It almost doesn’t seem real, but Ashes of Creation Alpha Two is finally here. First announced in 2016 with a successful Kickstarter campaign, the new MMORPG is finally opening its doors to a wider audience as it begins an ongoing public test that is expected to run until 2025. The bad news is that you will have to pay if you want access, with keys costing $120. The good news is that you can take a look right now thanks to the latest developer update from Intrepid Studios.

The first wave of the much vaunted Ashes of Creation Alpha Two is ongoing, with testing conducted every weekend. If you want to register, you will need to purchase a key which, as mentioned, will cost you $120 and does not include access to the full version of the MMORPG at launch. Creative director Steven J Sharif is quick to remind potential buyers that access to the alpha should not be considered the same as purchasing a finished game.

If you’re waiting for now, but still want to get a taste of what the new Ashes of Creation the test has to offer, you’re in luck. Sharif sits down with design director Bill Trost, executive producer Bryan Langford, senior producer Jacob Beucler, and communications director Margaret Krohn to take a tour of where things stand in the game.

First, Intrepid wonders if it’s worried that the alpha and its open approach to development will spoil the game too much before its full launch. Sharif says the team has embraced this and adds: “What we’re trying to create is a set of tools with which players can create their own emergent experiences. It’s hard to mess them up, because they’re dynamic. These tools are something you’ll see more of as Alpha Two progresses.

“The most memorable experiences many of us have are the ones we ourselves created in the games we played in the past,” Sharif continues. “The essence of Ashes of Creation is this dynamism, it is the player-led agencies that create the world and story of each unique server. So there is an opportunity for players to be spoiled if they follow the game and are interested in these things. Of course, you can always choose not to watch, he notes.

Once that’s settled, the team jumps into the game – starting things off by literally jumping carefully to the top of a ruined building in search of some loot at the top. Playing the current iteration solo is “a little difficult,” Sharif notes, so those participating are encouraged to use the chat feature to find friends to play with. Community and factions, as he explains, are at the heart of everything in the nodes of Ashes of Creation and their citizen, religious, and social systems.

One aspect you’ll notice during these early stages is that player movements can seem somewhat jerky at times. This is something the team says they are aware of and are working to improve as Alpha Two continues. The game’s development took place over seven years, Sharif notes, including the move from Unreal Engine 4 to UE5, so it’s still a work in progress.

The area we see today is mostly large areas of hills and forests, but Sharif says we’ll see “many different biomes appearing in a very short period of time” during phases one and two of the alpha. The team also shows off its alignment with Embersprings, where you can set a location as your home base. If you’re playing Alpha Two, you’ll need to attune twice to make sure this is locked in, as it’s still a bit finicky at the moment.

Sharif says the intention of the first phase is to keep progression consistent throughout the weekend sessions, as the focus is currently on improving the game’s stability and performance. He notes that it is possible that a wipe will be necessary, although the team does not want to do one during this testing stage unless it is absolutely necessary. It also features HUD customization, which lets you quickly resize and drag each element exactly where you want it on screen, much like FF14’s free-form approach.

As things progress, we get a glimpse of player corruption in action. If a player attacks another and kills them without any response from their target, they will turn red, indicating that they are gaining corruption. As this number increases, the corrupted player’s skills will slowly decrease and they will suffer heavier penalties upon death. If you spy on a corrupted player causing trouble, tracking them down is a great opportunity to recover some gear.

The first phase of Ashes of Creation Alpha Two is now available. Keys to join are priced at $120 and are available until Friday, November 1st, but note that if you purchase one, you won’t have access until Friday, November 8th. You go find them via the official website.

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