Lost Ark’s Reset Explained: Honing Transfers and Roster-Wide Gems

This article covers the Korean service and announcements; times are KST (UTC+9) unless stated otherwise. The first question raised by Lost Ark’s “reset” is whether you will have to build your character again from scratch. The announced overhaul does not simply erase all progression. Honing levels would move to equipment slots, some systems would transfer into new systems or materials, and gems would become roster-wide. Preserving previous investment, however, does not automatically make future progression cheaper. We need to consider both what carries over and what the next goals will cost.

That is the central issue. Removing complicated systems is welcome, but replacing them with an equivalent burden would do little to improve the experience. Established players need to see their investment recognized, while newcomers need a clear route to catch up.

Does “reset” mean losing all existing progression?

“Reset” can describe several different changes: removing existing power, transferring items into a new system, or raising the ceiling so that today’s best build occupies a different position. These should be assessed separately when reading the announcement.

This table summarizes the direction announced for Part 2 and the winter overhaul; it does not describe an already implemented patch. Detailed conversion rates and future upgrade costs should not be treated as final before they are published.

Nor does “transfer” guarantee that nobody loses out. Even if current power survives, new systems may push the next goal farther away. Conversely, the loss of an item’s old name or appearance is not necessarily a full reset if its power and progress are adequately recognized in the replacement system.

Slot-based honing: look beyond the transferred level

The proposal moves honing from individual pieces of equipment to equipment slots. Existing honing levels would carry over, with the aim of preserving their damage contribution as closely as possible. The announcement particularly emphasized protecting the performance of highly honed equipment.

Item level and honing would become separate. Players would receive new equipment corresponding to their current item level, alongside a separate equipment-farming and progression system. The honing cap would not immediately increase with the winter update.

Keeping honing on slots could separate changing equipment from repeating the investment already made in it. That would reduce the anxiety of starting honing over whenever you replace an item. It does not yet explain where gear with different options will drop or how sets will work.

Two questions therefore matter: “Will my honing levels carry over?” and “What else must I do afterward to reach the content I want?” The first concerns preserving past achievements; the second concerns future effort and costs. Both answers are needed to understand the transfer’s practical effect.

For example, preserving honing would only change the form of the burden if a rare equipment roll became effectively mandatory. That is a condition to watch for, rather than a confirmed new rule. A simpler interface does not necessarily mean a simpler progression process.

Roster-wide gems improve sharing, but do not settle the cost question

Roster-wide gems would bring together gems currently spread across characters. Under the announced plan, players would configure 11 gems for the roster, then assign their damage or cooldown effects through each character’s skill interface.

This could make character choice less dependent on gem-management efficiency. When sharing gems rewards maintaining several characters of the same class, efficiency can take priority over the class you actually want to play. Broader sharing could let those assets support a wider range of classes.

Higher gem levels were announced alongside roster-wide sharing, partly to absorb gems made redundant by consolidation. This reduces the need for separate character sets while raising the roster’s ultimate upgrade target.

Looking only at the new maximum can make the overhaul seem universally expensive; looking only at sharing can make it seem universally cheap. The more relevant question is what gem levels your preferred content will actually require. An optional maximum and the practical standard for joining a party are very different things.

Players with several sets also start in a different position from those already sharing one. Existing holdings may affect how far they can upgrade, but that alone does not establish who gains or loses. The final cap, effects, and real entry expectations matter. Gem prices will also reflect both reduced demand from sharing and new demand from higher upgrades.

Bracelets and accessories: near-best-in-slot builds need clear transfer rules

Bracelets and accessories need especially detailed explanations. Their existing value would transfer into new progression suited to the revised farming structure. The stated goal for top-end bracelets is for their transferred progression to be close to complete.

A perfect bracelet does not represent every player’s situation. Many people stop at a strong build with a few compromises. They need to know how a near-best-in-slot bracelet or accessory will be valued before deciding whether it is reasonable to stop investing now.

Transfer fairness also depends on the middle of the progression curve. Will similarly powerful items convert very differently because of particular options? How much more farming will be required to recreate an existing build? Without those answers, “recognizing value” is a promise players cannot apply to their own equipment.

Karma and Quality would grant new materials based on progression, while Ability Stones would transfer according to their existing value. Material counts alone are insufficient: players need to know how far those materials will take them. What a grant of 100 actually unlocks is more useful than the number itself.

Can companions make returning easier?

Companion-supported solo play is as noteworthy as the progression overhaul. Players would collect and train companions to form parties for solo raids and other combat content. The presentation also described companions performing counters and stagger checks, with Awakening Skills usable automatically or manually.

These systems matter because they expand what a developed character can actually do. Catch-up support falls short if players obtain the gear but get stuck finding a party or learning their role. A place for support players to practice could connect solo preparation with eventual group play.

The implementation still needs to show whether companion behavior is reliable and whether players can understand and correct failures. Repeated losses caused by uncontrollable behavior could replace party-finding stress with a different frustration. Predictable combat matters alongside collecting companions.

The plan to combine daily activities into adventurer quests also needs to be judged beyond its menus. The announcement described up to five quests per character, with a fast-completion method for subsequent quests after five completions across the roster. That does not mean the entire roster’s daily routine ends after five quests. Actual time savings and remaining repetition both matter.

What established and returning players should check

Established players should distinguish an immediate gameplay need from speculation about conversion. Upgrading to enter content you currently enjoy is different from spending because an unpublished conversion might be favorable. Without detailed rules, neither “everything will disappear, so any investment is wasted” nor upgrading solely for expected compensation has a firm basis.

Returning players should examine how the remaining preparation steps connect, rather than count removed systems. Collection-based cards still involve progression, and shared gems still need suitable levels. The key is how far companion content takes you and whether solo progression leads naturally into group content.

The overhaul could streamline older systems and broaden ways to play. Its success will depend on whether players can understand their next goal, rather than the scale of the changes alone. They need to know where their equipment transfers, what content they can work toward, and how long that goal will remain relevant. A clear route for an ordinary build would be more useful than a showcase of the highest possible setup.