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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So how many still excited?
Nemeses
Member
So we had a few Alphas now, with loads more info out there.
Taking how you felt, what 6 or 7 years ago, when this game was still in its infancy, how do you feel now about it?
For me, there’s a lot I don’t like anymore, but will leave that open.
I do think this game will end up with a very niche player base.
But more than happy to be proven wrong.
Taking how you felt, what 6 or 7 years ago, when this game was still in its infancy, how do you feel now about it?
For me, there’s a lot I don’t like anymore, but will leave that open.
I do think this game will end up with a very niche player base.
But more than happy to be proven wrong.
The Immortals
- We Lived a Thousand Lives, United we Stand.
- Recruitment
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Comments
I'm loving it, this game is awesome. I guess I'm the "niche player base". Are there aspects that I don't like, or think could be improved? For sure. But overall, the game meets my expectations.
I hated gathering at the start, thought it was boring. Now I see it as some quiet downtime to chat with guildies, help build nodes, possibly find some high rarities to store for later, and chill.
I love the combat system, and especially the player interaction over grind spots. PVX helps break up the monotony of hours of meat grinder combat. Sometimes other teams will come and try and take your tags, or try to train on you. Many times I do that to other teams, to try and kick them out and get a better farm for my team. It's alot of fun!
Same with boss farming. Sitting there for 20minutes waiting for a boss to spawn is lame, but CCing other teams and trying to mob train them and get them killed or before the boss spawns is alot of fun.
I thought caravans were boring and lame, but if I'm with a group we can chat and chill, possibly get some PVP in. If i am running solo, I can do some IRL chores like cooking/dishes, fold laundry, work out... Keeping the volume on in case I hear someone fighting. Actually pretty decent downtime in the game while still progressing.
So really, alot of the game aspects that i may have disliked at the start are now just different systems I can use when I am feeling like mixing up my content or have some other goals in mind. There is enough here that I havent been getting bored, and if one system is lacking at the moment, there is another I can join in and have fun.
Last weekend I was helping the guild get poop for their farm and gather mats for the node. Afterwards we went and boss farmed for a bit and got a bunch of good stuff for the guild. We battled a few other teams and got most of the boss kills! My char is already decently decked out so I am happy to help them get their stuff.
To me, getting max level and near bis isnt when the game ends, its when I can travel around the game and do lots of other activities than gear chase. I'm looking forward to more node related activities that can be good for a max level/geared character to do.
But again, I might just be a "niche" player.
We pretty much haven't seen the game at all at this point, because none of the deep systems are in the game yet and games are defined by those. We've heard endless promises related to those systems, but w/o seeing them AT LEAST IN PLACEHOLDER STAGE - it's really hard to say if the final version of the game will be something for me.
You know - "this" is why i was semi-begging between January to April or so -> to "Please LIE to me again",
like with the glorious Presentations from 2023 and so on. Like when everything looked so goddamn awesome, when the Freehold-Presentation came,
when the Winter/Hunter-Presentation came,
when the Game in the Presentations looked simply so goddamn-awesome -> that my absolute Mega-Copium-Hope is only -> that it WILL. LOOK. this great again, somewhere during Phase 3 or the Beta's - and Release,
i believed Sir Steven immediately when he said in the very early Months of this Year - that this is the worst State of the Game which we will ever see,
and i think it was before the Desert was completed - and before the monthly new Biomes and/or Naval Content was slowly starting to get patched into the Alpha 2.
There are " QUITE A FEW " awesome Games, which shortly -> ignited this only oh-too-cozy feeling inside of me, but they were all either Single Players or Multi-Players with only like Two to Four Players or something,
this feeling of " FINALLY " falling into a superbeautiful Fantasy-World again, where we can Quest, Explore, level our Characters : and have a very good time together.
And an MMO would be even better.
Because like Worst of Warcraft -> You can not "win" an MMO. It is never over. It is a Game which stays alive, especially for as long as the Community is still alive, in the Game.
And until now -> not a single Game could ever deliver this, for real. And Games like Heroes of Might and Magic were sadly no MMO's.
This here is an MMO.
This here is not turn-based.
This here will have Content on Land, plus on the Seas - and even below the Land in the Under(dark)ground of the World.
Especially the "START" of some Games, enchanted and fascinated me - back then.
" Silver ",
and/or "Dungeons(?) 2" or something,
when You enter these Fairytale-like Fantasy-Worlds and Area's suddenly - and You are in a cool World where You want to explore every nook and cranny - and want to master one or several Skilltree's - and simply have been a true Part of everything - before You one Day leave again.
I can't wait for Verra.
I can't wait for it's four different Seasons.
I can't wait for an ACTUAL WEATHER System. Storms, Fog, snowy Blizzards, desert-Sandstorms, etc.
People here in the Forum even told me about a FIFTH, magical Season. Ohh ? I am looking forward to it.
Node-Superpowers ? Node-Vassal System ?
Huge, epic Battles ? Wars between Cities ? City-Sieges ?
Hopefully,
gigantic World-Events as well.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
I am in the guildless Guild so to say, lol. But i won't give up. I will find my fitting Guild "one Day".
The game is going to be what it'll be. I think we have a little sway in it's direction, but not much. Come beta we'll know if we want to play or not. As it is right now (or rather Jan for me), I won't play. But systems are being worked on, and added, so most I'll do is check in at the start of each phase until beta. If mid beta it's still heading int he same direction I'll probably drop off until well after release and hope for a Realm Reborn moment. If the game doesn't attract enough causals it will just be a few sweaty massive groups following around streamers. No way to know now though.
Biggest issue they have is keeping the game secure. With a game that's so competitive people won't put up with RMT, bots, hacking, exploits ect. I won't play if I see bots run amuck like Aion or Eve or well just about most MMOs out there. Or RMT sites selling gold, items, materials, ect... In a PvE focused game, eh, whatever, in this one though i'd rather smash my balls in a waffle iron than play against cheaters.
With some of the revealed design intentions of other upcoming, potential competitor mmos, Ashes still has a wide open lane to be the game it's trying to be. Steven's been pretty lucky on that front.
There's still some big hurdles though. They either find a way to combat RMT or, yeah I dunno. People aren't going to stick around after the second time their caravan or node gets wiped by known RMT'ers who never get banned.
Still excited though. MMO's are still failing within months of coming out. Still wide open doors for someone to make a good one that could get traction, and actually lure in new players who want exciting, dynamic gameplay.
Maybe the make a world boss called Shol for us all to kill?
On the very last day! A whole-server-wide event! Stress-test the hell out of it, one last time!
@Vaknar - Make it happen!
Tune into this month's livestream for a look at what you can expect, and what our plans are going forward
I’ve been playing consistently since Phase 1, with its ups and downs. I still remember all the streams, promises, and visual effects that got me dreaming. To me, Intrepid was a passionate young team determined to build an MMORPG that blends the legacy of the genre with fresh ideas.
From my very first steps on Verra, I was drawn in by the world’s unique atmosphere. Of course, the game is still far from finished. Key features are missing: vassalization, node stages 4-5-6, the economic system, dual classes, a dynamic world, and more. As long as these core systems aren't implemented, it’s hard to form a final opinion. But I still genuinely enjoy logging in, exploring the updates, reporting bugs, and sharing suggestions. Simply put, I feel at home on Verra because it’s where I truly feel comfortable.
Right now, we’re testing an evolving project. Alpha 2 was fairly solid overall, but the experience on Shol was tough. For some reason, there seemed to be a disconnect between Intrepid and the players, and no one really knows why. Still, I remain philosophical about it: it was a temporary server, and if things had to break, better now than later.
Recently, I tried out Chrono Odyssey to compare. What I’m about to say is purely my personal feeling. I have to admit the character creation in Chrono is excellent, and the game seems more advanced in terms of features. But beyond that… even in its current state, Verra offers a more powerful atmosphere. The environments are already beautiful and provide a solid foundation that will only improve in the months to come.
As for gameplay, I found Chrono's combat to be messy and unclear, whereas Ashes offers something cleaner and more readable. The classes, their abilities, and the spell design already have a strong identity. Building your village, exploring open-world dungeons, losing loot upon death… It genuinely feels refreshing to rediscover these long-lost elements.
Yes, we’re going through a rough patch. Some mechanics don’t work as they used to, and it’s hard to understand where things are headed. But despite all that, I still enjoy logging in. I’ve put in over 1,500 hours since October… and after what I’ve seen recently, I’m more convinced than ever that Steven and his team will get there.
So yes, let’s give them some time, stay patient, and avoid jumping to conclusions while the game is still in development. I had my doubts too but now, I know this is where I want to be.
And if a Community Manager happens to read this, I just want to say: thank you. Thank you for continuing to bring Ashes of Creation to life with the passion and vision of Steven and his incredible team.
I really struggle to make my mind up with this game, I seem to slip to both sides of the fence on any given day.
My overall gut feeling is it will fail, but I'm desperately hoping it does not.
The comments here, really do add a positive spin.
So thanks!
This could be a massive issue this game from everything I've seen and heard, will not keep the causal player beyond the first month, maybe some will ;last 3 and that's it.
People that argue this point, just do not know MMO's, I've played this them since Ultima Online, and bar Conan, I've called them all in the last 2 decades spot on.
My gut tells me if they don't change the game to make it casual friendly, this game will fail.
It might be fun for the niche player, but even that, for how long, before not seeing others , or waiting hours for a group, will it seem fun?
I just want a fun to play MMO again, one that I can put 3 to 5 years into
When I talk about the lack of safe zones, I’m referring to things like destructible nodes, freeholds, and the risk of material loss. In most MMOs, the average player finds comfort in hoarding and building something permanent, but Ashes of Creation doesn’t allow for that kind of security.
So it makes me wonder: if everything feels temporary, like a sandcastle that can be wiped away at any moment, how will players find a sense of belonging or attachment in the world?
It’s hard for me to feel confident about AoC’s success when I start thinking about this.
Still keep up with a changes and improvement on regular basis.
I am still excited about it...
I used to watch every stream, write in the monthly feedback thread, chat in discord a bit and comment on some forum threads. I also used to stalk the LinkedIn to try and piece together new employments - it was pretty obsessive in hindsight lol.
Now though I probably just check in on a stream every few months if the topic sounds interesting, although the long format mostly discussion style streams of recent months has been less interesting for me and previous streams didn't catch me much either.
It's probably been a long ol' time since I posted here though I do lurk occasionally - and I don't provide feedback anymore.
It kind of feels like most of the things that need feedback can only really be provided by the testers now since we're not getting videos of new features where an -only viewer- can really provide as much, like in the earlier "new feature" streams.
--
Excitement - i'd say it's definitely dulled down a lot. I'm definitely not dooming over the game, but I definitely couldn't even predict when this game will hit Beta/release with the current release cadence. There's definitely a lot of content that is wanted for the testers to feel sated with gameplay experience as it is.
I believe p3 of Alpha 2 ought to have more content - but I believe the idea was that once the baseline tools etc. development are in place, we should see development ramp up. I don't know how that'll actually look in practice - but I wish Intrepid all the best and hope they do make a good game - but they are missing out on some easy wins and definitely make some bad testing/design choices. Such as:
1. The testing environment dying while the crafting issues existed.
2. Paid for costumes being locked to one of your active characters. If you can just unequip it and re-equip it between logon (is this only done in cities/accommodation you own) - if people have paid for a skin, do you really need to restrict it in that way? They'll never be logged on at the same time. I'm not sure this was always communicated or if I personally missed it.
3. Not allowing some testing cases where you could i.e. level up characters to facilitate testing certain elements quicker.
Again, wish them all the best but I hope they can minimise the L's and maximise the W's.