PvP Tournaments, Hacker Ban Wave, and Mob Training Allowed? | Ashes Moments Weekly Newsletter
We're back with some spicy drama, big reveals, and major news, so grab a drink and enjoy!
State of Alpha 2.5
With the Mega Realm Shol well underway, there has been many discussions and updates to the game in just a few short weeks. From Tropics expansion, to additional crafting recipes, players are more incentivized than ever to spread across the growing western continent in their travels.
However, there has a lot of grumblings about the difficulty in leveling nodes in the lesser developed biomes such as the Sandsquall Desert and Jundark Jungle, resulting in the some major Points-of-Interest (PoIs) being locked and inaccessible (at least, without breaking ToS), severely limiting the player draw that these Nodes so desperately need.
Discord Discussions
Don’t have time to go through the Official Ashes of Creation Discord for important tidbits, leaks, discussions, and more? We got you covered. Scroll down to see Intrepid’s view on mob training, upcoming fixes to corruption baiting, and a ban wave on some of the most rampant hackers.
To Mob Train, or Not To Mob Train
Mob training has been a hot topic since the beginning of Alpha 2, with players alleging that it is a bannable offense, while others saying it’s just part of the game. This was furthered by earlier mentions that future mob mechanics will be introduced to mitigate the effectiveness of this practice in upcoming patches.
Streamer DustyWhy had one run-in with some mob trainers that was noticed by Intrepid GM Aldric, who had some choice words to say about the practice.
“If people are training mobs, please use our support portal to submit videos of this activity. Thank you for your patience as we work through these issues.”
In the meantime, we ask that you do not participate in this activity yourself.”
While this seems like a fairly cut-and-dry declaration that mob training is not permissible within Ashes of Creation, Creative Director Steven Sharif responded to members in the official Discord with some additional information.
This was further elaborated on in another comment a few minutes later.
Steven’s comments surrounding mob training have reignited the topic, providing equal parts clarity, as well as confusion. Players continue to report mob trainers, while mob trainers continue to suggest that it’s a valid playstyle. The community is seemingly split on this topic, and considering corruption is still overtuned, there isn’t much players can do other than wait for mob aggro mechanics to be reworked.
Hackers/RMTers Dealt Justice
With a recent push of an update to the Intrepid Studios Anti-Cheat, 28 hackers, 8 RMTers, and 16 botter accounts were dealt with.
This is part of the iterative updates to both Shol’s Eye and the Easy Anti-Cheat that Intrepid Studios is utilizing to help ensure the integrity of the Alpha.
Those accounts that have been found to be banned due to breaking ToS in such a way will not be offered refunds. This is counter to the popular 90-day no-questions-asked refund policy that Intrepid Studios has been following since it’s inception.
While many players have had allegations thrown at them for RMTing or cheating, and have a strong desire to have a public notice list deployed by Intrepid Studios for any confirmed to have broken the ToS in such a way, the risks to this are too high, according to Steven Sharif.
Corruption Baiting Getting Burnt
Players have begun using low-level mounts to bait players in consensual PvP fights to go corrupt. With multiple people claiming the opposing side did it first, which is then used to justify themselves doing it, PvP rhetoric has become infinitely circular and resulted in players more worried about a level 0 horse than a fully geared stealthed Rogue.
Steven Sharif hopped on Discord and reminded players that corruption baiting and accidental corruption is not intended, and his team is actively working on a fix for this problematic state-of-affairs.
Minor Mage Changes
For much of the early Alpha 2, Mages were considered the best DPS, some alluding it’s due to Steven’s own preference for the Mage class. As other archetypes were introduced and TTK changes added, as well as updates to popular gearsets, Mage players have started to feel a little left out.
Steven commented on this, noting that no major Mage rework will be done until after Summoner’s release, but some minor changes are being done concurrently with Summoner development that may see the light of day soon enough.
Patch Highlights
Battle of the Tournaments
Who could have guessed that running an 8v8 Community Tournament would itself be used as a way of PvP? Well…probably a few people.
There are currently two 8v8 Tournaments planned over the coming weeks. The first tournament, already claiming the title of “Server First 8v8 Tournament” is hosted by AURA, formerly Barcode. With their role in the Community Shol Discord, this tournament is sure to be popular amongst the active playerbase.
There’s no entrance fee to join, and tournament will go on for several weeks. The only matches that will be livestreamed will be the Grand Finals, sometime in July, and they are currently awaiting word from Intrepid in regards to possible rewards for the winners.
The second tournament will be hosted by seasoned Ashes of Creation tournament organizers POLAR, who have a proven track record of successfully conducting exciting and well-run Ashes of Creation Tournaments. In addition, they have the benefit of live casting from some familiar faces, like Crix, Lloyd, Dusty & more.
This tournament does have an entrance fee, but considering the prizes as well as the exposure, that may be a small price to pay for some. Check out the link below to see some highlights from their previous tournament.
Summoner Leaks
Creative Director Steven Sharif took to Discord to share some concept art from the upcoming Summoner class.
With defensive, offensive, and supportive Summon types being shared, it gives even more credence to the idea that Ashes will be following the Lineage 2 Summoner Archetype gameplay, where players can choose which type of Summoner they wish to delve deeper into.
Make sure to subscribe below for some more Summoner leaks as we get closer to the official reveal this summer!
Featured Content Creators
Need a refresher on Mage Gearing with the new changes in 2.5? Look no further than CrixVibez, with everything you need to be an effective Mage!
For a more general overview for the beginners out there, check out SavvoGames Ultimate Beginners Guide, with all the basic needs to get started on your adventure in the world of Verra.
And finally, for those interested in hearing some criticisms of the current state of the Alpha 2 from an experienced and knowledgeable source, Ritche SH gives his perspective on what he feels is one of the major problems currently facing Ashes of Creation.
That’s it for this edition of the Ashes Moments Weekly Newsletter. Keep an eye out next week for a new episode of Top Ashes Moments, and subscribe to keep updated on guides, leaks, and more!
I’m your Host Ily, take it easy.