LOST ARK

Witcher crossover offers Geralt selfies, not much else.

- Jody Macgregor

Like every MMO, Lost Ark wants to hook you with its endgame so you keep playing forever. You’re not done when you hit level 50. That’s just your character level. After that there’s a gear level to grind up for hundreds more hours.

The grind’s alleviated by a steady drip-feed of additions, the biggest of which add entire new continents with quests that extend the storyline, while between those are smaller events, often taking place on an island somewhere.

The latest is an odd choice: a crossover with The Witcher. While Geralt’s cameoed in other games like Soulcalibur VI and Monster Hunter World, The Witcher is dark fantasy in the Elric tradition while Lost Ark is so light you need shades. In fact I have a pair, a set of pixelated ‘8-bit’ sunglasses that are part of my extensive collection of ridiculous cosmetics alongside a pumpkin head, dinosaur costume and bright pink helmet shaped like a local triceratops creature. Even when Lost Ark aims for dramatic, it’s undercut because it cuts back to me and I look like a mouse dressed as a naval officer.