Best Of

As a longtime Cleric main I have no opinion of most/least fun classes etc.

Cleric feels quite powerfull when used on high level of pvp engages. Silence on Divine Flare is a highlight.
Lackluster ability in PvP is Chains. Totally useless and procs unwanted slow immunity in mass PvP.
Suggestion: add option to end the spell early to apply stun instantly - this will make it work for PvP.

Another improvement could be increasing target limitation for Wave skill. 10 targets for healing sounds like a lot, but it counts everything on its way and is always missing melee fighters in big fights.

Splitting CC break and movement ability into 2 separate cooldowns would also help with mobility a bit, otherwise I feel like Im falling behind in long fights. Timings on CC abilities of other classes and CC breaks are all over the place and sometimes in 1v1 it gets pretty ridiculous, i.e. when you have Rogue knockdown ability cooldown of 25s vs 30s Wings of Salvation.

Stat penalties for healing compare to magic power feels very unfair. Getting decent crit chance and crit power on heals is super unrealistic (you get 1/2 of crit power and crit chance from same stats).

Flat healing vs % healing feels imbalanced in different ways for both end-game PvP and early game PvE. %-based healing and Barrier become ridiculously more efficient compared to flat healing like Wave or Soothing Glow

Hello, Verrans!

My name is Mepps, and I am your brand new Senior Community Manager here on the Intrepid Studios team. I have been following Ashes of Creation from afar for quite some time, and I am beyond thrilled to get to join you on this adventure.

My fantasy and MMO roots are deep. I was raised in EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, The Realm, and other classic titans of the genre. I love to read and will talk to you all day about my favorite authors and series. I also love cozy games like Stardew Valley, all kinds of turn-based RPGs, and most anything that involves online play with large groups of friends.

Professionally, I have spent the last 13 years managing the communities of DC Universe Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and so many others, and I cannot wait to apply everything I have learned here at Intrepid Studios.

I would love to learn more about you, your favorites, and what most drives you to experience Ashes of Creation, so please don’t be shy. We will be seeing quite a lot of each other.

Ted “Mepps” Stone

Which archetype do you find the most fun to play? Why?

I enjoy playing the Mage the most. The core idea of combining spells from different elements to create powerful combos is satisfying, and chaining spells together for big damage feels great when it works. The gameplay loop of weaving Ice, Lightning, and Fire in rotation is fun, but the class still feels like it’s missing pieces.

I also enjoyed my limited time with Rogue and Bard. Rogue’s mobility makes it exciting in PvP, and Bard seems like it could be a very rewarding support role once it is more fleshed out.

Which archetype do you find the least fun to play? Why?

Tank is probably my least favorite, but that’s more about my personal playstyle. I gravitate toward DPS and support roles, so Tank has never really appealed to me. My opinion here isn’t necessarily a reflection of the class design itself.

Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement? Please explain.

Mage spell weaving is clearly part of the core design, and rotating through Ice → Lightning → Fire to enhance damage is fun. That said, the Mage kit feels like it lacks depth and variety.

While Frost and Lightning shatter combos exist, and Fire spells amplify damage over time, the class is missing entire categories of magic that would expand the rotation and offer more utility. Earth, Wind, and Water spells feel absent, and Arcane magic has little presence beyond early-level spells. Adding these elements would allow for more creative spell rotations, better utility, and new combo paths.

Another critical area needing improvement is AoE. Mages should excel at area control and multi-target damage, but right now the AoE spells we have are unreliable for pulling multiple enemies. Even though abilities like Blizzard, Chain Lightning, Cone of Cold, and Magma Field exist, they often feel too situational.

Cooldowns are long, damage is underwhelming, and many AoE effects are tied to conditional procs instead of being reliable core spells. As a result, pulling more than one enemy, even lower-level mobs, feels risky and inefficient. The Mage class fantasy of controlling the battlefield with devastating AoE is not fully realized yet.

Grinding as a Mage feels like I’m stuck playing a single-target precision class, when it should be about weaving elemental AoE rotations that let me handle packs with confidence.

During group combat or grinding sessions, do you feel any core features or gameplay elements are missing or underdeveloped? If yes, please describe.

Archetype depth across the board feels underdeveloped. Right now, every archetype becomes a generalist by default because there aren’t enough meaningful choices in how to build your character.

For Mage specifically, the elemental rotation is fun but shallow. There’s little sense of progression or build identity. The game needs more spells and mechanics that expand elemental combos and let you craft a personalized rotation.

One idea could be that as you level, base spells unlock naturally. Gaining a level might allow you to choose a new offensive spell, while your skill points act as modifiers to enhance spell behavior. Unlocking a spell could open up related spells down branching paths. For example, choosing a Fire spell could lead naturally to Lightning and Earth spells, while accessing Water and Ice might require picking into that specific branch.

In group combat, fights often revolve around a small number of key abilities (like Ranger’s vine fields) to initiate engagements. There’s a lack of diverse area control tools available to other archetypes, especially Mages. Mages should be able to contribute with long-range siege spells that pressure entrenched enemy positions, create space, or force movement.

For example, if a group of 3-5 Mages channels together, they could cast a large long-range AoE siege spell increasing in power and casting speed the more Mages are involved. This would reinforce the Mage’s role in battlefield control and give them a clear utility niche in coordinated group play.

More reliable AoE denial tools and synergistic effects would help shift fights away from single-trigger all-ins and into more dynamic, layered engagements.

🧙‍♂️ Mage Feedback TL;DR – What I Want to See

• ✨ Add More Elements: Introduce Earth, Wind, and Water magic to expand rotation depth and combat identity.
  
• 🔮 Make Arcane Matter: Arcane needs more than just Arcane Volley — give it impactful spells like black holes, illusions, or displacement magic.
  
• 🔥 Fix AoE Gameplay: AoE spells should be core tools, not add-ons. Reduce cooldowns, increase base damage, and let Mages confidently pull multiple mobs.
  
• 🌪️ Deepen Elemental Rotations: Reward skillful weaving of elements and sequencing, not just relying on one or two strong spells.
  
• 📈 Introduce Spell Progression Paths: Let players unlock offensive spells gradually through leveling choices — Fire unlocks adjacent Lightning/Earth offensive spells, Water would unlock adjacent Ice/Wind spells.
  
• 🧱 Enable Group Siege Spells: Allow 3–5 Mages to channel powerful long-range AoEs to break entrenched enemies or zone control space in large battles.

Depraved wrote: »

if the crafters leave, the pvpers will craft xDDDDDDD

Pretty much. The pvpers that are attracted by these kinds of games do everything in the game, simply cause it benefits them. If only pvers could do the same.

My background, I typically play mage based DPS classes in MMO's and ARPG's. I particularly enjoy the Ice/Debuffing archetypes.

Which archetype do you find the most fun to play? Why?

Mage and Fighter.
Mage: I play mages. There however is many things missing from Mage which I'll cover a bit later.
Fighter: I enjoyed the Stance Shifting and resource management aspects of the class in PvE. It kept me engaged and it felt good when I got off a good rotation whilst making sure I wasn't putting excess stress on my healers.
This is purely from a fun PoV, not a damage efficiency PoV.

Which archetype do you find the least fun to play? Why?

Tank. Probably though because I rarely play this archetype so don't take this point too seriously.

Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement? Please explain.

Alright, let's get into it! I'm going to be giving feedback as a Mage DPS main.

The Mage Class Kit
Mage is just missing class kit. Our damage is OK, but we lack much utility to speak of. Where are the other classic elements or magic archetypes? Earth? Wind? Void/Arcane? (No, Arcane volley doesn't count) Curses?

A mage should be able to specialise deeply into a single element, or cross and chose to be more flexible. Right now every mage is forced into amalgamating all elements together for no real reason.
Sure, Ice --> Lightning shatter is nice, and so is the tri-element Prismatic Beam, but that's all we get.

I would expect at a minimum that the class has:
❄️ Ice
Damage: Medium damage DOT's, medium damage direct attacks
Offensive Utility: Freezes, Movement Slows, Action Speed Slows, Area Denial
Defensive Utility: Ice wall/barrier, Shields, Area denial

🔥 Fire
Damage: High damage DOT's, high damage direct attacks, long range spells
Offensive Utility: Area Denial, Buff fields (think firewall that adds fire damage to projectiles that go through it)
Defensive Utility: Area denial (fire fields etc...)

🌪️ Wind
Damage: Medium damage direct attacks, Low damage DoT's (bleeds)
Offensive Utility: Speed buffs, launching spells (think launching people in a direction)
Defensive Utility: Wind walls (negates projectiles, can be pushed through)

⚡ Lightning
Damage: Very high damage direct attacks, random high damage AoE
Offensive Utility: Damage buffs
Defensive Utility:

🪨 Earth
Damage: High damage direct physical attacks, Low damage DoT's (poisons)
Offensive Utility: Area denial (ie. spiked field)
Defensive Utility: AoE Slows (ie. bog), walls, shields

🔮 Arcane
Damage: Low - Medium direct pure damage attacks
Utility: Black hole type spells, movements, illusions, sleeps, confusions, Pure damage buffs, detection's

Spell Resource Generation
I'm a big fan of Path of Exile's spells and I think Intrepid Studios could take inspiration on how support gems modify skills and the different ways charges work.

One idea could be that auto attacking attuned to an element generates charges for that element, up to a maximum amount. Unlocking generating charges for an element could be linked to the highest tier spell you've unlocked in that element.
Eg. Max Tier 1 spell unlocks 10% chance on attack to generate charge on auto attack. Tier 7 unlocks 70% chance of generating charge. OR, tie this effect into a weapon tree.
These charges can be represented visibly as orbs around the character, or something more creative for each element.
Each ice charge adds some flat ice damage and increases the chance and effectiveness of chill.
Each fire charge adds some flat fire damage and a slight damage multiplier to attacks and spells.
Each wind charge increase attack and cast speed.
Each lightning charge adds flat lightning damage and increases crit strike chance/multi.
Each earth charge increases physical defense and hp regen.
Some spells can then use all charges to proc further effects off the spell.
Eg. Earth wall gains +10% hp per earth charge consumed

Other Class Kits
I don't feel too qualified to make any suggestions on other classes.
It would be interesting though if tanks had abilities that allowed them to "suck in" any ranged damage going past them in a radius, redirecting that damage to themselves.

PvP
FYI, I stopped PvPing about half way through P2.
In the PvP balls I've been in (as a mage), I've been feeling so much dead time, and there's not too many things that can force an engagement. Our auto attack ranges are pretty short, and fights end up hinging on who gets a juicy vine field down first and then as a mage, we just blink and and bomb. But even that isn't really that viable with increased TTK.
There isn't any long range bombing to break entrenched groups or put pressure on the other side.
Battles tend to just end up with a whole lot of repositioning and then a sudden push. Ranger vines are the only counter to the bum rush, but they are also engagement openers. There isn't any other Area Denial or Push Slowing abilities in any other class kit that's as effective.

🧙 Mages being the medium range AoE is fine, but I think they should also have a long range siege role as well. Think lobbing long range, slow, high arcing lava bombs into the other groups backline.
🏹 Rangers being the single target snipers is a fitting role, but it would be good if they could be more.
⚔️ Fighters, RIP. Not survivable to dive into the enemy ball, don't do enough damage to make the suicide run worth it. Maybe if they had some kind of "stalking" ability that gave them a decent move speed buff as they chased down a single enemy. That could allow them to reposition mid fight to try out flank the other ball and perhaps leap into their backline.
🪉 Bards and 😇 Clerics are love. They are life. They do divine work.
🛡️ Tanks... tank? This could be cancerous, but they could be given class kit that allows them to catch and clump enemy. Think Mace Tank in Albion online, or Great Axe in New World.
🗡️ Rouges... I haven't really done any large-ish scale PvP with rogues in the game.

The Ranger has major identity issues.

I think the Ranger's overall imagery is much more diverse than other classes, so it might have an identity that doesn't resonate with many players. But its current problem is the lack of identity.

A common trait among Rangers is the use of bows for ranged attacks. Currently, Rangers are no different from other classes with auto-attacks or weapon finishers; they should have a unique passive (or several) to gain an advantage when using bows. For example, less movement reduction when shooting or greater range.

Continuing with the topic of bows, the difference between longbows and shortbows with auto-attacks is good (perhaps the range difference could be a little greater, since dodging shortens that distance), but with the use of abilities, there is no difference. The range of abilities should be dependent on the range of bows and have range modifiers relative to them.

The excessive amount of long casts in the Ranger's abilities sometimes makes him feel like a mage with a bow. Having some is nice, but relying on so many ends up making the gameplay much more static (reduced mobility during casts) than we'd expect. For example, Thundering Shot has a projectile speed that allows for counterplay against enemies; there's no need to add a two-second cast time. It would also be interesting to have a "hold" ability where the longer we aim, the more damage we do.

Mobility is poor (partly due to the previous point). Strider/Party Strider buffs would be relevant in combat if the other classes didn't have any mobility abilities, but that's not the case. These buffs are more for moving around the world.

This means we're left with three other movement abilities to theoretically use in combat:
- Disengage, which is fine but the bugs make it very frustrating.
- Call of the Wild, which is really a CC break. The 20% movement speed is nice, but if you use it for that, you're leaving yourself exposed for 30 seconds.
- Air Strike, which has a great vertical movement speed, but the horizontal movement speed needs to be bigger. It's a Tier 3 ability with a 45-second cooldown, has a relatively slow animation, and the impact area isn't very large. This makes it feel daunting when you unlock it. Players would expect from an ability like this the ability to completely reposition themselves in a battle.

It might be interesting to add (or in a new unlockable passive) a dash to Barrage during its cast, to differentiate it more from Salvo and offer a different mobility tool.

Hunts need a new iteration. This group of skills could be something special for the Ranger, but it currently falls short of expectations. Currently, all three Hunts are offensive, meaning most players choose the one that best fits their skill tree builds and never switch back. For "hunting," the Hunter doesn't always assume the offensive role, so it should offer a wider variety of options. As with other class abilities (like the rogue's poison), the Ranger should have the ability to choose three Hunts from each tier: an offensive Hunt(T1), a defensive Hunt(T2), and a mobility Hunt(T3). This way, there would be more situations where the player would want to switch Hunts.

With the above in mind, the Hunt buff would be permanent (it wouldn't be lost upon casting the mark) and would remove the current appearances we receive when the target dies or ends the debuff. While interesting, in practice they aren't enjoyable since the player doesn't have enough control over obtaining them (This allows for a simplified Hunt, while also giving the player more skill expression by switching Hunts).

Adding Focus was a nice addition, but it lacks depth. One idea is that if the Ranger reaches the maximum Focus, and the next ability cast would be cast much faster at the cost of losing 50% of their total Focus. This change would provide a new incentive to control Focus and the ability to surprise enemies. To prevent the Ranger from having overpowered openers, I would limit Focus regeneration outside of combat. (It would fit with the fantasy, since we're not at maximum Focus all the time.)

Other general problems:

Stamina tree:

Currently, it feels like it takes away more variety than it adds. In Alpha 1, we had to make the decision between allocating points to the passive or active tree. But in Alpha 2, each tree has its own unique points. This makes the choice for players very simple.
This tree should change significantly, including the ways to gain experience from it. For example, instead of gaining points for this tree by leveling up as an adventurer, we would gain points through the use of skills in this tree (sprint, dodge, block). This would incentivize the use and knowledge of these skills and encourage proper use of them to level them at a good pace. Additionally, the trees should be branched with meaningful and differentiating choices.

Problems with the immunity mechanic:

The need for this system is clear, but its implementation is unpleasant for players. One of the things I find most fun about AoC classes is the interactions between them. The problem is that immunity periods cause large parts of the class kits to be temporarily unusable, especially with debuffs that share immunities. Instead of applying immune, the character should have a 99% resistance to said debuff. This way, players could continue their interactions without an immunity activated (by themselves or another player) destroying their skill rotation. It could even be further evolved, with this resistance increasing progressively so that the player applying said debuffs also has time to react. Example: After X seconds with the debuff active, a 50% resistance to it is activated. This resistance increases per second up to 99% if the debuff is active. Once 99% is reached, the resistance will disappear after X seconds. This way both the aggressor and the victim could adapt their gameplay to the situation.

Possibility of melee weapons becoming obsolete.

During Phase 2.5, it's increasingly becoming apparent that classes are moving away from basic attacks with melee weapons (when at melee range) because they do the same or more damage with ranged weapons, and are more reliable. I think this is something worth keeping an eye on.

Which archetype do you find the most fun to play? Why?
Fighter, Rogue and Bard
Fighter
Good kit, like the cc immunity on some abilities, adds a skill gap
Low momentum gain, needs to get 1 momentum per target hit, not 1 momentum per swing or a momentum gain ability, Low survivability in group PvP, could use a dmg reduction ability, Add Stagger to Blitz, Remove Form animation to make switching forms smoother

Rogue
Good kit, lots of useful abilities, high apm
Flurry/Thrash comboing feels buggy
Having to weapon attack once and If you are using a weapon that has multiple weapon attacks like daggers, the weapon combo most of the time resets when trying to weave in Flurry/Thrash. Imo they should count as a "weapon combo attack" without having to do 1 attack first.
Feint weapon combo finisher Advantage
Having feint give Advantage on weapon combo finisher does not feel or flow good.

Lack of control when Advantage is used on abilities.
Sometimes you don't want to use Advantage on an ability when you have it and it feels like a waste and you need to build Advantage again. (Like wanting to use Umbral Cloak for only magic immunity, wanting single target Kick or Lacerate, not AOE)
A skill "your next ability will consume Advantage for increased effect" would be more preferable.


Bard
Good kit, lots of situational abilities, high apm, feel like its not missing anything.

Which archetype do you find the least fun to play? Why?
Ranger
Boring, slow, 0 depth, abilities don't require aiming (usually main Ranger but playing this makes me fall asleep)

Are there any combat systems or mechanics you feel need more development or refinement? Please explain.

Action Camera
Oh boy does action camera need improvements.
Abilities locking you to a target for their Animation Duration
This feels like ass, in TAB if you are casting something, you can press TAB and switch to another target even while casting, in Action Cam you cannot switch targets even if you hover over another enemy. Target swapping does not feel fast and smooth.
Difficulties targeting in mass PvP
Current Hard Lock does not feel good to use and without it, holding a target in mass PvP feels impossible. (go try this with a range dps, its even worse with cleric/bard)
IMO a better way would be to Integrate Hard Lock to Weapon Attacks If it was possible to Hold LMB to Weapon Attack and Hard Lock to the target at the same time, i think it would improve the gameplay drastically. (Hard Lock as long as you are holding down LMB, let go = clear hard lock instantly)
Dual Targeting
This is needed, if an enemy and friendly are stacked, you should be able to heal and dmg the enemy without "swapping targets" because now you can't target both.
Abilities should interrupt weapon attacks
as someone who holds down LMB most of the time and tries to press abilities, they do not go through most of the time, this feels like absolute ass. Sometimes missing CC's at critical moments because they don't go through. Abilities should instantly happen when you press them.

Improve Diminishing returns clarity
DR happening when a CC is only at half duration makes 0 sense. It needs to show the actual duration and not just randomly happen.
Imo Snare should be base 50% slow like chill, remove the stacks. 25% slow is useless

Ability DMG needs tuning
Abilities need to be looked at (Mage 3x instant firebolt + conflag doing over 50% hp? hello?), CC's should not do alot of dmg (do too much atm)

During group combat or grinding sessions, do you feel any core features or gameplay elements are missing or underdeveloped? If yes, please describe.
Add a option to see cast bars under enemy healthbars
Better to have info and ability to see what/if multiple targets are casting something.

Add Option to see buffs/debuffs above enemy healthbar/name
Better visibility so you can see which enemies have useful debuffs/buffs. Needs to have filter

Ludullu wrote: »

Azherae wrote: »

To be fair that is because most PvP games just dumb down the crafting/sourcing aspects to the point where nearly everyone can do them.

I don't think we want PvP dumbed down to the level that they tend to dumb down crafting 'so that the PvErs can do everything in the game too'. That hasn't worked out well for any of my preferred games so far...

While I definitely see your point and agree with both of its parts, I somewhat disagree with its application to even the promised Ashes crafting.

With full trade and proper markets, all any singular players needs to do to craft is to go buy some stuff. All any single players in the crafting chain needs to do is to go do their singular (maaaybe 2-3) profession. At its core both of those things are kinda dumbed down, cause they do not require much thought.

Will the overall process be less smooth than if the server was full of pro artisans? Sure. But it'll still work well enough for people to progress. Or, at least, I assume it would, cause even though the base lvl of material acquisition in L2 was just "farm mobs on a specific class", I don't really see that as too much different from "just cut trees as a specific artisan profession" or "process rocks as a specific artisan profession".

Oh no, I meant that the reason PvP players stay in games like Ashes and 'just craft' is because crafting is not complex.

I own items in FF11 that were so relatively hard to make that I needed to get 3 people with the required experience together, decide who was going to be in charge of what functions of the Synergy Furnace, and still spend half an hour with maybe 7 fails (tbf half of those were just bad luck) before we synchronized enough to eventually make the gear.

I'm not saying everything needs to be that level, I'm just noting that we can't really draw a parallel, because Synergy is stilleasier than proper PvP.

Some PvE players can't do the same because they wouldn't be good enough to PvP or craft. It's just that some PvP players are 'only good enough to get carried in PvP so they would also fail at difficult crafting'. Knowing that, the games make crafting simple, because those are the people PvP games need to keep attracting.

I just want to echo the overall comments on improvement needs for the Ranger. The class has mana issues, feels incomplete, lacks identity etc... I really do hope Intrepid takes a hard look at reworking a good portion of the class.