Ashes of Creation: Das Node-System – Ihr bestimmt, wie sich die Welt entwickelt

The MMORPG Ashes of Creation will give you the opportunity to influence the world around you through your actions and decisions. This employs a so-called node system.

Many fans have not understood exactly how this system works, which is why the developers have explained it again. Nodes are special points that are spread throughout the game world. At the beginning, you do not know where the nodes are located. Each node affects a specific area in the world. At a node, a camp is established through the actions of the players, which is then expanded into a village, a town, or even a large city.

Your actions change the world

Every action that players now perform in the influence area of the node affects it. This is manifested in the way the area develops in certain directions. But be careful, depending on how you behave in the area, certain developments will also be excluded. This can lead to conflicts with neighboring areas that would like to see their land developed in a different direction, which would benefit their own goals.

At the beginning of the game, you reach the world through a portal and set out to explore the landscape. Somewhere nearby, there will be a node. If you start mining ore from a rich deposit now, it will affect the node. Another player is cutting down wood because he wants to build a hut. Both players gain experience points and contribute to the development of the node. Once the node reaches level 1, NPCs settle nearby in a small camp. The NPCs will then interact with you, trade with you, and offer you quests.

You trigger events that happen differently on each server

Later, a well-developed city can attract enemies that you must fight to protect the city. However, if the location had not developed so far, these enemies would never have appeared. Since the city was also built near forests, the monsters from those forests become active and attack. A city on the coast, on the other hand, might have attracted sea monsters instead.

A further rise of the node unlocks a bridge over a large river, creating a trade route to another city. However, all these activities have awakened an ancient dragon that would have continued to slumber if the trade route had not been established. He now represents a dangerous boss enemy, who might not appear at all on another server, because the node there has developed completely differently. 

You determine through your actions how a node develops, and the development of the node affects the game, the quests, the monsters you encounter, trade routes, and much more. This creates a continually evolving world where your actions dictate the direction in which it develops. The MMORPG Ashes of Creation is set to enter an alpha stage later this year.

More articles on Ashes of Creation:

Ashes of Creation: Every server offers a different story

Ashes of Creation: Impressive gameplay video shows boss fight