Ashes of Creation was already described on Kickstarter as an MMORPG with a hybrid combat system. It aims to please fans of action and tab-targeting combat. The specifics of how the system will work were showcased in a livestream.
How does the combat system work? Ashes of Creation fundamentally builds on the tab-targeting system. You have many different skills that you can throw at an enemy you have selected as your target.
However, with a press of a button (“Z” in the default settings), you can switch to an action combat system. Then you must aim carefully with your auto-attack and some abilities to hit your enemies.
The system was introduced by Game Director Steven Sharif in a livestream. The MMORPG is currently in the Alpha 1, which means many systems are not fully developed yet. You can watch the combat starting at 11:40 in the linked video.
The tab-targeting is supposed to feel more action-packed
How does tab-targeting work exactly? This combat system roughly follows those found in games like WoW, FFXIV, or Guild Wars 2. You choose a target as your target, and then all skills automatically hit that enemy.
However, there is a special feature regarding the animation radius. Those who use a sword may hit multiple targets directly in front of them with an attack. Those using a halberd, on the other hand, have a much larger radius. Daggers, however, are more precise and have a smaller radius. Even in tab-targeting, your attacks should be able to hit multiple targets directly, not just the one you are aiming at.
Ashes of Creation will also offer a variety of skills, while you should not be overwhelmed with a multitude of hotbars. While there are supposed to be no addons in the MMORPG, you will be able to customize your UI as you wish in the future.
How does action combat work? In action combat, your mouse cursor turns into a crosshair, and your character constantly follows it. Free movement like in tab-targeting is not possible.
With this crosshair, you need to aim at your enemies for your skills to hit. However, not all skills are equipped with an action system.
Some of them will always hit the attacked target, even if you aim off. Other skills can be improved in the skill tree with skill points to gain new functionalities in action mode.
The skill trees in Ashes of Creation
The skill trees of the classes were also presented in the livestream. They are divided into 3 areas:
- Passive skills
- Active skills
- Weapon skills
Currently, only the active skills belonging to the respective class can be seen in the Alpha. There are even 64 of them in Ashes of Creation, which should all be instantly recognizable by their own symbols in the game when you are in groups or in PvP.
In addition to the wide selection of classes, Ashes of Creation also offers 9 different playable races. These each bring different bonuses and have their own skins and mounts.
The developers also explained in the livestream that they have updated the game from Unreal Engine 4.23 to 4.25 and have filled 16 of the 24 open developer positions.
The livestream also discussed the separation from the publisher MyGames, which was announced last week.
