Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
It worth buying the game right now?
Birthday
Member
Hey, I've got a question! Is it worth buying into Alpha 2? Asking Alpha 1 players.
I really like being part of a small tight knit community and I don't mind buggy gameplay. I mainly have fun by experiencing the MMO -side of the MMORPGs. Things like talking random ingame or noningame related stuff in world chat with other people, meeting players randomly in the world and grouping up to do hard quests & dungeons. Thats what I love best.
The RPG side for me is fun but not as fun as interacting with people.
I really like being part of a small tight knit community and I don't mind buggy gameplay. I mainly have fun by experiencing the MMO -side of the MMORPGs. Things like talking random ingame or noningame related stuff in world chat with other people, meeting players randomly in the world and grouping up to do hard quests & dungeons. Thats what I love best.
The RPG side for me is fun but not as fun as interacting with people.
0
Comments
There is no exact date for when testing will next happen, beyond Steven saying last livestream that "we'll begin internal testing late this year/early next year and begin rolling it out to PI and other testers after.", and that's a Steven estimate which shouldn't be trusted.
I am trying to decide if I want to buy into Alpha 2 whenever it comes regardless.
Thats why i created this thread.
If it is primarily a money issue, buy when you can afford it if you care less about the cosmetics. You can also buy the $75 pack now and upgrade to A2 in steps to the $150 and then $250 later, when you can afford it. Assuming you aren't good at saving up.
The current goblin pet is pretty cool I think, so if you like it, you can start forking over the $150. If you also want the pegasus skin you need to go to $250 though. Once you have a pack you can buy future tier cosmetics up to what the pack allows. This is both good and bad depending on how good you are at resisting temptation and how cool the skins are.
Ah, this is a slightly different question.
In Alpha-1, because of a decent core understanding of their barebones systems and the type of thing they needed to test, it was quite good, but I say that it won't be good for someone who doesn't enjoy testing for very long.
If you are part of a social group or intend to join one in Alpha-2, it is also good. If you tend to be available during what 'normally' would be considered work hours, even more likely to be a good idea (since we can't be sure about Alpha-2's consistency).
If you're the sort of personality who enjoys 'starting over and doing the same things again but slightly differently to see how they work out', then absolutely go ahead. There's lots of dynamism within Ashes to explore and check, and because of the testing parameters, there will almost certainly be some periods where they speed up certain types of thing, so that you can get some good experiences with 'having an effect' (for example, I doubt they would make 'getting a Freehold or house' take 2 months during Alpha-2 even if it would take that long when live).
If you're the opposite, the type who 'likes to feel their progression means something' or aren't very driven to do ridiculous or risky things, then it might still work out, but it would be much less likely to be a particularly effective use of your money, especially if you often enjoy other gaming or already have an MMO you play.
I don't personally think everyone needs to go into Alpha-2 with a 'testing mindset', since 'just trying to play the game normally' is a type of tester that is also required. As long as you don't get frustrated with 'restarts' and aren't particularly sensitive/salty about imperfect balance, I'd suggest getting it.
A) your a content creator.
C) you hate money. Alpha key is 16 months of gametime(EDIT: cost equivalent), it will only come with 9.
D) you hate money, but you want the cosmetic items and the name reservation.
Therefore, if you wait, you run some risk that it will fill up and you won't be able to get in. We have no idea if it is 'almost full' or has tens of thousands of spots left, so we cannot quantify this risk.
As long as you understand that there is no live public testing phase at the moment. If you want to support the project, then you could purchase a pre-order pack. Though, it isn't necessary to enjoy watching the development process!
If you're wanting to test the game during Alpha Two, and you understand that there is no announced release date for Alpha Two, then your decision can be an informed one
No, only after release.
This is the other reason. If you enjoy testing at all, then it's technically financially a fairly good deal if you believe that Alpha-2 will persist for a long time.
You'd be getting at least the equivalent of that. Particularly if you're the sort of person who normally likes to play a lot of alts and explore different paths, and like 'the feeling of everyone being put back on even footing when you are doing that'.
In some ways, it could be a 'superior' experience to even regular MMO play if you're the 'try out new characters and new stories' sort of player.
Many MMOs get stagnant or enter their 'make things easymode to retain players' phase within just a few months, lately. Alpha-2, buggy as it may be, would be a chance to play Ashes for a potentially long time without either of those things happening.
If you're the sort who likes 'refreshing yourself by trying something new' often, an Alpha-2 key could, in the most extreme case, be the most 'value for money' you could even get.
I like the idea of playing Alpha and trying out many alts. Hopefully we'll have a lot of classes. I'd actually like this Alpha chance to get a feel on as many classes as possible in order to find the one I have most fun with.
Dollar for dollar, its currently one of the worst deals Ive ever made. But I didnt need the money I spend, I liked the flavor of the project and that decided it for me. However, I do feel like I have to create some (legit?) hype.
I could have bought alpha1 at that time, but didnt, and I have kicked my shin s few times over the feeling of missing out - Have to ask yourself if you need the money it cost, if you have the patience to wait for launch..
But not least, if you want to take the risk there inevitable will be when we talk limited seats. We dont know if alpha2 will blow up and all the vouchers will be gone over night.
IF you want to be 100 % sure to get acces to alpha2, then you kinda have to buy in. The sooner the better. But only do it if you actually know what it means that a game is in alphastage.
And only buy it with your heart. Not with your brain. Only do it if you love it and want to support the project, dont do it because you think youl get a polished product.