After multiple delays, the third phase of Alpha Two for Ashes of Creation finally started on August 26, 2025. In the new video update, the developers reflect on the launch and the plans for the coming months.
How did the launch of Alpha Phase 3 go? According to studio head Steven Sharif, the team is very satisfied with the transition to the new Alpha phase that took place on August 26, 2025:
- There are a few critical bugs that have come to light in the new Alpha version. Solutions are being worked on.
- During the launch phase, there were 5 DDoS attacks (what this is, you can find out, among other places, on Wikipedia) on the Alpha servers of Ashes of Creation. The infrastructure held up, which the team is very proud of.
- Despite the heavy load due to the large number of players, the performance was satisfactory. At times, more than 1,000 players were waiting in a server queue.
As in previous Alpha phases, patches will follow now to fix bugs, implement feedback from the community, and address the remaining issues.
One should not forget that Phase 3 has brought important adjustments and expansions for key systems such as the Nodes, Crafting, Economy, and Values. It was to be expected that many things would not run smoothly at launch – this is still an Alpha.
Roadmap for Phase 3 of Alpha Two
What are the next concrete steps? According to the developers, the current roadmap includes the following milestones:
- What has already happened and what will keep the developers busy in the coming weeks: Responding to the topics and issues that arose with the launch of Phase 3.
- From September 2, 2025: Work on the “Harbinger” update begins.
- Every Tuesday: Maintenance to bring important updates to the Alpha servers. Otherwise, the servers should be available 24/7 in the current phase.
- November 18, 2025: Release of the “Harbinger” update.
Meanwhile, the public test server will continue to be used to test content and features for several days before they land on the Alpha Two servers. If certain innovations require extensive testing, special events will take place that reward all participating testers with cosmetics.
This path should ultimately lead to the Beta. However, the developers have not revealed when exactly this is planned. We expect a beta start sometime in 2026.
You can watch the complete, nearly 110-minute video here:
What is planned for the Harbinger update? The namesake Harbinger system is intended to pose a new challenge for PvE and PvP fans. The new content will lead you to corrupted areas, where the risk for your hero increases, but the potential rewards will also be better.
The Harbinger system will be closely tied to the Ancients faction and will advance the story around the major antagonists of Ashes of Creation. To facilitate this, work is currently being done on new tools so that the story design team can bring story content and quests into the game faster.
Additionally planned for the Harbinger update:
- Fishing on the open sea: with ocean exploration and new ship types that can be made up of different components (there will even be radar).
- the Ren’Kai race
- Summoner class
- World bosses (Scorpion Matriarch and Ancient Raid Boss)
- new economic systems
- Mules
- Improvements for zones, performance, and lighting effects in the world
What else do I need to know about Ashes of Creation? Ashes of Creation is a sandbox MMORPG set in a fantasy setting, 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 up areas, thereby raising villages and cities and altering sections of the game world – the so-called “Nodes”. Development on the MMORPG began back in 2015. You can read more about this here: Release, Roadmap, Alpha 2, Classes, Gameplay, Payment model – everything you need to know about the MMORPG Ashes of Creation.
