Brutally Honest ASHES OF CREATION Alpha 2 REVIEW and Release Date Prediction

[@stevenjsharif]

Greetings Neeko. I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the concepts of Ashes. I’m sorry you cannot see us delivering on our vision, and I can understand your fear of Ashes taking too long given how much we are trying to achieve. What I can say, is that our team has been part of building some of the largest and most successful games ever made. The development road can be daunting for even the bravest souls, and if ever our journey causes you or others despair it is sometimes healthier to put us aside and check us out when we are closer to launch. 💪

[@Neeko2lo]

Thanks for taking the time to watch the content around Ashes. I've been following the project ever since it was pitched and would love to see it come to fruition. I intend to continue to observe what you guys are cooking up and whenever something interesting happens I will be there to give my two cents. There arent many baskets to put ones eggs in within the MMORPG Genre at the moment and because of that Ashes has become a beacon of hope for many. Clearly I'm not one of those right now, but Its obvious that you guys at Intrepid have setup a Vision, bigger in scope than most MMORPGs, maybe ever. Could that be a double-edged sword though? I believe your "open developement" philosophy could greatly benefit from setting the record straight on expectations. The number 1 discourse I see is people arguing over when they expect Ashes to release, and whether or not Intrepid has the manpower/financials to push through. So let me ask bluntly, do you expect Ashes to be feature-complete in the next 2-3 years?

[@HT-jj5sx]

As a long-time MMO fan who's headed toward being a senior citizen, I really hope you push through with your vision and get the game made that you want. I would suggest reaching out to and talking to CC's like this young man and have those difficult conversations. While it's all well and good to jump in the Pirate Software streams and being showered with praise, I think it's incredibly valuable to talk about the 'less rosy' aspects of development as well. I do believe that everyone wants this game to succeed, having the tough convos is way better than telling people with concerns to 'come back later'. It's just a rough look. Best wishes and good luck.

[@Predator0113m]

Hiring the guy that made New World which is a really bad MMO that completely failed, was not very wise. By playing A2 I can see so many resemblances to New World is insane. Ashes lost it's soul that it had back in A1.

[@zooescapee369]

we desperately need a new good mmorpg so I hope you guys pull through. please put more focus on the combat and maybe even consider action combat again? combat is the main part of the gameplay experience of an mmorpg so it should be polished and smooth. in my opinion if the combat is bad, the game is bad, even if everything but the combat is great

[@taraxa287]

Doesnt really matter, "we need many many many more quests" was the development philosophy that the only ever good mmorpg followed: wow classic. Nothing, not even wow-any addon ever got this right. You should spent most of your time on content creation and npc character story progression and intertwining these things with a players character to make the game inclusive, emotional relatable and entertaining. If you create an empty vast landscape it will become meaningless either a. by allowing fast travel later (because then you can just skip it all) or by b. making it so big that noone wants to traverse and it feels like prolonging the playtime artificially. The only logical sense is by filling it with compelling stories, by making the character get emotionally connected through activities (such as base building for clans) or by instrumenting level progression throughout the areas. And if you ever reach endgame it should still somehow send you back to key travel points such as big cities so low level characters find high level characters and get a vision of what the endgame looks like. Anything else just creates a content desert that nobody enjoys. And you should spend your main development time on making it compelling, entertaining and inclusive, do that, period!!

[@OGMrpackman]

This game is getting an obscene amount of criticism for how it is RIGHT NOW. In ALPHA. We have 2-3 years until this game fully drops, and they have done an amazing job. Especially considering they decided to change engines in the middle of development. I have been following this game since it was first even rumored to exist, and i have been nothing but pleased with their progress. The MMO community has developed such a hateful, and overly critical mindset. The point of an alpha is to get this kind of feedback, and negative feedback is just as valuable, if not more valuable than positive feedback. But just shitting on the hardwork of these devs is just borderline obnoxious. Also I HATE that you just made assumptions about where the combat MIGHT be going. Then used that as a negative. It sounds like you have no idea where the game came from, or where it is going.

[@gasperslapnicar9178]

Brave from developers to compete with Star Citizen in the same release window

[@gobbledeeznuts4045]

Although I play star citizen, I found this so damn funny

[@johnfredriksson9565]

i strongly disagree with you on tab-targeting. And i do not believe action combat is the inevitable evolution for every game.

[@Neeko2lo]

fair

[@kpg10]

You're in the minority of people who are into this tab-target niche. But the majority doesn't likes that.

[@zooescapee369]

@@johnfredriksson9565 I can't stand that tab targeting bs anymore, it's like playing rts games for me

[@Kalimdor199Menegroth]

Tab-target combat is a relic from a time when action combat was not an establishment thing. I am just as much of an old-school MMO enjoyer as the next guy, but after playing some action combat MMOs, I cannot go back to this type of combat.

[@CestPasFaux-kt9zq]

Tab target is for me the best mechanic But the gameplay has to be strategic and not just spamming AOE spells and dodge fest double tap, like Gw2 , FF14 and now , AOC It is not funny at all to kitte beams monsters 4 by 4 by spamming all your AOE spells

[@AOC_Cultist]

I appreciate the honesty and criticism for AOC. But it will be released on Q1 2026.

[@Neeko2lo]

Based

[@xibbas7055]

Name checks out

[@mallusdarkblade]

No shot, A1 to A2 was 3 years and they completed 1 of 15 biomes and 5 of 100 nodes. I believe A2 to beta will be 3-4 years followed by 1 year of beta so 2028-2030 is more realistic.

[@tiger7634]

​@mallusdarkblade that's because they started over in UR5...phase 3 should is scheduled to finish may 2026 then into beta. Not only that they had a tiny team at the start and have way more employees.

[@FunFactFreaks]

Oh, Ashes of Creation, the eternal promise of MMORPG greatness-forever "revolutionizing" a genre that, by the time it releases (if it ever does), will probably be replaced by virtual reality gardening simulators. With a development timeline that's starting to rival Star Citizen, every new alpha update feels like watching someone enthusiastically build a sandcastle in slow motion, only for the tide to wipe it out. But hey, at least they're keeping us entertained with endless livestreams of cosmetic packs for a game that may hit full release the same day we colonize Mars. It’s not vaporware yet-just a perpetually overcooked stew that might taste good... if it ever leaves the kitchen.

[@StarRavage]

TERA had the best healing and tanking imo. It blows my mind no one has emulate that. TERA came out 14 years ago if you want to count the Close beta

[@mallusdarkblade]

Assuming there are no serious delays or funding issues this game will not release before 2028. I would like to see them make some cuts to the scope, nodes/biomes for example, and focus on making a good game in a shorter time frame.

[@Neeko2lo]

I really think Intrepid's concept could become a great MMO. But most of it is simply just a concept still :/ Thanks for watching!

[@TheToledoTrumpton]

Yeah, I think that is fair. I just got into Alpha2 and my hopes have taken a severe knock. I was hoping as they were making a PvX game, that they had some idea of how they are going to balance PvP and PvE. And I don't think they have a real handle on how to do that. The biggest problem any PvX game like Ashes of Creation face, is how to incentivize PvE players to build and craft and do rewarding PvE content, so that the PvP players can kill them and take it from them, they must realize that necessitates gating the PvP content behind PvE, so PvP players are going to have to knuckle down and do PvE before they get to the PvP. If you gate all the content behind PvP, like Ashes have, then no one is going to PvE, unless that Pve is very very trivial. They may turn off PvP altogether for phase2, but I just don't see how that works. I realize most people do a combination of PvE and PvP, but conceptually the problem can be seen better by imagining them as either or.

[@brunobadjiduaso6378]

In my opinion, world is huge, not everyone can be everywhere, obviously if you want top gear you'll probably need to join a guild, but how is people supposed to gear up if no one does pve?

[@Noxtis21]

I get that this game has been in development for a long time. Let the devs take their time to find what they're aiming for. You've already invested in the game, so whether it releases in a couple of months or a couple of decades, you're probably going to play it anyway. That said, there’s been noticeable progress since the last alpha. Previously, we had just a single island; now, the current alpha features an entire zone. The devs have mentioned that this is only one of several planned biomes. You say the game feels boring or lacking-did you explore the zone at all? There's a whole city of highwaymen, a giant flaming tree over the ruins of a castle... I spent an hour just exploring because I genuinely enjoyed it. They've also added day/night and seasonal cycles. Over three weekends of testing, I've seen improvements in server stability, security, PvP balance, NPC performance, and plenty of bug fixes based on player feedback. I’m also a fan of how spells look and feel, especially without even diving into class combos. The choice between tab-target and action combat is a great touch-players who enjoy either can find something to like, and those of us who prefer tab-targeting with mouseover functionality can enjoy that as well. TL;DR: The devs are making progress, and I like where it's headed. Sorry you feel differently, but I'm excited for what the future holds for the game.

[@pvprangergod4024]

entire zone = garbage towns copy pasted, with some mobs spawned all over the place randomly nice one

[@coldfirelightpoe6803]

I feel like Neeko is that teacher that unpacks you book report to tell you why he thinks you used SparkNotes to cheat the assignment

[@Neeko2lo]

Idk what that means but thank you!

[@sherpagoolsbee8390]

Every time I think about buying into the alpha, I can't help but consider every thing about it is done better in Albion Online... Albeit isometric, but still better. Better skill based combat, better content, better economy, better moment to moment gameplay.

[@manuelcacho1522]

combat in albion is not better imo, nor ar the graphics / immersion

[@OGMrpackman]

The game isn't even done yet... LMAO

[@Christian-ev5yb]

Nice to have opinions. I sincerely enjoyed my last 5-6 weeks of testing. I like the combat, I like the way the developers react quickly to bugs and update the game with a clear direction. I actually think the game will be out sooner, but not as a 100%, more like a 20% and will develop while we play. If I have one critique it is how difficult it is to solo level and the time to level 25 is extreme right now. For testing purposes it could have been a bit quicker. Anyways, for now, it is on the right track in my opinion.

[@C_R_Plays]

"There is no reason to make a tab target game in 2024" is an absolutely insane statement to make. Stemming, I can only assume, from a lack of understanding of game design or the broader MMO player base.

[@pvprangergod4024]

what

[@Kalimdor199Menegroth]

Tab-target MMOs are a relic of the past that cater to the type of players that are now middle aged or close to seniority who no longer have the time and pleasure for them. I can only see the Lineage/Archeage types actually excited for such MMOs. Those are a dying breed.

[@pvprangergod4024]

@@Kalimdor199Menegroth in an action combat game you can just have certain classes/weapons/specialisations that are simpler to play. so that way boomers can just use those perfectly fine.

[@Kalimdor199Menegroth]

@@pvprangergod4024 True. I play Lost Ark. All classes have at least 2 builds, one of which is easier than the other. There are few classes that have both builds complicated to play. IMO, Lost Ark has probably the best action combat in any MMO as we speak. If BDO would've solved its desync issue, that would've been the best. But since they did not, LA's combat is better because it doesn't have an engine flaw.

[@sxuld]

yeah all those 1000 people that are still playing tab targeting games, wake up lil bro its 2025

[@InvictusProductionsX]

I see the vision but honestly the philosophy and culture of the team is stuck in the past when MMORPGs had a much smaller following, thus making it a more vibrant and passionate community compared to today. They're living in a fantasy world thinking they can take what worked in the past and transplant it into a modern engine.

[@pvprangergod4024]

the vision is making money from dumb ppl

[@Lienhardismus]

that is what made the game interesting to me in the first place i am so tired of modern games i hope they can manage to hit some kind of sweet spot

[@lostmarimo]

i mean classic wow is still going strong so maybe people actually want the older stuff?

[@user-yk6hv6hj3p]

This was a refreshingly more balanced perspective than you usually present to be honest. Maybe it's more because you were making a youtube video than streaming and dooming. You said there were two types of people following ashes, but you forgot the third, which is the "8 years and only this!?" crowd that you belong to. You did actually touch on one thing during the video that does imply that you are aware of one of the arguments against that, which is that this obviously isn't everything that they have done yet. There is without a doubt many more things that are incomplete and still being worked on, or in different zones that are not part of what we are testing now, and are therefore not in the alpha yet. They are also presenting this phase of the alpha as a stability and scalability test as well, which I'm sure you are aware of. In that regard, the work that they have done over the past few weekends has been a massive improvement. The queue issues are more or less gone, everything is way less buggy and laggy. They even onboarded the people that bought the newer alpha key packs with relatively little issue that I could see. Yes there are still many kinks to iron out, but they are clearly going in the right direction in regards to the servers and concurrent player count. I feel like you primarily present two different streams of argument here. Firstly, you start by saying yes this is an alpha, etc, but you still do nitpick at alpha things (I mean you opened the video with the bugged out horse that I almost never see in my own gameplay), which yes, must be fixed, but if we disregard those things, we can move on to your more reasonable argument, which is generally one of lack of content. I think that, as is the way with mmos, the developers really like to get a single zone dialled in and then it becomes much easier to replicate everything over the entire world map. Yes there is still much work to do in the riverlands, but they can (and will, as far as Steven has said) outsource a lot of the work that needs to be done to fill the world with content, so things should speed up dramatically at some point. This was also part of the reason they spent the time to change from UE4 to UE5. Yes it chewed up a lot of their time, but they did it so they can realise the return on their time investment at this point in the development of the game. The backend of this game and the development tools required to make it are one of those things that take a lot of time to create, and don't really get talked about very much. It's a huge undertaking. Anyway, I do agree that the node system is super complicated and will require a lot of content to be created before they can fully realise it, but I remain confident. I don't want to just gloss over that either. I'm just more on the hopeful side of the fence. There are also new node layouts in the works and 2 will be released during the next phase, along with another 4 in phase 3. Again, that's one of those "this is an alpha" lack of content things, which I don't see as being such a big issue right now. I will also give you one thing that you didn't mention entirely (at least from what I can recall), which is the naval system. I hope they've done some work on that already, because I feel like it's going to require a lot. Anyway I'm done for now. I actually hope you are pleasantly surprised and the game comes out sooner than you think (and even at all.. I myself am not even 100% convinced that it will release. Maybe 90%) and you really enjoy it. We can hope.

[@pvprangergod4024]

0% chance the game isn't a scam, soz

[@user-yk6hv6hj3p]

@@pvprangergod4024 didn't ask

[@Neeko2lo]

For me the performance actually went down the second weekend, with my entire server going down killing my entire group at highwaymen. All you said is fair, I just worry that if they are truly trying to make a next generation MMORPG they will be 15 years too late. If even the Riverlands are barely functional then I cant be hopeful for the rest.

[@nurso6601]

In my opinion, AoC has clearly promised too much. The 'hints' alone that each node can come up with a unique experience should cause a general frown. Because either the 'unique' experiences are nothing more than a combination of mini-events customized to a node that all come from the same event-pool, or else game content is designed that is not used at all because some nodes are never upgraded on any of the servers. By the way, didn't Sharif make fun of New World for using the same city layout multiple times?

[@bjni]

yeah because these "cities" are just templates placed for people to run around and test the game, phase 1 is for finding bugs, testing server stability and networking etc. none of this will be a part of the game, its crazy that no matter how many times people tell you that its in Development Alpha that they keep judging it as a finished game. its a barebones templated map for testers to test right now.

[@nurso6601]

@@bjni Let's be realistic: It's a waste of time and money to always produce huge mockups. Even if they just want to test bugs and server stability -- which in turn raises the question of why the most important server element, dynamic server meshing, wasn't ready in time -- they should have used 'real' content instead of mockups, which they could then improve bit by bit. And no, these sloppily placed run-of-the-mill assets and paths painted with the UE brush tool are (hopefully!) not real content. And by the way, many people don't judge the alpha as a finished game; they judge the alpha as an alpha and wonder what exactly is supposed to be tested.

[@yusuftugrulyigit1544]

Neeko, perfect new world or ashes? which one is more hopefull

[@Neeko2lo]

oof, I haven't heard anything from perfect new world in a while. No idea tbh

[@therivalmob2289]

Got in on the 8th got to level 9 and haven’t had the urge to play this since… great video let’s see what P2 and P3 bring. If those are duds too it ain’t looking good.

[@AsnorC]

I must say that you stayed fair with your criticism. You could have been justifiably more negative, but I somehow enjoyed this constructive format more. Great job 👍

[@Neeko2lo]

Thank you!

[@Girrrrrrrr]

The Star Citizen crowd and the Ashes crowed is circle on the venn diagram. I'm sorry but we saw this with Wildstar, far too many systems that will just result in nothing being quite complete or meshing together well. Also lol @ tab target in 2024 like what?

[@MostCoolestName]

like you said the concept is cool, but the way they have it set up a giant zerg guild could just control a third of the map and the other 2 thirds will just be controlled by OTHER zerg guilds. there needs to be a hard stop rule against giant guilds like this.

[@Neeko2lo]

Ye I didnt even touch on the social systems yet

[@jorgeporras9262]

The other comment is not showing for some reason, but check PirateSoftware's interview with the lead designer. They talk about that in detail.

[@pvprangergod4024]

@@jorgeporras9262 piratesoftware runs the largest zerg guild, im sure he is not biased at all and totally wont pretend that his guild doesn't ruin the game.

[@jorgeporras9262]

@@pvprangergod4024 you thought you did something there, but that's exactly why the subject is brought up on the interview.

[@EisenEgon]

I fully agree with the Action Combat Argument but saying the Game will never released, is a problem resulting on the open development strat. Everbody can talk shit to doom the game because the expectations were not met as hoped. We all waiting for a new great mmo and i am happier participating in an alpha that will last another three to four years than constantly being disappointed by postponed release dates. Greetings to Arche Age, Riot MMO and the LotR MMO.

[@enzyme1234]

looks pretty similar to star citizen unfortunately, giant plans and scope creep without a good focus or plan on turning those into a fun video game within our lifetimes

[@Ranziel1]

Thanks. An actually sane take.

[@RobinT.H-D.E.S]

Thank you for being honest about this game. I agree the old action combat version looked funner. And had better graphics. Its kinda odd how this game seems to he developing in reverse.

[@lostmarimo]

man i hope they don't go the gw2 route when it comes to bosses. that shit is mindboggling. no indications at all just randomly one shotting everyone

[@sliceofheaven3026]

The node system does sound way too complex to realize in its planned size.

[@pvprangergod4024]

each 85 nodes is gonna have its own world boss, source trust me bro

[@elpadre__]

thanks for the showcase. i was fairly interested by the combat and class system. the hybrid classes, similar to grim dawn etc sounds so dope on paper, but yeah this shit is gonna be another star citizen. 🤔

[@henrifortier8621]

It isnt this 8 years old youtuber has no idea wtf hes talking about

[@elpadre__]

@henrifortier8621 he also showed stuff. And I have eyes. 👍

[@henrifortier8621]

@@elpadre__ like what ? what are you basing yourself to say its gonna be another star citizen ? Im curious

[@elpadre__]

@@henrifortier8621 the video

[@xDrac]

Ahh, you know what, I kinda share your concerns... what good are hundreds of nodes if they all look and feel kinda the same. I agree the one biome they "have" looks super empty and random, much like the rest of the world and classes or the "praised" auguments aren't even in the game. Definitely concerning after such a development time it almost feels as if Alpha 1 had more content than this Alpha 2.

[@blacklord3212]

you know what I am happy about ? people already comparing this game to guild wars and other fully developed completed game while this game is just an alpha lol , people are so out of their mind tbh , these same people who criticizing the game , will praise it and play it when it releases , obviously u guys have not even the slightest idea what does game development mean , not to mention many of their team never even touched an MMO development before unlike other triple AAA studios

[@Neeko2lo]

Gw2 released 12 years ago. If they can become as good as Gw2 they will already be outdated by over a decade.

[@jamenba1]

even if this game becomes decent it will be a big flop you simply cant come to the most tribalistic genre and act you are the last cookie in the jar ,saying stuff like "we will be the biggest MMO ever" , we are here to save you MMO peasents type shit, also the game is a sub based MMO all the free to play andys will make sure to make aoc hating their life moto and alot of haters will pay just to game the systems and destroy them and make life myserable to everyone , did everyone forget how new world got fucked by this? and this studio is ass checks do we really trust these dudes that are doing this project for the first time to be able to do a game that needs alot of player driven systems to work together to be 100% exploit and cheat proof, dont worry steven will type in all caps on world chat for everyone to stop making bad shit and everything will magicaly go away right guys? this has everything to be 10x worst situation then new world when it comes to ingame exploits. Also when it comes to what they have on alpha right now for 8 years of dev time its actually pathetic ,some solo devs have made S tier games in that time frame or even in way less time, its actually disgusting how everyone just gives these idiots a pass

[@Neeko2lo]

Ye I agree. Them presenting the game as the saviour of MMOs will bite them back

[@pvprangergod4024]

don't worry bro they have the new world developer i heard, LOL

[@user-yk6hv6hj3p]

@@pvprangergod4024 I feel like the "new world developer" also co-created and developed everquest 1 and 2 before you were born.

[@pvprangergod4024]

@@user-yk6hv6hj3p kek anyone could make everquest in 5 seconds these days

[@armanec342]

I bet that they want so much money for alpha testing because they realized they can't finish the game so they will milk some ppl

[@Neeko2lo]

theyve always had crazy prices ye

[@brianbriansen4131]

Great video and nice review!

[@Neeko2lo]

ty!

[@Hosenbund1]

I remembered a quote when you talked about the people defending this alpha. “It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” ― Mark Twain

[@jorgeporras9262]

@@Hosenbund1 applies to blind hate as well. If you can't notice that it's the extreme negative opinions that attack the devs that are being supported by the creator of the video, while the balanced opinions are being ignored by him, you're not noticing that you're being fooled into hating so you come back to this channel to validate that hate. I can almost assure you that he will keep ramping up this kind of videos and even take the devs response and misrepresent them to increase the hate. Just wait.

[@Hosenbund1]

@@jorgeporras9262 not sure what you are talking about. i once got tricked into believing that this game is the savior of the mmorpg genre. After researching i becamse sceptical and didnt understand why so many people in this bubble are praising it blindly. and then we got this now. If you see this video as blind hate, then that is your opinion. I just see a man telling and showing the truth

[@jorgeporras9262]

@@Hosenbund1 I too am disillusioned with the game after seeing footage from this alpha, but I'm bringing this up because this video isn't being honest. He's being coy, not too harsh in some things, but the opinion that he's supporting and echoing in the comments is of blind hate and of making up negative stuff about them. And even some things like turning down the graphics for the showcase are kinda underhanded ways to make the game look bad. Thing is, he's attracting haters, and I bet he's gonna keep feeding their need for validation, shitting on the game to achieve that. I'm don't think I'm even going to play the game until it's been out for a while, if ever, but I just hate this kind of behavior on the internet.

[@Hosenbund1]

@@jorgeporras9262 I dont see what you are claiming, in my opinion he just showed the game and talked about his feelings for it. And i wouldnt have felt any different when experiencing these things. I like watching neeko because he most of the time seems to have the same opinion as myself. This game isnt just any mmorpg in alpha, this is AOC, the game many people describe as the savior of the genre. I am just as disappointed as he is and i cant stand the people which say "its just an alpha" I encountered so many bad games in the past, almost none of the games ever change. If i see a game being bad nowadays, i dont assume it will magically become good. I will change my mind about it when i see significant progress in the next updates, same as neeko said, but i dont see it happening with how slow they are. I will be happy to be proven wrong though, i wouldnt turn down a great new mmorpg.

[@jorgeporras9262]

@@Hosenbund1 check the comments if you're not seeing it. The kind of stuff he's giving hearts to, dragging the devs through the mud. And the comments he's replying with. And as I said, doing stuff like using the minimum settings and highlighting the biggest negatives.

[@zombieGI]

I remember when they said hey had to scrub things to make it more mmo friendly.....scrubbed too much maybe?

[@soccerplayer3216]

even if it releases, what you've talk about isn't going to be a well receive game. so it matters not.

[@Neeko2lo]

possibly

[@raphaelalhadas6623]

I know there is more stuff supposedly coming in the next stages of the alpha, but i don't understand how a game can get worse in many aspects with more development time. Like, why would they change the map UI that was good before to what it is now? Why are the quests not working anymore? Also, something i'm not seeing a lot of people talk about is that the game never looked generic before, it always had a high fantasy look, with biomes that are mushroom forests, or the underrealm, even the armors looked different. If it's an alpha, why waste time changing the UI and the visual?

[@Neeko2lo]

good point

[@FadedKai]

Oh look it’s Ashe’s of creation the mmorpg equivalent of Star citizen, selling mtx transactions for something that doesn’t exist. Also some of these mtx are 350$ from what I saw lol

[@basse9914]

Except they're making good progress??? Lol

[@jayco1279]

calling buying access to play mtx is wild

[@jajuan7841]

​@@jayco1279They've sold hundreds of cosmetic items for a game that isn't out yet. Quit coping

[@jhondisjames2151]

@@jayco1279 They're talking about the fucking cosmetics they sell every single month you moron lmao

[@joshuajohnson714]

It’s worth the money tbh

[@chefnunutv]

I'm so glad this Alpha is publicly out now. People have been taking a steaming shit on Star Citizen for years now (rightfully so) and giving Ashes the pass. The only reason this game ever got a pass was because nobody actually knew how fucking heinous and barebones the game was behind the scenes and I've been saying this for ages. Now finally people will see that this game is even more incomplete than Star Citizen and we can all shit on them both together in harmony The 510 node levels are the same dream that CIG has been selling Star Citizen backers with "100 different star systems upon release of our game" and even New World got slammed for copy pasting assets across towns. There was like 7 fucking towns in that game, with 0 nodes. This game has no chance of seeing completion in the next 5-10 years lol

[@basse9914]

What do you mean exactly? The alpha has been pretty successful

[@ivan-to2zy]

The game IS just in alpha. And just because they have a limited area for the alpha doesn't mean they don't have the rest semi-done or being worked on. Look at how Elden Ring handled their stress test. Folks were only allowed to play in Limgrave. Didn't mean other areas weren't done

[@Rare-s9y]

@@ivan-to2zy If they had anything more than than 2 nodes, I don't think they would have copy pasted the nodes that are right next to each other in the same fking biome and show it to public

[@chefnunutv]

@@ivan-to2zy Look man I get what you're trying to do, but it's really easy to put faith in a Fromsoft stress test when all they've done is release fucking bangers and extremely well received games. These guys have literally nothing so there's 0 reason to believe the game is better behind the scenes when they're presenting shit like this hunting for everyone to see

[@Hosenbund1]

@@chefnunutv always funny to see people defending these scam games. they are clinging to false prophets

[@Eleriol84]

Yeaaa this game does seem like its going down the star citizen path with super ambitious plans that take forever to develop but atleast Interpid isnt selling ingame stuff for thousands of dollars.

[@pvprangergod4024]

yeah only low price of 500 dollars

[@MartinaBabic-es6bz]

give them time

[@pvprangergod4024]

@@MartinaBabic-es6bz 8 years lol

[@ahmednabil1733]

I always wait your videos, the most honest person on KZbin.

[@Neeko2lo]

ty sir

[@sirbonobo3907]

to clarify you dont buy this game you support the development. I will join dependent on the state at beta or at release when ever this may be. until then i enjoy the show

[@SlugmaChops]

When i comes to thenpacing of updated onowing that the switch to unreal 5 really set them back to me it depends on how much stuff changes between the phases and seeing whats going to come after phase 3. When it comes to the 2 camps you said that people are in i think its wrong its 3 camps. People who think its the greatest thing ever. People who say you cant criticize it and people who think its a scam. When it comes to criticism, of course you can criticize it they want the criticism this video will do more good for intrepid than someone just glazing it. However people criticizing it as if its a full release is the issue because clearly its not a full release and they should know it. For an alpha i think its better than i was expecting i was expecting it to feel like shit look like shit and have nothing to do and my experience it looks pretty good for an alpha feels pretty good for an alpha but doesnt have much to do besides barebones crafting and mob grinding which i believe its part of the test for this phase. 120 is definitely steep i only got it because i had a few friends decide otherwise i was probably going to wait until phase 3 to think about it again. But i think the real judge of development time will be how much gets done now that its in a perpetual alpha state like how star citizen has been for the last 10 years.

[@PyraiSage]

With all due respect, you don't seem to have been paying attention as the project has developed. This isnt 8 years of development. There were obvious rollbacks / set backs to upgrading to unreal engine 5 and I'm glad they did, even if we're essentially in a new alpha 1 until may+, It's been a lot of fun for what it is, and it's clear they're going in a great direction considering how many people are completely HOOKED on the combat already.

[@Mionikoi]

AoC's Alpha 2 is in Phase 1, which is based on networking tests over the weekend. It does not feel like a completed game... And it is not meant to. We will see more content added in Phase 2 & 3.

[@bjni]

yeah, its crazy how many times people are told this fact and they just ignore it, they will keep judging this as a finished product lol...

[@netrimo589]

I'm just going to uninstall and put it on the backburner for a few years. world design feels ike a step backwards from alpha 1. At some point the team will have to get realistic and choose between limiting scope, extending development expectations, or rushing out a half-baked world.

[@IMAD-DARK]

After watching your videos I lost interest in mmos because I understood why all mmorpgs are the same and are bad games in general, but I still like watching u reviewing them, best reviews of the mmo genre imo hope u reach more ppl, honest channels like urs are rare in youtube, Asmongold probably gonna react to this video.

[@Neeko2lo]

Thank you sir

[@demonovMX]

Neeko2lo brings balance into mmorpg review field as always. respect

[@Neeko2lo]

Thank you!

[@MercurialDecree]

I love videos of valid criticism. However, I do still believe Intrepid has got something up their sleeves. I'd be willing to bet they can pull it off with the right support and release cadences. They will definitely not be able to release within a year. However, if they can give me even one node as they thought of them, I will stay fully invested in Ashes. There is only one way to find out, of course, whether this is a scuffed demo or the humble beginnings of something revolutionary.

[@Neeko2lo]

I hope you are right

[@cc66bb44]

This is the release That's why they charging you 100+

[@CestPasFaux-kt9zq]

The only honest review And you did not talk about the grief and zerg pvp forced, which already killed the game And now i just wait fanboys reacting to your video, saying you say shit and you have 0 clue Jamie, flanker, narc ( maybe) , valh and others noobs like that

[@EpicListening7]

I was talking with a friend of mine, who is senior designer in a triple a studio, and he said the same thing. Interesting concept, but they will run out of money before completing it.

[@mad1559]

8 years for this is crazy

[@Barcia14]

Agreed, and this Alpha looks exactly the same as the previous one a couple of years ago. The development on this game feels non existent and really makes you wonder what these past 8 years were for

[@henrifortier8621]

​@@Barcia14they changed engine mid dev meaning they had to start over pretty much

[@henrifortier8621]

First half of this 8 years they were like 20devs lol come on

[@Ojdaweedmane]

paid sub for a game thats in alpha?

[@parrolie-sw7zc]

the new american scam

[@bobbythorton7693]

yeah action combat is way better than tab target, should have kept it action combat except for healers

[@provalstar8037]

The fact that they've been selling cosmetics and keys during the "development" of this so called project and NOT make it possible for "testers" to see them in game despite actually paying for them is just so baffling... speaking of that BR mode, do you guys remember the in-game battlepass and cosmetics shop they had? how do people even forget this or still have hope after all this?

[@fabioaugusto9477]

I really hope this game doesn't become "Ashes of Scam" when the game is finished. 8 years for this alpha is rly crazy ...

[@ENGRtube]

The fact you think they've spent 8 years on this alpha slice is the worrying part.

[@AcidGubba]

It is a Scam.

[@teethpastaa]

⁠@@ENGRtubereal this comment section is really dumb, i get thinking the game will flop because thats pretty likely but 80% of what im reading has gotta be some of the most braindead takes ive ever seen.

[@ziggs123]

Thanks for the no bullshit review

[@eribus8057]

Holy, it has been 8 years already? Almost a whole decade. You guys realize most people only live an average of 7 decades if they're lucky, right? 1 out of 7 for the majority of you to only be in alpha. See you at 2 out of 7 for the beta.

[@mallusdarkblade]

Purple shit is poggies

[@glurak]

only good review that isnt brainwashed, or gamer dad full of copium and based takes judging this "alpha" by a 8 year development cycle instead of what others are basing their reviews off

[@Neeko2lo]

Thank you!

[@traktor321]

they straight up copied that health bar from a 2007 game. shaiya. infact the whole game looks like a 2007 project 😂

[@basse9914]

Which 2007 game had these graphics??

[@pvprangergod4024]

@@basse9914 true, most 2007 games were much better graphically

[@Hosenbund1]

@@basse9914 Crysis, but actually no.. crysis looked even better than this

[@basse9914]

@@Hosenbund1 both lighting and textures in crisis are worse

[@basse9914]

@@pvprangergod4024 🤣🤣🤣 just be quiet rtard hahaha

[@runslinganOG]

I never played it only watched a few asmongold videos but it looks the same and no closer to relese then it did a few years ago

[@samw.6158]

Invested to see where theyd take it. WOW lost me at wod, ff14 lost me me at shadowbrings, stopped gw2 a hot min ago, new world mehhhhh. So people are lookin for a possible new home to put time into so hoping they can do something different in time

[@sxuld]

I think targeting and action combat mix in New World (I know right.. it does some stuff OK), everything is freeform movement and aiming, but you can lock on to land spells easier ( on both enemies and friends)

[@MartinaBabic-es6bz]

Star Citizen is complete game compare to AOC...Steven say, that in 2 years of this alpha, game testers gonna be testing all 18 bioms...ok...they need 3 years for one biodome that have 20% complete, and in 2 years of alpha they will made rest of 17 bioms with 20% content? 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I just love how people are stupid! PS. If you pay 120$ for this ALPHA, I have rights to criticized everything they deliver!

[@luismatheu4496]

Tru i played only because honestly all the other MMOs out there are P2W trash so this is funny at least 😁 and lest be honest like u said there is no other real MMOs coming the(Riot) MMO doesnt exist until they show something.

[@Barcia14]

People tend to s*it on Star Citizen (rightfully so, IMO), but this game is even further behind in development with roughly the same amount of time

[@Adrian_Franco]

AoC hasn't made nearly enough progress either imo but I logged into scam citizen the other day after a big patch and it's still the same old clunky shit from a decade ago. Waaaaaaaaaaay worse than my experience with the AoC alpha and much more abysmal progress.

[@Eleriol84]

@@Adrian_Franco Yea i dont think Star citizen will ever reach a full 1.0 release at best well get a early access release with jank that never gets fixed id also add that AoC atleast isnt milking their fans to badly like SC does with the 100-10000 dollar ships thats funded SC with 800 million dollars which is fucking wild.

[@Exotic_Tofu]

@@Eleriol84 Comparing scam citizen and Ashes is insane. Again, they need to hurry up and get more stuff finished but nobody can log into that terrible tech demo in empty space and then play the Ashes alpha and tell me it's even close. I actually look forward to testing the alpha on the weekend compared to the agony I feel being in the SC tech demo for more than 20 mins.

[@Eleriol84]

@@Exotic_Tofu I dont think its insane to compare the two but yea its not like their issues are all the same but the main thing AoC and SC have in common overly ambitious idea and trying to make the perfect game in the irespective genre. But when you look at how long they have been in development and then how much they have actully achieved it becomes clear that its going to take a extremely long time to ever reach the 1.0 release. By the time AoC nears release the game is already going to be outdated same with SC

[@lostmarimo]

am i going crazy or has every big mmo game of the past 10 years just been scams?

[@robert.z721]

great video, and fair

[@kfarbarata]

My feeling is that this game gonna be a 'Jodorowsky's Duna' . They trying to do too much and not acomplishing a thing. Focus on the nodes... later add stuff at patches.

[@GERRaze]

Dead game for dead people... Forced PVP like every other of the million copy-copy-copies which turns every single game into shit, cos nobody wants to play a game where you're forced to play with lunatics. In 30 years and millions of games there wasn't a single (!) game where this gameplay went good. 20 servers turn into 5 short after release, they "have to" implement Pay2Win so they get a bit of money back they lost. Dead ideas only create death.

[@Neeko2lo]

Yes and I didn't even really touch on the systems yet. Even without forced PvP there are a million ways to grief and harass people. It will take a lot of work to create systems preventing that.

[@whoopsydoopsy]

I agree, the game is a scam. Massive leap back after battle royal that they had 5 years ago. Probably will never see a full release or will be released unfinished. People needs to stop putting money into this

[@brodieb5066]

Ashes of Cashflow

[@Adrian_Franco]

Damn...I fell for another scam.

[@georg1994]

Yep valid points, great video

[@Neeko2lo]

ty!

[@vree_]

oh my that 5:41 battle royale test looks so much more engaging than their current tab target combat, didnt anyone compare that to their current combat system and think "hmm maybe we should move past 2012"

[@Neeko2lo]

I really liked their Battleroyale because of the combat :D

[@demonovMX]

I know right like at least use some of the weapon attack animation , even the tank skill "wall" that used to be the one from battleroyale not so long ago now is different and looks shit(for me)

[@oheyspun]

If they can pull off even half of the design doc it will be a good game. But even half will take 50 years.

[@davidsumpter4933]

Tab Target is almost a must for any ranged attack, which includes healing. APoc was fine, but there was a problem with the network backend, so they scrapped it and started over. That and the recoding for Real Engine 5 really caused significant delays.

[@Neeko2lo]

I would argue that ranged attacks benefit massively from action combat too.

[@pvprangergod4024]

tab target healing is boring as hell

[@Neeko2lo]

@@pvprangergod4024 agreed.

[@jumano13]

they have very old data in the alpha to focus onto the server stress of non intanced world. nothing u see now is in its finished state

[@Neeko2lo]

I hope you are right but I dont believe they would withhold a majority of their content when they make the most money from key sales now.

[@SirLunchAL0t]

A game like WoW wouldn't work very well if it weren't tab targetting. I disagree with your statement about that system being "objectively" worse. It isn't. It's a different game. I can't say anything about what is right or wrong for Ashes of Creation. I never liked much about what they wanted to do with the game. Always sounded to me like a very niche game at best even if they succeed with what they want to do, which I don't really see happening.

[@Neeko2lo]

Of course, because WoW was built from the ground up to be tab targeting. I personally have no problem playing Tab Target games but I don't see a logical stance in what way that is ever a benefit. Monster Hunter and Lost Ark have best in the industry boss fights and raids respectively and don't have a sliver of tab targeting.

[@SirLunchAL0t]

@@Neeko2lo But that's just subjective. I would argue that WoW offers a much better raid boss experience, because of the nature of how tab targeting allows you to interact not only with enemies, but with your party as well. The only answer to buffing/healing in action based systems I've seen comes down to AoE effect spamming or very clunky FPS-like targetting. In the end, it's just a preference. I was just bothered by your use of the word "objectively" when it's clearly subjective. All good :)

[@Jim1Dean]

mm da gibts was was du nicht verstanden hast. Intrepid hat die Entwicklung quasi neu gestartet mit dem switch zu UE 5. D.h. das was du siehst in in 2 Jahren Entwicklung entstanden. Natürlich sind die Jahre davor nicht umsonst gewesen es ist das zu grundeliegende Konzept entstanden sowie auch etliche Assets aus allen Biomen die es schon gibt und noch kommen.. Das Kombat ist bereits im aktuellen Stand das beste alles MMOs die es gibt bzw jemals gab (so ziehmlich jeder der schon lange AoC zockt und ein höheres lvl hat kann das bestätigen). Ich kann dir nur empfehlen bleib dran auch wenns buggy as hell ist es wird imemr besser und Intrepid patch schnell und viel. Die Welt ist auch alles andere als leer. Vergiss erstmal die Quests die kommen erst in P3 so richtig.. es geht um die System das Gathering alles was du in der Node machen kannst und die unzähligen Grindspots die schon richtig gut sind aktuell

[@Neeko2lo]

Selbst wenn sie nur 2 Jahre dran arbeiten sagt Steven regelmäßig, dass deren progress nicht resettet wurde dadurch. Im endeffekt kann ich nur bewerten was ich sehe, und das ist leider nicht viel.

[@Jim1Dean]

@@Neeko2lo fair enough, wir werden sehen wie schnell es jetzt voran geht. Ich denke in 2 Jahren wirst du Augen machen, vielleicht irre ich mich auch (eher nicht xD)

[@kuroiseiun6935]

the characters look ugly though, the movement of the characters looks funny as well. Not sure why western mmos always have ugly character design can't they just copy paste w/e korean mmos are doing

[@Neeko2lo]

tru

[@MrMrkman98]

No offense, but showcasing a game in its lowest graphics is really stupid. It's a great way to turn people away from a game for no reason. If you're going to make a video on a game make sure you're recording it on at least recommended graphical settings. It's like if a food critic took a picture of his shit and called it a picture of last nights dinner. It could have tasted great, but people will focus on what you show them.

[@backstabber3537]

The highest setting burns ur PC game it isnt fully optimized ... rendering issues too

[@Neeko2lo]

I can't, my PC can't handle higher settings without lagging. Thats why I prefaced that the graphics won't be pretty at the beginning. I would argue a smooth background image is better than a laggy one.

[@benjaherrera3299]

you kinda lost me at combat being "objectively bad" because of tab target, everything in a game is subjective. also, because something isn't in the game now (phase 1) it doesn't mean they don't have it

[@Neeko2lo]

I didn't say the combat is objectively bad. I said tab targetting is objectively inferior to action. Whats subjective is which one you prefer

[@benjaherrera3299]

@Neeko2lo yeah mb, i meant to say tab target. and that's exactly why it can't be objectively inferior. neither it can be objectively superior bcs it's an opinion. although i'm willing to hear your arguments on it

[@Neeko2lo]

@@benjaherrera3299 As I said in the video. Tab targeting was an attempt at making the best combat system possible.... in 2004. Technical and design limitations didnt allow for proper action combat yet. Action allows for way more control over your character, more intersting hitboxes (Monster Hunter), more movement and overall more precise inputs. In tab targeting dodging is very problematic because enemy attacks are mostly heat missiles. Thats why most modern tab target Bosses put less emphasis on actual tab target attacks and more on modern action combat mechanics (breath attacks, ground indicators, etc) that are dodgeable. The best tab target MMO in the genre, Guild Wars 2 and even Ashes now, try to break out of the boundaries of tab targeting by allowing most abilities to be used without any target.

[@pvprangergod4024]

i think a turd is objectively bad, and thats what steven has served up

[@slech125]

Ok mr. future

[@sgtshatta01]

Dude, if you want an FPS game, play call of duty, MMORPG's should never be designed into FPS style, no one plays crap like that, and they are never successful.

[@pvprangergod4024]

only noobs dont want skill based combat

[@Neeko2lo]

Its not an MMORPG but I would argue Monster Hunter has probably the best bossfights in RPGs and it uses "FPS style" as a combat system. Lost Ark is also full action combat, although top down, and also impresses with raids.

[@Hosenbund1]

nobody wants a FPS game as a mmorpg here, nobody even mentioned that. it was just about action combat.

[@realTonySvo]

Absolute scam

[@pvprangergod4024]

only $120 for alpha, such generous developers

[@douglasocando2429]

sad asf, people have hope about this game but as you said 8 years for that is trash.

[@60kgofpower68]

u got narced breh

[@BranchOfMotherTree]

Every self-respected mmorpg player should developed spider sense by all this years that we had since WoW and if its not triggerin here when you see this abomination there is nothing goin to save you or mmorpg genre.

[@calleu3982]

Good Video, even though you still get the point "its never going to release" shit wrong. You even admitted it multiple times on your stream. It is OBVIOUS that AoC is gonna release at some point (probably 2-3 years) because no way they will be able to fund another 5+ years. Ok maybe if they sell beta access for 100k to all the copers, but seriously, thats crystal clear. THEY WILL RELEASE. But in what shape and form will they do it? Cause thats obvious as well, that they wont have all the promissed features in 2-3 years ready. And this leads to a big BIIIGG problem. Are we getting lied to for multiple years? Or are they actually that naive to believe they can deliver all of that? Both options are horrible and not worthy for a (professional gaming) company. But I actually think its option 1 that is happening and I really hope I am wrong.

[@sergiumanoila6572]

Before you buy you see a half page banner that says "ALPHA - GAME IS NOT YET COMPLETED" yet buys and bullshits about lack of content. You can't see the forest behind the trees or what?

[@Neeko2lo]

The point of this video is showcasing that this game will not get out of alpha anytime soon, possibly ever if they keep going at this rate.

[@pvprangergod4024]

whys the game for sale $120 if its not completed?

[@SpaceCoconut]

I like how you’re reviewing a Network Alpha Test as if it’s a released product 😂

[@Neeko2lo]

I like how you're reviewing a game 8 years in the making as if its only been 3 months

[@sir_quirkus7206]

this project is way too ambitious

[@burtmacklin6443]

You can't review this game like you would any other. It is in Alpha as in Alpha testing. They know there are bugs, graphical issues, nothing is really optimized, not all classes are in the game and the classes that are in haven't been fully flushed out yet. Sometimes you have to relog for you inventory to update or to get your party window back. There are holes in the terrain, I fell in at least 2 this weekend and reported them as is the purpose of the Alpha. If you want a product that should be ready to launch play the Beta with only minor bugs and graphical issues.

[@Bartido]

People keep calling it a true alpha to deflect criticism, but given that their main gameplay feature the node system isn't even functional, perhaps it is more accurate to say that they aren't even in the proof of concept phase yet.

[@pvprangergod4024]

yes true alphas cost $120 to play LOL

[@jayco1279]

It's an alpha man, idk what you were expecting, lots of things are placeholders

[@MartinaBabic-es6bz]

problem is, this gonna stay in alpha

[@UncannySense]

The combat feels better than GW2. GW2 combat feels weightless. EPOC was shit I was there too. Alpha 1 UE4 testing was the point where TAB was locked in and the combat feedback got us to where we are now. This game will probably not gel with 99% of instant gratification zoomers

[@venomushero8918]

copium deluxe

[@backstabber3537]

Shill

[@Hosenbund1]

are you one of those who will cope with "this game was too hardcore for the mainstream audience" when it sits at below 10k concurrent players and is basically just a niche game? This game got praised as the savior of the mmorpg genre and look what we are getting. in comparison Path of exile 2 gets praised as the savior of the ARPG genre and everything is hinting at it being true in just 3 weeks.. and they dont charge 120 dollar for EA either. meanwhile you guys dont even see that you got fooled even when you have proof right before your very eyes. “It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” ― Mark Twain