Jundark Showcase, The Anvils Sneak Peek, and Major Loot Overhaul | Ashes of Creation April Development Livestream Summary
With the introduction of the Mega Server, Intrepid is introducing many new changes like Cleric Skill Ranks, Hunting Rework, and more!
With today’s launch of the merge server Resna (US East), as well as tomorrow’s launch of the single Mega Server Shol (US East), Creative Director Steven Sharif & Director of Communications Margaret Krohn went into detail regarding what new & returning players can expect in the coming months. Let’s take a look.
Also, don’t forget to get your recording software ready for the May 1st Mega Server Launch to be featured in the next Top Ashes Moments episode! With EU and NA battling it out on a fresh server for the first time, we can’t wait to see some insane moments, crazy outplays, and hilarious trolls! From Discord Drama to Guild v Guild battles, submit your moments to the Ashes Moments Official Website and make your mark!
Dynamic Gridding Soon™
Server improvements have been a hot topic recently, so Steven shared with the stream that Dynamic Gridding work is progressing well.
The current plan is that by the end of June and beginning of July, they will begin introducing Dynamic Gridding in either Alpha 2 Live PTR, ahead of the Phase 3 release in August. This will hopefully have some server performance improvements, and fix some of the render distance issues that have been plaguing large open-world battles.
Keep in mind, this is just the beginning of the testing on live servers, and will undergo many rounds of iteration before it can progress from PTR servers to Live Alpha 2 Servers, so be sure to provide your feedback once you get your hands on it.
Where’s the Loot?
Ashes of Creation has always said they were a crafter-first economy, where the artisanship pipeline being pivotal in all other vectors across the game economy. This was stifled due to the lack of functioning quests, events, and other areas in which players could gather the necessary resources to craft. After several months, these gaps have been filled in, so the bandaids put in are being removed to increase players reliance on crafting. This includes:
Reducing vendor inventory
Removing many craftable items from vendor tables (enchanting scrolls, etc.)
Reduced Full Gear Drops from Enemies
Humanoid creatures were the main choice for hardcore players to farm due to the high chance of dropping equippable loot, with othe creature types dropping artisanship materials being way less contested
Reduced crafted gear loot chance while increasing the reliance on artisanship materials
Increasing the quantity of ingredients for recipes
Gathering & processing will result in higher material yields, while crafting recipes will also require larger amounts of materials
Static Rarity Gatherables Removed
As part of the previously mentioned Gathering changes, Gatherables will no longer respawn with the same rarity as previously gathered in-between server restarts
Reduced Glint Drops
As part of the economy adjustments, Glint drops have been reduced across the board, especially at the higher levels
These changes will all be included on May 1st in the new Mega Server SHOL (US East), so players will get to experience how these changes alter gameplay immediately.
Be sure to share your feedback on the official Ashes of Creation Discord and let your thoughts be heard!
Turquoise Sea Preview
The Turquoise Sea Biome has been expanded drastically, with the introduction of more pocket dungeons, Intrepid have teased more features upcoming as well as a small preview video below.
Steven also mentioned some testing on Sea Fishing and larger ships that may be added in the coming months, so all you sailors get ready to hoist your sails!
The Anvils Sneak Peek
Steven discussed some lore details regarding the upcoming Anvils Biome, home of the Dünir Dwarves including:
Hidden forges within the mountains - dubbed The Unyielding Machines
Introduction of a new Starting Area ahead of the August 4th Phase 3 release
Hidden tunnels and paths throughout the mountains
Will launch with nodes already in the biome - a fully fledged starting area similar to The Riverlands
As a result, it will take longer to reveal in a testable state, slated for July in PTR
Jundark Showcase + Q&A Segment
Steven and Crew jumped onto the Resna (US East) Realm and did some exploration in the recent Jundark biome. bThey also took this time to answer some questions from viewers.
Introduction of Nodes in the Jundark near the end of May
Environment Artists will be adding more canopy trees and hanging vines to the surrounding area
Make it much darker overall
Upgrade to Unreal 5.5 was the worst upgrade in terms of issues so far
Guild Storage will come online before Phase 3
Hunting Rework is being tested internally and will release in the next couple of releases
Points of Interests will come online later
Open World events will be added that introduce choose-your-faction alignment-based events
Additional weapon types (two-handed axe) will be added in the next few releases
Updating Skill Trees with ranks for active abilities - first is Cleric
Before Phase 3
All Archetypes will get this upgrade
Archetype skill tree overhaul will occur after Summoner gets delivered
Plans to increase the skill cap over the next several months
Points of Interest to be added to Biomes in order of release
Level 4 Nodes & Vassalship work is ongoing but no timeline as of yet
Check out the Jundark Showcase as well as the full Development Livestream VoD over at the Ashes of Creation Official Youtube channel for more information!
That’s all for this month’s update. Make sure to check out the official Ashes of Creation Discord, as well as subscribe to the Ashes Moments Official Newsletter to stay updated on all things Ashes of Creation.
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