Classes

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Ashes of Creation class list. Primary archetype is on the left. Secondary archetype is on the top.[1]

Classes are the combination of a primary and a secondary archetype.[2][3][1][4]

  • A player may choose their secondary archetype when they reach level 25.[3]
  • The secondary archetype does not provide additional skills.[5]

We have a specific terminology when referring to archetypes and classes. Classes are the combination of your secondary archetype with your primary archetype.[2] – Steven Sharif

Icon Archetype Type.[6]
bard symbol.jpg Bard Arcane
cleric thumb.png Cleric Arcane
fighter icon.png Fighter Martial
mage thumb.png Mage Arcane
ranger thumb.png Ranger Martial
rogue icon.png Rogue Martial
Summoner Class.jpg Summoner Arcane
tank thumb.png Tank Martial
  • Players receive skill points as they level. These can be used to level up skills within their skill tree.[9]
    • It will not be possible to max all skills in a skill tree.[9]
  • The player can then augment their primary skills with effects from their secondary archetype.[3][7]
    • Each skill in the primary tree will have several augment options from the secondary tree. This is an example of horizontal progression.[7]
    • Augments to primary skills can fundamentally change the way the ability works - adapting what the ability once did to incorporate the identity of the secondary archetype/class.[11]

If a Fighter were to choose Mage as a secondary archetype, the fighter would become a Spellsword. This combination opens up augments that can be applied to skills in their primary skill tree. Fighters have a Rush skill that allows them to rush towards a target; and upon reaching the target, deal an amount damage with a chance to knock the target down. A Mage's escape augment could be applied to the rush skill, which would now teleport the player to the target; thus eliminating the charge time on the skill.[7]

Class progression does not relate to a player's artisan progression.[12]

Classes by archetype combination

With 8 Archetypes to combine, players may choose from 64 total combinations to create their class.[3][1][4]

Secondary
Bard Cleric Fighter Mage Ranger Rogue Summoner Tank
Bard Minstrel Soul Weaver Tellsword Magician Song Warden Trickster Songcaller Siren
Cleric Scryer High Priest Templar Oracle Protector Shadow Disciple Shaman Apostle
Fighter Bladedancer Highsword Weapon Master Spellsword Hunter Shadowblade Bladecaller Dreadnought
Mage Sorcerer Acolyte Battle Mage Archwizard Spellhunter Shadow Caster Warlock Spellstone
Ranger Bowsinger Soulbow Strider Scion Hawkeye Scout Falconer Sentinel
Rogue Charlatan Cultist Duelist Nightspell Predator Assassin Shadow Lord Shadow Guardian
Summoner Enchanter Necromancer Wild Blade Spellmancer Beastmaster Shadowmancer Conjurer Brood Warden
Tank Argent Paladin Knight Spellshield Warden Nightshield Keeper Guardian

Balancing

The sixty four (64) classes are partitioned into eight primary archetypes. Balancing of active skills only relates to these eight primary archetypes.[2][13]

  • There are four primary groups of augments assigned to each base archetype. Balancing of augments relates to the four augment groups for each of the eight archetypes.[13]

Even though augments do radically change the way your active skills provide you abilities, there's still a primary focus on the base archetype itself and not the 64 whole classes.[2] – Steven Sharif

We're not really talking about 64 true classes, we're talking about eight classes with 64 variants... There isn't as much variance between the 64 classes as you might expect. It's not like there are you know 64 different versions of... radically different classes.[2] – Jeffrey Bard

Balancing in Ashes of Creation is group focused not based on 1v1 combat.[2][14]

There will be match ups in 1v1s where one class will be superior to another; and that application should be a rock-paper-scissors dynamic. We want there to be counter-play between the different classes... Instead it's going to be a group focused balance, where as long as you have the diversity of classes present, that's going to be an equal level playing field. It's going to be very dependent on skill and strategy.[14] – Steven Sharif

Certain secondary archetypes are capable of "bridging the gap" between their counterpart.[15]

Certain archetypes are capable of moving the gap between their counterpart per-se. If I am a Tank archetype and a Mage is my counter, I can take a Mage secondary and kind of bridge the divide slightly; and then move my identity that direction ever so slightly.[15] – Steven Sharif

Class abilities

Alpha-1 Tank primary skills early user interface design.[16]

If from the eight archetypes whatever you choose as your secondary, you're going to receive a choice of augments that relate to some core ideal of that class. You know like a tank is about controlling the battlefield, is about surviving. The mage is about dealing damage and elements and ability in AoEs. The rogue is going to be about stealth and critical damage. So those augments are going to to play towards those identities.[17] – Steven Sharif

The idea behind the system is that you're kind of skirting the line through these augmentations of your role, right. We have the traditional holy trinity that's present in class designs for MMOs and it's often that those either are not deviated at all or completely deviated from entirely. The augment is to kind of offer a balance between that where you still maintain the semblance of that trinity system while offering the opportunity to customize your play experience towards one of the other angles in the triangle.[18] – Steven Sharif

Primary skills (class abilities) are based on a player's archetype.[7] Players can personalize their primary skills with augmentation from a secondary archetype.[3][7][19]

The design behind augments is to not just change the flavor so that it reflects the secondary archetype, but it also fundamentally changes the core components of a skill.[20] – Steven Sharif

  • Each secondary archetype offers four different schools of augmentation.[3][21] Each augment school affects a primary archetype's skills in different ways.[22]
    There's going to be a certain threshold at which you can no longer augment your active abilities based on the decisions you've augmented previous abilities, so you'll have to pick and choose which ones you want to apply the augments towards; and certain augments will have more expense required on the skill point side.[23] – Steven Sharif
  • Choosing the same primary and secondary archetype increases focus on that archetype.[24]
  • Augments to primary skills will fundamentally change the way the ability works: Adapting what the ability once did to incorporate the identity of the secondary archetype.[11]
  • Changing the augmentations on your skills will require you to go to a NPC in a Village node or higher.[26]
  • Some spell colors and general FX change based on augments.[27]
    • Active skills could look totally different after an augment gets applied.[28]

Skill points

Alpha-1 early preview skills UI.[29]

This is where players allocate skill points into either their active skills, their passive abilities- which can augment their usage of weapons and armors and health regeneration and passive stats and stuff like that-- but on the weapons side of things, that's where you will spec into certain types of procs based off of weapon groupings. So we've talked a little bit about this in the past: If you have a dagger, daggers might have a chance to proc a bleed on your weapon attack and that would synergize with an active skills' ability like let's say Backstab that does additional damage if the target is under a bleed effect. Now we have said in the past that players will be able to allocate skill points into their active skills that are more geared towards either action combat or tab targeting.[29] – Steven Sharif

Players receive skill points as they level. These can be used to level up skills (increase their rank) within their active, passive or combat/weapon skill trees.[30][31][32][9]

  • It will not be possible to max all skills in a skill tree.[9]
  • In terms of skill progression, players can choose to go "wide" and get a number of different abilities, or go "deep" into a few specific abilities.[33]
  • Players are able to reset and reallocate their skill points.[8]

Making active skills capable of receiving additional skill point allocations and unlocking additional features so that from a player agency standpoint it's going to be up to you whether or not you want to be more diverse but less depth- wider and not taller, in some of these skill choices. Or if you want to be very very tall, that's going to be something that is up to the player in that regard.[34] – Steven Sharif

Siege abilities

War Beast 3D render by Jessica Jennings.[35]

Eight players of the same primary archetype can band together to create monumental effects during a siege.[36]

These are the types of systems that we want to put in place where groups of a single primary archetype can come together to summon these types of effects that play off of what the identity of that archetype is.[36] – Steven Sharif

Changing/switching

Primary

A player's primary archetype cannot be changed.[8][1]

When it comes to the the primary archetype, that is a decision you'll want to make and you'll want to make sure it's the right decision, because it's permanent... You are going to create this identity that you can't just change on the fly. This is going to be something that you will know a person and you will know what their base archetype is and they're not just going to change from battle to battle. So that gives some consistency in the engagements and understanding reputation on the server.[8] – Steven Sharif

When players choose their primary class, it’s not just dictating how the next several hundred hours of gameplay will go... It’s only the primary class that cannot be changed. And hey, that’s what alts are for![1]

Secondary

The secondary archetype of a class may be changed, but not "on-the-fly".[8][10]

  • Players will likely need to speak to a NPC in a Village node or above to enable them to change their secondary archetype and skill augments.[37]
  • There probably will be a cooldown associated with switching secondary archetype.[38]
    • It may also be possible to swap between multiple specs after the cooldown period.[38]

The secondary class choice, which comes after some time getting used to the world of Verra, will be more fluid. If you choose the Fighter and the Rogue to make a Shadowblade, but eventually want to try your hand at Summoning to make a Bladecaller, you’ll be able to do so.[1]

We don't want you to be able to change your secondary class or the augments you have applied out in the open. We want you to have to make a conscious choice somewhere at a NPC. The level of node necessary for that particular NPC to be available will likely be either at the Village stage or above. So, if you are far out in the wilderness exploring – and we have no instant teleportation in the world – you need to be conscientious of what your choices are; and not be able to change them on-the-fly.[37] – Steven Sharif

Class trials

There will not be a class trial system in Ashes of Creation.[40]

Racial benefits

Each race has different base stats.[41][42]

  • Races are not gender or class locked.[41][42]
  • Some classes may work better with certain races but nothing is enforced.[41]

A player's choice of race will influence their racial augments.[42]

You'll have racial augments that are capable of being applied to active skills and those augments are going to be a reflection of the flavor of that specific race. In addition, races will have differing degrees of stats and our game in our class system relies on certain stats to achieve different metrics in the game when it comes to damage, defense, and landing rates and all that kind of stuff.[43] – Steven Sharif

Stat growth

Stat growth proceeds in the following order:[41]

  1. The race "seeds" a player's base stats.[41]
  2. The primary archetype grows the base stats.[41]
  3. The secondary archetype (class) does not contribute to stat growth.[44] This is a revision of an earlier statement.[41]

Different races have different stat compositions. Those stats can be important, but we also don't want them to dictate any kind of meta for what classes are best used with different races.[45] – Steven Sharif

Choice of profession does not affect a player's stats.[46]

Gear has approximately a 40-50% influence on a players overall power in the game.[31]

Roles

Ashes of Creation has the traditional trinity of Tank, DPS and Support/healer roles.[47][48]

We have our eight base archetypes; and the trinity is a pretty strong influence with regards to the eight base classes. However the area in which we actually begin to play with that line between the trinity is in the secondary classes that you can pick. That's where we begin to blend those spaces and allow people a little bit of influence over their role and whether or not they fit perfectly within a particular category within the trinity.[49] – Steven Sharif

Weapons and Armor

Weapons and armor are not class locked, but certain classes are more efficient with certain types of weapons or armor.[50][51] Certain abilities require certain items to be equipped.[52]

Weapons are intended to be somewhat agnostic in the sense that you can find a way for a weapon to be utilized by different classes. Not just the rogue is going to be able to use daggers. Because if you restrict equipment through that, it makes the economy more difficult to have sustainability across the market of items.[53] – Steven Sharif

PvX

We like to really refer to ourselves as a PvX game, because in those systems of PvP, PvE, crafting they're all intertwined: They're interdependent on each other... Our system of development really requires some interdependence there between those things. You're going to need a crafter to give you the best items. You're going to need PvPers to secure cities and castles. You're gonna need PvErs to take down those world bosses for those materials to craft.[54] – Steven Sharif

Ashes of Creation is a PvX game.[55] Players will naturally encounter both PvP and PvE elements.[56][57] It is unlikely that a player could purely focus on just PvP or just PvE.[57]

We're very clear with our objective and philosophy on the game and we understand that they may not appeal to everybody. But you know it is an important reciprocal relationship between the content that's related to PvE and the content that's related to PvP and they feed off of each other. They're catalysts for change: Their progression, their development. It's things that people can value when they see something earned and they see something lost. That elicits an emotional response from the player: That they've invested time in to either succeed or fail; and PvP allows for that element to be introduced into gameplay. And we're very clear that is our objective: That risk versus reward relationship, that achievement-based mentality. Not everybody's going to be a winner and that's okay.[60] – Steven Sharif

Alpha-1

Alpha-1 early preview.[61]

This is a true development alpha. This is not a marketing alpha; and what that means is as you know part of the process here in developing Ashes of Creation is being open with that development so you guys can see that progress; and it is a double-edged sword. There are going to be a spectrum of people that exists who are very involved with the game's development and those who are just completely at an arm's length away in understanding the process; and they may look at alpha one- the people who don't really understand the development process or haven't been a part of it- they may look at it and they may think oh you know this is trash, looks like trash, you know whatever it's the end-product. But at the end of the day what's important for us and what yields the best possible product is for us to include as much as possible the community in that development process with no NDA so that you guys give valuable feedback; and as we go through the iterative process in further defining the game and fleshing out that content were doing so with the player in mind and their voice in our ear. That is I think one of the key distinguishing factors between our development and many developments that you guys may have seen in the past.[62] – Steven Sharif

Alpha-1 preview ancients mobs.[63]
Alpha-1 PvE combat.[64]

Alpha-1 is a testing release of the Ashes of Creation MMORPG.[65] Alpha-1 will test:

Ashes of Creation Apocalypse classes

Classes in Ashes of Creation Apocalypse castle sieges and Ashes of Creation Apocalypse horde mode. Emblem designs by Ryan Richmond.[92]

Six classes will be present in Ashes of Creation Apocalypse castle sieges and Ashes of Creation Apocalypse horde mode.[92]

These classes relate to the trinity of classes: Tank, DPS and Support.[92][93]

  • Skills/abilities are not tied specifically to weapons in castle siege mode.[94]
    • It was previously stated that weapon skills are applied to augment a class' base skills.[95]
  • Base class skills may be able to be selected from a host of available skills for that class based on a player's progression within that season.[95][96]

We had a little bit of an idea that we're going to explore with regards to each of the classes having a range of skills and abilities that players can customize that skill kit based on their progression within a season, let's say; and that progression can be gained from any of the modes and it would grant you the ability to kind of customize that skill kit for the before the siege mode or the horde mode. But that's something that might come at a later date.[96] – Steven Sharif

Ashes of Creation Apocalypse classes only apply to Ashes of Creation Apocalypse castle sieges and Ashes of Creation Apocalypse horde mode.[97]

Ashes of Creation Apocalypse healing

Healing in Ashes of Creation Apocalypse will be reticle based (action targeted).[98]

We have a few design theories on action combat and healing to began with phase one. Part of that will be the implementation of a class system into the castle siege and horde mode of phase one. Those will be kits that play out as skills available from an action perspective. You'll be able to target in proximity, basically so positioning is going to matter. Importantly, for healers being close to the individual party members you wish to heal. Additionally, you'll have reticle based healing methods. This would be a template that could be launched in that direction as a pulse of heels or augments. So there's a lot of different systems are playing with that you'll see more of when we get to those when we get to the castle siege system and the Ashes of Creation Apocalypse horde mode.[98] – Steven Sharif

Community guides

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Ashes of Creation class list.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Livestream, 30 October 2020 (33:26).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Interview, 18 July 2020 (1:05:04).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 archetypeclass.png
  5. ↑ Livestream, 3 May 2017 (50:50).
  6. ↑ Interview, 29 July 2020 (49:53).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 progression.png
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Interview, 29 July 2020 (54:44).
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Livestream, 28 July 2017 (19:05).
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Livestream, 18 July 2017 (37:43).
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 February 8, 2019 - Questions and Answers.
  12. ↑ Livestream, 31 July 2020 (1:31:11).
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Interview, 20 October 2018 (2:40:17).
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Podcast, 23 April 2018 (59:28).
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Podcast, 23 April 2018 (1:01:01).
  16. ↑ Livestream, 31 July 2020 (1:14:26).
  17. ↑ Livestream, 16 October 2017 (1:00:44).
  18. ↑ Interview, 8 August 2018 (22:27).
  19. ↑ class secondary.png
  20. ↑ Livestream, 25 July 2020 (1:47:55).
  21. ↑ Livestream, 9 February 2018 (41:56).
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Livestream, 17 December 2019 (1:13:14).
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Interview, 18 July 2020 (1:07:06).
  24. ↑ class same.png
  25. ↑ Livestream, 26 July 2019 (1:09:22).
  26. ↑ Livestream, 8 April 2018 (PM) (20:45).
  27. ↑ augmentcolors.png
  28. ↑ Interview, 11 May 2018 (53:15).
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Livestream, 28 August 2020 (1:12:50).
  30. ↑ Interview, 29 July 2020 (55:44).
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Interview, 19 July 2020 (53:59).
  32. ↑ Interview, 18 July 2020 (1:07:51).
  33. ↑ Livestream, 16 November 2017 (30:02).
  34. ↑ Livestream, 28 August 2020 (1:19:24).
  35. ↑ Livestream, November 22 2019 (41:02).
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 Podcast, 11 May 2018 (49:20).
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Livestream, 8 April 2018 (PM) (20:07).
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 Livestream, 30 October 2020 (1:06:53).
  39. ↑ Podcast, 4 May 2017 (17:02).
  40. ↑ Livestream, 8 April 2018 (AM) (21:21).
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 41.3 41.4 41.5 41.6 Livestream, 18 July 2017 (35:58).
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 Livestream, 8 May 2017 (43:30).
  43. ↑ Livestream, 8 May 2017 (43:28).
  44. ↑ Livestream, November 22 2019 (1:4:56).
  45. ↑ Livestream, 8 April 2018 (AM) (25:52).
  46. ↑ Livestream, 18 July 2017 (37:25).
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 Group dynamics blog.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 Livestream, 22 May 2017 (46:04).
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Interview, 20 October 2018 (2:40:16).
  50. ↑ weapon augments.png
  51. ↑ class weapons.png
  52. ↑ Livestream, 9 February 2018 (47:05).
  53. ↑ Livestream, 4 May 2018 (45:37).
  54. ↑ Video, 16 April 2018 (1:32).
  55. ↑ PvX definition.
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 Livestream, 12 May 2017 (24:52).
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 57.3 Livestream, 5 May 2017 (33:25).
  58. ↑ Livestream, 15 May 2017 (14:05).
  59. ↑ pvx stats.png
  60. ↑ Livestream, 1 June 2017 (37:39).
  61. ↑ Video, 23 March 2020 (0:01).
  62. ↑ Livestream, 30 October 2020 (15:35).
  63. ↑ steven-a1-testing-leaks.png
  64. ↑ Livestream, 28 March 2020 (54:48).
  65. ↑ Video, 5 April 2018 (1:01:40).
  66. ↑ 66.00 66.01 66.02 66.03 66.04 66.05 66.06 66.07 66.08 66.09 66.10 Newsletter, 7 August 2018
  67. ↑ Interview, 17 October 2020 (53:50).
  68. ↑ Livestream, 28 March 2020 (1:41:11).
  69. ↑ Interview, 20 October 2018 (12:38).
  70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 Livestream, 30 November 2020 (22:43).
  71. ↑ alpha-1-map-size.png
  72. ↑ 72.0 72.1 Interview, 19 July 2020 (1:21:49).
  73. ↑ steven-alpha-1-map.png
  74. ↑ 74.0 74.1 74.2 74.3 Livestream, 1 September 2018 (1:02:99).
  75. ↑ 75.0 75.1 Livestream, 30 November 2020 (37:16).
  76. ↑ 76.0 76.1 alpha-1-nodes.png
  77. ↑ alpha-1-zoi.png
  78. ↑ 78.0 78.1 Blog: Creative Director's Letter, October 16 2020
  79. ↑ 79.0 79.1 79.2 Interview, 7 February 2021 (35:30).
  80. ↑ Podcast, 11 May 2018 (59:25).
  81. ↑ Livestream, 30 October 2020 (20:40).
  82. ↑ Livestream, 28 August 2020 (1:29:17).
  83. ↑ Interview, 8 August 2018 (18:55).
  84. ↑ Livestream, 26 July 2019 (1:10:44).
  85. ↑ 85.0 85.1 Interview, 8 August 2018 (19:02).
  86. ↑ alpha-1-participation.png
  87. ↑ alpha-1-phase-2.png
  88. ↑ Livestream, 30 January 2020 (35:12).
  89. ↑ 89.0 89.1 Livestream, 30 November 2020 (24:51).
  90. ↑ steven-naval.png
  91. ↑ Livestream, 30 November 2020 (1:01:40).
  92. ↑ 92.0 92.1 92.2 Livestream, 11 January 2019 (41:20).
  93. ↑ Interview, 20 October 2018 (11:38).
  94. ↑ Livestream, November 22 2019 (59:37).
  95. ↑ 95.0 95.1 95.2 Interview, 17 August 2018 (8:16).
  96. ↑ 96.0 96.1 Livestream, 11 January 2019 (58:40).
  97. ↑ Reddit Q&A, 8 January 2019.
  98. ↑ 98.0 98.1 Interview, 8 August 2018 (19:40).
  99. ↑ 99.0 99.1 Interview, 17 August 2018 (12:05).
  100. ↑ 100.0 100.1 Interview, 6 December 2018 (2:04).
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