Classes

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

As a player progresses with their primary archetype, they will have the opportunity to choose a secondary archetype to augment their primary skills with effects from their secondary archetype. The combination of primary and secondary archetypes is referred to as a Class.

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.

Each skill in the primary tree will have several augment options from the secondary tree. This is an example of horizontal progression.

Players receive skill points as they level. These can be used to level up skills within their skill tree.

• It will not be possible to max all skills in a skill tree.

Classes by archetype combination

With 8 Archetypes to combine, players may choose from 64 total combinations to create their class.

Secondary
		Bard	Cleric	Fighter	Mage	Ranger	Rogue	Summoner	Tank
Primary	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

Balancing is such an important aspect of this class system that we want to make sure that there's a role to be had for every possible combination. – Steven Sharif

You don't make 64 classes for four to be played. – Peter Pilone

Balancing in Ashes of Creation is "group focussed".

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. – Steven Sharif

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

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. – Steven Sharif

Class abilities

Pre-alpha footage of a Mage using offensive and Utility skills, such as Mage's escape and Mage's detection.

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

• Choosing the same primary and secondary archetype increases focus on that archetype.
• Each skill in the primary tree has a minimum of four augment choices from the secondary tree.
• 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.
• Changing the augmentations on your skills will require you to go to a NPC in a Village node or higher.
• Active skills could look totally different after an augment gets applied.

You only get active skills from your primary class and that active skill could look totally different after an augment gets applied. It really depends on what the augment is. – Steven Sharif

Key for the augment system is that these augments are meant to demonstrate a core identity of the secondary class type you've chosen. So 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. – 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. – Steven Sharif

Archetypes

• Bard
• Cleric
• Fighter
• Mage
• Ranger
• Rogue
• Summoner
• Tank

Siege abilities

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

• The classes will need to be in the same group or raid.

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. – Steven Sharif

Changing/switching

Primary

The primary archetype (of a class) cannot be changed.

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!

Secondary

Secondary archetype of a class may be changed, but not "on-the-fly".

• This may be done through a quest system.
• 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.

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.

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. – Steven Sharif

Class trials

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

Racial abilities

A player's choice of race will influence their racial abilities.

Each race has different base stats.

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

Stat growth

Stat growth proceeds in the following order:

1. The race "seeds" a player's base stats.
2. The primary archetype grows the base stats.
3. The secondary archetype (class) further grows the stats.

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. – Steven Sharif

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

Roles

There will be traditional trinity of Tank, DPS, and Support/healer roles in Ashes of Creation.

• Although traditional roles are present, players should not feel branded by their primary archetype.
• Skill augments available through the class system allow characters to be personalized outside of their primary role.
• Players can also double down on their archetype choice to strengthen their primary role.

Weapons and Armor

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

• Ranged weapons.
• Shields.
• Two-handed weapons.

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. – 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. – Steven Sharif

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

• There is a balance between PvP and PvE in Ashes of Creation.
• Some servers may be more PvP focused than others.
• There will not be different PvP and PvE gear types.
• Progression in the game might require PvE elements.
• All stats relate to a player's combat effectiveness in PvX.

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. – Steven Sharif

Alpha-0

Alpha-0 civilian clothing by Keith Kovach.

Alpha-0 civilian clothing by Keith Kovach.

There won't be an active character creation screen in Alpha-0, but there will be several options for players to choose from.

• Four playable archetypes: Cleric, Mage, Ranger, Tank.
  • The other four archetypes are planned for Phase 2 Alpha 1.
• Two playable races: Kaelar, Empyrean.
• Gender selection.

Alpha-1

Ashes of Creation - Alpha-1 Environment Preview (In-Game).

Alpha-1 is a testing release of Ashes of Creation.

• Alpha-1 soft rollout will be available to Braver of worlds backers and above.
• Alpha-1 phase 1 release will be focusing on the action side of combat.
  • Open-world battlegrounds.
  • Castle sieges.
  • City Defense Horde mode.
  • Arenas will only have action-oriented targeting.
  • Possibly a revised Weapon use ability system.
• Alpha-1 phase 2 release will test hybrid action/tab combat.
  • Progression to level 20.
  • 4 playable races.
  • Character creator.
  • 8 base archetypes.
  • Portions of player housing.
  • Portions of crafting/artisan classes.
  • Node progression to Town (Stage 4).
  • 120sqkm of world map.
  • Questing.
  • Social organizations.
  • Guilds.
  • Name reservations.
  • Corruption.
  • Merchant systems.
  • Player trading.

Name reservations for Alpha-1 participants will begin during phase two.

Alpha-1 is not covered by NDA.

See also

• Races
• Religions
• Artisan classes
• Skills
• Combat
• Weapons
• Armor
• Alpha-0