Lost Ark Trade Skills Guide

Here is the what, how and why of trade skills in Lost Ark.

Trade skills or life skills as they are sometimes called are super important in the popular MMO game, Lost Ark. You can use these skills to hunt, mine, fish, excavate and log. These skills are learned and are valuable to every player in the game. You can use these skills to make the best use of the natural world and help you as a player get tons of materials. These materials can then be used to trade, as resources for yourself, and more. This is what attracts most players to unlock and use their life skills to the fullest. If you want to make the most of your trade skills in Lost Ark then this is the guide for you.

Everything to Know About Trade Skills in Lost Ark

Lost Ark Trade Skills Guide

As mentioned before, there are various trade skills that are useful when playing Lost Ark. Here is what each skill helps you do in the game:

  • Foraging – With foraging, you can gather all kinds of plants and herbs. With these, you can craft potions that will help you in battle. If you want to learn how to unlock this skill, check out this foraging guide.
  • Logging – With logging, you can take down different trees as you gather lumber. This lumber is then used to construct buildings and other stronghold uses like maintaining your boat.
  • Mining – Gather rocks and all kinds of ores by using this skill. You can then use these rocks and ores to strengthen your stronghold as well. If you want to learn how to unlock this skill, check out this mining guide.
  • Hunting – Hunt wild animals to get some valuable materials. This is especially useful to craft specialty items and catalysts.
  • Fishing – The only trade skill where you don’t have to run around, fishing is great to get all kinds of crafting material. If you want to learn how to unlock this skill, check out this fishing guide.
  • Excavating – This skill can be used to search and find relics in the game that you can then use to craft with.

Now that you know what each skill is all about, here are the most important points to help you understand these skills in the game.

When are Trade Skills Unlocked?

You will unlock trade skills at different times in the game. As a beginner, you will not unlock every trade skill as and when you want. These are unlocked one after another as part of certain side quests in the game.

Getting and Using the Right Tools

Getting and Using the Right Tools

Tools are super important to help you gather your resources. As soon as you unlock a skill, Lost Ark will hand you the tools that you need. These are low-quality tools that will need to be upgraded after a certain point in the game. You can do this by crafting or purchasing them. Remember, the rarer the better!

However, you must make sure that you do not simply discard one for the other. Just like in the real world, your weapons can get blunt and will need to be repaired. This will not guarantee that they retain the same durability or strength back again. And so, you will need to use your weapons responsibly. Of course, you can always discard the lowest ranking one for a better one as your base weapon for common loots. Just as long as the best is at least two levels superior.

Go to the Right Zones

Go to the Right Zones

Once you have a trade skill, you can easily open your map (Press M) and find a box on the top right of your screen. This box will show you which trade skill is available in whatever zone you click on. This means that you can only use those trade skills in that particular area. Use this trick to upgrade the skill of your choice easily. This will reduce the amount of searching that you will have to do for the same.

Tree Leaf Points

Tree Leaf Points

Tree leaf points are gained every time that you use a particular skill. These points are important and can be exchanged for trade skill potions. To do this, simply follow these steps:

  • Collect five leaf points
  • Go to a major city
  • Now, go through your mini-map till you find the exchange leaf icon
  • Hand these leaf points in to get your reward
  • You should get five trade skill experience potions

These potions will give you 2200 EXP for all of your trade skills. This will allow you to boost your life skills to level 10 within no time.

Level Up Normal Skills Soon

Level Up Normal Skills Soon

It is really important to level up your skill as early as possible. This is because you don’t want to run into a situation where you have found a particular resource and can’t gather it. For example, If you haven’t gotten Foraging to level 10 and become a vegetation expert by the time you see mushrooms, you just won’t be able to collect them.

And so, try to level up your skills every chance you get. As soon as you find yourself in an area that is rich with a particular resource, just use your trade skill. Keep the extra resources in your stronghold to craft other materials. And while this may seem tedious at first, the more you keep at it, the better it will get. Mini-games and other challenges are introduced later on to make players level up in a fun way.

Platinum Fields

Platinum Fields

This is especially important when you enter Platinum fields. These fields cost one Entrance Ticket to enter and have two different arenas that you can use. Each is unique for the specific trade skills that you want to use. These two are extremely useful to get the resources that you need. You will only have 15 minutes to get in and get what you want. You will get to do this without having it consume any of your energy. This won’t reward you with experience points but will instead give you a boost to your inventory.

This was all that you need to know about trade or life skills in Lost Ark. If you enjoy playing Lost Ark then check out this guide on how to farm and get Guardian Stone Fragments.