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.
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Movement and personalization
Letmein
Member, Alpha Two
1. Personally i feel like mounted movement feels like ass because of the sidestep. If you could make it so Shift+a/d lets you sidestep and then normal a/d will let you run sideways would feel really nice.
2. How fucking awesome would it be to jump directly on your mount when calling it.
Press "call mount" --> Mount appears --> Start mounting animation in same frame as mount shows up. It would feel so fantasy like to see your character whisteling for a mount that magically appears and then grab the side and drag yourself on in the same frame, with instant forward momentum.
(You could hold Shift or Ctrl to counteract the action, or make it a keybind to jump directly on it.
A - If direct mount, it should spawn on your person. B - If only call mount, it should spawn like it does now, next to you)
People would start using it as an escape in combat and it would be amazing
3. I am a big advocate for being able to personalize your settings and keybinds as much as possible. For example ; free movement can get bothersome, but if you let players have a setting that allows free movement to be activated when holding down either RMB or LMB (LMB would actually be absolutly perfect for this!) would be really cool. Also, to allow players to double bind different keybinds. I cant think of an example right now but i know i have thought of one.
2. How fucking awesome would it be to jump directly on your mount when calling it.
Press "call mount" --> Mount appears --> Start mounting animation in same frame as mount shows up. It would feel so fantasy like to see your character whisteling for a mount that magically appears and then grab the side and drag yourself on in the same frame, with instant forward momentum.
(You could hold Shift or Ctrl to counteract the action, or make it a keybind to jump directly on it.
A - If direct mount, it should spawn on your person. B - If only call mount, it should spawn like it does now, next to you)
People would start using it as an escape in combat and it would be amazing
3. I am a big advocate for being able to personalize your settings and keybinds as much as possible. For example ; free movement can get bothersome, but if you let players have a setting that allows free movement to be activated when holding down either RMB or LMB (LMB would actually be absolutly perfect for this!) would be really cool. Also, to allow players to double bind different keybinds. I cant think of an example right now but i know i have thought of one.
3
Comments
That said, I wouldn't support automatic mounting the moment the summon key is pressed. The current system, where you have to choose to mount after summoning, actually adds meaningful decision-making. It prevents players from just hitting and running for fun, and encourages commitment, if you're going to fight, fight; if you're going to run, take the time to do it.
It’s a small delay, but it adds weight to the choice. So while smoother animations are welcome, instant mounting could hurt PvP balance and immersion.
PD: Remember that we are in Alpha
---> mounting in the finished state of the game) and make it so you have to hold shift to insta-mount.
This makes it a lot harder to abuse.
But here's the issue: even with a slight delay, tying instant mount to something like holding Shift still creates a tool for reactionary escapes that can bypass the intended risk-reward flow. In PvP, especially in group fights or gank situations, a split-second mount window, triggered on reflex, can undo the effort of a well-coordinated ambush or CC.
Ashes is building a world where commitment matters, whether it’s entering combat, fleeing, or even mounting. That extra manual step is small, but it adds friction that forces a player to own their decision. If you want to flee, you take the risk. That tension is important.
I’d love to see smoother animations and mount call aesthetics improved (like your fantasy-style leap onto the saddle!), but I still believe that keeping the two-step process preserves tactical depth, especially in PvP.
Appreciate the conversation though, good feedback helps the devs consider all angles!