A core part of every Lost Ark build is their Tripods. Just about every non-Awakening skill in Lost Ark features a unique upgrade system called Tripods that allow players to unlock powerful bonuses for their skills, ranging from statistical bumps to fundamental tweaks of how the skill performs in combat.

Before you can create a build to tackle Lost Ark's later levels and endgame experiences, you'll need to understand the Tripod system and how to use it. This short guide will go over what Tripods are, how to unlock them for your skills, and how you can increase a Tripod's effectiveness throughout your endgame journey.

Updated October 28, 2023, by Sean Murray: If you're just getting started in Lost Ark, you'll want to know how to unlock and up-rank Tripods. That's why we've refreshed this guide with improved formatting, more breakout tips, and more links to other helpful Lost Ark topics.

What's A Tripod In Lost Ark?

Tripods are augments to your skills that enhance their functionality. These effects can range from increased area of effect to fundamentally changing how the skill operates. Each skill has three tiers of Tripods, unlocked by investing skill points into a particular skill.

You'll earn skill points by increasing your character's level in Lost Ark and by consuming Skill Point Potions—rare endgame items found in Tower, Adventure Books, and more.

It costs more skill points to upgrade a skill as you increase its rank. You won't have enough points to unlock three tiers of Tripods for all eight of your skills, so pick accordingly. You can respec your Tripods at any time.

You can only have one Tripod from each tier active at any given moment. Just like skills, some Tripods also have ranks that can be increased through your items.

Unlocking Skill Tripods In Lost Ark

Unlocking a Tripod for your skill is incredibly easy:

1. Open your skils menu ("K" by default).
2. Select the skill you want to augment.
3. If no Tripod options are unlocked, upgrade your skill to at least rank four.
4. Select the Tripod you wish to use.
5. Click "Save" at the bottom of the skills UI.

That's it. Switching Tripods can be done at any time for no cost, so feel free to experiment. Bear in mind that you can only have one Tripod from each row active at any given moment, meaning you can only have up to three Tripods active for a given skill.

While inspecting a skill's Tripods, hold Alt to inspect its PvP stats. Some Tripods have different values for PvP, so bear this in mind.

As for unlocking each Tripod row, you'll need to upgrade your skill by the following amount:

Increasing A Tripod's Rank

Weapons and armor in Lost Ark's endgame can also roll with modifiers that enhance the ranks of a particular Tripod. Most Tripods that have multiple ranks have a rank cap of five. It's also worth noting that the benefits provided by Tripod bonuses on gear will only apply if that Tripod is currently selected.

For example, if you get an armor piece that grants +3 Magick Control to Cruel Cutter, you'll need to have the Magick Control Tripod currently active on Cruel Cutter to receive any benefit; it doesn't activate that Tripod on its own.

What Are The Best Tripods In Lost Ark?

No Tripod is the best--at least not for every class. Each skill in Lost Ark has unique Tripods that vary in usefulness, even if similar Tripods exist on multiple classes. It's recommended that you find build guides for your class of choice to get an idea of which Tripods you should be using.

If you want some examples of what endgame Tripod setups look like, give some of our endgame build guides a look:

• Paladin Builds And Tripods
• Gunslinger Builds And Tripods
• Soulfist Builds And Tripods

For more build guides and information pertaining to Lost Ark, give our hub page a look. And if you don't even know which class to start, we have you covered.

Next: Lost Ark: Complete Guide And Walkthrough