Last Updated: May 16th 2023
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Introduction
Engravings are empowerments that are applied to your character for various buffs that alter your playstyle. They can be either a Class or a Battle Engraving Recipe and are found in various endgame content. Other sources include Endgame Accessories and Ability Stones which contain positive and malus Engraving Points that help form the build of your choice. All of this is trackable in your character profile under the Engraving Tab. Why someone should bother to get them, where they can be found and how they actually work are all the questions we will answer here, so buckle up and let's learn all about them!
Engraving Point System
The bread and butter of Engravings is the point system attached to them. By accumulating points, you reach specific thresholds which activate the different levels of your Engravings and their respective buffs. The 3 different levels can be activated by obtaining 5, 10 and 15 points. Note that any points that do not unlock a specific level threshold or go over 15 points are inactive and provide no bonuses.
Did I mention Malus Effects yet? That's right! Not only do you have to manage your Engravings giving you positive effects, but Ability Stones and Accessories also contain maluses which function under the same point system. There are 4 different effects and while some are not as harmful as the others, your objective is to avoid unlocking any of them.
| Malus Effect | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
| Attack Speed Reduction | -2% | -4% | -6% |
| Move Speed Reduction | -2% | -4% | -6% |
| Attack Power Reduction | -2% | -4% | -6% |
| Defense Reduction | -5% | -10% | -15% |
Engraving Recipes
There are two types of Engraving Recipes that a character in Lost Ark can obtain. These recipes are used to unlock Imprints that further the progress of your Engraving Setup.
- Battle Engraving Recipes - General Engravings that can be used by any class.
- Class Engraving Recipes - Class specific Engravings that can only be used by the class they are assigned to.
There are 43 different Battle Imprints and 30 Class Imprints to unlock but beware that only two can be applied to a single character at a time. To unlock an Engraving eligible for Imprinting you need to activate 20 Battle or Class Engraving Recipes of the same rarity. This would enable tier 1 of it, granting you +3 points to the respective engraving of your choice. There are multiple tiers to these Imprints, and each tier has to be unlocked in order. Once unlocked, these Imprints can be reused an unlimited amount of times and shared across every character of the same server.
| Tier | Engraving Points | Required Recipe Amount |
| 1 | +3 | x20 Battle Engraving Recipe |
| 2 | +6 | x20 Battle Engraving Recipe |
| 3 | +9 | x20 Battle Engraving Recipe |
| 4 | +12 | x20 Battle Engraving Recipe |
Accessories
Aside from your core stats like Crit, Specialization and Swiftness accessories drop with random positive and negative Engraving Points attached to them. These cannot be altered in any way and have variable rolls depending on the rarity of your item. Accessories can drop with Class Specific Engravings on them, but only for the class you're currently playing. Legendary rarity and upwards contains 2 lines of positive Engravings.
| Rarity | Engraving Points | Malus |
| Rare | +1 Random Engraving | N/A |
| Epic | +1 to 2 Random Engraving | +1 to 3 Random Malus |
| Legendary | +1 Random Engraving +1 to 2 Random Engraving | +1 to 3 Random Malus |
Ability Stones
Ability Stones are acquired through various endgame activities such as Chaos Dungeons, Guardian Raids, Field Bosses, Ghost Ship and many more. They are useful for their properties that grant 2 random engravings (these cannot include Class Specific Engravings) and 1 random malus which you can process at a Stone Cutter NPC in any major city of a continent. The higher the rarity of your stone, the more Engraving Points it can obtain. Keep in mind that the stone cutting process is based on chance.
| Rarity | Engraving Points | Malus |
| Rare | +0 to 6 Random Engraving +0 to 6 Random Engraving | +0 to 6 Random Malus |
| Epic | +0 to 8 Random Engraving +0 to 8 Random Engraving | +0 to 8 Random Malus |
| Legendary | +0 to 9 Random Engraving +0 to 9 Random Engraving | +0 to 9 Random Malus |
| Relic | +0 to 10 Random Engraving +0 to 10 Random Engraving | +0 to 10 Random Malus |
Engraving Setup Build Order
Having 3 different ways of obtaining Engraving Points for your build introduces a lot of complexity and confusion. But it doesn't have to be complicated. Let’s break down how to tackle your Engraving Setup in the best way possible!
- Ability Stones
This should be your first step in the process. These stones provide a big chunk of points towards the two Engravings of your choice. Prioritize the two best options discussed in our Class Guides. Just remember that Ability Stones cannot include your Class Engraving. - Necklaces
Are less important in the lower tiers of Lost Ark, but will be crucial in future content. First focus on obtaining the optimal attributes for your build be it Crit, Speciality or Swiftness. Then get the highest quality Necklace possible, as it gives the most Stat Points of any accessory. Finally, make sure it has your Class Engraving in addition to one of the two choices you went with on your Ability Stone. All of these steps make the perfect Necklace, and the chances of you finding it yourself are slim to none, so the Auction House is your best friend in this endeavor. - Imprints
Every character can imprint two Engravings of their choice as long as they have them learned (Note: you can imprint the same Engraving twice). Depending on which tier you have unlocked this provides anywhere from +3 to +12 points for a single engraving. Generally these should be reserved for your Class Engraving and the most important Battle Engraving for your build. - Remaining Accessories
With all the previous steps in place, fill out your Engravings with the help of the remaining 2 Earring and 2 Ring slots. Go for the correct substats depending on your build and calculate the exact amount of points needed to reach any Engraving threshold that you're still working on while prioritizing reaching level 3 for your important engravings. Avoid going over the maximum points (+15) for a single Engraving and balance out the negative malus to make life easier.
Sounds easy right? With a little bit of tinkering here and there you'll grasp how to manage your engravings in no time!
Engraving Recipe Sources
Sources for engravings in Lost Ark include:
- Clearing your daily Chaos Dungeons.
- Clearing certain stages in Shadespire Tower.
- Class Engraving Recipe for clearing daily Guardian Raids.
- Special rooms within the Cube and its Diamond Chest reward.
- Random drop from Secret Maps obtained by attending Chaos Gates.
- Random Battle & Class Engraving Recipe for clearing Abyssal Dungeons.
- Side quest completions in East Luterra reward Battle & Class Recipe Selection Pouches.
- Story questline completion for specific Islands rewards Battle & Class Recipe Selection Pouches.
- Island exchange merchants that offer Battle & Class Recipe Selection Pouches with a limited availability per week in return for currency found on their Islands.
- One time purchase of 20 Perception Engraving Recipe Pouches for exchanging Perception Shards at Magick Scholar Jeneca in Vern Castle. These shards can be obtained by completing Endless Chaos Dungeons.
Summary
Try to maximize your engraving points by utilizing all three ways of obtaining them, be it Ability Stones, Engraving Recipes or Accessories. Spread out malus points across all 4 negative options to avoid reaching the activation threshold and making your character weaker.
- The same engraving can be Imprinted in both available slots if necessary, be it a class or battle engraving.
- Class specific engravings cannot spawn on Ability Stones.
- Minimize the excess points by not going over +15 in any engraving.
- Checkout our Class Guides to know which engraving to choose.
Credits
Written & Updated byChoilicious.
Reviewed byRaxxanterax.
