Maxroll Honing Calculator for Lost Ark
Estimate the average material and gold cost to upgrade your gear, factoring in Artisan’s Energy and additional materials.
Calculator Inputs
Weapon and Armor have different costs and success rates.
Select the level you want to achieve.
Energy from previous fails (0-100).
From Solar Grace, Blessings, etc.
Market Prices (Gold)
Price per Marvelous/Radiant Leapstone.
Price per 10 Obliteration/Protection Stones.
Price per Basic Oreha Fusion Material.
What is a Maxroll Honing Calculator?
A Maxroll honing calculator is a tool designed for the game Lost Ark to help players estimate the costs and probabilities associated with upgrading their gear—a process known as honing. This isn’t a simple financial calculator; it’s a specialized statistical tool that models a core gameplay mechanic. It considers factors like base success rates, material costs, and the “Artisan’s Energy” pity system to provide an average expected cost for reaching a desired gear level. Players use it to manage their in-game resources, such as Gold, Silver, Leapstones, and Destruction/Guardian stones, making informed decisions on when and how to attempt upgrades.
The Honing Formula and Explanation
There isn’t a single formula for honing, but a statistical model based on expected value. The core idea is to calculate the average cost by considering every possible outcome (success, failure, or pity success) and its probability.
The effective success rate per attempt is: P_eff = BaseRate + AdditionalRate.
The Artisan’s Energy gained per fail is roughly: ArtisanGain = (BaseRate * 0.465) + (AdditionalRate * 0.465). This is a simplified model; the exact gain is 46.5% of the success chance.
The calculator simulates attempts, adding the cost of each try multiplied by its probability, until the cumulative success chance reaches 100%. It accounts for the fact that after enough failures, Artisan’s Energy will hit 100%, guaranteeing the next attempt succeeds. This prevents infinite bad luck and is a critical part of our honing cost analysis.
| Variable | Meaning | Unit | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Success Rate | The initial chance to succeed a hone. | Percentage (%) | 3% – 60% |
| Artisan’s Energy | A “pity” mechanic; guarantees success at 100%. | Percentage (%) | 0 – 100% |
| Leapstones | A core material required for each honing attempt. | Count (items) | 10 – 50 per attempt |
| Gold Cost | The raw gold fee for an attempt. | Currency (Gold) | 100 – 2000+ per attempt |
Practical Examples
Example 1: Weapon from +17 to +18
A player wants to upgrade their weapon to +18. The base success rate is 5%. They have no starting Artisan’s Energy but use materials to add 5% success rate.
- Inputs: Target Level: +18, Current Artisan: 0%, Added Success: 5%.
- Units: Material prices set to market average.
- Results: The calculator might show an average cost of 45,000 Gold, with an expected 8-9 attempts. The effective success rate is 10%, but the cost is high due to the low probability. This is a common scenario when pushing for high-end gear.
Example 2: Armor from +15 to +16
A player is upgrading an armor piece to +16. The base success rate is 10%. They have 25% Artisan’s Energy from previous fails.
- Inputs: Target Level: +16, Current Artisan: 25%, Added Success: 0%.
- Units: Material prices are low.
- Results: The expected cost might be around 8,000 Gold, with an average of 5-6 attempts needed. The starting Artisan’s Energy significantly reduces the maximum possible cost, a key insight from using a maxroll honing calculator.
How to Use This Maxroll Honing Calculator
Using this calculator is a straightforward process to optimize your honing strategy.
- Select Gear and Level: Choose whether you’re upgrading a Weapon or Armor piece and select your target honing level from the dropdown.
- Enter Current State: Input your current Artisan’s Energy and any additional success rate you plan to use from solar materials. If you have none, leave these at 0.
- Update Market Prices: Check the in-game Auction House for the current prices of Leapstones, Guardian/Destruction Stones, and Fusion Materials. Enter these values to get an accurate cost estimate.
- Calculate and Analyze: Click the “Calculate Average Cost” button. The tool will display the expected total gold cost, the average number of attempts, and a chart breaking down where your gold is going. Use this data to decide if the upgrade is worth the investment. For more tips, see our advanced guide.
Key Factors That Affect Honing Costs
- Base Success Rate: This is the single most important factor. A drop from 10% to 5% more than doubles the average cost.
- Artisan’s Energy: Starting with some energy acts as a discount, as it reduces the number of potential failures before a guaranteed success.
- Material Prices: The cost of Leapstones and other materials can fluctuate wildly. A spike in Leapstone prices can make honing prohibitively expensive. This is why our market tracker is useful.
- Stronghold Research: Unlocking honing buffs in your Stronghold provides a permanent increase to success rates for alts, drastically cutting costs.
- Event Books & Materials: Special events often provide materials that boost honing rates or reduce costs. Using them wisely is crucial for efficient progression.
- Weapon vs. Armor: Weapons are significantly more expensive to hone than armor, requiring more materials and having lower success rates.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does “pitying” an item mean?
Pitying an item refers to failing a hone enough times to fill the Artisan’s Energy bar to 100%. This guarantees that the next attempt will succeed, regardless of the success rate. It is the most expensive, but guaranteed, way to upgrade.
Is it worth using extra materials like Solar Grace?
It depends on the material costs. Our maxroll honing calculator is designed to answer this. Sometimes, the cost of the solar materials is higher than the expected savings from the increased success rate, especially on cheaper hones.
Does the calculator account for Great Success?
This calculator focuses on the average cost to achieve a single level up. Great Success (gaining two levels at once) is a rare bonus and is not factored into the standard cost expectation, as it cannot be relied upon.
Why is my actual cost different from the calculator’s estimate?
The calculator provides the *average* cost based on probability. Your actual cost is subject to Random Number Generation (RNG). You could get lucky and succeed on the first try (“one-tap”) or get unlucky and go all the way to 100% pity. The calculator gives you a statistical baseline for planning.
Are the units in this calculator universal?
The units are specific to Lost Ark: Gold, Silver, and various in-game items (Leapstones, etc.). They are not convertible to real-world currency or other game currencies.
How often should I update the material prices?
For the most accurate results, you should update the market prices every time you plan a major honing session, as prices can change daily due to bots, events, and player demand.
Is it better to push one item to max or upgrade all evenly?
Generally, it’s more efficient to upgrade all armor pieces and your weapon evenly to a certain point (e.g., all to +15) before pushing one specific piece higher, as the early upgrades give the biggest item level boost for the lowest cost.
What does “Expected Attempts” mean?
This is the average number of tries you should expect to make to succeed, factoring in the pity system. For a 10% chance, you might think it’s 10 attempts, but with Artisan’s Energy, the true average is often lower. Our calculator runs a simulation to find this value. See our guide on honing probabilities for details.