In the most recent phase of Ashes of Creation testing, Intrepid Studios have made the decision to funnel all players into a single server – Shol. This server went live on May 1, 2025, and more players are joining by the day, and overall, it seems like the community has been extremely happy with the recent changes and testing for the game.
The testing has been such a success, that over 8,100 testers piled into the Shol realm this past weekend, which is not only a record for Ashes of Creation thus far, but also possibly a record for any Unreal Engine 5 game on a single realm (shared on Discord by Steven Sharrif, Creative Director, Ashes of Creation).
The testing over the last few days have truly tested individual realm limits, and the data collected is helping the development team enhance the overall gameplay even further, making the experience even more enhanced for the upcoming Alpha Two Phase Three testing period, which starts on August 4, 2025. If you want to begin playing Ashes of Creation today, you can by making an account here.
Preparing for Alpha Two Phase Three
With the decision to extend Alpha Two Phase Two through August 4, 2025, the team is allowing more in-depth testing that they can collect within a single realm. These specific areas of testing include the following:
- Implementing and testing dynamic gridding, which is critical for improving gameplay performance in densely populated areas.
- The introduction of the second starting area in The Anvils, and a revamp of the questing and first-time user experience systems.
- Ongoing server worker and realm performance improvements, helping the team lay a stronger foundation for scalability.
- The transition to Unreal Engine 5.5 brings major improvements to tools, performance, and development flexibility.
- Significant economy and stat balancing efforts over the next 3 months, in preparation for a solid Phase Three start.
- The introduction of the Py’rai, Ren’Kai and Niküan races with all armor sets along with the last Archetype, the Summoner.
When Will Ashes of Creation Launch?
The question around “when” Ashes of Creation will officially launch is still up in the air, but we’re getting closer and closer to an answer as more testing phases are implemented. With Alpha Two Phase Three being rumored to last at least a year long, with another two phases of Betas coming after that, the community has had estimates of the official launch of Ashes of Creation being anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 years away, but only time will tell.