then use the Song of Escape to leave the island and return to their original location.
Leveling Up the Stronghold
The Adventurer’s HQ also has its rank that players should also level up. Ranking up the Stronghold will enable players to unlock other features and allow more things to research. To level up, players will have to do various actions related to the island, which will reward Stronghold EXP. These activities will require Action Energy.
What is Action Energy?
Like players’ energy in the trade skill system, Action Energy represents the total stamina of the whole island. Every time adventurers do something within their Stronghold, it will require energy. This gauge will refill over time, so players just have to give it some time to regenerate before doing more island things.
Stronghold Management
After finishing Clark Theo’s Invitation, adventurers will have complete control of their Stronghold. To access the management feature of the fortress, players just have to click the Management icon at the bottom of the screen or by pressing Ctrl+1. Opening the Management system up a new window and tabs that players can interact with.
The menu will show multiple tabs that allow players to use the island services. Here are the features that players can navigate to:
- Lab
- Workshop
- Station
- Manor
- Training Camp
- Knowledge
Aside from this core feature, several other icons or keys allow access to additional features. Here are the different menus that gamers can open:
- Ctrl+2 – unlocks the Placement Mode, where players can place furniture and characters on the island.
- Ctrl+3 – opens a menu where players can buy costumes to activate Stronghold passive bonuses.
- Ctrl+4 – allows gamers to change the camera view.
Note: Using these features will require Action Energy, Materials, and a cost.
Lab
This tab allows adventurers to start research on various things, such as recipes for consumables and Stronghold improvements. This service also allows players to research Honing Improvements for alternate characters, which will help increase the chances of Honing success and lessen the costs. The research will also reward Stronghold EXP, which will help level up the island.
Workshop
The workshop is arguably one of the most essential features in the Stronghold. This tab allows adventurers to craft important things like Battle Items, Food Consumables, Fusion Honing Materials, Treasure Maps, and Trade Skill Tools. However, these items need materials that are gathered outside the Stronghold. Crafting Ingredients are usually acquired from Trade Skills or Life Skills.
Notes: This service is the only stable source for Fusion Materials, which is very high in demand. These materials are needed for every Honing Attempt, and Tier 3 Fusion items are always needed. Crafting these materials and selling them is an excellent source of Gold.
HP Potions are very high in demand when there isn’t an event that rewards these consumables. Since this is the only stable source of this battle item, players can focus on creating hundreds of them to sell in the Marketplace.
There are several treasure maps that players should focus on crafting. North Vern, Yorn, and Punika Archaeological Site Maps have a chance of dropping Honing Materials such as Moon’s Breath (Bound) and Star’s Breath (Bound), which can increase the chances of honing success.
Station
This tab allows adventurers to send sailors and pets on special Missions that will yield particular types of currency rewards. Each Dispatch will require a specific ship, so it is ideal for players to build all the ships available in the Research tab. There are two expeditions where gamers can send their crew: Normal and Special.
- Normal – These tasks indicate the rewards that adventurers can acquire from sending a Dispatch. These missions cost Pirate Coins, Action, Energy, and Ship Durability.
- Special – These missions provide special rewards not indicated in the tab. These tasks usually involve Chaos Dungeons and Guardian Raids. Moreover, sending Dispatch teams to these ventures will require Daily Entry Requirements on top of Pirate Coins, Action Energy, and Ship Durability.
Notes: A ship’s durability can be regenerated by repairing them. This process will cost materials that are acquired from life skills. All of these repair items are acquired from Mining and Logging, so adventurers should make sure that they obtain ores and logs every now and then.
Don’t do Special Missions as much as possible since they are rarely worth it.
Manor
The Manor simply allows players to equip structures and costumes that would provide bonuses for several Stronghold activities. These structures can be acquired via crafting, Adventurer’s Tome, and cash shop. Costumes can be obtained as Rapport rewards from certain NPCs or by purchasing them with Blue Crystals.
Training Camp
The camp is one of the several features that are not unlocked right away. Adventurers will receive a quest in the Stronghold called “Legendary Monster Slayer” from Adventurer Erwin. Afterward, another mission will appear once players reach level 52. The task is called “The Magic Society’s Amazing Skill.” Doing these quests will unlock the camp.
This feature allows players to level up one character at a time by gaining passive experience. Only characters above rank 50 can use this service. However, players must note that the one receiving the training cannot exceed the character's level with the highest level in the roster.
Knowledge
This tab is only available to players whose Strongholds are level 5 and have completed the whole North Vern main questline. In addition, the Awakening quest should also be completed at this point. After satisfying these conditions, a Cykin named Atheline will be available in the Stronghold. She will give out the “Nothing is Impossible for Cykins” quest to unlock this feature.
Knowledge Transfers let other characters reach the next tier without redoing quests and storylines. This feature functions similarly to a Power Pass. But instead of using a free ticket, players will need to pay Gold for the boost.
Adventurers will need to create a new character and go to the Stronghold to use the feature. They can then access the Knowledge Transfer machine and start the process after paying 600 gold. The whole transfer will take around eight hours.
Note: Only the first three characters who use this feature will pay 600 gold for the Knowledge Transfer. Subsequent transfers after the first ones will incur increased costs and have the minimum required item level before they can do a knowledge transfer.
All Available Visiting Merchants
There will be several NPCs that will come and go in the players’ Strongholds. These Merchants will sell items in exchange for specific currencies. Each NPC will require different seals, so players should stack up on these tokens. These merchants will sell various wares of the following items:
- Sailors
- Runes
- Collectibles
Not all Vendors will be available right away to the players. Some will be unlocked through Adventure Tome rewards or through Una’s Tasks rewards. Here are all the merchants that can be interacted with in the Stronghold:
- Rami (Victory Seal): Available right away
- Tago (Raid Seal): Available right away
- Duekhyeon (Adventurer’s Seal): Available right away
- Flarke (Victory Seal): Unlocked with 70% Arthetine Tome, Morlo Guild’s Invitation
- Roehn (Adventurer’s Seal: Unlocked with 70% Shushire Tore, Daybreaker’s Invitation
- Illayne (Raid Seal): Unlocked with 70% North Vern Tome, Vern Royal Merchant Guild’s Invitation
- Astiel (Victory Seal): Unlocked with 80% Rohendel Tome, Silver Wave Merchant Guild’s Invitation
- Maxelle (Raid Seal): Unlocked with “Repairing Seal Site” & “Rebuilding of Xeneela” Una’s Tasks, Elzowin’s Blessed Letter
- Tuleu (Adventurer’s Seal): Unlocked with Atropos Island’s “What’s in the Ship?” Una’s Tasks Mederiel’s Letter
- Florr (Victory Seal): Unlocked with Bulletproof Cream Hits the Market and Yorn’s “Market Research,” “Research and Development,” and Quality Check” Una’s Tasks, Umar Cosmetics’ Invitation
- Gador (Raid Seal): Unlocked with 70% Yorn Tome, Great Ashen Forge’s Invitation
- Borza (Adventurer’s Seal): Unlocked with 70% Feiton Tome, Levi’s Letter
- Saha (Raid Seal): Unlocked with 70% Punika Tome, Invitation from the Lailai Merchant’s Association
Stronghold Farm
When the players’ private islands reach rank 15, they will be able to unlock a gathering node in their Stronghold. They can get the farm by completing the “Land of Life” quest from Elix and a gathering cave by finishing the “The Cave Where Time Stands Still” mission from the All-around Lifeman Nature. However, the materials gathered here are different from ordinary Trade Skills ingredients.
The items found in these gathering zones are bound and cannot be sold to the Marketplace. In addition, they are not the materials commonly used in the Crafting Workshop. Adventurer’s also gain less Profession EXP here, and they cannot acquire World Tree Leaves from life skilling in these areas.
Overall, the Stronghold is something that adventurers should definitely invest in. It provides tons of excellent services that can enhance the quality of game life and help players progress in their quest to become stronger. In addition, they can definitely profit from taking advantage of the available systems on the island.
