Lost Ark Drops of Ether

What does Drops of Ether do in Lost Ark?

Drops of Ether is a Combat Engraving that you can equip to give your character a chance to drop an Ether every time they attack. Ethers are green-colored orbs that drop randomly within 8 meters of your character. You or your allies can pick up these Ethers to trigger any of the following effects:

• MP ORB: Restored MP
• Flash Orb: 15% Crit Rate for 30 seconds
• Strength Orb: 10% Atk. Power for 30 seconds
• Wind Orb: 10% Move speed for 30 seconds
• Defense Orb: 10% of all defenses for 30 seconds

The effects listed above have a 60/30/10 second cooldown depending on Drops of Ether’s current level.

How to Unlock Drops of Ether?

There are three ways to unlock Drops of Ether in Lost Ark. You can use Engraving Points from Accessories and Ability Stones or read Engraving Recipes.

Accessories can give your character up to 15 Engraving Points, which you can then use to unlock Drops of Ether. On the other hand, depending on the Rarity of your Ability Stone, you can get anywhere from 6 to 10 Engraving Points.

• Rare: +6 Engraving Points
• Epic: +8 Engraving Points
• Legendary: +9 Engraving Points
• Artifact: +10 Engraving Points

You have to facet Ability Stones to extract Engraving Points from them. Take your Ability Stone to the Ability Stonesmith to facet it. It is also worth noting that Accessories and Ability Stones will also add negative Engraving effects on your character.

Alternatively, you can read Drops of Ether Engraving Recipes to unlock and upgrade Drops of Ether. Below is the number of Engraving Recipes you need to read to upgrade Drops of Ether to a certain level.

• First Level – x20 Drops of Ether Engraving Recipe (Uncommon)
• Second Level – x20 Drops of Ether Engraving Recipe (Rare)
• Third Level – x20 Drops of Ether Engraving Recipe (Epic)
• Fourth Level – x20 Drops of Ether Engraving Recipe (Legendary)

How to use Drops of Ether?

You cannot use Drops of Ether actively as Engravings simply provide a passive effect in Lost Ark. To reap the effects of Drops of Ether, you first need to equip the Drops of Ether Engraving on your character. You also have to make sure the Engraving has at least five nodes or is at Level 1.

1. Bring up the Character Profile Menu by pressing “P” on your keyboard.

1. Click on the “+” button in the bottom left part of your character preview.

1. Right-click the Drops of Ether Engraving from the Engraving Effect Window.

When all the conditions above are met, you can start seeing the benefits of Drops of Ether in battle. Use your normal attacks frequently to increase the drop chance of Ether Orbs. You or your teammates can pick up these orbs to receive Crit Rate, Attack Power, Move Speed, or Defense buffs for 60/30/10 seconds, depending on Drops of Ether’s current level.

Difference Between Drops of Ether and Vital Hit Point

Drops of Ether and Vital Hit Point are two very different Combat Engravings in Lost Ark. Drops of Ether give you random buffs for 30 seconds while Vital Hit Point simply increases Stagger Attack effectiveness.

With Drops of Ether equipped on your character, Ether orbs will randomly drop as you use your character’s normal attacks. You or your teammates can pick up these orbs to get Crit Rate, Attack Power, Move Speed, Defense, or MP buffs for 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, Vital Hit Point increases the amount of Stagger damage your character deals through Skills. Stagger is an important mechanic in Raids in Lost Ark, as enemies and bosses in Raids often feature a Stagger bar that you need to deplete to interrupt powerful boss moves like the Hellgaia’s attempt to transform.

Conclusion

Drops of Ether is a good free Combat Engraving that can give your character decent buffs in battle. The only tricky thing about Drops of Ether is the RNG involved in the type of buff you get from the dropped orbs. Nevertheless, all the buffs you can get from the orbs are fairly useful in battle, making Drops of Ether a decent starter Engraving in Lost Ark.