If you’ve spent weeks grinding through Tier 1 Lost Ark content, you’ve probably hit that frustrating wall where every chaos dungeon feels like it’s dropping useless gear, and Guardian Raids barely move your item level forward. I’ve been playing Lost Ark on and off since its Western release, and I’ve leveled 7 different characters through Tier 2 so far, so I’ve tested every shortcut and mistake you can think of. I remember staring at my 1370 item level for three straight days before I figured out the exact steps to unlock and progress through the next phase of the game. Learning how to get tier 2 lost ark content unlocked and geared properly doesn’t have to be a confusing grind, even if you’re a casual player who only logs on a few hours a week. This guide breaks down every non-negotiable step, plus shortcuts I’ve picked up across multiple character runs to get you into Tier 2 faster with less wasted time.
How to Get Tier 2 Lost Ark Access: Prerequisites You Can’t Skip
Many new players assume they only need to hit a specific item level to unlock Tier 2, but there are two non-negotiable requirements you have to meet first, no matter how high your gear score is. The first is completing the full North Vern main story quest line, followed by the “Road to Rohendel” world quest that unlocks immediately after you finish the final Vern story mission. You don’t need to complete every side quest in Tier 1 to unlock how to get Tier 2 Lost Ark access, just the main story and the Rohendel pre-quest line. The second requirement is hitting item level 1370, which is the minimum score needed to enter Tier 2 chaos dungeons, guardian raids, and the Rohendel open world zone.
Item level 1370 is the absolute minimum to access Tier 2 basic content, but you’ll have a much smoother time if you push to 1385 first to avoid getting one-shot by early Tier 2 guardians. I tried jumping into Tier 2 at exactly 1370 on my first alt, and spent 40 minutes wiping on the first Tier 2 guardian because my defense was too low to survive even a single heavy attack. You don’t have to grind for weeks to hit 1385, just a few extra runs of rested chaos dungeons will get you those extra 15 item levels in a day or two. That extra bit of gear will save you hours of frustration later on.
Best Farming Routes to Hit Tier 2 Item Level Quickly
If you’re stuck between 1340 and 1370 and feel like your progress is stalled, you’re not alone. That’s the most common grind wall for new players, and there are specific farming routes that will get you through it way faster than spamming random content. The key is to prioritize content that gives you the highest amount of Tier 1 honing materials per minute of play time, especially if you don’t have hours to spend playing every day. Run your daily Chaos Dungeons and Guardian Raids on rested bonus whenever possible – you get double the rewards for half the time, which is perfect for casual players.
These are the four highest-priority content types to farm when you’re pushing for 1370:
- Unas Task daily and weekly rewards, specifically the ones that give honing material chests for Tier 1 gear – you can complete most daily Unas Tasks in less than 5 minutes each
- Abyssal Dungeon runs for set pieces that give extra honing success rates when fully equipped, plus rare honing material drops that sell for high prices on the auction house
- Island souls from easy-to-complete islands like Tooki Island and Harmony Island, which reward hundreds of honing leapstones on first completion with almost no combat required
- Event shop rewards, which almost always have discounted Tier 1 honing materials for new players, often for free just for logging in daily during the event period
Don't waste your gold on honing materials from the auction house unless you're in a huge rush to get to Tier 2. Most of the materials you need are available for free just by completing daily and weekly content. I once spent 10,000 gold on honing materials for my main, only to realize I could have gotten the exact same amount by doing three days of Unas Tasks and one Abyssal Dungeon run. That's a mistake I still see new players make every week, so save your gold for Tier 2 honing instead, which is far more expensive.
Tier 2 Gear Progression Steps to Avoid Wasting Resources
Once you unlock Tier 2 content, your first priority is to replace all your Tier 1 gear with Tier 2 drops as fast as possible. Tier 2 gear has way higher base stats and honing success rates than upgraded Tier 1 gear, so even a +0 Tier 2 weapon is stronger than a +20 Tier 1 weapon in most cases. Your first few runs of Tier 2 chaos dungeons will drop full sets of Tier 2 gear, so don’t waste any more materials upgrading your Tier 1 gear once you hit 1370. Never use solar grace or solar blessing materials on Tier 1 gear, those are far more valuable for Tier 2 honing where success rates drop off significantly after 1445.
When you start collecting Tier 2 gear, pick either the Domination or Swiftness set depending on your class, don’t mix and match sets because you'll lose the 2-piece and 4-piece set bonuses that make Tier 2 gear so powerful. For support classes like Bard or Paladin, the Swiftness set is almost always the better pick, because it boosts your movement speed and skill cooldowns so you can heal and buff your party faster. DPS classes can go for Domination if they prefer burst damage for boss fights, or Swiftness if they want faster skill cooldowns for chaos dungeon farming. Don’t worry too much about perfect stats on your early Tier 2 gear, you’ll replace it within a few weeks as you push higher item levels.
Common Mistakes That Slow Down Tier 2 Unlock and Progression
Even if you follow all the farming steps, it’s easy to make small mistakes that add up to hours of wasted time. I’ve made almost all of these myself across my multiple character runs, so you can avoid them by keeping these tips in mind. Skipping side quests in Tier 2 zones will cost you thousands of honing materials – a lot of new players rush through the main story in Rohendel and Yorn, but the side quests give massive amounts of Tier 2 honing leapstones and shards that you can’t get anywhere else for free. It only takes an extra hour or two to complete all the side quests in each Tier 2 zone, and the materials you get will cut your honing grind by days.
Another common mistake is selling your Tier 2 honing materials on the auction house for quick gold. It’s tempting to take the fast cash, but that just means you’ll have to buy those same materials back later at a higher price when you need to upgrade your gear, so hold onto all Tier 2 materials you get until you’re fully geared to 1490. Also, don’t ignore the Guild shop, most guilds sell discounted Tier 2 honing materials every week for guild currency, which you earn just by logging in and doing weekly guild missions. You don’t have to participate in guild wars or PvP to earn enough currency for these materials, just completing the weekly weekly sign-in and simple guild quests is enough.
At the end of the day, getting through the Tier 1 grind and unlocking Tier 2 content is one of the most rewarding milestones in Lost Ark, because it opens up a whole new set of zones, raids, and story content that’s far more engaging than early game content. You don’t have to play 8 hours a day to make progress, just stick to the steps we’ve laid out, prioritize rested bonus content, and avoid wasting resources on unnecessary upgrades. If you follow these tips, you’ll be able to figure out how to get tier 2 lost ark content unlocked and fully geared in a fraction of the time it takes most new players. Don’t get discouraged if you hit a wall at 1370 for a few days, that’s totally normal, and the grind is well worth it once you get to experience everything Tier 2 has to offer.