XLGAMES launched ArcheAge Chronicles in global Early Access on Steam at 8:00 AM KST on November 4. The explorable continent of Auroria has expanded roughly 20-fold compared to the demo, and life content such as trading, crafting, and housing has also been unveiled.
Three major regions are introduced in this release. Most areas of 'Diamond Shores,' which served as the demo stage, are opened alongside 'Gylden Ruins' and 'Astron Plains'. The total exploration scope includes over 60 zones and more than 1,000 exploration and collection points, with stories, bosses, and dungeons placed across each region.
ArcheAge Chronicles is an open-world action MMORPG developed with Unreal Engine 5. Set on the continent of Auroria 50 years after the original ArcheAge, it is designed to offer action combat, exploration, production and economic activities, and player interaction. While the October Steam Next Fest demo focused on class-based combat, co-op dungeons, and PvP, Early Access expands the scope of play to lifestyle, economy, and community features.
Lifestyle content is tied directly to exploration and progression. Players can discover materials and crafting recipes while exploring or obtain special crafting materials from bosses. In trading, players prepare trade goods and transport them across regions using carts or carriages, a process designed to secure crafting resources and drive character progression. Through housing, players can decorate homes, interact with neighbors, and participate in merchant company and guild activities.
The launch build also incorporates fixes based on feedback from demo players. Connection errors and crash issues during initial launch have been resolved, and party members now remain grouped even when moving between the 'Conflict Channel' and 'Peace Channel.' A feature allowing instant travel to the party leader's channel has been added, while weapon skill performance, boss fights, and control convenience have also been improved.
A dedicated development team is tasked with refining the combat experience. XLGAMES plans to continuously incorporate feedback during the Early Access period regarding stamina, hit reaction, and movement speed, as well as ranged attack targeting and party combat aggro systems.
The first update in December will introduce a female character for the 'Warrior' class along with a new weapon, the 'Gladius.' The goal is to gradually unlock gender restrictions (Gender Lock) for other classes as well, allowing players to choose their gender across all classes by full launch. A third weapon type for each class will also be added sequentially.
XLGAMES will not operate an in-game cash shop at the start of Early Access. The studio intends to maintain its No P2W (Pay-to-Win) principle, ensuring players gain power and competitiveness through actual gameplay.
Executive Producer Yongjin Ham explained that the vision was to preserve the charm of MMORPGs while easing the pressure of competition and fixed play schedules. He stated that Early Access was chosen to build an experience together with players where they can meet others in a vast world while enjoying action combat and exploration on their own.
XLGAMES plans to improve combat, character progression, and quality-of-life features post-launch while expanding lifestyle and community content. A future update roadmap will also be revealed after launch.
