Lost Ark Tier 4 Progression: What Changed From Tier 3

Lost Ark Tier 4 Progression is much cleaner after Dimensions Unbound because normal honing no longer asks returning players to spend so long upgrading upper Tier 3 gear before the real endgame path begins. Amazon has effectively moved the normal honing starting line forward, while also removing or converting a large collection of Tier 3 materials, rewards and Stronghold systems that supported the older route.

Lost Ark Tier 4 Progression now centres on Relic-grade Determination of Destiny gear starting at item level 1640 and honing level 10. Previously, that Tier 4 set was described as item level 1590 at honing level 0, so the September update is not a simple numerical rebalance; it changes where the game considers normal vertical progression to begin.

Lost Ark Tier 4 Progression now starts normal honing at 1640

Lost Ark Tier 4 Progression removes normal honing from Tier 3 upper Ancient Akkan gear. Those pieces can no longer be pushed through the old normal honing path, and the Tier 4 Determination of Destiny chest no longer has its previous item-level requirement. A character moving onto the modern route therefore reaches a 1640 Tier 4 baseline instead of climbing a long obsolete ladder first.

This is especially relevant to returning players with half-finished Tier 3 inventories. The update does not pretend those materials never existed, but it changes what they are for. Tier 3 upper honing materials are now reserved for Advanced Honing of Akkan gear, while other stock can be exchanged at the Honing Material Exchange NPC at the ratios supplied in game.

Lost Ark Tier 4 Progression: old Tier 3 material sources have been cut back

Lost Ark Tier 4 Progression also changes where materials come from. Tier 3 honing rewards have been removed from several endgame activities, Ebony Cube, Field Bosses, Chaos Gates, Chaos Dungeons and associated special dispatches. Story and normal dungeon rewards across Punika through South Kurzan have also been adjusted, as have selected islands, trade merchants, quests and Una’s Tasks.

Some mixed Tier 3 and Tier 4 chests no longer contain the Tier 3 options, while dismantling selected older materials can produce Refined Obliteration or Protection Stones. This prevents new rewards from constantly refilling a material tier the current progression path is trying to leave behind.

Lost Ark Tier 4 Progression: stronghold research and recipes have changed

Lost Ark Tier 4 Progression removes Stronghold research tied to Tier 3 honing success and required XP, together with research and crafting recipes for Prime Oreha Fusion Material. Amazon says players who had removed research running before the September 16 maintenance receive the spent research costs back in Roster Storage after entering the Stronghold.

Crafts that were already in progress are treated differently: the crafted items are still delivered. That means a returning player should check Roster Storage and the Stronghold rather than assuming missing research was simply deleted without compensation. The update also removes specific Tier 3 weapon-honing requirements from Weapon Effect Book stages 1 through 13.

Powerpass and event routes now meet the new baseline

Lost Ark Tier 4 Progression is also supported by a simplified Powerpass setup. South Rimeria II is now the only Powerpass available for purchase and takes the chosen character directly to item level 1660. Jump-Up Boost and Rapid Growth then occupy the next band, supplying progression support toward 1720 for characters that meet their selection rules.

For anyone returning after a long break, the practical takeaway is simple: do not follow an old Tier 3 honing checklist without checking the new systems first. The September changes deliberately remove much of that route. Start by identifying your current gear, convert or repurpose old materials where the game allows it, and move onto the Tier 4 path the current client is now built around.

The Weapon Effect Book is cleaned up at the same time. Requirements tied to specific Tier 3 weapon honing levels are removed for stages 1 through 13, while equipping gear from selected continent story progression can unlock the corresponding effect. Previously unlocked stages remain intact.