Lost Ark PvP guide: Proving Grounds, modes, seasons & ranks

Lost Ark‘s PvP Proving Grounds are open for business, pitting Arkesia’s fiercest warriors against one another for a shot at glory. Here’s everything you need to know to get involved, as well as when the new season will start.

While Lost Ark‘s dungeon crawler design has won the hearts of PvE players across Arkesia, others are more interested in tearing their fellow warriors asunder than just the hordes themselves.

Enter the Proving Grounds, the game’s PvP arena that allows you to test your mettle against the very best. With Smilegate announcing that the inaugural PvP season lurks on the horizon, competitive players will finally have a chance to etch their name onto the official leaderboard.

So here’s a rundown of everything you need to do to get involved in Lost Ark’s bloody PvP scene: from the prerequisites required to enter the Proving Grounds, to some handy tips and tricks.

The Proving Grounds are open, but will you emerge victorious?

How to unlock PvP in Lost Ark

In order to unlock PvP in Lost Ark, you need to reach Level 20, and have accessed Luterra Castle as part of the main story.

From the heart of the castle, you’ll want to:

Complete the sidequest ‘Rebuilding Luterra‘

A Combat Level 27 quest that is mainly composed of dialogue

Interact with the Proving Grounds Entry Board to choose a match type and build your hotbar

Lost Ark: PvP modes

PvP is split into three different game modes in Lost Ark: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Team Elimination:

Mode	Player Number	Description
Deathmatch	1 v 1	Play as a team to get the most kills
Team Deathmatch	3 v 3	Play solo to wrack up the most points by landing killing blows
Team Elimination	3 v 3	A team of three sends out one player to battle the opposite team’s champion. If you lose, your next player plays, but if you win you cannot swap out your champion.

Lost Ark PvP tips & tricks

If it’s your first time stepping foot in the Proving Grounds, there’s a lot to take in. While games will likely end in losses on your first few tries, here are a few tips to bear in mind as you get to grips with PvP combat:

Remember your role: If you’re running a squishier character, you’ll need to play from the backline, and if you’re tanking you need to be right in the heart of the action. Remember how your class works to make sure you don’t get caught out.

Burst damage is key: PvP is all about choosing abilities that maximize burst damage, meaning you can one-shot lower health enemies and squishy targets. This is especially important as crowd control (CC) abilities (stuns and so on) aren’t as powerful in the PvP setting.

Mind your mates: Whether you’re going solo or fighting as a team, you need to keep a weather eye on those health bars. It can be all fair and good to dive in and finish off opponents, but bear in mind they can do the exact same to you.

Whether you’re flying solo or tanking for the team, PvP requires a bit of practice.

Lost Ark PvP Proving Grounds Season 1: Start & end dates

Competitive players rejoice! The first season of Lost Ark’s Proving Grounds PvP rotation is set to drop on March 24 and will last for six months. While there’s no official end date, we can expect the inaugural tournament to come to a close in September.

Lost Ark PvP Proving Grounds Season 1: Ranks

Players will need to have played the Proving Grounds and achieved Tier 1. Results will be tracked and viewed using the “Competitive Match Average Score,” which adjusts if you win or lose. Winning nets you points, but losing means you’ll start to drop these hard-earned commodities.

Your Competitive Match Average Score determines your rank, as well as your rewards as the season draws to a close. Ranks are divided as follows, with Grand Master and Master being the hardest to get:

Rank	Competitive Match Average Score
Bronze	1399 or below
Silver	1400 – 1599
Gold	1600 – 1799
Platinum	1800 – 1999
Diamond	2000+
Master	Top 31 – 100 players in the region
Grand Master	Top 30 players in the region

So that’s everything you need to know about PvP in Lost Ark; from how to take part in the Proving Grounds to the various different modes.

Looking to etch yourself into the Arkesian history books? Be sure to check out our other Lost Ark guides:

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