Lost Ark's final merge is underway: twelve servers down to five
Phase one ran on August 26 and phase two lands on September 2, leaving three servers on NA East and two on EU Central. It's the last big move Amazon Games makes before handing the game back to Smilegate.
The merge that leaves Lost Ark with five western servers is no longer a plan on a calendar: the first wave ran on August 26. The full schedule and fine print went up earlier this month; what's new is that the combined rosters are live.
On NA East, Nineveh folded into Balthorr, Luterra into Vairgrys and Brelshaza into Thaemine. On EU Central, Ortuus went to Arcturus and Ratik to Elpon. Phase two lands on September 2: Balthorr, Nineveh already inside, merges into Inanna, and Gienah joins Arcturus.
When it's done there are three servers on NA East (Inanna, Vairgrys, Thaemine) and two on EU Central (Elpon, Arcturus), down from twelve. Per Amazon Games' merge details, characters land in Universal Storage first, surplus character slots convert into extension tickets, and guilds keep their membership.
This is the last big operation Amazon Games runs on the game before handing it back to Smilegate in early 2027. Whoever picks up the western version gets it already trimmed: five servers holding the whole population instead of twelve holding it thin.
The claim windows are closed. Express Event and Ark Pass rewards expired on August 19, and any listings left open in the Auction House were cancelled and mailed back, where they sit for 30 days.