With the early access launch on Steam, many new players will set foot in the world of Ashes of Creation starting December 11, 2025. This guide to AoC will help you get started.
Ashes of Creation is one of the few ambitious MMORPG projects from the West. For this reason alone, many genre enthusiasts will want to take a look. With the early access launch on Steam, this has never been easier and cheaper than starting December 11, 2025.
Due to the sandbox nature of the game world, the heavy focus on PvP, and the still rather unfinished alpha status of the MMORPG, Ashes of Creation is unfortunately not one of the most beginner-friendly online role-playing games at the early access launch. To ensure your start is as frustration-free as possible, you will find various tips in this guide to make your entry easier.
You can jump directly to the points that are particularly important to you through the table of contents:
The trailer for Ashes of Creation for the Steam launch:
Character Creation and Class Choice
At the beginning, you create a character, along with choosing an archetype and a race (there are 9 in total, you can find an overview on ashesofcreation.com). Keep in mind the following when choosing your class:
- The summoner is new to the game and may still play quite buggy and unbalanced. A few months ago, the thief was introduced. Bard, cleric, fighter, mage, ranger, and tank have been part of the alpha for a longer time.
- The choice of race is supposed to eventually affect the character’s attributes, but these racial bonuses are not yet in the game.
- As you can currently only level up to level 25, it is not yet possible to choose a second archetype and combine it with the first class. So choose your class without considering possible archetype combinations.
Which Starting Zone is Better?
Currently, the riverlands and “The Anvils” are two starting zones available for launching into Ashes of Creation. Our impression after playing both starting areas:
- Compared to the previous alpha, the game is now noticeably more beginner-friendly. Enemies drop rations that restore health and mana. Quests guide you through the first few levels and provide you with equipment and a mount. The new Destiny goals give you a rough idea of what you should be doing. This applies to both regions.
- From level 5 or 6 onwards, this guidance disappears. The commissions on the black settlement boards sometimes require you to travel very long distances. From here on, AoC slowly switches to sandbox mode, although the gaming experience in “The Anvils” seemed a little more polished to us. This is in line with the developers’ warning that the Riverlands are still a work in progress.
In the following video, YouTuber GiddeonPlays guides you through the first quests and level-ups (the starter experience may differ slightly during early access):
The Dilemma of Weapon Choice
In the starting area of the game, weapons are lying around that you can simply pick up and equip regardless of your class choice. Since you earn experience points for the weapons you use, choose both a melee and a ranged weapon, which you can switch between in battle at the press of a button.
Properly Allocate Your First Talent Points
Throughout the leveling phase, you will earn skill points for your class, the weapons you use, and the stamina area. Aside from the fact that you should always invest these promptly to significantly increase your combat power: Learn new skills whenever possible before upgrading an existing one.
One reason: Activatable offensive abilities deal more damage than auto-attacks. The shorter you keep the time windows in which you only have auto-attacks available, the better for your damage, shorter the fights, and more efficiently you level.
But non-offensive skills are also important to survive dangerous situations alive, to control enemies temporarily, or to enhance your mobility. In short: New skills broaden your range of maneuvers and make you more flexible.
In the “Skill Tree,” you will find the tab “Skill Book,” and under “Artisan,” the skill “Fishing.” Just drag this from the “Skill Book” to your skill bar.
The developers presented the concept for the new skill trees on X in June 2025:
PvP in the World
The developers have extended the protection against PvP encounters from level 5 to level 10. It also applies not only in the starting area but everywhere (exception: deliberate participation in PvP events such as caravans). Once your character reaches a higher level, he can theoretically be attacked anywhere in the world by other players.
However, there is a difference between attacking a player who has consciously marked himself for PvP (indicated by a purple symbol) or without this marking while walking through the world and not defending himself.
This question has been answered in detail in the following two articles. The short version: Yes, but … and the “but” could be crucial for many players.
– Can Ashes of Creation be fun for solo play during early access on Steam?
– Can Ashes of Creation be fun for PvP averse players on Steam with a focus on PvE?
Remember: You can attack players with the symbol without hesitation. If you attack players without a symbol, it could have negative consequences for you. Conversely: If a player hits you while you are not marked for PvP and do not want PvP, do not defend yourself! Many players will then leave you alone. Those who continue will be punished by the corruption system.
Also important: If you see a pile of ashes on the ground that you can loot, leave it. At least if you do not want to mark for PvP. Anyone who picks up the remains of another player can be attacked by passing heroes.
Discover as Many Embersprings as Possible
If you see a yellow griffin symbol on the map while exploring the game world, run or ride there. There is an so-called Emberspring shrine that can serve as a respawn point for your hero. You can also make a shrine your home point – for your respawn, the next shrine and your home point are always available.
Note that you can only revive at Emberspring shrines you have discovered. Players who have received a debuff from the corruption system (for example, by knocking out a non-PvP marked character who did not defend himself) cannot use the Emberspring shrines.
Tip: Using the “unstuck” function, you can teleport your character to an Emberspring. This is primarily intended for characters that are stuck somewhere. Now …
What is Glint?
This is one of the most important currencies in the game, which you receive from defeated monsters and players or by completing quests, events, and achievements. Glint comes in various rarity levels and can be exchanged at NPCs for copper, silver, or gold. You can also use Glint to pay for the regular tax for your citizen status in a city.
You may also want to help expand a city or node where you can fully immerse yourself in your playstyle. Nodes will eventually have different focuses, such as military, trade, or religion.
If you want to team up with other players in Ashes of Creation, you should save your Glint if possible. With Glint, you can buy goods that can be transported by caravan to other locations. If successful, high profits await – depending on the distance covered.
However, the danger is that other players can raid your caravan. If someone wants to carry out a valuable transport, they should rally a strong group of guards.
How to Get Your First Mount
Thanks to the revamped introduction and the first quests, you will receive a mount very early on, which you can summon with a click.
In the medium term, you should also get a spare mount. Your mount can die in battle, and then cannot be summoned for 10 minutes. If you want to avoid a tedious walk through the wilderness, bring along a second mount that can be summoned in such a case.
A third mount with water breathing is finally an additional option since it significantly eases the exploration of underwater areas. Normal mounts can swim, but they are slower, and eventually, you will run out of air.
4K gameplay from the developers, where they showcase water mounts in action on YouTube:
Check the Commission Board
Whenever you enter a new settlement, check the bulletin board for commission tasks. Grab all the quests there that you can complete during your next trip into the wilderness – for example, because you want to farm resources or defeat certain monsters anyway. This way, you gain additional experience and Glint without much effort.
Warning: There are different types of commission boards. The Adventure version provides you with exploration and kill quests. The Artisan board delivers gathering and crafting tasks. If you want to complete tasks from the Hunting board, you should find a group. Additionally, the local mayor can also distribute special tasks through his board.
Trade with Other Players
In every settlement, you will find access to a marketplace where you can offer up to 20 items for sale. Keep in mind that the game charges you a fee for every trade made, depending on the value of the trade (10 percent of the trade amount).
It is better to find an interested player for a purchase or sale through chat. This way, you save on taxes. It’s best to meet for the exchange of goods in a settlement, as PvP is prohibited there, and you are protected from being raided.
Play Carefully and Avoid Character Deaths!
If you die in Ashes of Creation, you must live with some disadvantages:
– You lose part of your collectable items, materials, and Glint.
– You receive a debuff that reduces your stats for a few minutes.
– The durability of your equipment suffers.
– You gain negative experience that you must work off before you can make level progress.
For all fighters in regulated PvP situations, the disadvantages are noticeably less severe. All players punished by the corruption system, on the other hand, suffer much harder from the disadvantages of character death.
Named Opponents with Stars
In the world of Ashes of Creation, you may encounter special opponents, marked by their unique name and 2 or 3 stars. These unique monsters may drop a special loot item.
On the website ashescodex.com, you can check what loot these special adversaries drop or where a specific item drops. This way, you can avoid a difficult fight that would only yield an item you cannot use.
What else do I need to know about Ashes of Creation? Ashes of Creation is a sandbox MMORPG set in a fantasy world, played in a vast open world. You fight against world bosses and compete against each other in PvP. Additionally, there is a system where you level areas, build villages and cities, and change parts of the game world – the so-called “nodes”. Development of the MMORPG began in 2015. Read more about it here: Release, Roadmap, Alpha 2, Classes, Gameplay, Payment Model – everything important about the MMORPG Ashes of Creation.
