Ashes of Creation Early Access Beginner's Guide

Welcome to the updated beginner’s guide for Ashes of Creation Early Access. This guide is designed for players who are completely new to the game as well as those returning after a break. Early Access has introduced several new systems and refinements, and understanding them early will significantly improve your leveling efficiency and prevent common progression mistakes.

This guide focuses on everything you need to know to comfortably progress your character up to level 10, which is the point where most players will have a solid grasp of the game’s core mechanics. Keep in mind that the current level cap is 25, so reaching level 10 is only half the journey—but it is the easier half compared to the long-term grind that Ashes of Creation is known for.

Character Creation: Critical Early Decisions

Choosing Your Archetype (Permanent Choice)

The most important decision you will make at character creation is your primary archetype. This is your core class and cannot be changed later under any circumstances.

At level 25, you will unlock the ability to select a secondary archetype, which combines with your primary to form your final class. With eight archetypes total, this results in 64 possible class combinations. While secondary archetypes can eventually be swapped, your primary archetype is permanent, so choose carefully.

Secondary archetypes are not available during Early Access, but are currently planned for release in 2026.

Race Selection

At this stage of development, race selection is purely cosmetic. Your race does not affect stats, passives, or gameplay performance. In the future, racial passives and unique traits may be introduced, but for now, simply choose the race you like visually.

Starting Regions: Riverlands vs. The Anvils

Early Access allows you to choose between two starting regions:

• Riverlands

• The Anvils

While both zones are playable, the Riverlands currently offers a more complete and beginner-friendly questing experience. The Anvils show strong potential but are still labeled as a work in progress and are more challenging—especially if you are not entering with a coordinated eight-player group.

Beginner Recommendation: Start in the Riverlands for smoother early progression and clearer quest flow.

Your First Steps in the World

Once you spawn, your priority should be to accept quests. Press M to open the map and look for quest icons indicating available objectives and turn-ins.

Early quests are extremely valuable:

• They provide a large amount of experience

• They reward beginner gear

• They allow you to solo level efficiently up to level 6 or 7

You will also find starter weapons scattered around the opening area. Open your inventory with I, right-click the item you prefer, and equip it. Feel free to experiment—early gear is meant to be replaced quickly.

Your first combat quest typically involves killing five goblins while moving toward the next area. Complete this quest, then continue chaining nearby objectives. In the early levels, solo questing is actually faster than group play, which is one of the few times this will be true in Ashes of Creation.

Gathering and Professions: Easy Early Experience

Many new players overlook one major advantage in Early Access: you start with a full set of beginner gathering tools. This allows you to begin gathering immediately, which provides:

• Character experience

• Profession (artisan) experience

• Valuable crafting materials

Press P to open your professions menu. When you gather resources such as trees, ore, or plants, you gain XP for both your character and the relevant profession (e.g., Lumberjacking).

Once a profession reaches level 10, you can upgrade it to the next tier, unlocking:

• Higher-quality tools

• Access to rarer resource nodes

• Increased XP gains

Higher-quality materials yield more experience, but their quality is partially randomized, meaning gathering involves both planning and luck.

The Destiny System: Essential Early Progression

One of the most impactful additions to Early Access is the Destiny System. Press L to open the Destiny menu. The Destiny System functions as a structured progression track:

• Complete small objectives

• Instantly claim rewards from the menu

• Unlock higher tiers with stronger rewards

Completing the Novice Combat Destiny Track can reward you with new weapons and armor, which is a massive power spike for early progression. This system is extremely beginner-friendly and should be checked frequently while leveling.

Death Has Consequences: Play Smart

Ashes of Creation heavily penalizes careless play. When you die:

• You incur XP debt, which must be worked off before earning new experience

• You lose 50% of your carried materials

• Half of the lost materials can be recovered from your death location

While XP debt is manageable, repeated deaths will noticeably slow your progress. Learning your abilities and understanding enemy mechanics is critical.

Understanding Combat Synergies

Combat in Ashes of Creation is designed around ability synergy, both within your own kit and with other players.

Examples include:

• Staggering enemies to interrupt attacks

• Tripping staggered enemies to prevent special abilities

• Using follow-up skills that deal bonus damage to tripped or maimed targets

Every archetype has abilities that interact with these systems. Press K to read detailed descriptions of your skills and understand how they chain together.

In group play, coordination amplifies effectiveness. One player staggering an enemy allows another to capitalize with crowd control or burst damage.

Group Play and Efficient Leveling

While solo questing is effective early on, leveling becomes significantly faster with a full eight-player group after the initial stages. Past level 6–7, progression shifts toward sustained mob grinding, where group efficiency far outpaces solo play.

Currency, Glint, and Safe Storage

Standard currency (Ashes of Creation gold, silver, copper) does not drop directly from enemies. Instead, mobs drop Glint, which serves as a material-based currency.

You can:

• Sell Glint to NPCs for currency

• Condense Glint into higher-quality versions (right-click stacks of 10)

• Exchange Glint for caravan-related materials

Important reminder: Glint is considered a material. If you die, you will lose 50% of it.

Best Practice: Regularly deposit Glint and valuable materials into settlement storage. Dying is inevitable—losing your stockpile is not.

Processing Materials for Bonus XP

Gathered materials can be processed at settlements for additional character XP. Any supplemental materials required for processing can be purchased directly from NPC vendors. If you are sitting on raw resources, processing them is an easy and efficient way to gain extra experience—especially early on.

Ashes Codex: Your Most Valuable External Resource

The Ashes Codex is an indispensable tool for both new and experienced players. It allows you to:

• Search for Ashes of Creation items and see stat ranges by quality

• View crafting recipes and requirements

• Identify which enemies drop specific items

• Locate mobs and farming areas

• Access guides, builds, and additional resources

Using the Codex alongside gameplay—especially on a second monitor—can drastically improve efficiency and help you decide which areas are worth grinding.

Final Thoughts

Ashes of Creation is a complex MMORPG with layered systems that are impossible to fully explain in a single guide. However, by following these beginner tips, you will avoid major early mistakes and set yourself up for smooth progression through the early levels.

If you are just starting out or returning after a break, mastering these fundamentals will make your journey to level 25 far more enjoyable—and far more efficient.

MMOexp AoC Team