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Alpha Two Phase III testing has begun! During this phase, our realms will be open every day, and we'll only have downtime for updates and maintenance. We'll keep everyone up-to-date about downtimes in Discord.
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Phase III testing has begun! During this phase, our realms will be open every day, and we'll only have downtime for updates and maintenance. We'll keep everyone up-to-date about downtimes in Discord.
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Best Of
Re: Enchanting as a form of Horizontal Progression
I do think this needs to be limited somewhat, because balance becomes quite difficult when you get 'an enchanting scroll that lets you put that trait/effect on anything'.
But I also can see how the middle ground can be frustrating to players. Despite saying that, the sentiment relative to the limitations on Traits on gear in Throne and Liberty is at worst only slightly negative.
It seems that as long as there's a simple build that the less invested can pursue without having to understand it, and that simple goal is usually the same per slot, the less invested player will just ignore more complex build options and not worry or complain about them.
Most importantly/usefully, it allows Devs more control over power spikes when new gear is available/released. I don't know how much this will be a concern in Ashes, but it's always good to build in as many contingency options as one reasonably can, I think.
But I also can see how the middle ground can be frustrating to players. Despite saying that, the sentiment relative to the limitations on Traits on gear in Throne and Liberty is at worst only slightly negative.
It seems that as long as there's a simple build that the less invested can pursue without having to understand it, and that simple goal is usually the same per slot, the less invested player will just ignore more complex build options and not worry or complain about them.
Most importantly/usefully, it allows Devs more control over power spikes when new gear is available/released. I don't know how much this will be a concern in Ashes, but it's always good to build in as many contingency options as one reasonably can, I think.

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Enchanting as a form of Horizontal Progression
I believe enchanting should be used to further horizontal progression rather than being a simple vertical gain everyone wants.
Here is what I think it could look like :
Reasons why I think this would be more interesting :
Here is what I think it could look like :
- Add enchantment scroll variety, making enchantment scroll themselves give a specific type of bonus (ex: proc chances, elemental dmg/resist, general stats like stamina/speed/dodge, base stats)
- Make enchantment tiers independant from gear tier, allowing rare enchantments on a legendary item
- Allow disenchanting gear to re-orient build or min-max with scroll tiers
- Adapt repair cost and chance of loss based on enchantment strength. Higher tier scrolls adding risks
Reasons why I think this would be more interesting :
- Gear specialization would allow older gear to be relevant longer as newly acquired gear might not be as strong in specific situations
- Players who play more can widen the spectrum of content their gear can tackle by specializing more pieces
- Players who play less can specialize in one form of content to still be powerful
- This could allow artisans to specialize in which type of scrolls they can make

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Re: Disable Evasion Rating (Physical/Magical Disable Evasion Rating)???
To further express my point, think about it this way:
What's the strongest action a player can take against another player in a fight? Hard CC right? Well, let's say Disable Evasion exists in the game, let's say you can get up to 50% Disable Evasion from the stat on gear. Your strongest action against another player now only ever has a 50% chance of ever working. Disable Evasion now becomes the strongest stat in PVP. The gear meta now devolves into stacking as much Disable Evasion as possible, then stacking offense or defense. Pretty lame yeah?
Disable Evasion (CC Resist) fundamentally undermines and ignores skill and learned combat/class knowledge. If CC resist exists, there is little reason to learn other class kits/matchups/strengths/weaknesses because they're only ever gonna have a coin flip chance to CC you.
The only way I can see this stat existing in the game successfully is if the ONLY source of Disable Evasion comes from status effects. NEVER a stat on gear. Right now, Riled gives 30% Disable Evasion. If you see the Riled icon under your target enemy's nameplate, you then at least have the knowledge and can make the educated choice of whether to attempt a CC or to hold it. If Disable Evasion exists as a stat on gear then that value is unknown to you and the answer is always shit out your CCs as often as possible and hope for the best.
What's the strongest action a player can take against another player in a fight? Hard CC right? Well, let's say Disable Evasion exists in the game, let's say you can get up to 50% Disable Evasion from the stat on gear. Your strongest action against another player now only ever has a 50% chance of ever working. Disable Evasion now becomes the strongest stat in PVP. The gear meta now devolves into stacking as much Disable Evasion as possible, then stacking offense or defense. Pretty lame yeah?
Disable Evasion (CC Resist) fundamentally undermines and ignores skill and learned combat/class knowledge. If CC resist exists, there is little reason to learn other class kits/matchups/strengths/weaknesses because they're only ever gonna have a coin flip chance to CC you.
The only way I can see this stat existing in the game successfully is if the ONLY source of Disable Evasion comes from status effects. NEVER a stat on gear. Right now, Riled gives 30% Disable Evasion. If you see the Riled icon under your target enemy's nameplate, you then at least have the knowledge and can make the educated choice of whether to attempt a CC or to hold it. If Disable Evasion exists as a stat on gear then that value is unknown to you and the answer is always shit out your CCs as often as possible and hope for the best.
Re: Necromancer - Class and boss mob Idea
Shadowcrushers wrote: »kinda hope they scratch the idea of good and evil necromancer thingy, seems very not useful
It could be very well be, that for Example both "good", or "evil" Necromancers - will be able to choose if they want to have "Spirits" as their Summons -> or rotting Corpses which are either Zombies or Skeletons or whatever.
Why ? Well because that Idea seems to absolutely "old" with the Summons depending on which Gods to choose. Plus and also,
i can see People who want to play their Necromancers for example as good Guys. But they want to use the moving Bones and shuffling Zombies.
What will they do ? Well they WILL most likely all run to the Places and/or Questlines which mark them officially as Followers of some "evil" God or Religion - but then play their Character as your friendly Neighbourhood Necromancer anyway. (lol)
While others may choose to use the Ghosts/Spirits, but then play their Necromancers as complete Bastards anyway.


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Re: Necromancer - Class and boss mob Idea
Shadowcrushers wrote: »Wow, this is an incredibly detailed and creative concept! 🙌 Definitely a cool take on how a Necromancer class and themed boss could work in AoC. You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into the mechanics and synergy systems, love the idea of formations and summon evolutions. Would be great to have this shared in the class discussions section or even the suggestions forum so the devs can see it more easily. Thanks for the inspiration!
where can i find the suggestions forum?
You can use this too or https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/categories/Alpha-Two-General-Discussion


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Re: Why Exclusive Flying Mounts Will Destroy a PvP-Driven Game Long Term
So seems like a compromise from both sides would be best solution.
Change so Flaying mounts are only usable on node sieges/ castle sieges / node wars as a pvp tool.
But make then unusable outside of those events.
So Majors of Metropolises still have that really cool reward, that will be helpful in a lot of scenarios, but it wont affect the everyday life of other players.
Change so Flaying mounts are only usable on node sieges/ castle sieges / node wars as a pvp tool.
But make then unusable outside of those events.
So Majors of Metropolises still have that really cool reward, that will be helpful in a lot of scenarios, but it wont affect the everyday life of other players.
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Alpha Two Update Notes 0.8.3 - Thursday, April 17, 2025
These are the update notes for changes to the Alpha Two that went to testers on Thursday, April 17, 2025
As a reminder, if you come across bugs during Alpha Two testing, please report them to us in-game using /bug
HIGHLIGHTS
Gear Tempering is available now!
KNOWN ISSUES
ALPHA TWO UPDATE NOTES 0.8.3 - THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025
As a reminder, if you come across bugs during Alpha Two testing, please report them to us in-game using /bug
HIGHLIGHTS
Gear Tempering is available now!
- You can temper gear using tempering kits and other resources to improve your current gear
- Tempering kits can be crafted by Arcane Engineers using tempering materials that can be found by deconstructing gear
- Tempering kits have to match the rarity, type, and the grade of the gear you want to improve
- To use a tempering kit, right click on it from your inventory and select the gear you’d like to temper. Only unequipped gear can be tempered
KNOWN ISSUES
- While Tempering should show a range between two possible results, the UI is currently only showing one static number. This is just a UI bug
- Tempering values are showing a percentage value instead of the intended number scale. There may be times that the percentages do not show an increase in the UI, even if the there was Tempering progress on a piece of equipment
- Deconstruction and Tempering - Deconstructing Novice gear is currently only giving Glintic Residuum - Accessory for tempering, regardless of what type of item you deconstruct
ALPHA TWO UPDATE NOTES 0.8.3 - THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025
- Gear Tempering is available now
- Resolved an issue that could cause characters to get into a bad state and give "Connection to Realm Timed Out" or "Connection Timed Out" errors
- Profession Certification Demotion - Fixed a bug that prevented characters from demoting a profession
- Node War Godspike Events in the Sandsquall Desert have been relocated
- Fixed a crash related to interacting with the Node Menu and Node functionality
- Fixed an issue that prevented characters from sometimes not being able to interact with foliage and NPCs
- Terrain around the Brinebarrel area has been fixed to close gaps and prevent characters from falling through the ground here
- Ocean water in the Shorefoot area of the world has been fixed visually, and it should load properly in the distance

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Re: [ROGUE] melee weapons
I agree, but as it stands, daggers don’t offer any real advantage in terms of mobility. Sure, they provide faster attack speed, but that doesn’t translate into shorter cast times or reduced enemy reaction windows. The main benefit of that speed is to trigger finishers , yet it takes 5 to 6 hits with daggers, compared to only 3 with a two-hander. In the end, the time required to reach a finisher is roughly the same.
Additionally, two-handed weapons benefit from attack speed bonuses at the end of their talent tree, further boosting their ability to trigger finishers quickly. Daggers, on the other hand, only offer a modest crit bonus , which only comes into play once a finisher has been activated. So they don’t really provide any upfront burst potential at the start of a fight.
Right now, daggers feel noticeably underwhelming.
Now, I know we’re still in alpha , but falling back on that argument all the time doesn’t really help. In my opinion, it actually hinders discussion and makes it harder to highlight areas that could genuinely benefit from improvement. This is precisely the moment to raise these issues so the devs can get clear and actionable feedback.
I realize my tone may come off a bit harsh here , that wasn’t my intention at all, so apologies if it reads that way
Additionally, two-handed weapons benefit from attack speed bonuses at the end of their talent tree, further boosting their ability to trigger finishers quickly. Daggers, on the other hand, only offer a modest crit bonus , which only comes into play once a finisher has been activated. So they don’t really provide any upfront burst potential at the start of a fight.
Right now, daggers feel noticeably underwhelming.
Now, I know we’re still in alpha , but falling back on that argument all the time doesn’t really help. In my opinion, it actually hinders discussion and makes it harder to highlight areas that could genuinely benefit from improvement. This is precisely the moment to raise these issues so the devs can get clear and actionable feedback.
I realize my tone may come off a bit harsh here , that wasn’t my intention at all, so apologies if it reads that way

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Re: Disable Evasion Rating (Physical/Magical Disable Evasion Rating)???
Isn't this a matter of preference though?
I definitely know people who don't think CC Resist was bad in BDO. It's just that those people don't play BDO because of the obvious outcome of that interaction.
Player A has CC resist, Player B loses to them in a fight because of it and complains that they're not actually good at the game and should uninstall, eventually Player A does actually uninstall.
From Player A's perspective, it's not CC Resist that ruined the game, but people whining about it. So any game which retained all the 'Player A' types while all the 'Player B' types quit, will be the example given of a successful implementation.
(Note, I also absolutely hate RNG CC so let's not turn this into you telling me personally how wrong I am).
I definitely know people who don't think CC Resist was bad in BDO. It's just that those people don't play BDO because of the obvious outcome of that interaction.
Player A has CC resist, Player B loses to them in a fight because of it and complains that they're not actually good at the game and should uninstall, eventually Player A does actually uninstall.
From Player A's perspective, it's not CC Resist that ruined the game, but people whining about it. So any game which retained all the 'Player A' types while all the 'Player B' types quit, will be the example given of a successful implementation.
(Note, I also absolutely hate RNG CC so let's not turn this into you telling me personally how wrong I am).

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Re: Disable Evasion Rating (Physical/Magical Disable Evasion Rating)???
I do want some rng in pvp and resists to disables, but I'm definitely against this universal bs. If you're afraid of stuns - build your resistances against THAT, not against every god damn disable out there.
Same for slows, poisons, bleeds, anchors, roots, etc etc etc.
I hope that this kind of design comes with horizontal enchantment of gear, that we were promised, and that the universal stat will go away after that horizontality is implemented.
Same for slows, poisons, bleeds, anchors, roots, etc etc etc.
I hope that this kind of design comes with horizontal enchantment of gear, that we were promised, and that the universal stat will go away after that horizontality is implemented.

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