Ahead of the Early Access release of 'ArcheAge Chronicles', XLGAMES has released a letter from Producer Ham. The letter details improvements made based on feedback from the Steam Next Fest demo, alongside post-launch plans.
Producer Ham began by expressing his gratitude to players who participated in the demo. As the first open demo accessible to everyone since the September network test, it attracted far more players than anticipated. He added that many players stayed long after finishing the demo to share feedback and participate in PvP.
The development team stated that they read all the feedback received during the demo period. Players voiced a wide range of feedback, spanning black screens, disconnects, launch failures, party matchmaking, and chat issues, to combat feel, skill and weapon balancing, and gender-locked classes.
First, launch and connectivity issues were addressed. A shader compilation screen now appears during the initial launch to display loading progress instead of a black screen. Certain disconnects and login errors from the demo have been fixed, and an issue where the game failed to launch alongside specific antivirus programs was resolved. Multi-monitor support and fullscreen switching were also improved. Additionally, if upscaling or frame generation fails to function on a system, the game will automatically adjust settings and notify the player.
Server and party features are also changing. Regions are now selected automatically based on user location, and regional indicators on the server selection screen have been redesigned for clarity. Brazil and Singapore servers were added. Parties now remain intact when switching between Peace and Conflict channels, with an option to move directly to the party leader's channel. Dungeon and instance progress will be saved even during disconnects, and certain solo-only dungeon sections can now be played in a party.
Combat and balance adjustments were also made. Damage for 'Wall of Fire' was lowered, and bosses now possess stronger resistance against skills dealing damage proportional to maximum HP. Wavesword attack power and scaling values were readjusted, and the Longbow's 'Fire Arrow' skill was revamped. Adjustments were also made to the Warhammer, Hatchet, Elemental Staff lightning skills, and the Berserker's 'Powerful Charge'. An issue where bosses disappeared behind walls or beneath floors was resolved. New stat nodes were added to Traits, and four new Lunastones were introduced.
Quality-of-life features were expanded as well. Players can now rebind 10 UI shortcuts and set camera Y-axis inversion separately for mouse and controller. A smooth camera rotation option was added, and climbing ladders no longer consumes SP. Players can hide glasses and masks on helmet appearances, and additional character presets were added. Customer support can be opened directly from the ESC menu, and chat language filters were added to local and world channels.
However, the core combat feel will not be rushed into major changes prior to Early Access. Opinions among players varied significantly regarding stamina, hit stun, movement speed, and impact feedback. The development team has formed a dedicated combat team that will continue making adjustments throughout Early Access. This team will also oversee improvements to soft-lock targeting for ranged attacks and the party aggro system.
Some details regarding the first post-launch update were also revealed. The team will first address gender-locked classes, which received the highest number of requests. Gender selection during character creation will be rolled out sequentially by class, starting with the Warrior. The female Warrior is scheduled to be added in the first update in December. The ultimate goal is to remove gender restrictions for all classes prior to the official launch.
A third weapon type will also be added for all classes. This will also be implemented sequentially by class, with the Gladius added to the Warrior in the first update.
The playable area will expand significantly in Early Access. While the demo included only a portion of Diamond Shores, Early Access will open most of the remaining area along with two new regions: 'Gylden Ruins' and 'Astron Plains'. The game will feature over 60 accessible zones, expanding the world scale to approximately 20 times that of the demo, with more than 1,000 exploration and collection points.
The roadmap will be released shortly after launch, incorporating feedback from players during Early Access. Early Access for 'ArcheAge Chronicles' begins on November 3 at 3:00 PM PST / November 4 at 8:00 AM KST.
