As of July 22, 2026, Advanced Honing is a live Lost Ark progression system that can add up to 40 item levels to each eligible gear piece. The first 20 levels are unlocked through Echidna progression, while levels 21–40 require access to Kazeros Act 3 content and higher Item Level thresholds. For most players, the best timing is not “use Advanced Honing immediately.” Instead, advance normally until a specific raid or progression breakpoint requires more Item Level, then compare the current normal-honing cost with your available Advanced Honing materials.
What Is Advanced Honing in Lost Ark?
Advanced Honing is a second progression track available at the Gear Honing NPC. It improves individual weapon and armor pieces separately and provides one Item Level for every completed Advanced Honing level.
The system is different from standard honing in several important ways:
- Each gear piece has its own Advanced Honing level.
- Advanced Honing uses a progression bar rather than a single success-or-fail tap.
- An attempt grants a variable amount of progress, so luck affects how quickly a level is completed.
- Advanced Honing has separate unlock requirements for levels 1–20 and levels 21–40.
- Advanced Honing can be used to reach raid thresholds without pushing every piece through expensive high-level normal honing.
Advanced Honing matters most for characters approaching the 1660–1700 progression range and for established Tier 4 characters pushing beyond 1680. It is not a system that new characters should rush before completing their normal gear progression and unlocking the required raids.
Advanced Honing Requirements at a Glance
| Advanced Honing range | Item Level requirement | Unlock requirement | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levels 1–20 | Item Level 1620+ | Clear Gate 1 of the Echidna Raid | Tier 3 or Tier 4 gear, depending on your progression state |
| Levels 21–30 | Item Level 1680+ | Complete Advanced Honing level 20 and clear Gate 1 of Kazeros Act 3: Mordum | Tier 4 gear |
| Levels 31–40 | Item Level 1700+ | Complete Advanced Honing level 30 | Tier 4 gear |
The table shows the practical progression gates: Echidna opens the first half of the system, while Mordum opens the second half. Reaching the required Item Level alone is not enough if the relevant raid clear has not been completed.
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How to Unlock Advanced Honing
Unlocking Levels 1–20
To begin Advanced Honing levels 1–20, your character must reach Item Level 1620 and clear Gate 1 of the Echidna Raid. The required Echidna materials are used to temper the gear before Advanced Honing becomes available on that piece.
After meeting the character requirements, visit any Gear Honing NPC in a major city and open the Advanced Honing tab. If the option is unavailable, check both your Item Level and your raid-clear requirement. A character can have enough Item Level and still be unable to start the system without the required Echidna progression.
Unlocking Levels 21–40
Levels 21–40 are a Tier 4 expansion of Advanced Honing. They require Item Level 1680 or higher, completion of Advanced Honing level 20, and a Gate 1 clear in Kazeros Act 3: Mordum.
Levels 21–30 use Thundercrack Horn as their tempering material. Levels 31–40 use Thunder Globe. Thunder Globe can also substitute for Thundercrack Horn at the conversion rate shown in the in-game interface, but the game consumes the required material first when both are available.
The official Western release information confirms that Advanced Honing levels 21–30 require Item Level 1680 and level 20 completion, while levels 31–40 require Item Level 1700 and level 30 completion. These requirements should be checked again after major progression updates because Lost Ark frequently adjusts catch-up systems and material sources.
Advanced Honing Materials
The exact material names depend on the gear tier and the Advanced Honing range. The important distinction is whether you are progressing through the original 1–20 track or the Tier 4 21–40 expansion.
Materials for Advanced Honing Levels 1–20
Levels 1–20 use the regular Tier 3 or Tier 4 honing economy appropriate to the gear being advanced. Depending on the gear and current Western itemization, this includes:
- Gear-specific destruction or guardian stones.
- Leapstones appropriate to the gear tier.
- Honing shards.
- Fusion materials.
- Silver.
- Gold where the current Western cost structure requires it.
- Special honing support materials that improve the chance of receiving higher progress results.
- Echidna materials for tempering and unlocking the relevant Advanced Honing stage.
Do not rely on old guides that list a single universal material package for every character. Western progression changes have reduced or removed some costs at different Item Level ranges, and the material tier changes when gear is transferred into Tier 4.
Materials for Advanced Honing Levels 21–40
The Tier 4 expansion uses the following progression materials:
- Destiny Destruction Stone for weapons.
- Destiny Guardian Stone for armor.
- Destiny Leapstone.
- Superior Abidos Fusion Material.
- Destiny Shards.
- Silver.
- Thundercrack Horn for tempering levels 21–30.
- Thunder Globe for tempering levels 31–40.
- Lava’s Breath for weapon Advanced Honing support.
- Glacier’s Breath for armor Advanced Honing support.
Tier 4 fusion materials can be crafted through the Stronghold, while other materials come from the appropriate current Chaos Dungeon, raid, exchange, and endgame activity sources. The in-game Advanced Honing window is the final authority for the cost of your specific gear piece.
How Advanced Honing Progress Works
Each Advanced Honing level requires a progress bar to be filled. An attempt consumes materials and awards progress. The result can be a standard success, a greater success, or a double greater success, so the number of attempts required varies between players.
Progress carries through the current Advanced Honing range up to the next stated milestone. In practical terms, unlucky attempts are not wasted: they still contribute progress toward the level. This makes Advanced Honing more predictable than standard honing, although the total material cost still varies because better results can finish levels sooner.
Advanced Honing support materials improve the chance of receiving the higher progress results. They do not remove the material cost or guarantee a specific outcome. Use the support materials when the expected value is worthwhile, especially on weapon levels or on a planned push toward a raid threshold.
When Should You Start Advanced Honing?
Start when it unlocks if you need the Item Level
If your next raid, Chaos Dungeon, or progression system requires a higher Item Level and Advanced Honing is already available, it is usually sensible to use it rather than forcing every normal honing level immediately.
For example, a character that is close to a major threshold may gain more practical value from completing several Advanced Honing levels than from spending all available resources on increasingly expensive normal honing attempts. The correct choice depends on your current gear, bound materials, support effects, and the cost of the missing normal levels.
Do not spend everything just because the button is available
Unlocking Advanced Honing does not mean that every piece should be pushed at once. Advanced Honing materials are also required for future Item Level thresholds, and event shops often provide limited quantities. Spending all materials on a low-priority alt can delay your main character’s next raid unlock.
Use a breakpoint-based plan
Choose a target before opening the honing window:
- Identify the next raid or activity you want to enter.
- Check the exact Item Level requirement in the current Western client.
- Calculate how many Item Levels are missing.
- Compare normal honing, Advanced Honing, and any active honing support.
- Spend only enough resources to reach the target unless you have a separate reason to continue.
This approach prevents the common mistake of beginning a full Advanced Honing project without knowing whether the character actually needs all 20 or 40 levels.
Recommended Priority by Gear Piece
Weapon
The weapon usually provides the strongest direct damage improvement, so it is the natural priority when a character needs more raid damage or when you are pushing a main character toward new content. However, weapon progression also tends to consume more valuable materials, so do not sacrifice an entire roster’s progression for a small Item Level gain that does not unlock anything.
Armor
Armor Advanced Honing is useful when you need to reach a specific Item Level efficiently. Raising several armor pieces can be a practical way to gain the final points required for an entry threshold without concentrating the entire cost into the weapon.
Balanced progression
For a character pushing from one raid bracket to another, a balanced approach is usually easier to manage. Advance the pieces that provide the required Item Level while keeping weapon damage high enough for the intended content. Avoid leaving one piece dramatically behind if doing so creates a survival, damage, or Party Finder problem.
Advanced Honing and Normal Honing: Which Comes First?
There is no single permanent answer because the cost balance changes with patches, events, gear tiers, and market conditions. Use the following framework:
| Situation | Practical priority |
|---|---|
| You need a small Item Level increase for immediate raid access | Compare the cheapest combination of normal and Advanced Honing; do not automatically complete a full track. |
| You have a large stockpile of bound Advanced Honing materials | Advanced Hone the character that can use the bound materials, especially if it reaches a meaningful content threshold. |
| You are still benefiting from a honing support event | Use the event’s supported progression path before making expensive unsupported taps. |
| You are preparing for a gear transfer | Check which progression values transfer and which bonuses do not before spending resources. |
| You are pushing beyond Item Level 1700 | Plan around the full Tier 4 progression route, including levels 21–40, Mordum access, and upcoming gear transitions. |
The practical meaning is simple: Advanced Honing is a tool for reaching progression breakpoints, not a reason to ignore every other system. Always consider gear transfer, raid access, Transcendence, Ark Passive progression, and current event support before committing a large amount of gold or materials.
Where to Get Advanced Honing Materials
Material sources vary by tier and current patch, but the main sources include:
- Echidna and Mordum raid rewards.
- Chaos Dungeons and other current Tier 4 daily activities.
- Weekly raids and raid exchange shops.
- Honing Material Exchange NPCs.
- Guild shops and roster exchange systems where available.
- Events and progression missions.
- Stronghold crafting for fusion materials.
- Market purchases for tradable materials, when permitted and economically reasonable.
Prioritize bound materials first when they are sitting on the character that needs them. Before purchasing tradable materials, check whether the same resource is available from weekly exchanges or an active event shop. Limited event materials are often more valuable on a main character close to a raid breakpoint than on an alt that has no immediate content target.
Common Advanced Honing Mistakes
Ignoring the raid unlock
Item Level alone does not unlock every Advanced Honing range. Echidna progression is required for levels 1–20, and Mordum progression is required for the higher expansion. Check the raid-clear condition before farming materials.
Using old material lists
Older guides may mention previous Tier 3 materials, outdated gold costs, or the original pre-nerf requirements. Use the current Western honing interface for the final cost, particularly after major progression updates.
Advanced Honing every piece without a target
Completing levels across all six pieces can consume a large amount of materials. If you only need a few Item Levels, stop when the target is reached and save the remainder for the next breakpoint.
Spending tradable materials before bound materials
Check every character and roster storage location before buying from the Market. Bound materials cannot be moved freely, but using them first can preserve tradable resources for your main, an alt, or a later gear transition.
Forgetting support materials
Advanced Honing support items are not mandatory, but they can improve progress efficiency. Use them selectively rather than automatically on every attempt. A targeted weapon push or threshold sprint is usually a better use than spending all support materials on low-priority armor levels.
Planning around an outdated event
Progression events in Lost Ark have fixed active periods. Do not assume that an old event chest, honing discount, or catch-up mission is still available. Confirm the current event page and the in-game event UI before including temporary support in your plan.
Is Advanced Honing Worth It?
Yes, when it solves a current progression problem. Advanced Honing is particularly valuable when it:
- Unlocks a raid or Chaos Dungeon threshold.
- Uses bound materials that would otherwise remain unused.
- Provides a cheaper route than high-level normal honing for your immediate target.
- Helps a main character keep pace with the current Tier 4 endgame.
- Supports a planned Item Level push before a gear transfer or new content release.
It is less attractive when you are spending tradable materials without a defined target, delaying more important systems, or pushing an alt far beyond the content it currently runs.
Practical Advanced Honing Checklist
- Confirm your current Item Level.
- Check whether Echidna or Mordum progression has unlocked the desired range.
- Open the Advanced Honing tab and inspect the exact cost for each gear piece.
- Identify the next meaningful raid or content threshold.
- Use bound materials before tradable materials.
- Compare normal honing and Advanced Honing rather than assuming one is always cheaper.
- Apply support materials selectively.
- Stop once the target Item Level is reached unless the additional levels serve a clear purpose.
- Recheck gear-transfer rules before investing heavily in equipment that may soon be replaced.
Help With the Raid Requirements
The main barrier to Advanced Honing is often not the honing interface but the raid clear required to unlock the materials and progression range. If Party Finder delays or repeated failed clears are holding back your character, you can review the Lost Ark raid and progression services or the Kazeros Act 3 raid carry page for the relevant Mordum requirement.
For broader progression planning, use the ExpCarry Lost Ark guides category and the current Lost Ark gear progression guide. These resources are useful when Advanced Honing is only one part of a larger Item Level, Ark Passive, Transcendence, or raid-access plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Item Level unlocks Advanced Honing?
Levels 1–20 require Item Level 1620 and Gate 1 of Echidna. Levels 21–30 require Item Level 1680, completion of Advanced Honing level 20, and Gate 1 of Kazeros Act 3: Mordum. Levels 31–40 require Item Level 1700 and completion of Advanced Honing level 30.
How many Item Levels can Advanced Honing provide?
Advanced Honing can provide up to 40 Item Levels per gear piece in the current Western version: levels 1–20 in the original track and levels 21–40 in the Tier 4 expansion.
Can Advanced Honing fail?
Advanced Honing uses a progress system rather than a conventional single success chance. Each attempt grants progress, but the amount varies. Better results can complete a level faster, while unlucky results require more attempts.
Should I Advanced Hone before normal honing?
Not automatically. Compare the current costs, your available bound materials, active honing support, and the exact Item Level you need. A mixed route is often more practical than completing one entire progression track first.
What should I Advanced Hone first?
Weapon is generally the strongest damage priority, while armor can provide efficient Item Level gains when you are only a few points short of a content requirement. Choose the pieces that match your immediate raid and progression goal.
Published: July 22, 2026 — Initial version based on official Western information available on this date.
