The free-to-play MMO Lost Ark has turned heads as it came westward after enjoying commercial success in the east. Unfortunately, the MMO aspect means that it relies on an always-online connection, and certain features (such as chat) can fail to load.
If you find that your chat in Lost Ark is failing to load, or update, there are a few tried-and-true methods you can use to fix the connection and return to the social aspect of the MMO. Thankfully, you aren’t alone in the community with this recent issue, even if a lack of chat makes a player feel alone.
Related: How to complete the Frozen Memories quest in Lost Ark
Fixing Lost Ark chat while in-game
The first set of troubleshooting steps players will want to attempt are in-game — this keeps players from needing to step out of the game, and back into the queue to rejoin their preferred server. Players should right-click the tab on the top-left of the chat window, then select Chat Settings.
This will open a new window that specifically handles what information is, and is not, filtered into the specified chat window. From various languages to actions taken by other players, this window allows players to determine what information is passed to the player via the highlighted chat window.
Players should attempt to remove all language filters in game (minus their preferred language), then hit ‘Apply’. If this doesn’t manage to fix it, the Smilegate Community Manager proposed to alter the other Chat Tab Settings on the top of the window. Try removing all notifications except Guide, then apply the settings and see if the chat window will reconnect.
Fixing Lost Ark chat out of game
If the proposed troubleshooting steps don’t work, then unfortunately the next step is to exit the game entirely. Right-click the title in Steam and verify local files for good measure, then reconnect to the title. If the chat window still fails to connect, retry the aforementioned troubleshooting steps.
Unfortunately, until there’s a patch released from the developers, these are the best steps to take to attempt a fix. If these steps still don’t mediate the problem, there’s little left for players to do. There have been rumors of a fix to this issue arriving in the June patch for Lost Ark.
