Shroud calls Lost Ark the “most complete MMO ever” despite his early criticism

Brad Norton
Shroud playing Lost Ark on Twitch

Despite his initial criticism of Lost Ark wherein, Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek called it the “most boring game” he’d ever played, the Twitch star has backtracked and since fallen in love with the new release. Now, he firmly believes it’s the “most complete MMO ever.”

No stranger to grinding through the biggest MMOs out there, shroud was among the first to dive straight into Smilegate’s Lost Ark upon release.

While the new launch quickly shattered records across both Steam and Twitch, it didn’t quite click for the former CSGO pro. His first impression was anything but positive when he labeled Lost Ark the most “boring game [he’d] ever played.”

But the popular streamer soon changed his tune after spending more time in the mystical lands of Arkesia.

Having now been fully “addicted” to the title for the past week, shroud couldn’t be more positive towards the game he once loathed. In fact, he’s even gone as far in his backpedaling as to call it “the most complete MMO [he’s] ever played.”

Now roughly 75 hours deep into the Lost Ark grind (on stream) according to Twitch data from sullygnome, shroud finds himself having more fun the further he gets. 

“This game has so much f**king sh*t,” he said laughing in his February 23 session. “It doesn’t end. It’s f**king amazing.

“You could be playing this game for the rest of your life. I think that’s what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to make it so you don’t leave your house.”

lost ark deathblade assassin with white hood and two swords
While the early game almost turned him away for good, shroud has only grown more attached to Lost Ark since diving in again.

Having reached Tier 3, where he considers the endgame to truly begin, shroud reflected on his initial criticisms.

While he saw the early leveling process to be “boring,” new mechanics opening up with each passing hour have now fully hooked him in to the point he “can’t stop” playing.

“It might be the most complete MMO I think I’ve ever played in my life,” he claimed. “It’s weird… they have so much sh*t in this game, I have never played a game with this much sh*t in it.”

With each milestone in the game, Lost Ark “unlocks even more sh*t to min-max your character,” shroud stated.

It’s this constant evolution of “systems upon systems” at every new Tier that’s kept him coming back on a daily basis.

Clearly there’s no end in sight and shroud’s enthusiasm to grind is only growing by the day, so it’s safe to expect a Lost Ark-heavy stream schedule for the weeks to come. 

As battle royales lose their intrigue for him, shroud could be all-in on MMOs for the foreseeable future, with Lost Ark leading the charge.

About The Author

Brad Norton is the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. He graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and has been working full-time in the field for the past six years at the likes of Gamurs Group and now Dexerto. He loves all things single-player gaming (with Uncharted a personal favorite) but has a history on the competitive side having previously run Oceanic esports org Mindfreak. You can contact Brad at brad.norton@dexerto.com