Lost Ark Stronghold (Estate) Guide: Unlock, Upgrade & More

Strongholds are a part of Lost Ark that often tend to be given lesser attention by players. However, these places are extremely useful, and they can help you craft items and increase the level of your alternate characters, among others. They act as the game’s all-in-one option, enabling a progression & crafting system, as well as player housing. Strongholds are also known as Estates in the game. If you are new to the game, your knowledge about Strongholds probably won’t be too detailed, and that’s where this guide comes in. Here, we will show you all you need to know about Strongholds or Estates in Lost Ark.

Lost Ark Stronghold Guide – All you Need to Know

How to Unlock a Stronghold?

In order to unlock a Stronghold or Estate in Lost Ark, you need to take part in and finish the “Clerk Theo’s Invitation” quest. You will be able to unlock this quest upon successfully regaining control of Luterra Castle. These events will take place in level 25. Once you complete all of the said events, you will be able to unlock your very own Stronghold/Estate.

How to Access your Stronghold in Lost Ark?

To access your Stronghold/Estate, you will need to press the F2 button to enter your music sheet menu. Once here, you can teleport to your Stronghold by using the Song of Hearth and Home.

Pressing the CTRL and 1 button will allow you to move quickly around your Stronghold and the different structures it holds.

How to Upgrade your Stronghold/Estate?

Strongholds in Lost Ark have stations. Most of them feature tiers that you can unlock and upgrade with the help of your lab. You should also denote priority to certain stations, as upgrading them will help you get further in the game. Apart from this, certain options will need you to first upgrade your Stronghold so that you make it to a certain level.

Clicking on the All Research button in the Lab Menu will enable you to view the requirements for upgrades in Lost Ark.

Additionally, strongholds in the game also feature their own levels. Using your Strongholds/Estates will enable you to earn XP, which you can then use to enhance your level.

How to Level Characters with Strongholds/Estates?

You can level characters with Strongholds/Estates with the help of the training camp and knowledge transfer menus.

You will reach the training camp once you get to level 52. You can get to this level with any character of your choice.

As for Knowledge Transfer, you can use it to boost the level of any character to 50. To unlock Knowledge Transfer, you will need to finish the Nothing is Impossible for Cykins quest. You will also need to spend 600 Gold and 8 hours to complete this quest.

So there you have it. This is a brief summary of all you need to know about Strongholds in Lost Ark. As you can see, these estates are really useful elements of the game that can be of great help. And now that you know all about Estates, take a look at our guide on The Best Solo Class in Lost Ark.