Melee weapons

Low-level shield, one-handed mace, and two-handed staff 3D renders from Alpha-2.

You can see by the quality of these types of weapons: these are relatively lower level. These are some of the earliest types of weapons and or gear that you can acquire within Ashes of Creation. – Steven Sharif

Melee weapons and abilities have a maximum range of effect.

• There are two melee weapon slots: One on each side of a character's belt.

List of melee weapons

• Axes
• Clubs
• Daggers
• Greatswords
• Hammers
• Lances
• Maces
• Polearms
• Spears
• Staves
• Swords

Melee skills

Some abilities require a specific weapon to be equipped.

• Melee weapons and abilities have a maximum range of effect.
• Melee archetypes will offer various mobility and CC counters against ranged archetypes, such as the Ranger.

Skill	Icon	Origin	Description
Battle Cry		Fighter	Unleash a resounding war bellow, applying the Riled effect to the caster and all nearby party members and Shaken to all nearby enemies. Gain 5 Combat Momentum for each target that was Riled. Riled targets have increased stability and have increased chance of tripping Shaken enemies.
Blade Twist		Greatsword	Adds Wound to Greatsword Combo finishers and Extended Finishers.
Blitz		Fighter	Charge directly toward target enemy, dealing Physical damage to the target on arrival.
Blood Fusion		Fighter	Return 100% of damage dealt as health and 50% of damage dealt as mana over the next 6 seconds. If activated while below 50% health, gain 25% increased damage mitigation and healing received over the duration.
Brutal Cleave		Fighter	Perform a wide sweeping attack, dealing damage to all enemies in front of you. This ability shares a cooldown with Overpower, and hitting an enemy with a weapon combo finisher reduces its cooldown by 8 seconds. +10-20 Combat Momentum (based on number of targets hit)
Burning Blade		Greatsword	Add Burning to Greatsword Combo finishers and Extended Finishers.
Castigation		Cleric	Lashes your target with holy energy whip, dealing direct damage and restoring health and mana to yourself over time.
Cataclysm		Fighter	Deal heavy damage and apply Shaken to all enemies in a large area in front you. Shaken enemies have a 5% chance to Trip when hit, and the effect is removed when triggered. This chance doubles when hit by Riled targets.
Climactic Whirlwind		Fighter	Perform a final swing in an area in front of you after ending Whirlwind's channel, dealing heavy damage and generating 5-10 Combat Momentum based on number of targets hit.
Crippling Blow		Fighter	Deal Physical damage and apply Snare to target enemy for 6 seconds.
Exert		Fighter	Consume your Combat Momentum rapidly, gaining 20% increased attack and movement speed and immunity to disabling effects while active. Must have at least 20 Combat Momentum to activate, and the effect ends when all Combat Momentum is fully depleted.
Extended Duration I		Greatsword	Extends the duration of the Second Strike and Perfect Timing proc effects by 2.5 seconds.
Extended Duration II		Greatsword	Extends the duration of the Second Strike and Perfect Timing proc effects by 2.5 seconds.
Extended Duration III		Greatsword	Extends the duration of the Second Strike and Perfect Timing proc effects by 2.5 seconds.
Extra Stacks I		Greatsword	Second Strike and Perfect Timing now stack up to 2 times.
Form Of Celerity		Fighter	While in this form, the caster receives +2% Movement Speed per 10 Combat Momentum, up to a maximum of +20%. Shifting form costs 20% of current Combat Momentum and triggers cooldown for all Combat Forms.
Form Of Ferocity		Fighter	While in this form, the caster receives +2% Attack Speed per 10 Combat Momentum, up to a maximum of +20%. Shifting form costs 20% of current Combat Momentum and triggers cooldown for all Combat Forms.
Form Of Fluidity		Fighter	While in this form, the caster receives +4% Disable Resistance Chance per 10 Combat Momentum, up to a maximum of +40%. Shifting form costs 20% of current Combat Momentum and triggers cooldown for all Combat Forms.
Greatsword Hit 3+		Greatsword	Weapon Combo Finisher. Greatsword Hit 3+ Unlocked. Has 25% chance to proc. Increased damage.
Greatsword Hit 3+: Extra Damage I		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 3+ by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 3+: Extra Damage II		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 3+ by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 3+: Extra Damage III		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 3+ by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4		Greatsword	Weapon Combo Extended Finisher. Greatsword Hit 4 Unlocked. Increased damage.
Greatsword Hit 4+		Greatsword	Weapon Combo Extended Finisher. Greatsword Hit 4+ Unlocked. 25% chance to proc. Increased damage.
Greatsword Hit 4+: Extra Damage I		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4+: Extra Damage II		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4+: Extra Damage III		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4: Extra Damage I		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4: Extra Damage II		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4: Extra Damage III		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword basic attack		Greatsword
Guard		Greatsword	Your abilities have a 30% chance to proc Guard. Guard: Your next weapon combo finisher grants 6 seconds of temporary health equal to 1-3% of your maximum health.
Healing Touch		Cleric	Heal target ally in melee range for a large amount of health.
Inciting Strikes		Tank	Slashes twice in a forward cone while adding additional threat.
Keen Edge		Greatsword	Your abilities have a 30% chance to proc Keen Edge. Keen Edge: Your next weapon combo finisher has +100% chance to critically hit.
Knock Out		Fighter	Knock out target enemy, putting them to sleep for 10 seconds. Any damage breaks the effect.
Leap Strike		Fighter	Leap to target location and deal damage around you, snaring targets hit for 3 seconds.
Lethal Blow		Fighter	Perform a powerful descending strike upon target enemy, dealing additional physical damage based on the amount of % missing health, up to 300% base damage.
Maim		Fighter	Perform a powerful melee strike in a short forward cone, dealing physical damage to all targets hit, plus 100% additional damage to recently tripped targets.
Perfect Timing		Greatsword	Adds the Perfect Timing proc to Greatsword Combo Finisher Procs & Extended Finisher Procs: Perfect Timing Reduces the Cooldown of the next ability you cast by 5 seconds.
Potency I		Greatsword	Second Strike - Increases the damage of the Second Strike Proc by 25%. Perfect Timing - Increases the cooldown reset by 1 second.
Potency III		Greatsword	Second Strike - Increases the damage of the Second Strike Proc by 25%. Perfect Timing - Increases the cooldown reset by 1 second.
Refreshing Followthrough		Greatsword	Your abilities have a 30% chance to proc Refreshing Followthrough. Refreshing Followthrough: Your next weapon combo finisher restores 3-5% of your maximum mana.
Rupture		Fighter	Deal physical damage and apply a debuff to the target. While the debuff is active, the target acquires 5 wound stacks per second that they are moving. After 5 seconds, the largest takes heavy damage, plus additional damage for each stack of wound it has.
Second Strike		Greatsword	Adds Second Strike proc to Greatsword Combo Finisher Procs & Extended Finisher Procs: Second Strike When you strike a target for physical damage with an ability, it gets struck again.
Shield Assault		Tank	Bashes the target with your shield, dealing damage and applying the shaken condition. If the target is already suffering from the shaken condition, stun the target instead.
Smite		Cleric	Smite your target, dealing instant damage and applying a stack of Burning to target enemy. Has no cast time and deals increased damage if activated within melee range of the target. This attack always critically hits on targets under the effect of Condemn.
Swordmaster: Consistent I		Greatsword	Adds Swordmaster: Swiftness - Increases effect duration by 0.5s. Swordmaster: Endurance - Increases minimum possible health restored by 0.5% Max HP.
Swordmaster: Consistent II		Greatsword	Adds Swordmaster: Swiftness - Increases effect duration by 0.5s. Swordmaster: Endurance - Increases minimum health restored by 0.5% Max HP.
Swordmaster: Endurance		Greatsword	Adds Swordmaster: Endurance proc to Greatsword Combo Finisher Procs & Extended Finisher Procs: 25% chance to recover 2-4% of your maximum health.
Swordmaster: Potential I		Greatsword	Adds Swordmaster: Swiftness - +5% Attack speed from effect. Swordmaster: Endurance - Increases maximum possible health restored by 1% Max HP.
Swordmaster: Proc Rate I		Greatsword	Increases all Swordmaster effect proc rates by 25%.
Swordmaster: Proc Rate II		Greatsword	Increases all Swordmaster effect proc rates by 25%.
Swordmaster: Proc Rate III		Greatsword	Increases all Swordmaster effect proc rates by 25%.
Swordmaster: Swiftness		Greatsword	Adds Swordmaster: Swiftness proc to Greatsword Combo Finisher Procs & Extended Finisher Procs: 25% chance to gain 25% attack speed for 1.5 seconds. Stack up to 2 times.
Tremoring Bellow		Tank	Releases a thundering shout in a forward cone, applying the staggered condition on enemy targets. Also stomps the ground dealing damage around the caster and tripping enemies affected by the snared condition.
Weapon Training: Deflection		Greatsword	Increases your Evasion by 0.5%.
Weapon Training: Followthrough		Greatsword	Increases your Mitigation Penetration by 0.5%.
Weapon Training: Power		Greatsword	Increases your Critical Damage by 0.5%.
Weapon Training: Precision		Greatsword	Increases your Accuracy by 0.5%.
Whirlwind		Fighter	Channeled Ability: Deal physical damage to all enemies around the caster with each spin while channeled, increasing the spin rate the longer it is channeled. The caster is immune to hard disabling effects while spinning. Activate the ability again to end channeling early.

Directional attacks

There will be directional attacks (back attacks, flanking attacks, frontal attacks) that deal additional damage depending on the positional context of the attack.

• Rogues will generally have more of these.

Cleaving

Weapon attack cone in Alpha-1.

As I attack I am hitting multiple numbers of these opponents; and that's important because all weapons, regardless of whether you are in reticle mode or tab-targeting mode will be able to have a action-based type weapon attack. Not active skill, but weapon attack. – Steven Sharif

All weapons have a forward attack cone, regardless of being in tab or action mode.

• The cone's arc and distance will vary based on weapon type.

Polearms for example will have a much wider arc and much further out. Daggers will have a more fine-tuned arc, so you have to be more precise in that regard. – Steven Sharif

This is described as a weapon attack not an active skill.

• It was previously stated that cleaving will be a class ability for some classes.

Mana

Resting and mana regeneration.

As you know, a classic MMO thing to do is to sit and rest as you get your resources back. – Steven Sharif

Mana is a universal resource/energy in Ashes of Creation that keeps corresponding stats for mana pool, consumption and regeneration relevant.

• All archetypes use mana to varying degrees.
  • Even pure melee players use mana to manipulate The Essence for their extraordinary abilities.
• There are various ways to mitigate mana consumption, such as gear and set bonuses, tattoos, enchantments, and specs.
  • Sitting increases mana regeneration while out of combat.

Mana management I think, not just for mage players but for really every class, is a relevant resource mechanic that they have to take into consideration when they're utilizing their rotations; and there are going to be abilities that will sap your mana faster than others; and they're going to be situational. Now, with that blanket statement of mana is always relevant, there is also going to be mechanics and/or class energies and abilities that you can spec into to help mitigate that. There's itemization that you can utilize from a set bonus perspective, or certain types of weapons and tattoos that you can acquire. There are certain enchantments that you can acquire that might reduce the cost of mana use, that might increase your amount of regeneration, that might increase your mana total pool. There are even specs that you can build towards if mana management is your issue. So we want to make it a compelling case that you need to think about mana use because you don't just want to go 100% all the time with no downside to that. That's a very boring type of interaction. – Steven Sharif

Gear slots

Alpha-2 Fighter character sheet UI.

We wanted to create something that would handle a couple of different roles, with obviously your equipment slots for what we call a "paper doll", which is that display of your character. Eventually it won't just be a image of your character, we hope to have the 3D character and be able to rotate around, look at what you're wearing. And then we wanted to support a couple of different features here, with some base stats; the equipment, which will show what equipment you have available to quick swap, so you don't have to have your inventory and the screen open; detailed stats for those people who want to get into all of the details; and then of course gear sets. So this is going to be able to swap to your sets of gear quickly; and being able to save different loadouts. – Colby Marchi

There are multiple gear slots in Ashes of Creation.

• 3 Back slots.
  • 1 Ranged slot.
  • 1 Cloak/cape slot.
  • 1 Backpack slot.

• 3 Belt slots.
  • 1 Mainhand slot equips a player's primary weapon.
  • 1 Offhand slot can equip shields, spell focuses, sigils, and dual weapons.
  • 1 Potion/Pouch/Scroll slot.

• 8 Armor slots.
  • 1 Helmet slot.
  • 1 Shoulder slot.
  • 1 Chest slot.
  • 1 Wrist slot.
  • 1 Glove slot.
  • 1 Waist slot.
  • 1 Leggings slot.
  • 1 Boot slot.
• 5 Jewelry slots.
  • 2 Accessory slots.
  • 1 Necklace slot.
  • 2 Ring slots.
• 3 Artisan gear slots.
• 1 Artisan tool slot is used to equip gathering tools.
• There may be a specific slot for musical instruments, but this has not been finalized yet.

• Previously it was stated there were 16 gear slots.

• Gear is not subject to inventory weight limits.

Gear appearance priority

Players can set the appearance priority for the items they wish to show in their Back and Belt slots.

• Only one item can show at a time, and that is determined by player choice.

• Some ranged or melee abilities require a specific weapon to be equipped. Weapons that are equipped in the character's ranged or offhand slots will automatically swap in and out as required by the skill.
  • Players may toggle back and forth between using their ranged and melee slot for basic weapon attacks.

• Weapons are able to be sheathed.

• Idle animations will be selectible by players in the character creator.

Visuals

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See also

• Bows
• Crossbows
• Orbs
• Potion launchers
• Siege weapons
• Spellbooks
• Wands
• Weapons