Ashes of Creation Lionhold preview shows off the MMORPG’s opening area

It almost doesn’t feel real after so long waiting, but Ashes of Creation Alpha 2 is just one month away from starting. With FF14 Dawntrail, WoW The War Within, and now the launch of new Amazon MMORPG Throne and LIberty upon us, 2024 has been a busy year for fans of massively multiplayer games. As the ambitious Ashes of Creation from Intrepid Studios plans to bring more players into the testing fold, a new developer video gives us a look at the earliest hours of our time in Verra.

Ashes of Creation Alpha 2 is set to kick off with its first phase of testing on Friday October 25. The extensive test period will bring players gradually into Verra, with 24/7 server access only rolling out in May 2025, and you’ll have to buy in if you want to try the new MMORPG during this alpha period. Fortunately, if you’re someone who’d rather wait and see, Intrepid Studios is continuing its policy of “open and transparent development” with this latest extensive glimpse of the very beginning areas that testers will get to see when they jump into Ashes of Creation for the first time.

The focus here is the early Lionhold region – players arrive back in Verra through a giant portal in the Ruins of Aela, where they’ll meet up with a Gatewatcher. As returning settlers from Sanctus, you’ll be part of the process of repopulating the land of Verra, and that begins with claiming your Gateway Medallion – essentially your mark of legal entry – and starting the journey to Lionhold.

The team notes that the Aelan ruins will eventually offer more “as a place that players can return to, explore, and delve deeper into some of the crypts and dungeons that lay beneath the Aelan capital.” Stepping out of the ruins for now, however, the most immediately striking thing is the sight of the giant, dead Heartwood in the distance. The team also deals with its first optional quest, which is to deal with (by force) a pack of ‘sickly goblins’ that are posing a problem for the gateway fortress.

Upon first entering Verra, you’re probably going to be looking to make your way out of the portal ruins and down into the Lionhold base camp. That isn’t your only option, however; you could instead head in another direction and make your way to Samia’s Hope. “Players will have a choice as to which way they want to go off the bat.” The party also stops off at a stone masonry bench, where we get the briefest hint of some early crafting systems.

Arriving in Lionhold, our adventurers seek out a Kaelar official to report in. We get to see a commission board, where you can grab a selection of quick-hit quests that can be completed out in the field, which the team says is ideal if you’re looking to snag a few rewards in a short play session. There’s also a vendor for selling spare materials or buying basic gear and rations, as well as storage in town to keep excess loot until you’re able to upgrade your bags.

I can’t help but be somewhat mesmerized by Ashes of Creation’s ongoing development – seeing it begin to more dramatically take shape almost a decade since it was first unveiled in 2016 is certainly compelling. The early quest structure seems fairly basic so far, but the environments are stunning and this preview has left me curious to see what comes next. If you’re eager for more high-octane action, you can check out a 40-player Ashes of Creation raid boss fight.

Ashes of Creation Alpha 2 begins with phase one testing on Friday October 25. Taking part requires the purchase of a first wave key, priced at $120. Creative director Steven J Sharif says potential players should not consider this akin to buying a finished product, with lots of bugs and in-development assets expected, and clarifies that buying a key only gives you access to the Alpha 2 process, and not to the final game upon release.

If you’d rather watch from a distance for now, there are lots more of the best multiplayer games to dive into right away, along with the best new MMOs on PC in 2024.

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