Beginner's Engraving Guide

We take a look at Engravings in Lost Ark, covering the basics of how they work, how you get them, and how you should use them.

Engravings are a fundamental part of refining your character's build in Lost Ark. Not only does every class come with two Class Engravings that drastically alter the playstyle of the class, but there are also a variety of Engravings that provide various buffs and changes to your kit.

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This guide proves an in-depth look at the most popular Engravings in the game as well as how you use them. They're only available post level 50, so strictly for endgame content, like Chaos Dungeons and raids.

We've updated this Engravings guide to include more information about EARLY GAME Engraving builds. Mostly that you shouldn't focus on Grudge and Cursed Doll because the downsides are too massive and you shouldn't worry too much about min-maxing your Engravings right away. Focus on your Class Engraving or the recommended Combat Engraving for your class.

Updated May 11, 2022: We've updated this article to include a handy video guide for those of you just starting to get to grips with Engravings.

Engravings are additional buffs and tweaks that you can make to your character when you first start completing T1 content - that's the content at the end of the main storyline, past level 50.

Engravings can be divided, basically into three separate categories: damage boosts, utility buffs, and specific Class Engravings that change the playstyle completely. Regular Engravings can be used by any class in the game, whereas class-specific Engravings are tied to one class.

Engravings have three available levels, determined by how many points you've unlocked. There are 15 points in total for a sum of three separate levels.

There are multiple ways to unlock points for your Engravings - such as through your accessories (earrings, necklace, rings) and through ability stones. Accessories and stones can be collected, looted, and bought in Lost Ark.

Lastly, you can also unlock character-specific Learned Engravings which are called a variety of different things depending on where you play, but these "Learned Engravings" or "Imprints" are unlocked via books. These can be found in the world of Arkesia pretty much everywhere, from Dungeons, Raids, and Islands. You need multiple books to unlock the Learned Engraving slots, so it's not just a matter of finding one or two.

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This is where things get pretty interesting. Setting up your Engravings at the start of endgame content is a bit daunting - you should really focus on this when you hit 1370 I-level and can begin the first Abyss Raid (ARGOS). You won't have accessories with loads of Engraving points, and you might not have the Learned Engraving slots ready to go, or even an ability stone to give you any Engraving points.

Let's look at a sample set of accessories, stones, and Learned Engravings you might have available to you.

Here is a sample Engravings build at 1370 - this is referred to as a 333111. Three level 3 Engravings and three level 1 Engravings, including a negative.

This is broken down like this:

We recommend that you use an Engraving tracking sheet to tell you do the maths!

This is still a LOT for the beginning of Engravings. You won't have access to this many points before around 1370 i-level, and your accessories and stones will set you back a fair bit of gold.

Instead, it's a good idea to focus on JUST your Class Engraving to start out with, or a Combat Engraving that works really well for your class (Super Charge for the Gunlancer, Desperate Salvation for the Bard, etc, etc). You can then apply the Engraving TWICE in your Engraving slots, for a total of 6 points in total for the Uncommon level book.

Ability stones come later, as you will want to focus on finding the right stone for your class. Right at the start, however, you can pick up and use pretty much any stone that comes your way. It isn't until much later in the game that you should start worrying about class-specific Engravings and builds.

If you want to find out more about the different Engraving benefits for each class, head over to our class hub for a rundown of builds and class overviews.

Here is a complete rundown of every popular Engraving in Lost Ark at the time of writing. We will update this for any sudden patches with the NA/EU launch or further changes down the line. This is determined by user data from KR and RU as well as our own experience with the late-game content in Lost Ark.

Although you see Grudge and Cursed Doll A LOT in early endgame build guides, focus on other Engravings first. These Engravings have significant downsides that make them hard to use in the early game. They're really designed for endgame content and when you've learned how to avoid getting hit so hard!

Engraving

Level Summary

Grudge

Cursed Doll

Keen Blunt Weapon

Raid Captain

Awakening

Barricade

Master Of Ambush

Spirit Absorption

Lost Ark is a pretty balanced game when it comes to its classes, abilities, and playstyles, but to say that the Engravings need a bit of balance work is an understatement. Outside these mentioned Engravings there are only a few that work in specific circumstances.

NEXT: Lost Ark: Complete Guide And Walkthrough

Writer based in Glasgow, UK. I am buried deep in Roblox codes.