Lost Ark Stronghold Farm: Unlock, Upgrade & Tips

Lost Ark is full of complexes; its complex activities can keep players busy for hours. Moreover, new players can get confused with a few complexities, and a stronghold is one of them. So, if you are a beginner looking to unlock a stronghold or a Lost Ark fan stuck with the Lost Ark Stronghold Farm, this guide is the best solution for you.

What is a Lost Ark Stronghold Farm

A stronghold farm In Lost Ark is like a private island that gives players a chance to build it however they want. They will have to spend a certain amount of currency overbuilding various items. This option is like player housing in other MMOs, as you can decorate it, place items that you like, and hold events with your friends.

How to Unlock Lost Ark Stronghold Farm

Completing the quest “Clerk Theo’s Invitation” will give you the stronghold. However, unlocking a stronghold will not make it available for its best use. The best use of the stronghold will be possible by completing the quests in the stronghold, research projects, and increasing the rank.

The quest to reach the stronghold is obtained in level 25, so keep following the main story to access it. Once unlocked, click CTRL+1 to open the management tab with many options available to manage various aspects of the stronghold.

Managing Your Stronghold

To manage strongholds in Lost Ark, access the managing tab with CTRL+1 and explore estate options with CTRL+2.

The management menu includes:

1. Lab:
   • Unlock various stronghold options.
   • Access new recipes for the workshop, unlock ships, and upgrade stronghold parts.
   • Research projects take time and require ore and wood.
2. Workshop:
   • Craft new items, including unlocking recipes and upgrading character stats.
   • Requires trade skill materials.
3. Station:
   • Send crew members on missions to earn rewards, including currency for stronghold upgrades.
   • Unlock ships to enable missions.
4. Manor:
   • Build passive effects that can be activated when needed.
   • Examples include cosmetic rewards and crafting passive benefits.
5. Training Camp:
   • Passive character upgrades for characters two levels below the maximum player level.
   • Takes time, depending on character level.
6. Knowledge Transfer:
   • Spend 600 Gold to boost any character to level 50.
   • Unlocked after the quest “Nothing is impossible for Cykins” and takes eight hours to complete.

Effectively managing these options enhances your stronghold’s capabilities and provides valuable upgrades and rewards.

Upgrading Your Lost Ark Stronghold Farm

Most of the stations in strongholds are unlocked by Labs. However, if some of the stations specifically mention Workshop or Manor, then try considering these stations first. These stations will be the ones responsible for unlocking the majority of options in your stronghold.

Most strongholds have a requirement of a certain level, so if you are unable to apply some upgrade, then try considering upgrading your stronghold first. 

Exchanging Stronghold Material

The exchange merchant near the spawn point of your island will enable you to exchange your materials. This will assist you in converting rare materials into common variants. You may have earned seals from the crew missions; they can also be exchanged here. However, the conversion rate of this exchange is not one-to-one.

Additional Stronghold Farm Features

I have covered everything that you need to know about the stronghold farm in detail, but here are some additional features that will be very helpful for you, and I have listed them below.

Trade Merchants

Trade merchants have a duty to offer unique goods, so they act as temporary vendors. They also exchange seals for rare material, the ones that are obtained from station missions. These vendors also have the ability to exchange seals with crafting recipes, collectible items, and new crew members for your ship.

You should check your stronghold to see what is in stock. If you want to know the best ships in Lost Ark, our guide has you covered.

Resource Farm

Once you complete the quest named “A Verdant Land”, there will be an unlocked portal that will have many resources. The materials that you will obtain from this farm will not be traded or sold, but you can use them for crafting. The items that you will make by crafting can then be traded with other players. 

Special Station Missions

Reaching level 50 will unlock special missions, which are just like typical station missions. The difference in these special missions is that they grant endgame loot. For example, completing a Chaos Dungeon mission will give you a Chaos Dungeon loot when completed with a typical station. 

Pet Ranch

In Korean clients, access to pet ranches enables players to convert excess pets into resource farmers. Selecting pets assists you in creating cookies; the pet range is four. These cookies can be redeemed by a vendor to upgrade pets or get new pets. While mentioning pets, our guide on Vertus pets in Lost Ark is a must-read.

Feasts

The Feast menu can be unlocked on reaching level 10. They will enable you to craft powerful consumables. They also offer buffs that are powerful and persist after death.  

Leveling Stronghold Farm Character

Training Camp and Knowledge transfer menus help you upgrade your character skills, and the character upgrade feature in stronghold differs from the Power pass available at level 50.

The Training Camp is unlocked at level 52, allowing you to upgrade your character features for free, as this does not cost you Gold. You can still play using characters that utilize the training camp. Make sure to make the best use of it.

Knowledge transfer is comparatively a new feature to the Lost Ark; completion of the “Nothing is Impossible for Cykins” quest can unlock this system. This requires a lot of Gold as well, so do not utilize it unless you have a lot of Gold. However, once unlocked, this can get you many benefits.

Tips for Lost Ark Stronghold Farm

• You need to earn stronghold XP and seals; the best way to earn these is to always have a station mission active. 
• You should unlock lab research options by upgrading your Manor first. 
• Send your crew on a lengthy station mission before logging off; it will enable you to claim your rewards when you log in.
• Use your trade skills, as you will need ores, wood, and other materials to unlock the stronghold features.
• Always buy the collectibles that the trade merchants are selling, as they will help unlock character stats, grant skill points, and much more.

Stronghold is surely one of the complexes in Lost Ark, but it gives a lot of benefits. You should focus on the stronghold, as it helps you unlock many things. If you follow the steps mentioned in the guide above, you will be able to make the best use of the stronghold.  

Next: Lost Ark Levelling Guide