If you’re revisiting (or just starting) your Ashes of Creation adventure, then you’re in for a treat! Ashes of Creation is in an open-development process, where the game is constantly changing, being tested, and having new systems and features added within it.
Up until the game officially launches, there will be “mini launches” of different testing phases, with the most recent phase being Alpha Two Phase Three (launching on August 26, 2025). Although there is a lot of change constantly happening, there are still a few basic mechanics that have been consistent in each testing phase. By understanding some of these basic mechanics, tips, and tricks, you can not only make your life a whole lot easier when jumping into Ashes of Creation but also use your time more effectively to progress your character as much as possible.
In this Ashes of Creation beginner’s guide, we highlight nine tips that any Ashes of Creation player can learn from to make their experience even better when jumping into Alpha Two Phase Three.
If you prefer listening to these (instead of reading), watch the video below.
Tip #1: Carry Multiple Mounts
As you explore the land of Verra, you’ll quickly realize that the in-game map is huge (and growing). Unlike most games, Ashes of Creation does not have teleport shrines everywhere across the map. Instead, you must rely on traveling by foot (or mount) to get where you need. In other words, if you don’t have a fast mount, you’re going to likely spend a lot of time simply going from Point A to Point B.
With that being said, it’s extremely important to have more than one mount. This is because if your mount somehow manages to die from mobs as you’re traveling, you can swap to your other mount and continue traveling to wherever you’re headed. If you only have that one mount, you need to wait for a 10-minute timer until you can use your mount again, making traveling a slow and painful process!
Additionally, be sure to have at least one water-based mount, allowing you to quickly swim across bodies of water. By having multiple land and water-based mounts, you’ll be able to be stress-free as you travel to your next grinding spot!
Tip #2: Understanding PvP
Whether you like it or not, you likely will encounter a PvP situation when playing Ashes of Creation. That doesn’t mean you need to engage in it though!
In the video above, you can see a real-world example of a few ways you can get flagged for PvP (like looting people’s ashes, entering a PvP zone, etc.)
When this happens, your name will have a purple symbol next to it, meaning other players can attack you without any consequences. Keep in mind though, that if you’re just running around and you don’t have that purple symbol, and hypothetically a player attacks and kills you without you fighting back, they become corrupted. This means their nameplate will turn red, and they’ll get multiple debuffs and will even lose multiple pieces of gear when killed! Long story short, people don’t want to be corrupted since they could lose very valuable gear.
The overall consequences involved in killing other players without their consent is major, which balances the open-world PvP situation. Just be aware of your surroundings and the many different ways you can get flagged for PvP!
Tip #3: Death Penalties
In Ashes of Creation, if you die, you will be penalized. To be more specific, you will lose experience (this is called “XP Debt”), you will be ported to either the closest emberspring or the emberspring you selected as your primary emberspring, and you will actually lose items that you’re holding!
To be more specific, you will lose a total of 50% of your materials in your inventory (not gear – don’t worry!) When you die, you will have a small pile of ashes where you died. If you return to that pile of ashes, you can pick-up half of what you dropped (essentially 25% of what your total inventory was before you died).
Be cautious though – other players will also see your ashes pile and can pick-up the items you dropped! If they do though, they’ll be flagged for PvP, so be prepared to fight for your stuff back if you’re up for the fight!
Tip #4: Save your Glint!
When killing mobs, you do not get gold. Instead, you’ll collect a unique currency known as “Glint”. Although you can sell glint directly to in-game NPCs for some fast gold, it’s not recommended to do so! Instead, it’s worth saving it up in your storage, and then spending it on caravan materials.
The overall return when using the glint for caravan materials and completing a caravan far surpasses what it would be for simply selling it to an NPC. Yes, there is much more risk, but there’s also much more reward!
As you continue to play Ashes of Creation, you’ll quickly realize that this “Risk vs. Reward” system is a feature integrated within multiple systems in the game. I hope you’re feeling lucky!
Tip #5: NPC Items (Rations & Satchels)
Believe it or not, there are a lot of useful items you can simply buy directly from an NPC within the game. When you visit a node within Ashes of Creation, be sure to visit each NPC within the area, as they offer a handful of useful items that can help you as you progress your character.
These items include useful consumables (like Rations), and even resource-specific rations that will allow you to hold more items as you explore the world of Verra.
Tip #6: Upgrading Professions
Once you hit level 10 in a specific profession (such as lumberjacking or metalsmithing), you will no longer receive experience when doing those profession-related activities. You’ll want to make sure you promote your artisan skill to the next tier, allowing you to continue to progress leveling up that artisan profession.
Be cautious though – there are limits on the number of professions you can upgrade! Each character is limited to the following in regard to certain artisan certifications.
- Novice (1-10): Unlimited
- Apprentice (10-20): 5
- Journeyman (20-30): 4
- Master (30-40): 3
- Grandmaster (40-50): 2
Tip #7: Nodes, Taxes, and Citizenships
Within Ashes of Creation, you can become a citizen of a specific node. This game is very realistic though – so much so that when you become a citizen, you’ll actually need to pay taxes! In order to pay for these taxes, you will need to purchase tax receipts using glint.
This is important to keep in mind, as you’ll want to make sure you pay your taxes to keep your citizenship within the specific node you choose, and to also stay aware of node-specific features, including even the unique items the NPCs within that node provide!
For example, if you are a physical-based class (like a Fighter), you may want to consider becoming a citizen of the Winstead node, as it offers a cloak that provides a high amount of Physical Power Rating and Health.
Tip #8: Ashes Codex
When playing Ashes of Creation, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed. There are hundreds of different points of interest, mobs, items, and so much more! Don’t worry though – there’s an extremely helpful website known as “Ashes Codex” that is essentially a database for Ashes of Creation, allowing you to quickly search for certain items that could help you progress your build.
To learn more about Ashes Codex, click here.
Tip #9: Make Friends
This game is hard to play alone. In fact, there’s a lot of content in this game you can’t even do alone! Even the crafting systems in the game requires you to communicate with other players, as no single play will be able to max-out all of the available artisan skills within the game.
With this in mind, be friendly to others, be social, and make connections as much as you can. These connections can lead to major benefits as you progress your character.
How to Start Playing Ashes of Creation
If you’re interested in playing Ashes of Creation, then create an account here and visit the “shop” section of the Ashes of Creation website to purchase your key. Upon purchase, you will receive access to play the rest of Alpha Two, along with a key for Beta One and Beta Two. Additionally, you’ll have access to start playing on the PTR for additional testing.
Additionally, you will receive one month of gameplay for Ashes of Creation upon launch, and $15 worth of embers (in-game marketplace credits). We hope to see you soon in Verra!
