After spending some time in Alpha 2 over the last few days, I want to share some thoughts on where the game’s difficulty is going, especially in the early levels. Stephen Sharif has been clear that Ashes isn’t meant to be for everyone and that it’s intentionally challenging. I get it. But there’s a difference between tough, engaging gameplay and something that feels more like punishment. Right now, it feels like we’re leaning into the latter.

From the very start, players are in a tough spot. You’re given one weak skill and an auto-attack that mostly reminds you how weak you are. That’s fine if it’s part of a larger progression plan—but there’s no build-up. It’s like being thrown into the deep end without a chance to catch your breath. Most MMOs, especially the ones that have stood the test of time, ease players in. They give you time to learn, grow, and gain momentum. Ashes takes a different approach, and honestly, I’m concerned it’s going to turn people away before they even get to experience the game’s full potential.

A particular sticking point is the downtime between killing mobs. With only two classes having self-healing, the rest of us have to run off, find a safe spot, get out of combat, and sit to eat a ration just to recover. This downtime feels abysmal. It doesn’t add to the challenge or the strategy—it just feels bad. When difficulty becomes the main experience, it can start to feel lazy or like it’s covering up a lack of deeper systems.

And here’s the thing—players expect difficulty, but they also expect to be equipped to handle it. Right now, the game has high difficulty without the necessary tools, and that doesn’t feel rewarding; it just feels unfair. Long term, this could cause players to leave, not because they don’t want a challenge, but because they feel set up to fail.

Some may say, “you haven’t played enough” or “you need to sink more time into it.” But this is exactly the point—retention depends on hooking new players from the start. Will every new player who puts the game down hear the same response? Almost every form of entertainment has its “hook,” and assuming the first 10 levels of an MMO aren’t exactly that is naive at best. If the early-game experience pushes players away, the game is setting itself up for long-term struggles.

We’ve seen this before. Mortal Online 2 serves as an example of where extreme difficulty created a niche community but limited broader appeal and growth. On the other hand, games like ArcheAge in its prime found a balance. It had its tough moments, but progression felt meaningful, and players got hooked before the real challenges set in. ArcheAge managed to balance challenge with reward, without making players feel like they were fighting the game itself. There’s a reason it’s still talked about fondly.

This isn’t about making Ashes solo-friendly—clearly that’s not the intent, and that’s fine. But in today’s MMO market, creating an experience where solo questing is nearly impossible, especially in the early game, feels like a misstep. The first few levels should be about drawing players in, letting them explore, and getting them invested. Instead, it feels like a slog, where progression is slowed unless you have a group of friends to rely on from day one.

The timing for feedback is critical—Alpha 2 is a chance to adjust based on how players are engaging with the game now, before those issues become harder to fix later. Balancing difficulty isn’t just about accessibility; it’s about Ashes reaching its potential in a competitive MMO landscape. People want to be challenged, but they also want to feel rewarded. If they’re punished from the start, it risks alienating the community that Ashes needs to thrive.

It's often been said that Ashes was meant to be the spiritual successor to ArcheAge, with Lineage 2 influences, yet it feels skewed too far toward Lineage’s side. The focus on difficulty has come at the expense of broader, engaging systems that made ArcheAge enjoyable. This isn’t about removing the challenge altogether—it’s about striking a balance. There’s room for a game that’s both challenging and rewarding, without making players feel punished at every turn.

This isn’t just personal preference. It’s about ensuring that Ashes reaches its full potential in today’s competitive MMO market. With so much time and effort poured into it, it’d be a shame to see it cater only to a smaller audience when a few adjustments could make it truly thrive.

Look, I’m not saying any of this because I want to nitpick or spread the doomium around . I’m saying it because I believe in Ashes. I want this to be the game that sticks around, that grows and thrives for years to come, something we’ll look back on as a cornerstone in MMO history. I believe in the potential here. The passion and vision behind this project are what made me excited to invest my time and energy, and it’s because of that belief that I’m putting forward these concerns. I genuinely want Ashes to succeed in a way that creates a lasting, vibrant community—a place we’ll still be playing and talking about years from now.