Pre-order packs ending FAQ

September 2023 - January 2024 (The Unseen Order) were the final pre-order packs for Ashes of Creation as the developers have reached their desired number of testers for Alpha-2.

Why are the pre-order packs ending?

Our pre-order packs were intended to be a way for players to support the project by providing an opportunity to collect exclusive cosmetic appearances that are used in creating the world of Verra, while respecting our commitment to zero-tolerance pay-to-win whatsoever. As we draw closer to our Alpha Two and Beta testing periods, we want to ensure a glorious experience for our players who have signed up to help make Ashes of Creation the MMORPG it deserves to be. To that end, we have decided to discontinue the packs until such time as our internal and/or external testing supports the admission of additional testers. We will continue to update our community when more ways become available to access Alpha Two or Beta testing through our communication channels.

When will the final pre-order packs end?

The final Pre-Order Packs will end on January 17, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific in order to ensure everyone has enough time and notice with regards to the final Pre-Order Packs’ availability.

Does this include the Beta-1 and Beta-2 pre-order packages as well?

Yes. While we anticipate we will reopen the ability to purchase Beta packages in the future, these options will not adopt the same format of regularly recurring monthly exclusive cosmetics as our existing Pre-Order Packages currently offer.

If I do not get a pre-order pack, does that mean I will not be able to join Alpha-2, Beta-1, or Beta-2 in the future?

Not necessarily. We will continue to engage with our community and content creators to offer various giveaways that players will have an opportunity to participate in. After our internal and/or external testing satisfies the admission of additional testers, we may provide alternate methods of purchasing access into testing periods.

When the pre-order packs end, will there be other items on the Ashes of Creation shop?

We may provide cosmetic items and merchandise in the shop at a future date.

I purchased a previous pre-order pack, but I like The Unseen Order cosmetics better. Can I switch out my cosmetics for these?

Previously purchased cosmetics may not be exchanged, though we do provide a 90-day return policy. If you own an existing Pre-Order Pack, you may also purchase individual cosmetics offered in the current pack a-la-cart.

Can I upgrade my pre-order pack after sales for the pre-order packs end?

Yes. You will continue to have the option to upgrade your Pre-Order Pack to a higher-tier package after sales of Pre-Order Packs end. If you upgrade, it will not give you the cosmetic items of the same type (Accessory, Pet, Mount, etc.) that came with the previous pack you purchased. Only the additional cosmetic items from the upgrade to The Unseen Order Pre-Order Pack will be granted.

Can I purchase add-on cosmetics from The Unseen Order after pre-order packs are removed from the shop?

Yes. You will continue to have the option to purchase add-on cosmetics from The Unseen Order, based on what your Pre-Order Package level gives you access to.

How long will I be able to upgrade my pre-order pack or purchase The Unseen Order add-on cosmetics?

We don’t have a date to share for this yet, but we’ll give everyone plenty of notice before ending the ability for them to upgrade their Pre-Order Packs or purchase add-on cosmetics from The Unseen Order.

What about upgrading Kickstarter packages? When do those end?

You will still be able to upgrade Kickstarter and Summer Backer Packages. We’ll give plenty of notice before ending the ability for people to upgrade their packs.

Alpha-2 availability

Phase	Release	Estimated/Actual date
Alpha-2	Alpha-2 spot testing (NDA).	November 2023.
	Alpha-2 (No NDA).	Q3 2024.

Q: There could be a chance of more spots opening up after Alpha Two?

A: Yes, there's a chance we'll open up more space in Alpha Two and later testing phases. We also plan to be doing giveaways for access to testing. – Ry Schueller

Read more...

Pre-order pack information

Pre-order pack tiers.

Pre-order pack cosmetic skins cycled monthly and are never available again for purchase. Apart from the cosmetic skins, the packages also included subscription time, embers (virtual currency for future cosmetics when the game is live), access to alphas and betas, and other perks such as name reservation.

• Pre-order pack upgrades are possible for current pack holders for the difference in price.

• Pre-order pack holders could purchase individual cosmetics (at the same or lower level as their pack purchase) as add-ons in the month that they are on sale.

These packs are completely optional and provide no vital components for succeeding in Ashes. – Steven Sharif

• September 2023 - January 2024 (The Unseen Order) are the final pre-order packs for Ashes of Creation as the developers have reached their desired number of testers for Alpha-2. Read more in the FAQ.

Pre-order pack addons

Pre-order pack addon pricing.

Cosmetic item	Price.
Accessory	USD $5.00
Pet	USD $15.00
Mount	USD $20.00
Character costume	USD $25.00
Transport skin	USD $25.00
Freehold skin	USD $25.00

Pre-order pack owners had the ability to purchase individual pre-order pack cosmetics (at the same or lower level as their pack purchase) as add-ons in the month that they are on sale.

• Kickstarter and Summer crowdfunding backers can also purchase pre-order pack cosmetics as add-ons. This only applies to the current month's cosmetics and beyond.
• In the month a pack is purchased, only the upgrade tiers will be shown on the shop. Individual items will be visible in future months.

Pre-order pack upgrades

Pre-order pack pricing.

Pre-order pack tier	Price.
Wayfarer pre-order pack	USD $75.00
Expeditionary pre-order pack	USD $150.00
Voyager pre-order pack	USD $250.00
Voyager plus pre-order pack	USD $375.00

The pre-order pack upgrade price is the difference between the new and old pack prices.

• Cosmetics owned prior to upgrading are retained.
• Cosmetics in the new package tiers in the month of the upgrade are gained.
• Upgrades won't unlock cosmetic items in tiers that were already granted by a previous package.

Cosmetics

Rime and Regal‎ pre-order pack cosmetics.

We are very transparent in the business model of subscription with cosmetic only marketplace... I respect and understand the opinion of rather having a box price in-place of cosmetics, but that is not the direction I’ve decided to take. After weighing the benefits to the game and its population, I believe a lower barrier to entry is healthier in the long run, and the steady content release and quality of the product will sustain the retention for subscription and in-turn provide a healthier content release strategy for Ashes. – Steven Sharif

Cosmetics provide a wide array of customization in Ashes of Creation.

• There are no pay-to-win gameplay benefits from any purchasable items.

All skin cosmetic items are cosmetic items only and do not grant the user any other benefit. The lore text is flavor text, and background of the creatures and items in the world of Verra.

• Types of cosmetics:
  • Skins
  • Costumes
  • Racial skins
  • Dyes

• Equitable cosmetics, both from a quantity and quality standpoint, are achievable through in-game means. Cosmetics achievable in-game will be on-par, and in the case of legendary skins, even more elaborate than shop items.

I want to make sure that equitable cosmetics both from a quantity and quality standpoint are achievable through in-game achievements. Time, effort should let you be happy with what you can accomplish. – Steven Sharif

In my opinion quality of cash shop cosmetics should be equal to in game achievable cosmetics, but offer a diverse selection of unique looks. – Steven Sharif

• There will be legendary cosmetics that are only achievable in-game that will never be offered in the cosmetic shop.

The most grand looking cosmetics will be from in-game achievment only. – Steven Sharif

• There will not be recolors or material swaps on the monthly cosmetics as a means to populate in-game achievements.
  • There will be variants of the monthly cosmetics for NPCs and Mobs.
  • Component pieces of cosmetic armor may be reused in other in-game achievable gear sets.

From an armor standpoint, we cut armor sets up into many different pieces. These pieces can sometimes be used as part of other sets, that may include helmets, wrists, gloves etc. So while you will not see an achievable white version of the corvid castigator set in the game for example, you may see its shoulder piece used in another set, or its leggings, or wrist piece used in another set (not every piece as to form the whole set, but perhaps a couple pieces). This would be difficult to notice at first glance, due to the material, texture and color variation used, but this modular approach to content creation makes achieving a wide variety of looks achievable for an MMORPG of our size. – Steven Sharif

• Different variants of store purchased cosmetic creatures (Pets and Mounts) may exist in the wild.

While the exact same skin will not be available again in the future once it's gone from the Shop, these skins are all variants of creatures that you can expect to see across Verra - so perhaps you will find one with a similar style in-game! – Sarah Flanagan

• Cosmetics can be used by all races but there may be slight variations to make them work with the body builds of each race.

• There will not be mascot looking/furry cosmetics.

It's important to remember, Ashes is a NO-BOX COST subscription only game, with an optional cosmetic marketplace. This achieves a few things from a monetization model. Having a lower barrier to entry for players to try the game when they don't have to fork out $60 for the box price is good, our box price is 0$. This also places an emphasis on the game's retention and our continual updates and content creation to keep players playing and staying subscribed (a put your money where your mouth is sort of philosophy for us as a company). It also means players don't have to spend $60 every time there is an expansion. – Steven Sharif

Is there an answer that satisfies everyone? Nope. And that's ok. We are open and transparent with our philosophies and business model. You know what you are getting with Ashes and to me, given my experiences in other games, it is a nice breath of fresh air. – Steven Sharif

• Costume and pet cosmetics don't have a level restriction. Building, ship, caravan and mount cosmetics require an in-game item to be obtained first to apply the cosmetic.

I know there have been quite a few questions regarding cosmetics over the years. As we get further along in development, we'll be providing more specific information regarding what specific buildings, items, etc., you can place each cosmetic on. We'll update this for all past items. – Margaret Krohn

• Cosmetics are not tradeable with other players but can be reassigned to other characters (alts) within the same account.

Cosmetic store

Ashes of Creation cosmetic store.

There is going to be legendary cosmetics that can be earned and achieved in the game through the game systems, but that's going to take a significant amount of effort and work; and those cosmetics are going to be on-par with the cosmetics offered in the marketplace... What that does is it provides additional revenue to the company so that we can continue to fund the development of content as well and bridge the divide that not having a box cost would have and not having any pay-to-win mechanics whatsoever. – Steven Sharif

The Cosmetic store enables players to purchase Cosmetics for use in Ashes of Creation. The cosmetic store offers limited time, limited quantity items to help sustain game development.

• Equitable cosmetics, both from a quantity and quality standpoint, are achievable through in-game means.
• Nothing in the cosmetic store will be pay to win.

Nothing in our shop will ever be pay to win as we believe this practice greatly hurts the MMORPG genre.

• Cash shop cosmetics will offer a diverse selection of unique looks.

I want to incentivize purchase in the cosmetic shop for sustainability of what expansions we have intended, since we are not a box cost. I want to incentivize purchase by offering limited items: limited time, limited quantity, so you have confidence that when you purchase them, they won't be offered later on in some other way. – Steven Sharif

• All cosmetic store items will be non-tradeable. There will be no gifting mechanism for cosmetic items.

I don't want cosmetic items that can be purchased from the market to be transferable... because it is in a way a transfer of money for potentially something in-game. – Steven Sharif

Skins

Cinderhorn Steer pre-order pack cosmetic mount skin.

Providing these limited options that collectors out there like when it comes to achieving and/or purchasing cosmetics. It means something I think when players make that decision to purchase or they go through the rigorous portion of achieving those things in game that it is not just everywhere around them and becomes meaningless at that point. – Steven Sharif

Accessories/armor, Buildings, Caravans, Mounts, Pets, and Ships sold in the cosmetic store are skins.

• Skins are cosmetic items that do not grant the user any benefit.

• Skins are only be able to be applied to things that have already been earned, crafted or found within Ashes of Creation.
  • Certain skins require specific items or item tiers have been achieved in-game before they can be used.

Owning cosmetics does not guarantee the acquisition of the item the cosmetic can be used on. Players must still achieve the corresponding item/building. – Steven Sharif

• The lore on store cosmetics is flavor text.

• Caravan skins change the appearance of an in-game mount and in-game caravan that are hooked up to each other.
  • The caravan and mount skin components are not able to be utilized separately.

• The best skins will be in-game achievable.

The best skins will be in-game achievable (obviously “best” is subjective, so I’d say the most ornate and detailed/unique). – Steven Sharif

NPC variants

NPC variant of the Harvest Guard pre-order pack cosmetic skin.

NPC variant of the Corvid Castigator pre-order pack cosmetic skin.

There will be variants of the monthly cosmetics for NPCs and Mobs.

We've mentioned this before about what the cosmetics do, but all of those pre-order pack items allow us to create the world. They're the NPCs in the world. They help us make NPC variants. The clothing and costumes are costumes that we'll be putting on NPCs. You're actually helping us create the world. – Margaret Krohn

See also

• 2024-01-15 Pre-order packages are ending reminder
• Pre-order packs
• Pre-order pack history
• Cosmetic store