Ashes of Creation - Creative Director Interview

I had the chance to sit down with Steven Sharif, the Creative Director of Ashes of Creation, for an in-depth conversation about the game's development. We covered key insights, challenges, and the future of AoC, making this a must-watch for fans and curious players alike. Are you making Ashes of Creation just to become the #1 Twitch streamer? 3:42 - What’s the current status of Dynamic Gridding? What unexpected challenges have you faced? 7:04 - Why does the world of Ashes currently feel so static? 10:23 - When can we expect story arcs to come online? 12:07 - Steven plugs his stream & upcoming content 12:54 - If you could add one ridiculous feature to the game with no consequences, what would it be? 14:26 - Could Apocalypse ever return in some form? 15:45 - What’s the long-term goal for the Ashes IP beyond the MMO? 17:01 - The game currently feels very grind-heavy—what’s the plan to improve gameplay loops? 18:43 - What kind of data are you gathering from mass mob grinding? 21:36 - Are the node buildings we see now placeholders, or are they final? 24:29 - Why are node platforms so obvious on the map? Will they blend better into the world later? 25:29 - When will player housing come online? 26:48 - Will instance-based housing (apartments/inns) have a limited number available? 29:39 - Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized dragons or one dragon-sized duck? 30:37 - What’s your favorite in-game mount, and would you ride it in real life? 32:55 - When will we see secondary archetype augments come online? 34:14 - Can you give a more detailed explanation of how the augment system will work? 38:25 - Can you give an example of a max-power (10/10) augment? 39:22 - Has community feedback ever changed your mind on a feature you were set on? 41:17 - Would you rather make every decision by flipping a coin or forget how to read? 44:00 - There’s talk of a major economy & crafting overhaul. What does that involve? 47:19 - How will major system overhauls be implemented without wipes? 51:01 - Any plans to bring more focused testing to live servers, like we see on PTR? 54:40 - What’s the plan for balancing time-to-kill (TTK)? Right now, gear upgrades make PvP very bursty. 57:59 - How do you prioritize balancing major issues vs. quality of life improvements? 1:00:26 - Can we PLEASE get a hotkey for Need/Greed looting? 1:03:04 - What’s the funniest or most unexpected player suggestion you’ve ever heard? 1:03:52 - Can we have a recall election system to remove inactive mayors? 1:05:57 - Will we have a "Hide Helmet" option? 1:06:08 - When can we expect gliding mounts? 1:06:35 - Would you rather erase the last 10 years from your memory or only retain memories you've written down?