Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
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.
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.
Disgusted by the team already and I haven´t played the game yet.

I am disgusted to see the audacity to ask high amounts of money to play a test phase. It reeks like milking the product and clients to the max. Besides that, it takes ages to finish this game and there are already many customers like me who have pre-paid the game and they are completely neglected by this company.
Not a good sign!
Not a good sign!
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you are getting like 18+ months of game time basicly for the price to be fair like the guy above said
Lol, bye then!
If you bought the 110 dollar pack it would be 4,58 dollars per month if the game releases in exactly 2 years. The game is likely to take longer until release than 2 years, making it even cheaper to play pre-release than just 4,58 dollars. And remember you get one month of playtime at release that would be 15 dollars in that 110 dollar payment.
The reason for one time big payment instead of paying a small sub fee pre-release is because they want to avoid getting too many involved this early and they dont need people that hop in and hop out. They want people to know what they are getting themselves into that stick around.
Hope this clears things up for you.
Sure, I can choose to pay the pre release, but as you do not build anything and won´t keep your character, it ain´t interesting for me to pay for. Just saying that marketing should be more client friendly. If people have pre-paid already months/years ago, they should at least give them a glimpse of the game to keep them "warm".
But you almost certainly don't want to actually get in game right now.
It's mostly unpleasant, it's literally better to avoid developing the sort of negative sentiment that most people would build up by poking their heads into the current build.
This is a true Alpha, but not just an Alpha, a Development Alpha, so it isn't even one of those cases where 'the Devs already have a whole plan for walking players through different iterations' (honestly for an MMO 90% of time this would just go live as 'the release').
It's grueling, punishing, unbalanced and buggy. You'd be 'kept warm' only in the sense that sometimes it feels like everything is on fire.
was a good way to start...
least were not missing out on anything
but seriously, for the $250 pack, after 6month sub ($90), $100 in embers. The alpha 2 access and cosmetics cost a total of $60
ill take testing the game, for 12-24 months for less then $60 then blowing $60 bucks on drinking in a pub
Alright, you want a "proper" answer:
[proper answer]
You haven't "pre-paid the game". You've bought into a testing phase. A testing phase which is already a lot more enjoyable than lots of other MMOs out at the moment.
The high price tag is to gatekeep people that don't want to test, the people that think they're getting in a game already rather than a bug-fest that's being tidied up and will eventually become a game. The kind of people that make negative posts before they've even tried to understand what's happening.
Regarding the marketing, again it's already better than lots of others, even just due to the fact that they're showing us the content and the development process as they go.
You want a "glimpse of the game"? Watch the livestreams. They're every single month. Read the wiki and the ashes codex. Join a guild and watch them play via sharing their screen. Watch the streamers - there are way too many of those to even count. You can't claim that there's no "glimpse of the game".
The onus here is on you. They're not going to spoon-feed you. All the info you want is out there. If you want to be disgusted at anybody, then aim it at yourself.
[/proper answer]
Now, if you'd rather go back to my previous answer of "Lol, bye then!", feel free to.
1. If it was a high amount of money for you, you should not paid in. Not trying to be mean, but pre-ordering is a gamble. Don't gamble if you're going to be sad when you lose. Games have been 60 USD since the 90s. Asking 100 USD or more for a game that is good wouldn't bother me. I'd gladly pay 120 USD for a full release, feature rich game, like BG3 or KCD1/2, there needs to be more games like these that raise the bar.
2. Pre-sales funded asset creation. Each package that was sold gave the buyer access to the skins that were created for in-game assets. At no point was it required to fund the development, only enhance the game with more visual content. Artist don't work for free, even the starving ones.
3. This is an Alpha, not a pre-release, early access, or head start. Semantics aside, it's still early in development, and won't be release for another two years at the earliest.
4. How are you neglected? You pre-paid, and are in Alpha 2, go download the client and check it out. What more were you expecting? A red carpet, a handie jay from Steven?
I think they're doing testing wrong (but who cares what i think). I don't play-test. I'm not spending my time grinding away only to lose more time to bugs and incomplete systems. It's boring to test, it's more boring to play-test, but damn I'm glad so of you out there are doing it! (lol suckers)... jk, kinda...
Then... don't.
A test isn't for everyone. If it isn't for you, wait until the game releases.
However, whether you enjoy testing games or not is not something Intrepid could or should know about you. That is something you should know. Intrepid have offered testing to those of us that do enjoy it, assuming those that do not enjoy testing will simply wait until the game is live.
I don't get why you would be disgusted by a company offering a product that isn't for you. Though I can see how you would be upset if you weren't already aware that testing wasn't for you (though this is your fault, don't take it out on others).
I'm sorry - you have the wrong forum .... you need the Star Citizen forum....
Lmao!
This will fall on deaf ears, fanbois, will not listen to anything that goes against what they believe, note I said what they believe, and not what the actual facts are.
I don't post much as lost a lot of interest, just feel like this game is a bit of a scam in the way they milking money out of their fans, all those cosmetics etc, just a rip off of people who are desperate for a good MMO
Time will tell i guess, but this game has taken way way to long to get to the market, they think they will make more money from selling the stuff around the game than the game itself, definitely getting the feeling of DOA.
Right Hard hat in!
Ohh, such a great successful scam. It's even more successful when you see that they're spending way too much money on keeping servers up for 4-5days every week and, for some unknown reason, keep paying devs to develop the game.
I'd call this the most successful scam in the world! Ponzi? Pfft, amateur! Bitconeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeect? Child's play! Trump Coin? He wishes he was as smart as Steven's decision to dump his own money into a pithole that is making an mmo!
... ... ... you already say it yourself.
The Game is not even finished yet. So it is quite the Misunderstanding to think that People pay this Money solely and truly to "play" the Game,
instead of being allowed to offer themselves as voluntary Testers. It is not a Game yet, in a sense. It is still an unfinished Game in Development -> on it's way to become the cool Game that the People hope and wish for it to be,
in let's say earliest around May 2026 to May 2027.
Phase Three which begins around May 1st -> is told to last AT. LEAST. a full Year. So that brings us to May 2026 which i mentioned just a bit earlier.
But lets be honest here. There is always a few Problems here and there -> and Stuff is getting delayed. Nobody of the Developers wants to bring something on to these "Live-TESTING-Servers" - which causes more Problems than it is able to provide Content to be tested.
Of Course -> Ashes of Creation C.O.U.L.D. technically release right now.
Not good.
Hence, we must still wait ... ... ...
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Maybe i look after a Guild sometime soon
I agree with your sarcasm here.
The game won't be DoA, it will take 2 or 3 years to die.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Maybe i look after a Guild sometime soon
Check the date on the last Memes Thread post. If it's still recent, then we're ok!
I get why the price for testing access might seem high at first, but Intrepid’s approach actually makes a lot of sense when you consider their development model.
🔹 Why Alpha Access is Paid & Limited
Ashes of Creation is not funded by a publisher, meaning Intrepid relies on a sustainable development approach without compromising the game’s integrity (e.g., no pay-to-win, cash-grab monetization).
Paid access ensures that only committed testers join, rather than players looking for early access just to play. Testing phases aren’t meant to be a preview of the final game but rather a way to gather valuable feedback and refine mechanics.
Keeping the playerbase controlled helps maintain structured testing and server stability, allowing for focused improvements instead of stress caused by an uncontrolled influx of players.
🔹 Why Development Takes Time
Ashes of Creation is an ambitious MMORPG with a dynamic world, evolving nodes, and an economy shaped by player actions. Rushing development could lead to an unfinished or unpolished experience.
Many of the most successful MMOs took years to develop (WoW, FFXIV, Guild Wars 2), and Intrepid is taking the time to ensure the game meets expectations.
Intrepid has been transparent with their progress, frequently sharing updates through livestreams, Q&As, and Alpha testing feedback reports.
I understand frustration with long development cycles, but the reality is that making a high-quality MMORPG takes time. The alternative would be rushing the game to market unfinished, which would be an even bigger disappointment.
If you’ve already pre-paid, you still have full access to the game once it’s released without paying extra. If you’re interested in following progress, the team shares regular updates so you can see how things are coming along!
Ludullu's Answer slaps more
My Prediction -> the Forum might take up pace more again, after Phase Three drops. Either that, or Months after that.
Also Ashes will need a bit of Advertisement at the Beginning of Phase Three, i think. Now that deranged little Narc left since Months (lol) - i can see why not so many People seem to be much informed anymore. Damn they need to spread out of the People who still regularly bring out new Videos about Ashes.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Maybe i look after a Guild sometime soon