Lost Ark has finally arrived in the west in two separate waves. The first way is what Smilegate RPG refers to as a ‘Head Start,’ offering players willing to purchase a Founder’s Pack three days of exclusive play time before the title opens its gates to the free-to-play audience.
During this period, certain servers become full to the point that it simply cannot accept new players. To remediate the influx of players, developer Smilegate RPG has implemented new servers that are being spun up to help lighten the load. However, it isn’t expected for servers that are currently full to be opened any time soon.
The double-edged sword of MMO popularity is being shown in full swing with Lost Ark: locked servers due to population cap, and log-in queues that range well into quintuple digits have been the name of the game while in the Head Start phase. It’s expected that the full free-to-play experience opening on February 11 will cause far more servers to lock for population cap.
Players would do well to attempt to avoid streamer servers, as those tend to fill quicker than other servers due to server location, and many fans wanting to play with a preferred streamer. When in doubt, players should seek Lost Ark servers that have a notification next to them that shows a low population.
