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Alpha Two testing is currently taking place five days each week. More information about Phase II and Phase III testing schedule can be found here
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.
Feedback and Concerns Regarding Gear Customization and Crafting System in PTR
schroboy
Member
Dear Steven / Intrepid Team,
I'd like to share some constructive feedback regarding the current state of gear, bonuses, stats, and perks in the PTR (Public Test Realm). While I fully understand this is still a work in progress, the current direction feels very limited and overly rigid, much like earlier systems we've seen in New World—and, frankly, this iteration feels even more restrictive.
Core Concern: Lack of Customization for Crafters
One of my main concerns is the limited ability for crafters to design gear based on their individual playstyle. As things stand, it seems like gear stats and perks are tied too tightly to pre-defined templates or set bonuses, which discourages creative builds and leads to predictable meta choices.
My Question:
By beta or launch, will crafters be able to customize gear stats, perks, and set bonuses based on chosen materials to reflect their preferred playstyle?
Suggested Approach (Example for Illustration):
Imagine crafting a light armor piece using a modular material system:
Base Materials (define armor type)
Stat Materials (define stat scaling)
Using this system, I could tailor my armor stats to reflect my playstyle — for example, stacking DEX and evasion rather than defaulting to physical or magical defense. The idea here mirrors your current set bonuses, but gives crafters the agency to define the attributes themselves.
Bonus Structure Breakdown
If I prefer DEX over STR, I should be able to extract or replicate those bonuses in my crafted gear. This would allow crafters to mix and match bonuses across different armor sets, using rare materials tied to those effects. For instance:
This would create a fully customized 8-piece set built entirely around my preferred stats and bonuses.
The Vision
This system wouldn't replace or devalue existing set crafting, but instead offer an advanced crafting path for dedicated players. Sets with pre-defined bonuses could still serve as easier or more accessible options, while this material-based system becomes an endgame customization layer, requiring more resources, planning, and effort.
Why This Matters
Without this kind of flexibility, the current system feels like it's funneling all players into the same builds, reinforcing a static meta. That’s exactly the kind of issue that can lead to stagnation and imbalance over time.
Crafters were promised the ability to "make the best gear" — and I believe that vision can only be fulfilled if crafting allows for deep customization and strategic choice.
Final Question
So, to clarify:
Is the team planning to support this kind of modular, material-driven customization system for crafting gear — one where crafters can shape stats, perks, and set bonuses based on their own choices?
I'd like to share some constructive feedback regarding the current state of gear, bonuses, stats, and perks in the PTR (Public Test Realm). While I fully understand this is still a work in progress, the current direction feels very limited and overly rigid, much like earlier systems we've seen in New World—and, frankly, this iteration feels even more restrictive.
Core Concern: Lack of Customization for Crafters
One of my main concerns is the limited ability for crafters to design gear based on their individual playstyle. As things stand, it seems like gear stats and perks are tied too tightly to pre-defined templates or set bonuses, which discourages creative builds and leads to predictable meta choices.
My Question:
By beta or launch, will crafters be able to customize gear stats, perks, and set bonuses based on chosen materials to reflect their preferred playstyle?
Suggested Approach (Example for Illustration):
Imagine crafting a light armor piece using a modular material system:
Base Materials (define armor type)
- 20x Linen
- 10x Leather
- 2x Ore
- 1x Armor Mold
Stat Materials (define stat scaling)
- STR: 1x Giant Eye
- Pure Speed: 8x Giant Spider Legs
- DEX: 1x Lizard Tail
- Accuracy Debuff: 2x Dwarf or Elf Hands
- General Evasion: 3x Mosquito Blood
Using this system, I could tailor my armor stats to reflect my playstyle — for example, stacking DEX and evasion rather than defaulting to physical or magical defense. The idea here mirrors your current set bonuses, but gives crafters the agency to define the attributes themselves.
Bonus Structure Breakdown
- Armor Type Bonus: These remain consistent based on armor class (e.g., Light Armor bonus applies to all Light Armor).
- Secondary Bonus (e.g., “Finesse”): Currently, some bonuses (like Finesse: +18% DEX & WIS) aren't well aligned with specific roles. For instance, as a rogue, I don’t benefit from WIS, making half the perk redundant. It would be ideal if we could select these bonuses based on materials, tailoring them to suit intended builds.
- Set Name Bonuses: These feel especially restrictive. For example:
- Toren Set (Medium):
- 2-piece = +100 STR
- 3-piece = Bulwark (passive)
- Splidehemp Set:
- 2-piece = +100 DEX
If I prefer DEX over STR, I should be able to extract or replicate those bonuses in my crafted gear. This would allow crafters to mix and match bonuses across different armor sets, using rare materials tied to those effects. For instance:
- 2 pieces grant +100 STR (from one material type)
- 2 pieces grant +100 DEX (from another)
- 2 pieces grant +600 Crit Power (heavy set bonus)
- 2 pieces grant +600 Power
This would create a fully customized 8-piece set built entirely around my preferred stats and bonuses.
The Vision
This system wouldn't replace or devalue existing set crafting, but instead offer an advanced crafting path for dedicated players. Sets with pre-defined bonuses could still serve as easier or more accessible options, while this material-based system becomes an endgame customization layer, requiring more resources, planning, and effort.
Why This Matters
Without this kind of flexibility, the current system feels like it's funneling all players into the same builds, reinforcing a static meta. That’s exactly the kind of issue that can lead to stagnation and imbalance over time.
Crafters were promised the ability to "make the best gear" — and I believe that vision can only be fulfilled if crafting allows for deep customization and strategic choice.
Final Question
So, to clarify:
Is the team planning to support this kind of modular, material-driven customization system for crafting gear — one where crafters can shape stats, perks, and set bonuses based on their own choices?
0
Comments
Crafting dials for item stat customization, different mats giving different stats, etc
https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Crafting
I appreciate the details Mike Han and Steven Sharif shared about the crafting system — particularly the concepts of recipe XP, sub-recipe unlocks, and the influence of materials on crafting outcomes. The idea of leveling recipes like Nightblade to unlock new results, as well as discovering sub-recipes through vendors or world drops, is a strong foundation. I also understand from Steven’s comments that while materials will affect results, those results will still fall within a statically defined set of possibilities for each recipe type.
While this approach offers some variation and discovery, I believe there’s an opportunity to expand on it to give crafters even greater agency — without breaking the balance or vision they've outlined.
As it stands, gear stats, perks, and set bonuses appear tightly tied to predefined templates. This risks limiting creative builds and pushing players toward predictable meta choices. For crafters to truly “make the best gear,” they should have the ability to shape items to match their personal or intended playstyle — within balanced limits.
reference from the crafting wiki: https://prnt.sc/rvtQfUGeSn3m
I like games where gear does have some intrinsic property to it and you need to rely on the correct crafter to make it.
So even in Ashes where 'Armorsmithing' is all one thing (note that I don't like this), the implication is that some people will specialize in crafting specific things within that.
I wouldn't want those Crafters to then 'be able to make it out of nearly any material and get similar outcomes'. And this isn't even remotely because I want crafting to be simple. I just think that labels are important and a cool aspect of gaming concepts and lore in RPGs.
If we are going all the way to 'your materials determine what you get' in every case I'd rather have it work like Legend of Mana where the material directly determines the naming schema of the item and then the player can maybe 'patent' a name or something.
My IshePlatinum Daggers and my Obsidian Daggers have different properties, but only one of them can be called 'White Joker' (in my mind), because it wouldn't make sense to have 'White Joker' daggers made of Obsidian.