I’ve put around 95 hours into Ashes of Creation and feel ready to give my honest feedback as someone who has been following this project since 2019.
First, the foundation of the game is okay. There is potential here. Some core ideas and systems are solid in concept.
However, none of them are ready for Early Access on Steam. What we are playing right now is not an alpha in the traditional sense — it feels much closer to a pre-alpha.
Anvil Zone (North) – Major Problems
Most of my playtime was spent in the Anvil zone, mainly because it has supposedly had ~5 months of development since being introduced in alpha. I expected rough edges — that’s fine.
What I didn’t expect was this level of incompleteness and inconsistency.
Honestly, I’m shocked. It feels like the people responsible for this zone either:
- don’t understand what systems are supposed to be here, or
- aren’t coordinating with the rest of the team at all.
The same systems that work in the south (gathering, crafting, hunting, basic progression) are either broken or missing in the north.
Professions & Hunting – Basically Broken
I spent 2 full days, around 4–5 hours per day, hunting wolves, hawks, ravens, etc. — exactly what you’re supposed to do in an alpha to test professions.
Results:
- Hunting reached level 12, mostly from rams
- In total loot:
- ~20 raven + hawk carcasses
- 3 wolf carcasses
That’s it.
Because of this, tanning is basically impossible to level in the north.
I understand difficulty tuning, drop rates, and “it’s alpha” arguments — but this isn’t tuning. This is poor zone management.
Content in the North – Almost Nonexistent
- There is one dynamic event, and it’s level 3
- No meaningful alternatives
- No real PvE loops
Meanwhile, in the south you at least have:
- basic dynamic quests
- repetitive, sure (kill same mob 50 times for 5 stages), but they exist
In the north?
- You hit mobs
- You maybe run caravans
- Maybe some PvP
- And that’s it
For a zone that’s supposedly been worked on for months, this is unacceptable.
South Zone – Overcrowded and Untestable
I didn’t spend much time in the south, mostly did a few caravan runs. It does seem more developed, but because everyone is forced into one zone, it becomes a mess:
- Balance is impossible to judge
- City storage often doesn’t open due to lag
- NPCs are sometimes untouchable because of body blocking
So even the “more developed” area can’t really be tested properly.
Biggest Issue: No Clear Roadmap or Project Transparency
After this experience, I tried to understand what the development team is actually doing:
- Looked for a roadmap
- Checked patch notes
- Watched updates
What I learned:
- There is no real roadmap
- No clear project management communication
Updates tend to show everything and nothing at the same time.
Whenever specific questions are asked (crafting, world design, social systems, etc.), the answers are always:
“We’re working on many complex systems.”
But:
- What is the crafting team focusing on right now?
- What is the world/zone team focusing on right now?
- What systems are blocked?
- What is considered complete vs placeholder?
There are no concrete answers.
Final Thoughts
Ashes of Creation has potential, but right now:
- This is not ready for Early Access
- The north zone is in an unacceptable state
- Core systems are inconsistent between regions
- And the lack of a clear roadmap and transparent project management is alarming
This project desperately needs:
- A real, clear roadmap
- Better zone ownership and accountability
- More honest communication about what is actually being worked on
I’m frustrated because I want this game to succeed — but pretending this is fine “because it’s alpha” is not helping anyone.
