Ashes of Creation – The alternation of seasons in Ashes of Creation, and its consequences for players

In the world of Ashes of Creation, the seasons follow one another and the change in weather will have significant consequences on monsters, trade routes and accessible areas or even on crops.

As we know, the MMORPG universe Ashes of Creation is subject to the rhythm of the seasons. Beyond a simple change in the appearance of the world of Verra, this alternation of seasons will have very concrete consequences for the players and it is one of the subjects addressed by the development teams of the studio. Intrepid as part of his monthly livestream.

An alternation of seasons

We first remember that four seasons will follow in the world of Verra. In some regions, this alternation will have little consequence (tropical regions, for example, have a mild climate all year round, while snow persists in mountainous regions). But in many regions, the change of season leads to an alternation of climate – we can see this in particular in the Riverlands region, which is used as an example in the presentation video.

In the world of Verra, each season lasts about a week in reality. This delay can nevertheless vary according to the actions of the players: winter can for example last two real weeks if the activity of the players awakens the “dragon of winter”, seasons can also drag on by manipulating certain artefacts. “Magic seasons” may also occur as part of certain events in the game world.

What are the consequences for the players?

As in reality, the seasons of Ashes of Creation have significant consequences on the world of Verra. Some monsters are tied to seasons and adapt to, or even only come out at certain times of the year, others will become easier prey in winter when snowbound. And some rare mounts are plant creatures and change their appearance depending on the season (they “bud” in the spring, scorch in the fall and then wither in the winter, for example).

The most notable developments are nevertheless linked to the climate change. For example, the onset of winter can block or, on the contrary, open certain trade routes and influence the passage of merchant caravans: winter snowfall can block a pass (accessible only in summer), obstruct certain routes (players will have to clear them) or freeze lakes or rivers (opening new, more direct passages).

Some access to underworld and its routes may also depend on the climate. It does not snow in the caves, but depending on the weather, they can be flooded.

The seasons will also have consequences on the vegetation : certain plants needed in herbalism will only grow in good weather and will be replaced, for example, by mushrooms in the fall. Farmers, players with a domain and crops, will also have to deal with the cycle of the seasons and plan their harvests according to the seasons. Mineral resources are not influenced by the seasons, but some veins may be more difficult to access due to snow, for example.

Here again, players will have to adapt, stock up to get through the bad season or find new sources of supply in regions less affected by seasonal changes. As we know, the universe of Ashes of Creation is intended to be scalable (it develops according to the activity of the players), it will therefore also be dynamic according to the seasons and the players will have to organize themselves to adapt to it.