How to play co-op - Lost Ark

Published , by Sam Chandler

Playing Lost Ark co-op is the ideal way to experience this vast and rich MMO. With four player co-op and PVP to enjoy, learning the intricacies of multiplayer is going to be the goal for a lot of players. Below you’ll find information on when co-op unlocks, how to play co-op, how to form parties, and more.

Before we explain the intricacies of co-op in Lost Ark, it’s important to note the region and server limitations. You and anyone you want to play with must be in the same region and on the same server. This means you cannot play co-op with someone in the North America East region if you are in North America West region. Similarly, you cannot play co-op with someone if you are in the Akkan server and they are in the Bergstrom server.

When does co-op unlock?

You can start playing co-op in Lost Ark once you arrive at Prideholme and leave the church.

You can start playing co-op when you get to Prideholme. This is after the Prologue section (which you can skip) and the bandit fights in Runa Pass as you protect the priest Armen.

Once you arrive at Prideholme, enter the cathedral and speak with Armen. After a conversation with Varut the main priest about a tablet and the Ark, you’ll be directed to leave the church. When you exit the church, you can now begin playing co-op in Lost Ark properly. Before this point, you can still be in a party, but you won’t be able to play together.

How to play co-op

After adding a friend, right click their name in the Friends tab and select Party Invite.

Playing Lost Ark in co-op requires adding your friends to a friend list and then sending out some party invites. Though it’s not immediately important, there is a small difference between Friend and Roster Friends, but you can read about that later.

  1. Press the U key to open up the Friends tab
  2. Click Friend Request down the bottom
  3. Enter friend’s character name and send the request
    1. Your friend must accept the request that is found under the Request tab
  4. Find your friend’s name under Friend tab, right-click and select Party Invite

From here, your friend must accept the Party Invite. The invite will appear on-screen in a dialogue box and in the Request tab where they accepted your friend request. Once they accept the invite, their name will appear on the left-side of your screen.

If you don’t see each other, make sure you are in the same Channel. Look to the top-right of the screen to see a dropdown box with various channels. Select the same channel as each other and you’ll be in the same instance together.

Your friend will be unable to join your party if they are in another party already. This is important to remember if you switch characters.

How to leave a party

After playing for a while, you may want or need to leave a party. With so much going on in the game, it can be tough to know exactly how to do this. Thankfully, it’s simple: hold CTRL and right-click your name on the side of the screen where your party members are listed. Select the Leave Party option.

What isn’t co-op?

If there are three dashes (---) in the Channel box, it means you are in a no co-op area of encounter.

While the majority of Lost Ark can be played co-op, there are some occasions where you will be limited to only playing by yourself. These tend to happen at a few minor and major points in the campaign. For example, there are some boss fights and encounters where you must go it alone, such as when you return to Prideholme after finishing up the Loghill section.

When the forced-solo sections are over, you will be returned to your co-op party. Keep in mind, you may be dumped in a different channel, so double-check with your teammates which channel they are in.


At first, working out how to play co-op in Lost Ark can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many menus and things going on. However, once you know the basics and what to do, you can send out some friend requests, send friends a party invite, and get to playing co-op multiplayer. Be sure to check out the Shacknews Lost Ark page for more information on this extremely popular MMO.