[2022] "it is also important to note that the forums are not 100% representative of the wider playerbase"

Forums, Discord, Reddit, Twitter, social media, social listening tools, broader web listening tools, surveys, in-game data, etc. That list is probably not exhaustive, just off the top of my head

I’m not 100% clear on the question, as “current direction of the game” is very very broad – prior to launch, we had a hardcore community that played or knew of the game from other regions, but this was an extremely small fraction of the playerbase that we now have post launch. Now that we have that broad playerbase that is providing feedback and data, we are making changes based on what we’ve seen – the direction is constantly changing, which is exactly why the roadmap has been delayed. I understand players want this information now (or wish it had been even earlier), but we can’t communicate changes before they are made/while they are being made

I don’t think the forums are a positive space by any means. Posts are removed when they break the forum rules (here: FAQ - Lost Ark Forums) because we are not going to promote toxicity here, but regardless of that I don’t think the overall vibe is exactly positive and we are not trying to make it appear so.

I addressed the roadmap in this post just a couple sentences later –

we are making changes based on what we’ve seen – the direction is constantly changing, which is exactly why the roadmap has been delayed. I understand players want this information now (or wish it had been even earlier), but we can’t communicate changes before they are made/while they are being made

More T3 content is interesting – releasing Argos too soon before players could access it was actually a huge source of negative feedback. More mats started being released just last week, but this one step in something that will continue over time. Changes are coming, but I think there are always big calls for immediate action which is not always feasible or the right path

I posted about this in another thread, but there are several cases happening right now of users generating multiple accounts to evade bans, whether they are making it obvious or not. Some of these users have also threatened staff/players in spaces that are not as visible to all members of the forums. When they return, they will be banned immediately. Perception can be tricky, but please remember that forum users may not always have full visibility into a situation or moderator actions, and although I will provide this insight generally, we won’t reveal full details for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to safety.

You can be mad or upset and provide constructive feedback, and that’s cool and even encouraged. Becoming aggressive and attacking others (players or staff) because you are upset is not ever going to be productive or okay.

This makes more sense, appreciate the clarification!

The team understands the issue still isn’t solved, as last week’s patch was one first step and it has been live for less thatn a week. We addressed that, as well as the decision to bring in Argos, in this letter with SGR which goes over the rationale behind Argos and the honing material increase as an initial step.