Guide to Alpha Two Phase III
general
Glorious Ashes of Creation, adventurer! The wait is over! Alpha Two Phase III is officially live today, August 26, 2025! We are thrilled to bring you this guide, packed with all the details on the latest updates, new features, and refreshed content ready for testing.
This phase is not under NDA, which means testers can stream and share their gameplay. We strongly encourage you to broadcast your adventures, post your experiences, and make use of the in-game /bug command so our team can gather your feedback, address issues, and continue shaping Verra into the best version it can be.
If you do not have Alpha Two access yet, and you would like to join our development journey, our current shop bundle grants immediate entry to testing, plus access to all future testing phases. Be sure to keep an eye on our social media channels for upcoming giveaway opportunities!
Important Testing Information
24/7 Testing Schedule
Alpha Two Phase III kicks off with 24/7 testing! While there will still be brief periods of scheduled downtime for maintenance, this expanded uptime provides testers with even greater opportunities to engage and contribute.
Fresh Start
All testers will need to create new characters and have the chance to explore a completely new starting zone along with a revamped first-time user experience (FTUE).
Alpha Two Realm List
We are launching Phase III with two realms - Shol (US East) and Lotharia (EU West). We are not region locking, so testers are welcome to play on any realm to join their friends.
(Please note, we may adjust the total number of realms during this testing period as needed.)
PTR
The Private Test Realm (PTR) will come online as needed to test additional features prior to the content being released on the Alpha Two realms. Note that the PTR will continue to have a visual NDA, meaning sharing of visual content (pictures, videos, streaming, etc.) is prohibited!
New & Updated Content - The Highlights
With the launch of Alpha Two Phase III, we’re introducing a wide array of exciting content! Read on for an overview of what’s new and enhanced for this phase of testing.
Starting Zone Selection & FTUE
Testers now have the option to choose between two distinct starting locations when creating a new character: the Ruins of Aela and the newly introduced Anvils region.
Each starting zone offers a tailored first-time user experience (FTUE), including a brief introductory tutorial designed to familiarize testers with key gameplay systems, content features, and the overall intended experience of the world.
The Map Grows
The world of Verra has expanded considerably since the launch of Alpha Two in October 2024, and its horizons will continue to grow throughout the Phase III testing period. Expect new points of interest, diverse biomes, and rich environments to explore as development progresses.
Below, you’ll find a preview of the latest areas available to traverse and test - each offering unique challenges, resources, and opportunities for adventure.
Anvils - A New Adventure Awaits
Explore the Anvils, a breathtaking mountainous region and proud homeland of the Dünir. This new zone debuts with a wealth of fresh content, including immersive quests, dynamic events, and challenging pocket dungeons.
For an in-depth look at this captivating area and all it has to offer, we invite you to read our recent article, where we deep dive into its environments, lore, and gameplay opportunities.
New Races Join the Fight
Two new races venture to Verra: the Py’Rai and the Niküa. In future updates, we will also welcome the Ren’Kai and the Tulnar to the world.
For additional lore and background on these races, explore our dedicated article detailing the heritages, culture, and gameplay impact of the Py'Rai, Niküa, and Ren’Kai.
Dynamic Gridding
We are extremely proud to debut our brand new Dynamic Gridding technology, which is a WORLD FIRST! Designed to enhance the overall MMO experience, this system adjusts server workers on a single realm based on player activity. This enables higher population capacity on a realm and smoother gameplay performance for all.
Dynamic Gridding will be actively tested during Phase III. We encourage you to share your feedback on our official forums so we can further refine and optimize this system.
Towns - Level 4 Progression of Settlements
Big changes to the node system have been made, especially as they reach the Town stage (stage 4) and beyond. Firstly, we have renamed Nodes to Settlements. Secondly, we’ve removed the Metropolis stage from settlement development, streamlining progression from six stages down to five. This allows more players to experience meaningful mid and late-game settlement content without requiring a massive population surge to advance.
Key changes include:
- Service Building Redistribution - Building plots are reallocated across the updated settlement stages.
- Updated Service Building Skill Trees - Adjusted to match the new number of available plots per stage.
- Faster Early Progression - Settlement leveling speeds have been tuned to make early and mid-stage growth more dynamic and rewarding.
- Earlier Vassalship - Now introduced at the Village stage, giving mayors and citizens new strategic considerations earlier in development.
These adjustments aim to improve pacing, enhance strategic choices, and make high-level settlement gameplay more accessible.
Guild Progression
Our recent changes to guild progression give guilds greater freedom, identity, and rewards. We’ve moved away from a rigid skill tree toward a flexible point-spend system, allowing any upgrade to be unlocked with any skill point. This empowers guilds to choose options that best match their unique focus, from expanded storage and crafting benefits to playstyle perks like reduced corruption gain during PvP.
Spending skill points now also unlocks a secondary progression track, enabling guilds to specialize in areas such as size, PvP dominance, or PvE mastery. Specialization rewards include increased guild size, player stat bonuses, enhancements for wars and major encounters, and even extra skill points to boost your primary progression path.
Additionally, the Guild XP curve has been rebalanced, making early levels faster to achieve while ensuring higher tiers feel like meaningful milestones. This creates a smoother, more rewarding growth experience for every guild.
Guild Storage
The long-awaited guild storage is here! It brings shared item and material storage to help your guild collaborate and grow. Once unlocked, guild leaders can claim storage at a level 3+ settlement. However, make sure to choose the location carefully, as this cannot be relocated.
Item Storage
- Shared across all settlements for members with permissions.
- Soulbound items cannot be stored.
Material Storage
- Settlement-specific tabs - deposit/withdraw only at their original settlement.
- Soulbound materials excluded.
- Tabs can be specialized to increase stack sizes for certain material types (must be empty to apply).
Future updates will add progression, specialization, and more flexibility to the system.
Crates for Everyone
The introduction of Crates replaces the abstract cargo system with tangible, physical items that testers can carry. Crates vary in size, offering different cargo capacities, and are categorized into three primary types:
- Personal Crates - for inventory storage.
- Construction Crates - for transporting building materials.
- Commodity Crates - for settlement-to-settlement trading.
Testers can physically carry crates on their character’s back, transporting them between settlements for substantial gold rewards. Trade value is influenced by factors such as distance between settlements, cargo type, and the economic status of each settlement.
Economy and Stats Reforged
Our development team has implemented significant adjustments to the in-game economy and stat balancing, including crafting, gathering, recipes, drops, vendors, and quest rewards! We invite all testers to explore these changes and provide feedback based on their gameplay experiences.
For a detailed breakdown of these updates, please refer to our recent article, which outlines all adjustments effective as of August 26, 2025.
Cosmetic Entitlements
Beginning August 27, 2025, testers will be able to equip some of their previously purchased mounts and costume cosmetics from pre-order packs onto their Alpha Two Phase III characters. To access them, check your in-game mailbox and equip the granted items. If you encounter any issues with this system, please reach out to our customer service team for assistance.
Keybinds
We have adjusted keybinds, so make sure to familiarize yourself with these before testing. As always, you can continue to customize them through our in-game menus as well.
Thank You!
We are beyond thankful for our glorious community, and can’t wait to see you all on Verra! As you explore and test, please remember that we are in Alpha. This means that you may encounter bugs, incomplete systems, or areas that need refinement. Rest assured! Our dedicated development team is continually working to improve the game, address issues, and introduce additional content.
Your feedback is an essential part of this process. Whether through /bug reports in-game or on social media channels, your insights help guide development and shape the future of Ashes of Creation. We greatly appreciate every report, suggestion, and idea you share.
We will continue to keep you all informed on our progress through our monthly livestreams, so tune into our Twitch for live updates, and catch the recorded Development Updates over on our YouTube channel.
See you on Verra, and happy testing!
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