What are secret maps in Lost Ark?

The free-to-play MMO Lost Ark is filled with large, sprawling lands that will take adventurers quite some time to explore entirely. Exploration for the sake of exploration can be its own reward — unique monsters offer higher experience gains, additional loot to raise the gear level of a player, and simply enjoying the scenery all offer a greater sense of the title.

Yet there’s a mechanic of Lost Ark that some may not have uncovered just yet, with secret maps. After progressing to the land of Rethramis Border, blue scrolls will begin dropping sporadically from defeated enemies. These blue scrolls actually function as keys for hidden dungeons, which are small areas with unique monsters that can offer fantastic loot.

Upon finding a scroll, players will want to match their region with the region outlined in the top left of the map puzzle; in the screenshot, the location of the secret dungeon is noted as Ozhorn Hill. Players will then need to attempt to match the outline of the map found within the scroll with the map of the region. This is the puzzle portion of secret maps and can be the most difficult part.

Once players are in the rough area where the ‘X’ is marked on the scroll, it’s time to explore a bit. You’re looking for a pop-up that says ‘Enter Secret Dungeon,’ along with the interact icon. This tells players that they’re in the right spot, and entering will place players within an instance for the secret dungeon.

Note that these dungeons will not appear unless the proper scroll is within the inventory.

Once players are inside, it’s time to do what adventurers do best: murder everything in sight until shiny loot drops. There will be one boss-level enemy that tends to be a relatively quick burn-down, along with some adds. Players can expect a few high-tier trinkets for their troubles, along with a wealth of XP and miscellaneous loot.