There’s more to life in Lost Ark than demon-slaying and dungeon running. There’s a joy to be found harvesting materials from various sources across the numerous and diverse regions you’ll be exploring.
You don’t have to worry about advancing your skills immediately after character creation, but after progressing a bit through the main story you will eventually reach a location called Lakebar Village where you’ll have to construct an important item. It’s at this point that the game’s Trade Skills open up to you.
As you progress through the next areas, quests will appear that will explain the Trade Skills to you and reward you with improved tools. Life Skills require the use of Life Energy, which replenishes each day but can also be replenished with potions.
All Life Skills
Fishing
Fishing can be accomplished with a fishing tool at any body of water, but you’re more likely to get rarer fish at fishing spots, which are marked with a fish hook on your map.
Go up to a spot and use the Float Fishing skill to cast your line. When the lure is held underwater by a fish and an exclamation point appears, click again to catch your fish.
Over time you can increase your fishing level to unlock new skills like throwing bait, barrel fishing, and net fishing.
Foraging
Foraging is the process of collecting various plants and herbs. It requires a Foraging Tool and an item you can collect, which is marked by a leaf on your minimap. Just go up to a forageable item and click on it.
When you level up your foraging skill, you’ll be able to gather mushrooms and Ether.
Logging
Logging lets you cut down trees to collect timber, and requires a Logging Axe. Trees that you can cut down are marked by a piece of timber on the map.
With more levels in logging, you should be able to cut down stronger trees, grow saplings into mature trees, and kick trees to drop additional items.
Hunting
Hunting is how you collect game meat in Lost Ark. While your Life Skill bar is equipped, you can activate the Search skill to more easily spot prey while in hunting areas, which are marked with a bear trap icon on your map.
When you spot your prey, you can use the Throw skill to throw a hunting axe to slow or kill it. Then you can collect from its carcass. After leveling up your hunting skill, you can unlock more tracking methods and trap hunting.
Mining
Mining is how you collect iron and other important ores and metals. It requires a Mining Tool, or pickaxe, and a mineable ore vein that appears on your minimap as a blue rock. Go up to the vein and click on it to mine it.
With an increased mining level, you can increase the chances of getting special items with skills like Perfect Timing and Moonlight Miner.
Excavating
Excavating is the process of finding relics. Use your Sonar skill to detect potential Relics around you for a 30 second period. Once you get close, use the Relic Search skill to hone in on them. Eventually, a Relic Trace will appear, and you can dig the Relics out from there.
With an improved excavating skill, you can increase your odds of finding treasure and even make use of a Sniffer Dog.
What are Trade Skills used for?
Trade Skills have plenty of use in Lost Ark. Mining and logging are especially valuable when it comes to collecting resources for your Stronghold. All the Skills are also important for collecting the resources needed to craft various items, which can be accomplished by talking to numerous crafting NPCs around the world.
