Raiding in Lost Ark covers six content types: Guardian Raids, Abyssal Dungeons, Abyss Raids, Legion Raids, Epic and Shadow Raids, and the Kazeros Raids. Each one unlocks at a set item level and pays out weekly gold. This guide lists every raid with its type, party size and entry item level, explains how weekly gold works across your roster, and recommends where a new or returning character should spend raid time.
How Lost Ark raids work
Every raid is split into gates, which are separate boss fights with a checkpoint between them. Clearing a gate gives you its rewards right away, so a group that disbands halfway through still keeps what it earned.
Most raids reset weekly. Each character on your roster can earn gold from up to three raids per week, and only six characters per roster can earn raid gold at all. Most players build their week around that cap. Some players run more alts for materials, but those extra characters will not earn raid gold.
You enter a raid through matchmaking or the party finder. Party finder is the standard for anything past the early Legion Raids, and groups there expect you to know the mechanics.
Heads up
Gold payouts, item level gates and which raids still pay gold have changed several times since the 2022 Western launch. Check the in-game raid menu before you plan your week.
Every raid by type and item level
The table below covers the main raids in the Western version. The listed item level is the entry requirement. Raids that have not reached the West are marked as such.
| Raid | Type | Players | Normal ilvl | Hard ilvl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argos | Abyss Raid | 8 | 1370 | n/a |
| Valtan | Legion | 8 | 1415 | 1445 |
| Vykas | Legion | 8 | 1430 | 1460 |
| Kakul-Saydon | Legion | 4 | 1475 | n/a |
| Brelshaza | Legion | 8 | 1490 | Higher, by gate |
| Kayangel | Abyssal Dungeon | 4 | 1540 | 1580 |
| Akkan | Legion | 8 | 1580 | 1600 |
| Ivory Tower (Voldis) | Abyssal Dungeon | 4 | 1600 | 1620 |
| Thaemine | Legion | 8 | 1610 | 1630 |
| Echidna | Shadow | 8 | 1620 | 1630 |
| Behemoth | Epic | 16 | 1640 | n/a |
| Aegir (Act 1) | Kazeros | 8 | 1660 | 1680 |
| Brelshaza (Act 2) | Kazeros | 8 | 1670 | 1690 |
| Mordum (Act 3) | Kazeros | 8 | 1680 | 1700 |
The Kazeros acts beyond Mordum follow the Korean roadmap. Their Western release dates and requirements had not been confirmed when this guide was written.
Guardian Raids
Guardian Raids are four-player fights against a single large monster. They are your first look at telegraphs and stagger checks. Along with Chaos Dungeons, they form the daily routine for gearing up, and they reward honing materials more than gold.
Use them to learn your class. A Guardian is forgiving enough that you can try different skill orders without wiping a full party.
Abyssal Dungeons and Abyss Raids
The older Abyssal Dungeons, from Shushire through Oreha’s Well, are now leveling content. Kayangel and the Ivory Tower of Chaos are different. Both are four-player raids with real mechanics and gold rewards.
Argos was the only Abyss Raid in the West. It was an eight-player fight that taught Lost Ark’s “day and night” phase mechanics, and it has since been pushed out of the relevant gold window.
Horizon Cathedral is a newer Abyssal Dungeon from the Korean version. Smilegate has not announced Western timing for it, so treat any date you see as rumor until it shows up in official Lost Ark patch notes.
Legion Raids
Legion Raids are the core of the game. Each Legion Commander from the main story gets a multi-gate fight:
- Valtan teaches stagger, counters and the basic wipe mechanics.
- Vykas adds orb checks and stricter positioning.
- Kakul-Saydon uses a small four-player party and runs on memorization, including the bingo and mario mini-games.
- Brelshaza has long gates, memory mechanics and the strictest damage checks of the original Legion lineup.
- Akkan and Thaemine finish the Legion arc. Thaemine’s later gates are among the hardest fights before Tier 4.
Veteran's tip
Watch a guide video of the gate you are about to learn, then run it in practice or with a learning party. Experienced groups expect you to know the mechanics, and showing up unprepared wastes everyone’s lockout.
Shadow and Epic Raids
Echidna was the first Kazeros Raid, not the first Shadow Raid. It is shorter and more mechanically dense than the Legion fights. The first Shadow Raid released was Serca, the Witch of Pain, introduced in the April 2026 “The Shadows Rise” patch.
Behemoth is the Epic Raid, a 16-player fight split across two parties. It is the main step into Tier 4 because it sits right at the 1640 threshold.
Kazeros Raids (Tier 4)
The Kazeros Raids are the current endgame story arc. Aegir opens Act 1, Brelshaza returns in a reworked form for Act 2, and Mordum leads Act 3. These fights pay the most gold and drop the Tier 4 upgrade materials, so most players keep their main and best alts focused here.
Quick steps: planning a weekly raid roster
- Pick six characters to earn gold.
- List the three highest raids each can enter.
- Run the main’s hardest raid first.
- Fill alts through party finder.
- Track clears in a roster tracker.
Weekly gold, Chaos and the market
Raid gold is your largest income source, so pick each character’s three raids by highest payout. Always use your character’s own top three. A shared spreadsheet or roster tracker helps once you have more than three alts, because lockouts are easy to lose track of.
Chaos Dungeons and Guardians feed the honing materials you need between raid clears. Sell spare materials on the market. Mari’s Shop sells bundles for Royal Crystals, and its prices are only worth paying when they beat the current market rate.
Lost Ark also changed how the genre’s raiding looks on Steam. At its February 2022 launch it peaked at roughly 1.3 million concurrent players, according to SteamDB. You can compare where it stands today in our “most played mmos” breakdown.
FAQ
How many raids can I get gold from each week?
Each character earns gold from up to three raids per week, and only six characters per roster can earn raid gold.
What is the first real raid in Lost Ark?
Valtan, at item level 1415, is where most players learn proper raid mechanics. Argos came first but is no longer part of the main progression path.
Do I need to know mechanics before joining a party?
For learning parties, no. For “reclear” or experienced groups, yes. Most party finder listings say which kind of group they are.
Is Lost Ark raiding solo-friendly?
Partly. Smilegate added solo modes for some older raids, but current endgame fights like the Kazeros Raids are built for full eight-player groups.
