[2024] Clarifying A2 Keys Announcement

Good afternoon friends,

There has been a lot of questions and commentary regarding how the A2 keys work since our AMA yesterday. We are preparing an article to release on the website tomorrow or Monday regarding how the keys and phases work in broader detail. I will take a moment in this thread to clarify in detail how the Alpha 2 keys work and answer some questions in this thread;

• If you own an Alpha 2 key from previous preorder packages or Kickstarter, you have access to all phases of Alpha 2. Alpha 2 begins for you on the weekend of October 25th.
• New Phase 1 keys will consist of weekend testing starting with weekend testing beginning for November 8th.
• New Phase 2 keys will consist of week long testing (5 days at a time) beginning December 20th.
• New Phase 3 keys will consist of 24/7 testing, and is intended to run until the game launches.
• Purchasing into a phase, grants access to subsequent phases.
• When Beta starts, the Alpha 2 servers will live concurrently alongside the Beta servers. Players who own Alpha 2 keys (including the new phase keys) will also have access to the Beta servers.
• Alpha 2 phase 3, is expected to last at least 1 year. This is of course subject to change due to active development.
• Alpha 2 does not have a subscription cost.
• When the game launches, Ashes will not have a box price.

The cost behind Alpha access accounts for server and CDN costs associated with a live service product. And while this is not a finished game, it will be a live service Alpha that we will be updating on a 6 week basis as we build out the rest of the game's content and features.

This addresses most of the commentary I have read that required clarification.

I want to reiterate, you should NOT consider purchasing testing access to Ashes, if your intent is to play a completed game. This is not a typical approach of development and marketing. It will be rough, buggy and require dedicated players who are willing to be testers. We have our internal QA teams, along with externally contracted QA testers that are testing Ashes right now, every day. And I understand that this approach is not everyone's cup of tea, but this is the path we are taking because I believe it will yield a better finished product.

Happy to answer questions in the comments below!

<3

Update Edit : We have heard the feedback regarding the new key packs, and we have made adjustments to address the concerns. First, Second, and Third Wave have now been changed into Bundles which include Alpha Two, Beta One, and Beta Two access, 1 Month of Subscription Time ($15 value), and $15 in Embers (in-game marketplace credits, NO P2W!).

Good afternoon friends,

There has been a lot of questions and commentary regarding how the A2 keys work since our AMA yesterday. We are preparing an article to release on the website tomorrow or Monday regarding how the keys and phases work in broader detail. I will take a moment in this thread to clarify in detail how the Alpha 2 keys work and answer some questions in this thread;

• If you own an Alpha 2 key from previous preorder packages or Kickstarter, you have access to all phases of Alpha 2. Alpha 2 begins for you on the weekend of October 25th.
• New Phase 1 keys will consist of weekend testing starting with weekend testing beginning for November 8th.
• New Phase 2 keys will consist of week long testing (5 days at a time) beginning December 20th.
• New Phase 3 keys will consist of 24/7 testing, and is intended to run until the game launches.
• Purchasing into a phase, grants access to subsequent phases.
• When Beta starts, the Alpha 2 servers will live concurrently alongside the Beta servers. Players who own Alpha 2 keys (including the new phase keys) will also have access to the Beta servers.
• Alpha 2 phase 3, is expected to last at least 1 year. This is of course subject to change due to active development.
• Alpha 2 does not have a subscription cost.
• When the game launches, Ashes will not have a box price.

The cost behind Alpha access accounts for server and CDN costs associated with a live service product. And while this is not a finished game, it will be a live service Alpha that we will be updating on a 6 week basis as we build out the rest of the game's content and features.

This addresses most of the commentary I have read that required clarification.

I want to reiterate, you should NOT consider purchasing testing access to Ashes, if your intent is to play a completed game. This is not a typical approach of development and marketing. It will be rough, buggy and require dedicated players who are willing to be testers. We have our internal QA teams, along with externally contracted QA testers that are testing Ashes right now, every day. And I understand that this approach is not everyone's cup of tea, but this is the path we are taking because I believe it will yield a better finished product.

Happy to answer questions in the comments below!

<3

Update Edit : We have heard the feedback regarding the new key packs, and we have made adjustments to address the concerns. First, Second, and Third Wave have now been changed into Bundles which include Alpha Two, Beta One, and Beta Two access, 1 Month of Subscription Time ($15 value), and $15 in Embers (in-game marketplace credits, NO P2W!).