Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Comments
You’re just looking at mats instead of also looking at main components. The mats you listed could be looted from trash mobs or made by a crafter. When we talk about getting mats from a mob boss, we mean, great dragon scale of uberness (legendary), used in crafting a chest plate or shield (legendary). Or any different kind of major component for crafting a sword, staff, armor, etc. No, you didn’t get a great sword drop from that spider, but you did loot a fabled fang used to craft a fabled dagger, etc.
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Think you misunderstood my intent. Call the mats whatever you want. I put multiples on there for coverage of a raid force... Don't want to kill the same raid mob over and over again for a single mat each time. Point is that you are still getting mats from a raid mob. This seems to be ok with most posters in this thread... which is encouraging.
<ul>Crafting</ul>
As far as the crafting itself goes I'm very appreciative of the system Steven et al have currently described so far. Having played MMO's where I felt my time spent mastering a craft was wasted due to the inevitable grind of dungeons to provide the best in-game loot had led me to believe that crafters were just not appreciated by developers to the extent they used to be. It looks like AoC will be restoring my faith in my profession again, hopefully.
From what I've read and watched through their Twitch videos, it appears that crafters will gain a rather large sphere of influence for their trouble. From being able to craft top tier gear to allowing for customized versions of gear, I'm currently satisfied with the direction Intrepid wishes to take this. The split of the process into three fields of artisans (gatherers, processors, and crafters; a new
holy trinity?) further compounds the need for and identities of these skills. I am hoping to see great things in the competition this will bring with it.
<ul>Drops/Quest Rewards</ul>
I understand the trepidation some may feel when playing within a system that awards gear as loot from mobs, bosses, and as quest rewards. I myself find the idea of monsters dropping materials (be they rare or a form that can be refined into better versions through large quantities of it) to be quite appealing; however, there is something to be said for at least a minimal amount of gear drops for those who may not find crafting to be their desired way to spend their game play. Where I find it enjoyable to brave the wilds and earn my drops of legendary direwolf hide leather to work it lovingly into a Bracer of Undoing, my fellow adventurer (let's call him Arcaeus Muddlebrine) may prefer the already finished product instead for a quicker boost to get into a higher tier of PvE or PvP. Some may call him unwilling to put in effort, others may call his style efficient. In the end it works and they've enjoyed their time, which is most important. It's Intrepid's job to provide ways for multiple playstyles, which I believe they will do well if what I've already seen is any indication. They've stated that is their goal, in any case.
If they by chance do decide to go with the "only mats drop" style then I just want the ones that prefer gear drops to bear in mind that the game was not designed to go quickly by any means. Make friends with lots of crafters and you should find yourself able to acquire the gear you want from their work while still being able to maintain an enjoyable raid/PvP/etc. experience.
<ul>RNG</ul>
This is a subject that is, and already has been, heavily controversial for MMO's in general. Leaving things to chance (equations, math...ugh) can be aggravating when applied to things like crafting, but at the same time I believe it holds a place within the system in regards to realism and balancing.
One of the things that attracts people to MMORPG's is the RPG factor, reflected in the day-to-day tasks that these games offer while distracting us from the real world for a brief time. Sure, not including RNG in crafting and insuring successful attempts at all levels is nice, but for a game that is seeking to go in depth on so much it makes sense for them to maintain that feeling of danger involved. To keep it simple, yet satisfying, restrict RNG to elements like upgrading an item from a rare to legendary status. This in turn makes a successful attempt mean something and give the crafter a feeling of accomplishment, but does not overly drown the player in failed attempts that may destroy their motivation. This chance could be further affected by buffs from crafting level passives, as well.
Just a few of my thoughts on the subject at hand. Regardless of the final system put into place, I will be happy to provide my services to anyone when the time comes. May the wind guide your sails to profit :)
For those who played UO ashes seems to be mimicing the feel of dungeons from that game. Dungeons required you to actually delvwe into them and progress through levels to get to the mobs that dropped the materials or gold you wanted then leave as well. If you wanted to farm a dungeon you were always at risk of pvp/progression reduction and guild wars
Keep that the same in ashes. Make every mob in dungeons drop materials/ silver or gold. Have these be droppable on death. Make dungeons the hotspots they were in UO for the same reason. Have players have a constant reward and risk for going to them. Have crafters stay relevant. Have gathering in dungeons be more profittable.
Everyone wins, both PVE players (risk vs reward) PVP players and crafters arent bypassed in content by allowing a freaking fire dragon to drop the same sword it took you months to learn to craft.
I HATE when a freaking wolf drops an AXE bigger than its boxy and 100's of gold. They aren't gonna have gold unless for whatever reason they swallowed it, in which case I shouldn't find it until I skin the thing for meat/skin.
Realistic drops can fix the whole "boss item are better than crafted items" issue.
I HATE when a freaking wolf drops an AXE bigger than its boxy and 100’s of gold. They aren’t gonna have gold unless for whatever reason they swallowed it, in which case I shouldn’t find it until I skin the thing for meat/skin.
Realistic drops can fix the whole “boss item are better than crafted items” issue.
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I agree with that. I also would like to see slayer weapons that are designed against specific monsters in the game vs every weapon is good for everything.