Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
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: Ashes Terrain Topography and Cohesion
@Vaknar just look at it mate, this is Chrono. This is actual forest, that's how forests should look in ashes, that's how Jundark should look.
This is not even negotiable. This " IS " - how the Jundark should look. Maybe a bit more tropical but You get what i mean. The Jundark looks like a THICK (lol) Forest on the Worldmap.
It HAS to be a thick Forest, in the finished Game. Even the Riverlands need a bit more Trees around the Roads. Especially the Roads in the Middle between Winstead, Aela, Miraleth and the other Places. The Place looks like the whole Landscape was cleared from all Woodland.
There is just just this ONE detail for me, that doesn't stop bothering me -> it can't be that Ashes of Creation is somehow inferior to a super-old thing like World of Warcraft in terms of how the Landscapes/Regions should look.
It can't be that "Elwynn Forest" in WoW looks better than the Riverlands or the Jundark, if you catch my drift. The whole Atmosphere. The Impression given to the Player. I am aware it's still an Alpha Two, but at this Point slowly it is turning to concern and from concern to worry.
I refuse to believe that Ashes can not be superior. Because it should be. The Weather-Effects alone like with the Questline with the Minotauer-Camp where it starts to rain, should prove that.
Enough ranting from me. All is said what should be needed to be said.
Aszkalon
4
Re: Action camera mode - Targeting - Something have to change
This is a good look into how current camera and targeting behaviors are being experienced!
It’s helpful to hear where testers are encountering friction in action mode, especially when switching between different targeting inputs. For those who’ve experimented with both styles, what have you noticed in terms of usability differences or areas where each feels stronger or weaker?
It’s helpful to hear where testers are encountering friction in action mode, especially when switching between different targeting inputs. For those who’ve experimented with both styles, what have you noticed in terms of usability differences or areas where each feels stronger or weaker?
Vaknar
1
Re: Ashes Terrain Topography and Cohesion
UDPCast for my group and related people:
Yes, I know you're gonna want to discuss @Ace1234 's great post above, and I know at least some of you will absolutely derail this thread if you do, so plz wait for me to make a related Splinter Topic, if only for the sake of future Archives.
(to Ace, not saying at all that shouldn't be here, because that is absolutely what Vaknar 'asked for' and a great use of ChatGPT, I'm just getting ahead of a specific thing)
EDIT: Splinter created.
https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/67736/splinter-topic-narrative-design-hell-is-other-people
Yes, I know you're gonna want to discuss @Ace1234 's great post above, and I know at least some of you will absolutely derail this thread if you do, so plz wait for me to make a related Splinter Topic, if only for the sake of future Archives.
(to Ace, not saying at all that shouldn't be here, because that is absolutely what Vaknar 'asked for' and a great use of ChatGPT, I'm just getting ahead of a specific thing)
EDIT: Splinter created.
https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/67736/splinter-topic-narrative-design-hell-is-other-people
Azherae
1
Re: Mob drops, coexisting with crafters
Yeah, but not saying anything also doesnt help.
Just hope they acknowledge that a change is needed. Forward is forward.
Just hope they acknowledge that a change is needed. Forward is forward.
Re: Mob drops, coexisting with crafters
This has been brought up a few times. Here were the good ideas I heard. No particular order.
1. Mobs only drop "damaged" or "degraded" gear. So a mob would and could drop a copper greatsword, but it'd be a "damaged copper greatsword". The drop rate would still be low though, but higher than it is. Higher tier mobs drop have higher rates and chances to drop higher tier 'damaged" gear. This can persist throughout the leveling process. I'd advocate for very rear actual gear drops. So low, no one actually grinds for them, but have them exist.
2. Material drops from mobs at a low rate, about the same as the damage gear drop or a little higher. This might not be needed if gathering and markets are balanced. But it'd still give that combat focused player an easier in to crafting, or something to sell on the market if they don't want to bother with gathering or crafting. In no way should this be a faster way to get material actual gathering.
3. Gear should be dismantlable for either materials or study it for a chance of or progress towards the recipe. This should include all gear. Such as the rare drop in idea 1 that dropped from a mob, maybe you can dismantle it for a high tier material or study it to learn how to make it. Or you never got that one recipe of that super cool breast plate but now you can buy a number of them and study them to learn it.
These were the main ideas. There are a ton more. I'd like to see a dev discussion on this if there hasn't been one. The ideas above would allow for mob drops but would still hold crafted gear as the best and most common option. There would still be a lot of balancing to make all this feel right. Looks good on paper to me but implemented wrong it could be a mess.
Some of these points are better worded than my approach but cover the same idea.
It woukd benefit everyone without punishing the crafter, nor the grinder
Re: Mob drops, coexisting with crafters
This has been brought up a few times. Here were the good ideas I heard. No particular order.
1. Mobs only drop "damaged" or "degraded" gear. So a mob would and could drop a copper greatsword, but it'd be a "damaged copper greatsword". The drop rate would still be low though, but higher than it is. Higher tier mobs drop have higher rates and chances to drop higher tier 'damaged" gear. This can persist throughout the leveling process. I'd advocate for very rear actual gear drops. So low, no one actually grinds for them, but have them exist.
2. Material drops from mobs at a low rate, about the same as the damage gear drop or a little higher. This might not be needed if gathering and markets are balanced. But it'd still give that combat focused player an easier in to crafting, or something to sell on the market if they don't want to bother with gathering or crafting. In no way should this be a faster way to get material actual gathering.
3. Gear should be dismantlable for either materials or study it for a chance of or progress towards the recipe. This should include all gear. Such as the rare drop in idea 1 that dropped from a mob, maybe you can dismantle it for a high tier material or study it to learn how to make it. Or you never got that one recipe of that super cool breast plate but now you can buy a number of them and study them to learn it.
These were the main ideas. There are a ton more. I'd like to see a dev discussion on this if there hasn't been one. The ideas above would allow for mob drops but would still hold crafted gear as the best and most common option. There would still be a lot of balancing to make all this feel right. Looks good on paper to me but implemented wrong it could be a mess.
Great summary - These indeed are ideas I've seen in the past, and all are interesting thought-starters! The team is currently working on some pretty big artisanship and economy changes that we'll be discussing on the Dev Update Livestream this Friday, so be sure to check that out!!
Vaknar
1
Re: 📝 Dev Discussion #77 - Let’s Talk Quests! ❗
I am not in the current alpha, so I can't comment on the current rewards, but I am definitely and 100% in the camp of people that want to be able to level from 1 to 50 on good quests, with rewards giving decent XP and glint, gold, titles, cosmetics, recipes, materials etc.
The crafting recipes can be single-use recipes for good equipment, so artisanship is still front and center in the game.
The crafting recipes can be single-use recipes for good equipment, so artisanship is still front and center in the game.
Jhoren
3
Re: Make PvP Viable
The idea of going to do to task in order to reduce your blight so you can kill 5 people again (as example) before you have to these tasks again is just worse design. You may think otherwise but i am correct
So, you only gain corruption if the player you are attaking doesn't fight back. Doing that multiple times in a row is not PvP, it is being a murderhobo.
Intrepid have said they do not really want murderhobo gameplay to be a part of Ashes. They aren't going to stop you from doing it, but they want it to be punishing.
What this means is that you saying that you don't like corruption because it prevents you from engaging murderhobo gameplay can basically be restated as you not liking corruption because it is doing EXACTLY what it i intended to do.
Noaani
1
Re: Ashes Terrain Topography and Cohesion
@Vaknar
Sometimes I worry my posts are a bit too theory heavy and lack specific comprehensive examples, so I ran my post through chat gpt to come up with an area concept that reflects some of the things I mentioned, and thought it sounded pretty cool, enjoy.
🌑 Zone Concept: The Weeping Hollow
📍 Setting Summary:
A gloomy, sunken forest nestled in a crescent-shaped valley, constantly shrouded in mist. Once home to a reclusive sect of moon-worshippers, it was sealed off centuries ago following a catastrophic event known as the Lament. Now it’s overrun by strange flora, ghostlights, and corrupted wildlife.
This area evolves over time, reacts to player choices, and contains deep lore hidden in its terrain, making it a narrative sandbox for exploration, discovery, and role-play.
🧱 Core Concepts from the Post on Display
1. Worldbuilding / Narrative Integration
🔹 Visual Lore & Structure:
The forest layout itself follows lunar geometry — winding paths mirror crescent shapes, and ruins are arranged around a ritual basin in the shape of a full moon crater.
Statues of a three-faced moon goddess appear, each face turned toward a different cardinal direction — hinting at philosophical divisions among the ancient sect (Truth, Memory, and Mystery).
🔹 Layered Narrative Access:
Early on: Players find tablets and murals hinting at a ritual to “drown memory in moonlight.”
Later in story (or via exploration): They learn the “Lament” was a failed ritual to erase a collective trauma — the goddess divided into aspects as punishment.
The more players uncover, the more their understanding of the forest shifts — it’s not a cursed place, but a spiritual scar.
🔹 World-state storytelling:
If a player sides with certain factions, statues begin to "weep" starlight or blood.
Interacting with a certain hidden shrine unlocks a hidden history, changing dialogue in future quests across the world. NPCs may now recognize the player as a "Lament-Touched."
2. Mystery and Discovery
🔍 Non-linear Exploration:
The mist changes dynamically — obscuring and revealing new routes based on time of day, season, or player attunement.
Day: Wildlife aggressive, few landmarks visible.
Night: Ghostlights appear, statues rotate, secret glyphs glow.
Full Moon Event (monthly): A door in the hollowed tree opens to a hidden sanctum.
🧠 Knowledge-based Gameplay:
Puzzle shrines scattered in the zone require interpretation of moon phases, statue orientation, and lore clues.
An abandoned observatory on a hill lets players align its telescope to the glowing craters to reveal glyphs on nearby trees. These glyphs unlock an optional class-specific skill if deciphered.
🧩 Environmental Interactions:
Certain rare herbs only bloom under specific moonlight cycles — they can be used to brew elixirs or unlock alternate dialogue options in key storylines.
A rare creature, the Velumbra Stag, can only be summoned if players lure it with moon lilies planted during a prior seasonal event — encouraging long-term mystery-solving.
3. Atmosphere
🎧 Audio-Visual Integration:
Ambient audio includes whispering wind that changes pitch with proximity to hidden lore markers.
Leitmotifs evolve with player progress: a soft harp theme becomes more dissonant or hopeful depending on story paths chosen (e.g., embracing the memory vs. erasing it).
Lighting is volumetric, diffused through fog. As players solve more mysteries, the fog starts to part more frequently, letting in beams of moonlight — giving the sense that the forest is “responding” to the player.
🎨 Theming:
Visuals support the theme of half-remembered history — half-built bridges, statues with missing faces, trees growing upside-down.
Optional role-play tents exist for players — e.g., they can meditate at shrines to receive visions that influence story arcs, even if they’re not on the “main path.”
🧭 How It All Comes Together in Different Player Journeys
🧙♂️ Player A: The Scholar Path (Truth)
Focused on learning the forest's history.
Solves puzzles, finds the sealed library under the lake using moon glyphs.
Discovers the true nature of the Lament and shares it globally — this causes the mist to thin permanently for their server, changing visibility for all.
World perceives them as a “Revealer.” NPCs treat them with reverence, and certain items cost less or become unlocked.
⚔️ Player B: The Purger Path (Control)
Wants to purge the corruption and harness power from the Weeping Hollow.
Sides with a fire-worshipping order that believes in cleansing the land.
Burns down one of the spirit groves. Mist recedes temporarily but angers the Velumbra Stag, who now appears hostile in future encounters.
This creates dynamic conflict: future players must choose to appease or destroy the beast — affecting future seasonal events.
🌙 Player C: The Role-Player (Mystery/Memory)
Focuses on immersing in the mood, meditating at moon shrines during full moons.
Unlocks secret dialogue options for key NPCs in far-off cities (thanks to hidden memories gained in visions).
Over time, becomes a member of a secret roleplay-only cult of the Three-Faced Moon.
Special cloak reward only available through this long-form spiritual RP path.
🧩 Final Layer: Systemic Interdependence
The map is designed to reflect all of this: layered topography with fog/mist effects, persistent weather conditions, landmark visibility lines, and timed events.
The zone’s design encourages return visits under different world-states, with multiple optional storylines and character build effects tied into the area's mysteries.
✅ TL;DR
The Weeping Hollow showcases:
Worldbuilding via lore-rich landmarks and layered history.
Mystery & Discovery through exploration, hidden systems, and player choices that change perception and access.
Atmosphere via coordinated audio-visuals, emotional theming, and symbolic layout.
And most importantly, all these elements interlock dynamically, reacting to player agency, faction alignment, roleplay, time, and story progression — just as the original forum post envisions.
Sometimes I worry my posts are a bit too theory heavy and lack specific comprehensive examples, so I ran my post through chat gpt to come up with an area concept that reflects some of the things I mentioned, and thought it sounded pretty cool, enjoy.
🌑 Zone Concept: The Weeping Hollow
📍 Setting Summary:
A gloomy, sunken forest nestled in a crescent-shaped valley, constantly shrouded in mist. Once home to a reclusive sect of moon-worshippers, it was sealed off centuries ago following a catastrophic event known as the Lament. Now it’s overrun by strange flora, ghostlights, and corrupted wildlife.
This area evolves over time, reacts to player choices, and contains deep lore hidden in its terrain, making it a narrative sandbox for exploration, discovery, and role-play.
🧱 Core Concepts from the Post on Display
1. Worldbuilding / Narrative Integration
🔹 Visual Lore & Structure:
The forest layout itself follows lunar geometry — winding paths mirror crescent shapes, and ruins are arranged around a ritual basin in the shape of a full moon crater.
Statues of a three-faced moon goddess appear, each face turned toward a different cardinal direction — hinting at philosophical divisions among the ancient sect (Truth, Memory, and Mystery).
🔹 Layered Narrative Access:
Early on: Players find tablets and murals hinting at a ritual to “drown memory in moonlight.”
Later in story (or via exploration): They learn the “Lament” was a failed ritual to erase a collective trauma — the goddess divided into aspects as punishment.
The more players uncover, the more their understanding of the forest shifts — it’s not a cursed place, but a spiritual scar.
🔹 World-state storytelling:
If a player sides with certain factions, statues begin to "weep" starlight or blood.
Interacting with a certain hidden shrine unlocks a hidden history, changing dialogue in future quests across the world. NPCs may now recognize the player as a "Lament-Touched."
2. Mystery and Discovery
🔍 Non-linear Exploration:
The mist changes dynamically — obscuring and revealing new routes based on time of day, season, or player attunement.
Day: Wildlife aggressive, few landmarks visible.
Night: Ghostlights appear, statues rotate, secret glyphs glow.
Full Moon Event (monthly): A door in the hollowed tree opens to a hidden sanctum.
🧠 Knowledge-based Gameplay:
Puzzle shrines scattered in the zone require interpretation of moon phases, statue orientation, and lore clues.
An abandoned observatory on a hill lets players align its telescope to the glowing craters to reveal glyphs on nearby trees. These glyphs unlock an optional class-specific skill if deciphered.
🧩 Environmental Interactions:
Certain rare herbs only bloom under specific moonlight cycles — they can be used to brew elixirs or unlock alternate dialogue options in key storylines.
A rare creature, the Velumbra Stag, can only be summoned if players lure it with moon lilies planted during a prior seasonal event — encouraging long-term mystery-solving.
3. Atmosphere
🎧 Audio-Visual Integration:
Ambient audio includes whispering wind that changes pitch with proximity to hidden lore markers.
Leitmotifs evolve with player progress: a soft harp theme becomes more dissonant or hopeful depending on story paths chosen (e.g., embracing the memory vs. erasing it).
Lighting is volumetric, diffused through fog. As players solve more mysteries, the fog starts to part more frequently, letting in beams of moonlight — giving the sense that the forest is “responding” to the player.
🎨 Theming:
Visuals support the theme of half-remembered history — half-built bridges, statues with missing faces, trees growing upside-down.
Optional role-play tents exist for players — e.g., they can meditate at shrines to receive visions that influence story arcs, even if they’re not on the “main path.”
🧭 How It All Comes Together in Different Player Journeys
🧙♂️ Player A: The Scholar Path (Truth)
Focused on learning the forest's history.
Solves puzzles, finds the sealed library under the lake using moon glyphs.
Discovers the true nature of the Lament and shares it globally — this causes the mist to thin permanently for their server, changing visibility for all.
World perceives them as a “Revealer.” NPCs treat them with reverence, and certain items cost less or become unlocked.
⚔️ Player B: The Purger Path (Control)
Wants to purge the corruption and harness power from the Weeping Hollow.
Sides with a fire-worshipping order that believes in cleansing the land.
Burns down one of the spirit groves. Mist recedes temporarily but angers the Velumbra Stag, who now appears hostile in future encounters.
This creates dynamic conflict: future players must choose to appease or destroy the beast — affecting future seasonal events.
🌙 Player C: The Role-Player (Mystery/Memory)
Focuses on immersing in the mood, meditating at moon shrines during full moons.
Unlocks secret dialogue options for key NPCs in far-off cities (thanks to hidden memories gained in visions).
Over time, becomes a member of a secret roleplay-only cult of the Three-Faced Moon.
Special cloak reward only available through this long-form spiritual RP path.
🧩 Final Layer: Systemic Interdependence
The map is designed to reflect all of this: layered topography with fog/mist effects, persistent weather conditions, landmark visibility lines, and timed events.
The zone’s design encourages return visits under different world-states, with multiple optional storylines and character build effects tied into the area's mysteries.
✅ TL;DR
The Weeping Hollow showcases:
Worldbuilding via lore-rich landmarks and layered history.
Mystery & Discovery through exploration, hidden systems, and player choices that change perception and access.
Atmosphere via coordinated audio-visuals, emotional theming, and symbolic layout.
And most importantly, all these elements interlock dynamically, reacting to player agency, faction alignment, roleplay, time, and story progression — just as the original forum post envisions.
Ace1234
2
