Ashes of Creation: Alpha release dates, how to play & everything we know

Ashes of Creation is a highly-anticipated upcoming MMO that has leaned on a combination of private and community funding to deliver a concept that fans are excited about. Here’s everything you need to know about the game and its upcoming release schedule.

Set in the original fantasy world of Verra, Ashes of Creation has made some big claims about the tech going into the game. The unique selling point is the idea that the perpetual world will be informed by the players and their decisions, with major changes caused by their activities.

This was a concept that resonated with potential players when the game launched on Kickstarter in 2016, eventually raising over $3 million, considerably more than the $750,000 goal. By 2018, over 40,000 players had purchased access to the Alpha and Beta, which has risen significantly since.

Happily for those people, the time has finally come to jump into the game, with several Alpha periods set to go live.

Ashes of Creation Alpha release schedule

Intrepid Studios LLC

Alpha Two is next on the agenda for Ashes of Creation, with four separate launch dates divided into waves that depend on the size of the purchase made and the date at which players opted in.

• Those who purchased the appropriate Kickstarter/Pre-order package will be able to log in to the game as soon as testing launches on October 25.
• The Alpha Two First Wave Bundle grants access from November 8, continuing through all subsequent phases.
• The Alpha Two Second Wave Bundle grants access from December 20, continuing through all subsequent phases.
• The Alpha Two Third Wave Bundle grants access from May 1, 2025, continuing through all subsequent phases.

The three Wave Bundles are still available to purchase from the Ashes of Creation website for those looking to gain access.

Everything we know about Ashes of Creation

Intrepid Studios LLC

As with many fantasy MMOs, Ashes of Creation features Elves, Dwarves, Humans and Orcs, further divided into sub-species/factions, similar to the Mag’har Orc and Lightforged Draenei in World of Warcraft. In total, there are eight to choose between under those categories with a ninth, the Tulnar, acting as an amalgamation of several species of humanoid and animal.

In addition, the game features eight archetypes that function as a class system clearly rooted in the current iteration of Dungeons and Dragons. The full list of Archetypes is as follows:

• Bard
• Cleric
• Fighter
• Mage
• Ranger
• Rogue
• Summoner
• Tank

Much has been made of the progressive world that Ashes of Creation offers. In it, players will be able to influence how it develops, with cities springing up out of residential nodes, or damage left behind after cataclysmic events.

The community marketing lead for Intrepid Studios described the reactive world feature as “evolving based on player activity,” saying, “Ashes of Creation will be a living, breathing, reactive world. Your actions will shape the Zones of Influence, leveling Nodes to form massive Cities, and create the story of the world that everyone experiences.”

Character Customization

Intrepid Studios LLC

Ashes of Creation boasts a robust character creation system that allows players to be as imaginative or as realistic as possible with their characters.

AoC fans will be able to control a multitude of sliders and shaders that allow control over everything from chest size to strains of hair in your beard. In addition, the game has many races to choose from, including the much-loved Vek.

Featuring a mechanic called blending, players will be able to select from a couple of presets you have, take specific features, and add those to your character.

So, for example, if you wanted to create a family of NPCs that looked alike, you would be able to drag and drop certain features of the characters onto others to make them look similar.

Platforms

As of right now, Ashes of Creation will be released on PC only with no plans for Xbox or PlayStation integration. The way the game is designed is very comparable to traditional MMOs like World of Warcraft, rather than action-focused titles like New World or Throne and Liberty. As such, it is unlikely that the game will ever be console-compatible without major changes.

The development team continues to post monthly updates detailing new features and more general progress. There’s no news yet on when Ashes of Creation is set to enter beta, but with the Alpha set to continue beyond May 1 of next year, you may want to opt into that rather than wait.