Ashes of Creation

About

Ashes of Creation is a multiplayer open world role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Intrepid Studios, Inc and was released on December 11, 2025. It received negative reviews from players.

Ashes of Creation is a unique take on the MMO experience. The world structure is dynamic and built to react to the actions of our players. Cities will rise and fall, their populations based on the history of the world as the players create it. Quests will unlock as these populations gather, their needs grow, and secrets are unlocked. As the world’s NPC structure is established in real time, playe…

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34%

Audience ScoreBased on 12,902 reviews

gameplay233 positive mentions

story100 negative mentions

The game features a deep crafting and gathering system with a strong emphasis on social and group play, fostering memorable and emergent player interactions.
The world is visually beautiful and immersive, with atmospheric music and lighting that enhance exploration and combat, providing a rich MMO atmosphere.
Core gameplay pillars like politics, player communication, and PvP mechanics offer rewarding and engaging gameplay for groups and guilds.

The game suffers from severe bugs, frequent crashes, performance and optimization issues, making it unstable and frustrating to play.
Grinding and progression are grind-heavy and punishing, especially for solo players, with limited quest content and poorly developed storylines.
Character design is widely criticized for being outdated and low quality, and monetization practices have damaged player trust due to aggressive microtransactions and unfinished features.

story
979 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
83%
10%
The game's story and quest content are currently minimal, with a primary questline ending abruptly around level 5-10 and little to no meaningful narrative or quest progression thereafter. Players face numerous issues including buggy and unclear quests, low mob spawn rates, excessive grinding, and poor quest design with little guidance or immersion. While the world-building and lore show potential, the lack of structured quests, engaging storylines, and polished quest systems significantly hinder the overall experience at this alpha stage.
- “The lore for the world and story is quite in depth and I'm looking to incorporate more of it as development continues.”
- “From the moment I logged in, the world felt alive and reactive — quests matter, the node system shapes the landscape, and every decision feels impactful.”
- “I think as development progresses, there will be more lore, more narrative driven events and elements which will bring forth more characters and backstory of Verra.”
- “No quest lines, no story, no depth.”
- “The main/story quest basically stops before level 10, after that, you just grind like it is 1999.”
- “No story, no structure, nothing to hook you.”
gameplay
957 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
69%
7%
Gameplay in Ashes of Creation is a mixed experience characterized by deep crafting, gathering, and a strong emphasis on social and group play, with mechanics blending old-school MMO elements and modern combat systems. However, it suffers from severe bugs, performance issues, punishing and sometimes unfriendly mechanics (especially for solo players), and a grind-heavy progression that can feel tedious. While core systems show promise and some players find enjoyment in the complex economic and PvP-driven gameplay, many note an incomplete state with lack of polish, confusing tutorials, and frustrations related to unstable servers and forced PvP elements.
- “The world is beautiful, the game mechanics are worth putting in the time to figure out and master, giving a real sense of satisfaction and achievement as you learn to craft, to group up, to make a guild function well, to help teammates and to build bigger and better settlements.”
- “The core pillars of the game — politics, player communication, and pvp mechanics — provided me with hours of entertainment.”
- “Player interaction and emergent gameplay are constantly encouraged, leading to memorable, unscripted moments that you’ll be talking about long after they happen.”
- “The early access version felt like a glorified alpha: unfinished systems, major bugs, excessive botting, real money trading, item duping, missing core gameplay loops, and monetization layered atop like a cherry on a dumpster fire.”
- “Gameplay was awful, punishing solo players as the system only benefits users leveling in party.”
- “Gameplay is a mixture of new world and guild wars 2, but the combat, class design, and mechanics exhibit clunky performance and poor optimization, leading to a generally frustrating experience.”
grinding
687 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
Grinding in the game is extensive and often described as tedious, repetitive, and time-consuming, with limited questing beyond early levels forcing players into prolonged mob/farming grinding to progress. Group play alleviates some frustration, but solo players frequently find the grind boring and unrewarding, compounded by harsh death penalties and competition for farming spots. While some enjoy the old-school, hardcore grind and crafting depth, many criticize the current grind-heavy, bot-infested, and underdeveloped content as a barrier to enjoyment and a significant time sink.
- “If you’re not grinding mobs in a group, progression is basically dead.”
- “If you aren't farming raids/mobs then you are farming professions.”
- “This game is where EverQuest, WoW, ESO, and all other MMOs had a mixed baby. It's fast, fun, grindy (but not too grindy), and has adventure. They need to fix bugs, but I believe in the direction this game is going!”
- “The only viable way to level becomes camping a single area and endlessly grinding mobs, which quickly becomes repetitive and frustrating.”
- “For an early access game that has been in development for years needs a lot more work.. impossible to play solo and just a grind itself (not the leveling) but farming materials is utter garbage.”
- “Leveling in this game means sitting in one place for 8 hours farming the same mobs just to get 1 or 2 levels.”
graphics
596 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
62%
13%
Graphics reviews for the game are highly mixed and inconsistent. While some players praise the game's beautiful landscapes, immersive atmosphere, and solid art style especially for an alpha, many criticize the visuals as outdated, blurry, and poorly optimized with frequent graphical glitches, low-quality textures, and dated character models. Performance issues compound the experience, with the game demanding high resources yet delivering visuals that often feel unimpressive or unfinished, reflecting that the graphics are a significant area needing improvement before full release.
- “The graphics are beautiful, one of the most beautiful games I've played and the gameplay is fun.”
- “The graphics are stunning—lush landscapes, dynamic lighting, and intricate architecture make exploration a joy in itself.”
- “The graphics and visuals look amazing, and I'm really excited to give my time to help make this game a better game for everyone.”
- “The graphics look like they were rendered on a toaster, yet they’re charging like it’s some cutting‑edge masterpiece.”
- “The graphics and textures are bland and unfinished, giving off the vibe of a pre-alpha build rather than a game that’s ready for the public. Environments look flat, character models are low quality, and it’s difficult to ignore how much the visuals drag the experience down.”
- “Currently the visuals are completely broken with everything being an absolute blurry mess, coupled with ground textures loading extremely slowly in 1-foot by 1-foot tiles and shadows currently being completely broken with half of your character and parts of NPCs just not casting shadows at all, plus random black squares shading portions of the terrain randomly.”
optimization
358 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
62%
30%
Optimization for the game is widely criticized, with many users reporting severe performance issues including frequent crashes, stuttering, rubber-banding, and low FPS even on high-end hardware. Despite being in alpha, the game is described as poorly optimized, with frequent lag in populated areas, long queue times, and unstable servers significantly disrupting gameplay. While some acknowledge ongoing improvements and potential, the consensus emphasizes that major optimization and stability work remains essential before the game can be considered playable or enjoyable.
- “Performance has clearly improved over time, systems are layering forward instead of being ripped out, and updates feel like progress rather than panic fixes.”
- “Ok ok.. hands down.. I have never seen so much progress in such a short time.. last time I played was 2 months ago.. wtf man .. it is a completely different game.. performance on my rig is up 100%, wtf... Intrepid guys... well done .. with this pace .. this game will be released in no time!”
- “Performance of the game has gotten better from my understanding but still has some work and obviously there isn't a ton of content from what I have been watching.”
- “Every patch made performance worse, which was honestly the most consistent feature.”
- “The game constantly crashes, there are noticeable performance issues, the game's framework is lackluster for a game that's been in development for so long, and it wasn't fun for me to play.”
- “Performance: 1/10 - extreme issues, hitching, bugs on solid hardware (4090, 9800x3d).”
monetization
299 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
8%
91%
The monetization of this game has been overwhelmingly criticized by users as a blatant, last-minute cash grab, with many accusing the developer of exploiting early access and the Steam release to extract money before shutting down the studio. Players highlight aggressive microtransactions, unmet promises, and an unfinished product, leading to widespread feelings of being scammed and calls for refunds and accountability. Overall, the monetization approach has severely damaged player trust and the game's reputation.
- “- No cash grabs, and a commitment to transparency with the community, indeed.”
- “If the game is to somehow continue through this there needs to continue to be no in-game benefits for monetization.”
- “No monetization shoved in your face.”
- “The early access version itself felt like a glorified alpha: unfinished systems, major bugs, crazy amounts of botting, RMT for days, duping of items, missing core gameplay loops, and monetization layered on top like a cherry on a dumpster fire.”
- “It was years of lies, overpromising, underdelivering, repeated cash grabs, and a cynical final Steam dump to pocket money before torching the whole thing.”
- “Pump-and-dump early access cash grab — throw a half-baked alpha on Steam, milk players for money, then watch the studio implode while your refund rights vanish.”
stability
288 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game is highly unstable, plagued by frequent bugs, glitches, crashes, lag spikes, and server issues that often render it frustrating or unplayable. While some players appreciate its ambitious design and potential, the overwhelmingly buggy alpha state, incomplete features, and poor optimization significantly hamper the experience. Developer efforts to fix problems are ongoing but progress remains limited, making it best suited only for players willing to tolerate frequent technical issues.
- “Runs great.”
- “Runs great, feels great.”
- “Honestly, so good. Don't listen to the negative comments. The queue times are not really there anymore, the game runs great and has so much content!”
- “Every time I wanted to partake in the town building event fans of the game set up, I had to start launching the game at least an hour in advance, with full expectation that I'd have to close and relaunch it when it freezes mid-loading screen. My participation was limited to gathering plants and edging around mobs because drawing aggro always resulted in lag spikes and XP debt.”
- “The game crashed repeatedly, struggled to launch correctly, and required excessive troubleshooting simply to attempt entry.”
- “Fps was consistently unstable, rubber-banding was extreme, and I experienced frequent screen blackouts and freezes—sometimes lasting up to five minutes.”
humor
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this game is often derived from the many bugs, awkward animations, and frustrating design choices that players find ironically amusing, as well as the lively and troll-filled global chat and community interactions. While many find the game’s flaws frustrating, they also create unexpected funny moments and shared laughter, contributing to a unique, if imperfect, early MMO experience. However, some players feel the humor stems more from disappointment and broken promises than genuine enjoyment.
- “To our players, you backed us, defended us, and wrote entire Reddit essays we read, ignored half, and screenshotted the funny ones.”
- “Personally, I’m having a great time, and the in-game community is hilarious; world chat alone keeps me coming back.”
- “Global chat is hilarious, and people will be helpful in global chat.”
music
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
52%
10%
The game's music is generally praised for its ambiance, fitting atmosphere, and relaxing qualities, often cited as a highlight that enhances immersion and worldbuilding. However, some users find the soundtrack repetitive, generic, or mismatched with the game’s style, leading to frequent muting. Overall, while the music shows promise and adds to the game's appeal, it could benefit from greater variety and refinement.
- “On just the music alone I would buy this game.”
- “Ambience music is top notch.”
- “Sound design and music are understated but effective, reinforcing exploration and large-scale conflict without overwhelming the player during long sessions.”
- “Sound design is equally uninspired, with repetitive music that most players will likely mute or turn down.”
- “The sounds and music in the world are not immersive in the slightest and almost put you to sleep.”
- “The background music is particularly grating—it reminds me of 90s MMOs like Ultima Online, but not in a nostalgic way.”
atmosphere
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
41%
14%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive, richly detailed world with stunning visuals, atmospheric lighting, and a strong sense of identity that enhances exploration and combat. While some find parts of the world and character designs generic or lacking depth, many appreciate the vibrant social environment and the game's ability to evoke authentic, memorable moments reminiscent of classic tabletop RPGs. Overall, the atmosphere effectively pulls players into the game, balancing modern production values with nostalgic elements.
- “The visuals are stunning, the atmosphere is immersive, and progression feels genuinely rewarding.”
- “Ashes succeeds at the hardest parts of MMO design: combat feels impactful, the world has atmosphere and identity, lighting and sound sell immersion, the UI respects the player, and the crafting/gathering ecosystem has real depth.”
- “The world, music, and atmosphere pull you in, and the sense of community is strong.”
- “The general atmosphere of the game is heavily lacking outside of cool terrain in some areas.”
- “So far it is looking like they passed the clouds and are hanging just inside Earth's atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere: the game is missing something here from Anvil at least.”
emotional
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional response to the game is deeply polarized, with many players expressing heartbreak, disappointment, and feelings of betrayal due to unfulfilled potential, poor management, and development issues, while others appreciate its nostalgic class-based mechanics and find some positive emotional connection. Overall, the experience has left a significant emotional toll on the community, ranging from frustration and sadness to cautious affection.
- “It’s just heartbreaking to see this potential squandered and the community left feeling burned.”
- “Emotional toll: as a player, I feel destroyed.”
- “I’ve developed an emotional attachment I’m not ready to unpack.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
Replayability of the game has improved compared to earlier versions and closed alpha, with more playable content available now, but many players feel it still falls short of expectations set by the price and presentation. Some users note that only main archetypes are currently playable, and despite progress, the game lacks polish in core mechanics, limiting its long-term appeal. Continued development and refinement are needed for the game to reach a truly engaging replayable state.
- “Alternatively, it is more playable since my last review.”
- “The game is way more playable.”
- “12~ ish hours into the game.. since this isn't even supposed to be early access, it's still a lot more playable than before.”
- “Many players on Steam are frustrated because the price and presentation imply a more playable product than what’s here right now.”
- “While the game is much more playable than it was a year ago when I tried it in 2024, it's nowhere near or even in the realm of what they sell you on.”
- “According to numerous community reviews, the game was more playable during its closed alpha than it is now.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Character development in the game is widely criticized, particularly for poor and outdated character design featuring disproportionate and low-resolution models. While the game includes complex systems like territory control and PvP, there is a notable lack of focus on improving solo play, storyline depth, side quests, and overall character progression.
- “Making the game a bit more solo-friendly, more rewarding, improving the main storyline, side quests, dungeons, character design, and fleshing out the world a lot more, rather than focusing almost exclusively on the PvP, settlement, crafting, and economy systems, which also need work.”
- “Character development persistent open world with territory control and flagging systems for Twitch styles of PvP and full looting.”
- “I load in to probably the worst character designer I've ever seen.”
- “Probably the worst character design in last 15 years.”
- “The character design is very disappointing, with short/disproportionate arms and low resolution character art.”