A few hours ago, the new video update of Ashes of Creation went live. The developers are showing for the first time a “Node War,” which is a war over a node in the world, between the citizens of two nodes.
What have the developers of Ashes of Creation shown? In the developer update from May 31, 2024, the feature “Node War” was the focus of an almost 80-minute gameplay segment. The entire stream even lasts two and a half hours (via Youtube).
The key insights from the gameplay presentation:
- If certain conditions are met, the mayor of a node can declare war on the citizens of another node.
- The war between two nodes goes through several phases, each consisting of different events.
- Through the success of the attackers during such an event, it is possible to temporarily gain control over part of the defender’s influence area, redirecting tax revenues and node experience to their own node.
- Additionally, during the takeover, the services of local buildings (such as a blacksmith) are blocked, and new content like a raid boss exclusive to the victorious attackers is unlocked. Moreover, buffs are available for all citizens of the winning faction who are farming and questing in the controlled area.
- During large PvP events like a “Node War”, the usual death penalties are suspended. Participants can, however, still lose the items in their material inventory. So clear your inventory before you dive into battle.
- In the video, the mayors of both factions are seated on flying dragons. These mounts possess particularly powerful abilities such as a dive attack that deals area damage. They can also activate useful buffs for the raid.
- “Normal” players can also acquire special mounts with skills. However, these are not as powerful and only provide a sprint or a counter against control attacks.
You can watch the entertaining mass battle of the developers of Ashes of Creation here:
How is the community reacting to the new gameplay impressions? Under the video, many excited players gather, looking forward to Ashes of Creation even more now.
- PhurPher writes excitedly: “What the …, that dragon attack was the coolest thing I have seen in the five years I have been following this game.”
- patrikbatemanx gets straight to the point: “Looks great, gives me real MMO vibes.”
- JibbsIRL celebrates: “This game will redefine the MMORPG genre. Excellent work!!!!”
- chadgiga8683 recalls Battle for Azeroth: “This is how people imagined the war fronts in BfA. Great stuff!”
The Alpha 2 of Ashes of Creation is set to start in the third quarter of 2024. Players will then finally be able to wage war over a node.
Clever System with Great Potential
What’s the deal with the nodes? The entire world of Ashes of Creation consists of nodes and their respective influence areas. When players appear in an untouched area, defeat monsters, and farm resources, they earn experience points for the associated node.
If enough experience is gained for the first level up of the node, an NPC expedition appears that brings the first quests. If the players complete these and accumulate enough XP by killing monsters and farming, a camp is established, subsequently becoming a small village, which will have more NPCs, quests, and new buildings.
Later level-ups can drastically affect an area, such as when a previously dormant volcano suddenly erupts and reveals a fiery world boss. At launch, there will be a total of 103 nodes, each of which can go through seven development levels:
- Level 0 – Wilderness
- Level 1 – Expedition
- Level 2 – Camp
- Level 3 – Village
- Level 4 – Town
- Level 5 – City
- Level 6 – Metropolis
However, only a limited number of metropolises can exist in the game world, and the time required to upgrade a node increases with each level. There are also different types of nodes which can affect how the government is elected.
In a military node, which is heavily guarded and easily defensible, the law of the stronger prevails. Economic nodes, on the other hand, are predisposed for trade centers, and the leadership consists of players willing to invest the most money into this career. In scientific nodes, elections are held democratically.
One special feature is the vassal nodes. When a node reaches the third level, it makes the adjacent influence areas into vassal nodes. These nodes grant experience to the parent node and share their influence in diplomacy, war, and economy. More information can be found here: All about the new MMORPG Ashes of Creation – Release, Classes, Gameplay, and Nodes
