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.
Comments
We aren't "so far in" though.
At the point in development Ashes is right now, some MMO's aren't even announced to the public.
8+ years far but lets say 4 , river land been getting shown for years lol but lets just say 1 year a bit since phase 1 started yet it still terrible and suffers every problem there is, if they can put out zones once a month that look like a depressing flat assets of 1 same model tiny tree everywhere and same patches of weed in every other zone well they should focus on making the base of these zones actually good, other games did and you could see the magic on those from the start yet here we are with a fantasy lacking , magicless world that is supposed to be a high fantasy that been abandoned for thousands of years yet my backyard look like it have more fantasy and diversity to it than all the zones combined
And most likely, by that time, we'll have proper node growth, better mob interactions, proper resource spawn system, proper seasonal changes and effects, proper modules (story arcs), proper big events - all of which will be impacting the perceived fantasiness of the game.
The point in development is.
That is why I said "at this point in develpment".
Again, your complaints here are all about things that are normal parts of game development - they just usually happen before you are even aware the game is being made.
You have no business complaining about the development process, or even in comparing Ashes to other games you've seen in development until very late beta.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share such detailed feedback—this was a thoughtful and constructive read, and we really appreciate the effort you put into writing it (and your note about translation help was very kind!).
You touched on a lot of important points here—from biome variety and POI atmosphere, to visual consistency, scale, and the sense of fantasy across the world of Verra. Many of the areas you mentioned are still in active development or early implementation phases, and we fully agree that each biome should reflect its own identity, tone, and immersive feel. It’s a big part of what makes a fantasy world memorable, and it’s something the team is continuing to refine as we move forward.
The Jungle, Tropics, and even areas within the Forest are all still being iterated on—and your feedback about vegetation, node placement, landmark readability, creature design, and ambient storytelling is incredibly helpful as we continue shaping these spaces into something that feels rich, alive, and worthy of exploration.
We also hear your point about maintaining a balance between realism and fantasy. While some creatures may feel grounded today, we’re aiming to layer in more otherworldly, dangerous, and lore-rooted designs—many of which are still in development or not yet revealed.
We’re always listening, and we genuinely want feedback like this to continue. If you ever feel inspired again (even if it’s “a bit of a rant,” as you kindly put it!), don’t hesitate to share. Your perspective—and your passion—helps us build something better.
Thanks again for being part of the journey, and we look forward to seeing more of your thoughts as Verra continues to grow.
thank you
we can only hope
Exactly. Personally maybe it is the ("still"?) relatively early Stage of Alpha 2 -> and things like Weather Effects are still missing and so on,
but everything still looks and seems so ... ... "stiff", for me. The Tree's look partially weak and tiny but that is not really what bothers me -> it is more the fact that they do not really sway a little bit more in the wind.
Kae'lar Riverlands for example looks during Summer like a hot Summerday where the Air is "standing still". This is not really a Problem for me in the Winter -> because during Winter Trees have no Leaves and Trees standing more still in the Winter is only natural.
( Plus i would really like the Riverlands to have more Tree's in general. Not these wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide planes of grass into the wide Distance as if the Riverlands were intentionally cleared from Woodlands a few Times - especially around the Roads.
And if for Example the Jundark would have like "ONE - HUNDRED - METERS" tall Trees - which you need Ten Times the Time to chop them down -> and have to carefully watch out for the falling Tree or you get insta-killed (
Right now,
i see only the mighty, many Possibilities of this modern Engine Sir Steven's mighty Crew uses -> and i know they can easily make the Game not only look as good as in the monthly Representations of the last Years -> but also make the World so interactive that People will blindly love getting lost in the World of Verra.
AND tell Others how huge and wild (and dangerous) the Jundark and it's huge Trees could be -> or how beautiful and windy the Kae'lar Riverlands could be.
Right now,
i think the only thing i see " moving the most " in the Kae'lar Riverlands -> is the currents/streams of the Water of the Rivers itself -> due it's graphics placed on them,
but seriously if this would keep up -> if this would be the ONLY thing that keeps moving so immersively and fluid in the finished Game,
then this would be HORRIBLY sad and an also horribly huge, missed Opportunity there.
Imagine being careful not to slip/trip and die by a horrific Fall,
in the (hopefully) higher-up Mountains Regions -> where a single Gust of Wind could kill You,
imagine being careful in the Kae'lar Riverlands,
because the grass could grow HUGE and hide everything not taller than a Wolf from You, which could swarm You in packs,
imagine if You would CONSTANTLY need to watch out in the Jundark, if there could be a Player nearby who is alone or with several People chopping a Tree,
like -> (chopping gigantic Trees TOGETHER reduces the Chopping-Time, even if it forces People to share the Loot with each other if nobody is going to PvP the others for it),
and if You are not careful as a fellow Player nearby in the Jundark -> you might get CRUSHED by a falling Tree because some other Players just felled it.
Ohhhh
✓ 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".
World of warcraft Feralas--- this zone hit the nail on the head. Ashenvale as well but Feralas is the Jundark equivalent. Giant moss covered trees with swinging vines and stretched out branches.
Now the riverlands... ehh riverlands can get away with being kinda boring. Wide open fields and running rivers and some rocks/thickets. Pretty on brand.
They outdid themselves with the Desert! The ridges and foliage... perfection.
The tropics.... could also use some giant vine covered trees and maybe some nikua architecture... hutts and bridges.
the biggest problem is the diversity,lack of fantasy and the mobs , a majority of the mobs are tiny normal irl animals as for the biomes..well
riverland could it get away with being boring maybe but why do that when even just adding a few tree models would make it look a lot better , like tell me what would be better how it is now or if each node zone had their own type of tree and foliage with some of the other node stuff here and there , like imagine miraleth but most of its trees are braidwood with some of the neighboring nodes vegetation scattered in it here and there + more unique terrain there is a billion type of riverland and green places , that alone would make the node more unique and personal to the players.
for the desert as i said it had potential as its actually diverse in looks but bad in execution , just like the riverland they could of made certain terrain unique to certain nodes same with mobs ...etc
the tropics...i get this one can be hard since there is not much you can do but there is more than coconut trees in the tropics you know + here they could actually take advantage of the game being a high fantasy , create some big breathtaking fantasy tropics places that can be ashes thing.
the jungle...agree with what you said , i went to the jungle a couple days ago in the ptr ..it got better but despite looking a bit more like a jungle with a billion foliage and trees ..it felt hollow and souless , it might look more like a jungle but it never felt like it , there is a few big trees but too few of them they should make them bigger and put more of them , then they should populate the place with the medium sized trees with a few smaller ones instead of the opposite + add more diversity in the trees + the green ground texture dosent feel right i dont know why.
the anvils seem like its going to have the same problem as the riverland except they are not high enough too like they are supposed to be.
hell they changed the way mining work , they could go deeper , since each biome have unique type of minerals , they could make it so each node zone have a higher chance of getting a certain type of those biome unique minerals depending on what node zone they are in ...etc
the scale of this game terrain and character is so messed up , everything looks small or just is small , also my god there negative amount of fantasy in these biomes and the way they are built is boring af...i could go all day but it would be too much honestly
EXACTLY.
But why having only a few giant Trees when you can have a "few smaller ones" also nearby ?
Yes.
It is a Fantasy World.
The Potential to create the most awesome Landscapes of all Time is tremendous.
✓ 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".