In the MMORPG Ashes of Creation, the alpha testing phase is currently underway. The developers have completely rebuilt the crafting and gear progression system, and crafters can be excited.
What has changed? The developers of Ashes of Creation discussed the changes to the crafting and progression system in a new blog post on AshesofCreation.com. They have replaced the former crafting system, which was only a placeholder, and are now presenting their new system.
Each crafting skill in the new system is supposed to have different levels. As a “Beginner,” you can only craft gear of the “Novice” level, as an “Apprentice” you can craft gear of the “Adept” level. In total, there are 5 levels, with the last two levels, “Master” and “Grandmaster”, becoming available later.
New system equates crafting and grinding
How does the new system work? To ensure a good balance between crafting and monster grinding, the developers of Ashes of Creation have revised many aspects of the game. Quests, vendors, monster drops, respawn times, yields, and locations where ores can spawn are just a few examples of where changes have occurred.
Now, there are more ores in caves, dead corals by the sea, acacias and agaves in high places, and water-rich areas now provide weeping willows, date palms, and rividium. To craft an item, crafters need various resources from different sources.
Rare components, materials from vendors, and items only dropped by certain monsters add to the materials that only exist in certain regions to increase the difficulty of endgame crafts.
What do the developers hope to achieve with this? With the new version of the crafting system, the developers aim to make crafting and monster grinding equal. The goal is for 4 hours of grinding to be just as rewarding as 4 hours of crafting.
To achieve this, the developers have also made significant changes to monster drops. In the future, monsters will only drop one tier of items, such as equipment of the “Beginner” level, but these will have the chance to be of higher quality. This way, the same gray undershirts won’t always drop from the same monster.
In the game’s quests, players now also have the option to choose between different rewards, especially those that yield crafting materials and equipment. This allows players to progress their characters in various ways.
The new update is a significant step for Ashes of Creation towards a “player-driven economy,” the developers state in their blog post. Their goal is to reward crafters just like grinders and everyone in between. Ashes of Creation is also making great strides in other areas: Ashes of Creation masters groundbreaking test that aims to change MMOs forever
