Astellia Online

[Trox]

Astellia Teaser - Classical MMORPG.

Just found out about this game today; Korean MMO that is PvP and PvE, that seems to have a pretty cool companion system. The will be having the typical Triad class system (tank, heal, dps), and will have 5 classes at launch. PvE is your classic MMORPG style, but sounds like they will be having a 3 realm system for PvP which could be interesting.

Following is a YouTube video (from Cryy) that has a list of what to expect in Astellia (below Link should start at the list):

The most interesting thing that may set it apart from other MMOs is the companion system. At launch you will have 30 different Astell (their name for your companion) that you can collect. At this time in Korea they might be able to buy Astell packs from marketplace that gives random Astell, but the producers say for NA version you will be able to earn all that in game (will cover marketplace more later). As you get and use the Astell you can level them up and if you get duplicates you can merge them into your existing to help power them up. You use the Astell similar to pets in that they will help hunt, and they have different types of Astell so you can change out as you need for situations. You can also keep one out free of cost, or summon up to 3 total with the more you have out the faster your yellow bar depletes; so you can summon a couple extra to help in a tight situation and then put them away before your yellow bar fully depletes.

Some other notes on the game that I’ve seen so far:

• The game has been in development for 7 years
• The game is on UE3 and I’ve seen at leaast one video where there was some big FPS drop in super crowded area
• The game will be B2P so far
• The game will have microtransactions, but publisher is saying it will be cosmetics only (heard that a time or two so far)
• Group size is 4 (but each person can have their Astell out so technically 8)
• From what I can tell PvP takes place in Pvp zones so no forced PvP
• The dungeons will have various difficulty levels; including solo, with the more difficult getting the better loot
• Publisher is saying that the dungeons shouldn’t take more than ~a hour
• Game is coming to NA Summer of 2019; publisher said they should have a couple of beta tests prior to that.
• Right now classes are gender locked, but publisher is saying for NA they want to get rid of gender lock. They also admit that might not happen before launch for all classes, but if they are when they unlock the genders they will offer free character change when they are brought in (basically if you want a female warrior at launch but can only make male, go ahead and start playing the male warrior and as soon as they unlock genders you will beable to change to female for free if you still want).

They were recently at Pax South and did a Twitch Stream:

Not sure if much other interest out there, but something going to keep my eye on.

[Kellian]

I wouldn’t mind beta testing this game.

[Trox]

Yeah; I think this game could be fun for a bit; especially if the publisher does hold to what they say on the cash shop and genderlock removal. Also wondering why how they are going to do the 3 Realm PvP; since I haven’t heard/seen anything about different factions yet (granted I only did a little research on it yesterday).

[Trox]

Some info on the Astell system; copied from here:

With the announcement of Astellia’s release into the Western market, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the questions folks have been asking. A whole lot of you have been asking for more details on the origins of Astels, and what these fantastic little companions will do to enhance aspects of your gaming experience in Astellia.

Early on in the development stages of Astellia, we explored a multitude of different game concepts. All in pursuit of features that would bridge the ever growing content gap between players who enjoy solo play and those who prefer to party up to tackle more challenging encounters. While also expanding the horizon on standard party compositions (ie: Tank, Healer, DPS), giving players more freedom to play the classes they desire. After several iterations and a lot of important lessons learned, our team felt confident the Astel system accomplished the aforementioned goals.

Astels come in three power ranks, fulfil one of seven different combat roles, and have a full lore rich backstory. Servants, while weakest in terms of raw power, are easier to maintain and offer greater diversity in the amount of combat roles they can fill. Guardians are the next tier up, with a considerable power boost at the cost of an increased drain on the resources needed to maintain their presence. Saviors are the greatest of all Astels, boasting a nearly unrivaled amount of destructive power, but may only be invoked for very brief periods of time.

In combat, each Astel has a unique set of abilities to carry out their specific role, including a special combo attack triggered by specific player character skills. Knights are the stalwart tank, providing damage reduction and high threat generation. Warriors and Assassins increase physical attack and traverse the frontlines punishing unwary enemies, or preventing opponents from fleeing. Scholars and Muses provide increased healing power, battlefield support through healing, and augmentations in the form of buffs. Mages and Archers increase physical or magic range damage, suppress enemy movement, and unleash wanton destruction from the afar.

Careful planning of your summoned companions will allow you to further augment your strengths and offset your weaknesses. While opening up interesting group compositions and dynamics in the process. Speed clearing a dungeon with an extra damage dealer, by using tactical play and multiple healing companions for example. For solo players, you’ll be able to focus on playing the class you desire, without feeling penalized by low damage output, a lack of healing, or not having a tank.

In addition to supporting you in combat, Astels can be upgraded in a multitude of ways, increasing their overall power and providing players with special passive buffs. Socketing gems will augment their stat power, gaining experience and levels increases their base stats, and star rankings that drastically increase their combat prowess. Reaching specific milestones will reward players with superior costumes for that Astel, and showcasing your achievements along with additional buffs.

Acquiring an Astel is a permanent and powerful addition to your character, which can be accomplished through normal gameplay. Such as completing primary storyline quests, where new Astels are introduced as critical events unfold, or as a reward for defeating a challenging dungeon boss. Should you receive an Astel you already own as a reward for completing a dungeon, it will automatically be consumed, applying the experience points towards increasing the Astel’s star ranking.

There’s a lot of depth to the Astel system, and we’re certain players will find even more creative and interesting ways to make use of it. We hope you found this first look at the Astel system informative and helpful.

[Trox]

A littl emore info they just released today:

Dive Deep Into Astellia’s Skill System

MMORPG’s are a staple of the Online Game Genre, and at the core of each MMO is the combat system. In Astellia we have adopted the classic Tab Target Combat System along with class-based skill sets, as these hold truest to the Classic MMORPG Experience. However, we are always seeking out new ways for innovation and refinement, to this end we have structured five elements of depth to each users combat experience.

• Skill Point System
  • The Skill Point System allows users to customize each skill of their character in unique ways based on the skills effect(s) / operation. As an example, the Warrior’s Shield Slam can be modified to have an increased stun duration or have a reduced cooldown based on your preferences. At first glance this may not seem like a major transformation, but when you take into consideration that each skill can be adapted to suit your needs, the end result is a unique combat experience specifically tailored to your preferences.
• Active Dodging
  • Astellia does not offer “Action Combat”, but this does not mean we have ignored other combat styles. In fact through reviewing such systems, we have been able to add a layer of responsive combat content, in the form of Active Dodging. By double tapping the directional keys players are able to swiftly dodge out of incoming attacks, reposition themselves on the battlefield quickly, or intercept incoming enemies before they reach the rest of your group.
• Astel Combo Skills
  • Between five classes and over thirty different Astels, players have a large selection to choose from when it comes to group composition. Many of which have special combination skills that are activated in response to player skills. As an example, the Assassin class has a backstab attack that quickly teleports the player to their intended target, with Seika (An Assassin Astel) summoned, she will join the player in the sneak attack. Drastically increasing the overall damage output. Each class has specific Astels they combo well with, each combo adding more complexity and diversity to the combat system.

• Skill Sequence System
  • Many games have a rigid skill system that is very linear, others rely on complex macros to make custom actions. In Astellia we have taken a more streamlined approach to how players build their rotations & skill combinations. Within each action bar, is a built-in function for creating skill sequences. By clicking on an action slot, users are able to quickly and easily build their own combos or sequences, to suit their playstyle. As an example Warriors will often combo their Defensive Cool Down(s) with an AoE Taunt, in order to seamlessly provide a defensive boost while they gather aggro on all hostile creatures in the area.
• Animation Canceling
  • Last, but definitely not least we are excited to share a small update from the future development. Based on player feedback we have collected at this early stage, we have wanted to drastically reduce the amount of animation locking players experience in combat. Our current plan, although still in development, is to allow for Active Dodging to interrupt these skills. The goal is to promote a more fluid and responsive combat system for Astellia. Of course, this is still in development, and it will need to be tested, but we are excited to continue polishing and refining our systems based on your feedback.

The Classic Combat System, combined with these five points make up the heart of Astellia Combat and we are confident if given the chance, each player will be able to find the right balance for their personal experience. That being said we will continue to review, refine, and polish this system, as well as all other systems in the game as we work to bring Astellia to the West. Be sure to »Sign Up« for our Newsletter for the more updates, and if you have not joined the Fan Made, Community Driven Astellia Discord you can check it out Here.

Safe Travels Astellians,

• The Astellia Team

[Trox]

Quick look at character creator:

AstelliaOfficial

[Trox]

A quick overview on the crafting system: https://www.astellia-mmo.com/news/crafting-a-brighter-future

Crafting a Brighter Future

Mar-25-2019

To craft or not to craft: that is the question everyone asks when starting a new mmorpg. For many players, the act of creating something from scratch provides a vital sense of enjoyment to their gaming experience. In Astellia we understand that while not all players enjoy crafting content, all can benefit from crafting. What we mean by this is whether you are collecting resources from the field, earning high-end components from dungeons, or buying the finished products off the auction house, crafting has a role in every player experience throughout Astellia.

The Crafting System is divided into two categories in Astellia: Eight Crafting Professions & Five Gathering Skills. A player is able to have and use every crafting profession, but may only specialize in one of the gathering skills at a time. Below we will list out each with some details of how crafting & gathering functions.

• Crafting Professions
  • Blacksmithing
    • Blacksmiths process raw ore into ingots to craft armor and weapons for Warriors & Assassins.
  • Jewel Crafting
    • Jewel crafters process Gems to make Rings, Necklaces, Bracelets and Earrings, all classes use these items.
  • Carpentry
    • Carpenters process Logs into Lumber in order to craft Armor & Weapons for Archers, Scholars, and Mages.
  • Leather Crafting
    • Leatherworkers process Leather into components such as Leather Straps and Leather Plates that can be used by other professions to make weapons and armor.
  • Tailoring
    • Tailors process Cloth into components such as Clothing, Cloth Covers, and Bowstrings, which can be used by other professions to make weapons and armor.
  • Alchemy
    • Alchemists process Herbs and Roots into a variety of HP & MP Potions
  • Archeology
    • Archeologists process Relics into Artifacts to make Runes, Star Jewels, and Atra Crystals which are used by all classes.
  • Cooking
    • Process raw ingredients into food that provides temporary stat buffs.
• Gathering
  • Logging
    • Chop down trees to gather logs used in Carpentry.
  • Metal Mining
    • Mine rocks to gather ore used in Blacksmithing.
  • Gem Mining
    • Mine rocks to gather gems used in Jewelry Crafting.
  • Herb Gathering
    • Gather roots and herbs used in Alchemy.
  • Relic Investigation
    • Gather relics used in Archeology.

The general premise of the system is very simple, acquire the proper materials and use them to create the desired items. You increase your gathering skills by gathering, this will allow you to access higher tier resources, and crafting will earn you exp that unlocks higher tiers of crafting recipes. If you do not wish to gather you can, of course, buy materials other players list on the auction house, or you can sell the resources you gather as another source of income in the game.

While most crafting materials come from the open field or vendors, key crafting components only come from dungeons, and of course, those dungeons can provide you with equipment as well. The goal behind this system was to allow multiple playstyles to utilize the crafting system, whether to make quick profit selling materials, investing the time to make finished products for others or to craft yourself the perfect set of equipment. Astellia excels at supporting many different playstyles.

Crafting is definitely not mandatory in Astellia, quest rewards and dungeon loot will be enough to reach the end-game, but through crafting more options are opened up. In addition to this, we have plans for further content after launch that will push the system further allowing players to combine the crafted items into some of the best equipment in the game, but we will share more about that closer to its release.
We hope you have enjoyed this insight into the Astellia crafting system, and we are looking forward to sharing more information as we approach launch.

Safe Travels Astellians,
The Astellia Team

[moriir]

This game actually looks like a really good game. Will be keeping an eye out for it

[Trox]

Some information on Dungeons:

A Glimpse Into Dungeoneering

Apr-09-2019

MMORPGs have been around since as early as 1997, if not longer, and since their inception Dungeons have been a staple of their content. In our previous articles, we have explained Astellia will continue the legacy set by Classic MMO’s, and that of course, includes Dungeons. We have more than a dozen dungeons prepared for the western launch, with more planned for the future. Before we start looking too far ahead, let’s take a moment to clarify what Dungeons really mean in the world of Astellia.

At launch, players will find two primary types of dungeons, solo and group play variants. These serve two main purposes: Driving the story & providing players with challenging content in pursuit of rewards.

• Dungeoneering Drives the Storyline
  • Throughout the story of Astellia, you the Astellian will be tasked with clearing dungeons for a multitude of reasons. Whether it is to recover the lost artifact of the Eagle-Owls, reclaim a lost sacred temple, or standoff against the leader of the demonic army threatening the world. With many dungeons being linked to the storyline, Astellia has also included the option for solo versions of most dungeons, this way those looking to focus on the story, or those who prefer to go it alone still have a reliable way to enjoy this content.

• Greater Rewards for Greater Performance
  • Dungeons in Astellia take into account how long you take to clear content, the number of creatures defeated, and your overall performance. These factors are used to generate a final score for each dungeon run; rankings span from S as the most efficient, to F should you fail to complete the dungeon altogether. The final score of each dungeon run effects the overall rewards players receive. While the score can affect how much loot is acquired in a dungeon, none of the loot is excluded by rank.

This means you do not need to get S Rank to earn a rare Astel or piece of loot from a dungeon, but by earning the highest rank you have a greater chance to. Aside from the scoring mechanism, Astellia has one other unique point, each dungeon has a visible loot table, what we mean is before entering the dungeon you can decide if it has items you are interested in, or Astels you wish to unlock etc.

• Dungeon Tickets
  • Another key point we have wanted to address is a distinct difference between the KR and Western versions of the game: Dungeon Tickets. In Astellia KR Dungeon Tickets are a mechanic used to limit how many dungeons a player can naturally run in a given time frame. This is accomplished by adding a cost to dungeon entry in the form of these tickets, which scales up depending on the level of the dungeon you want to run.

In the KR version players earn additional Dungeon Tickets over time, or they must purchase them from the Cash Shop. In the Western Version of Astellia, we will not sell Dungeon Tickets for cash, instead, they can be earned in-game by completing repeatable missions, they can also be accrued naturally over time, or earned by playing the game regularly via the Loyalty System.

We’ve covered dungeons as they are currently, but we also wanted to share a little more about the future. As many of you know the Astellia West Team has been monitoring player feedback even from these early stages, and one recurring message is the request for larger dungeon groups. This request has been heard loud and clear by our team, while at this time we’re not prepared to set any dates, as the western launch has our primary focus at this stage. We are looking towards the future, eventually adding twelve player dungeons to meet our communities desires. If you would like to have your feedback heard as well make sure to stop by our social media channels (FB, Twitter), website, or community discord.

[Trox]

Astellia Developer Diary: Meet the Mage and the Assassin
Read more at https://www.mmorpg.com/astellia/developer-journals/astellia-developer-diary-meet-the-mage-and-the-assassin-1000013582#00ilqPp2c3RJjP3X.99

When Astellia launches later this summer, it will come packed with exciting, interesting classes that may seem familiar on the surface, but that come with their own unique “Astellia” touch. In our latest developer diary, we’re going to take a look at the Mage, a wily caster who can bring down a world of elemental pain, and the Assassin, a master of lethal deception.

The Mage

The Mage, as one might expect, is a master of the elements, each one used to create a maelstrom of damage to enemies. Alternately, Mages can summon the elements to create protective barriers when the tide turns and can even teleport short distances to regroup before unleashing the storm again.

The Mage is a specialist in large devastating AoE attacks. Whether it is calling a massive Hellfire explosion or a slowing, freezing Blizzard , the Mage can transform the battlefield in the blink of an eye. For more targeted damage, the Mage sprays Fire Stream in a cone in front of her. Those unlucky enough to be within range will be damaged.

The Mage also draws on the power of Astels, such as Canceria and Sirius, in order to unleash powerful, battle-altering combinations. Hellfire has the ability to trigger Holy Circle , a powerful AoE attack created from the light itself and that detonates to inflict damage to all targets within range. Fire Stream and Ice Hammer unleash the fury of Blinding Light , a powerful flash of light that blinds all targets within range while simultaneously reducing the threat of the caster and allowing the player to chain high damage attacks, while not drawing aggro away from the group’s tank.

The Assassin

While enemies are dealing with the devastating AoE attacks of the Mage, the Assassin specializes in agile, cunning attacks. He seemingly appears out of nowhere by using subterfuge to lure unwary opponents into ambushes. His attacks inflict damage over time with poison and bleeding effects before he executes furious and deadly finishing combos.

The Assassin’s goal is to get in – and get out – of toe-to-toe battles with enemies, before they can react. To do so, he is able to Blink behind a foe to attack them from behind. He can also use the same speed in a Spectral Dash attack that sees him charge forward in a line to attack all targets along his trajectory. If he finds himself in trouble, the Assassin can use Smoke Screen to increase his evasion (and that of his allies), doubling as a means of escape should the fight turn disadvantageous to him.

The Assassin also harnesses the power of Scorpio and Link Astels. Blink triggers Shadow Blitz , a deadly attack that teleports him behind the target to perform two powerful scorpion sting attacks. The damage is increased when behind the target. Spectral Dash sets off Shadow Assault , causing the Assassin to teleport behind his enemy and let loose a flurry of five dagger attacks.

These are just two of the character classes Astellia players will be able to choose from later this summer. If you love high-damage DPS classes with an Astellia-sized twist, the Mage and the Assassin are definitely worth a look.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and don’t forget to sign up at the website for more information on upcoming news!

[Trox]

Exclusive: MMORPG Astellia Online deep-dives its Warrior and Scholar classes

By

Bree Royce

April 24, 2019 9:00 AM

(https://massivelyop.com/2019/04/24/astellia-online-warrior-scholar-class-exclusive/#comments)

Korean-born Astellia has been hovering on the horizon for the last few years of its development as Barunson E&A – the majority owner of the studio behind the game, Studio 8 – has guided it through Asia. And now it’s on track to release here in the west this summer, as a buy-to-play title focused on PvE, PvP, raids, crafting, and even un-gender-locked classes (contrary to the Korean version). In fact, we’ve even covered how the studio’s western developers are working hard to avoid becoming a pay-to-win mess or a “smash-and-grab” that so many other ports sadly are.

Today we’ve got an exclusive dev blog from Barunson focused on two of the game’s classes: the sword-and-board-focused Warrior and the priestly Scholar.

Astellia Developer Diary: Introducing the Warrior and the Scholar

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will take a look at the different classes available to play when Astellia launches later this summer. We will kick off this journey by covering the Warrior and the Scholar – one holds the line, while the other keeps its teammates alive. Read on for the details!

The Warrior:

Armed with both their sword and shield the warrior is the vanguard of the group. Taking on the responsibility of the tank they provide their body as a shield for others. Their defensive specialization allows the warrior to command the flow of the battle providing their comrades with a tactical edge. When faced with overwhelming odds they can also call upon their Adamantium Shield skill which increases their defense but prevents the use of other abilities.

Besides sheer brawn, the warriors have additional tools to shape the battlespace. With their Multi-Chain ability, warriors can launch a hooked chain in front of them to impale their targets pulling them in close for the kill. They can also make use of Quake slamming the ground causing an area of effect knockdown with damage.

Calling upon the assistance of the Astels warriors are able to perform powerful combination attacks. Draco, a dragon-like Astel, will perform the Split Breath combo attack. Shooting a frontal cone of flames, causing damage to all targets and dealing increased amounts of damage to targets that are either knocked down or stunned. This makes the warrior’s Quake ability all the more potent. Serpens will empower the warrior’s Multi-Chain ability by creating a Toxic Cloud enveloping chained enemies in a pool of gas poisoning them and inflicting continuous damage.

The Scholar

In contrast to the warrior, the scholar specializes in group support and healing. While the warrior is busy running headlong into battle the scholar is focused on keeping the warrior and the rest of their group alive. Abilities like Bless allow the scholar to continuously heal the hit points of all party members with holy power infused Atra. However, scholars are fully self-sufficient and when not focusing on using their powers to cure or restore others they can twist their knowledge of Atra to create destructive forces and smite their enemies.

The scholar does more than add hit points back to other player’s hit point pool. They too can also manipulate enemies on the battlefield allowing their allies time to regroup or outmaneuver their foes. Hurling a bolt of energy at their enemy through the ability Arc Slow reduces their enemy’s movement speed. Scholars can also call upon their strengths to cast Divine Shell granting a holy barrier to all party members near them raising their defenses.

A few key Astel combos available to the scholar greatly enhance their crowd control and healing abilities. Kitsune will cast Recovery on Divine Shell providing a continuous heal to the party members by infusing them with powers of the moon. Pisces will cast Aqua Bubble on targets hindered by Arc Slow trapping the targets within a water bubble, further hindering their movement and preventing the enemies from using some of their skills.

These are just two of the character classes you can look forward to playing later this summer. Based on classic MMORPG roles, the warrior and scholar are similar to the tank and healer classes you have grown to love in traditional MMORPGs, but each of them has their own unique flavor thanks to the skills and Astel combos that you will only find in Astellia.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and don’t forget to sign up at the website for more information on upcoming news!

[Trox]

Astellia Online Developer Diary: Introducing the Archer

NEWS

Apr 24, 2019

Some fighters like to shake it up in the middle of the pack, shield, and sword in hand, striking at the very heart of their enemies while up close and personal. Others prefer to deal their death from afar – sniping the eye of a cyclops with a finely tuned snap of the bowstring. If that sounds like you, then your preferred class in Astellia just might be the Archer.

Primarily a ranged damage dealer, and one of the most powerful single-target slayers in the game, the Archer excels at whittling down her foes’ health from afar – often leaving them dead or dying before they even have a chance to get within striking distance. With exceptional acrobatics and a variety of different traps and snares, the Archer can also make sure their prey is unable to chase them down. But beware, if caught unaware or surrounded by too many foes, the Archer’s lighter defenses and armor will not last long.

Using a skill like Hammer Shot, the Archer can concuss an enemy, stunning them long enough for them to get in a few more damaging shots, or perhaps using it as a means to get some distance between the Archer and its prey. Similarly, the Archer can use a skill called Evasive Arrow, during which the bowman shows off their mobility by performing a backflip and unleashing a barrage of suppressive fire that slows down any enemies caught in the fire. And if facing many enemies, the Archer can use their Maelstrom Arrow, which creates a whirlwind at the target location and pulls all enemies into the center, hindering their ability to move for a time.

Of course, what Astellian would be complete without his or her Astels to accompany them on the battlefield? Like all the classes in Astellia, the Astels you pair with your character will synergize with the skills at your disposal. For instance, Kirin wields a skill called Ballista, which can highly damage a target and inflict a bleed effect for damage over time. Meanwhile, Ram will provide healing for you or your party members upon using skills like Evasive Arrow. Allowing you to experiment and find a combat style that best suits your needs.

There are many more tricks up the sleeve of the Archer, but this should give you a good idea of what to expect when you charge into the fray with this ranged attacker. One of five core classes in Astellia, how will you play your Archer? Will you focus on mobility and quick shots, or will you pin down your enemies with snares, and damaging snipes? The choice is yours.

[Trox]

While I think the rest of the game will be pretty same ol same ol; I think the addition of the Astels can make things a lot more interesting. Can be an interesting way to modify your class to be a bit different maybe.

[Seven]

I’ve been following the progress of this game since they announced a western release some months ago. I agree, it looks interesting. I am not getting hyped / my hopes up, but I want to try it out when it does finally launch here.

[Dewald]

I am wary of Korean MMOs. This one seems to be saying the right things, but we will have to see

[Trox]

Exactly not getting overly hyped about it right now due to how some past Korean MMOs have gone (especially those on UE3). Going to continue keeping an eye on it but will probably wait a month or 3 after release to see how it actually goes.

Plus I am having a ton of fun raiding on Everquests Mangler server; first time I’ve been a part of a raid guild in the start of a TLP.

[Trox]

A Look into their Enhancement System (similar to most other Koream MMOs):

Astellia Developer Diary: Enhancement System

Restoring the natural balance of the Atra within the world of Astellia is no easy task. You’re going to need the best equipment possible to have a chance at surviving the perils that lie ahead. This week we’ll be taking a look at the Enhancement System and how to deck out your equipment.

In order to understand the Enhancement System, you’ll want to first familiarize yourself with some crucial parts of the user interface. The Character Profile §, shows your equipped gear, which is divided into five slots: chest, weapon, necklace, ring, and bracelet. In addition to this, your stats and combat power are also shown. As you improve your gear and stats, your combat power will also raise.

Each piece contains stats that improve offense, defense, and other secondary stats. Different gear holds different weights for each. For example, one weapon might have higher spell power, while another has higher crit. Weapons and armor also grant extra percentages to primary stats (STR, DEX, Etc…), which can be seen listed at the bottom of their tooltip. Accessories on the other hand, offer only flat value increases to primary stats.

If you have gear that cannot be used by your class, or has perhaps grown obsolete, you could simply sell it, or you can dismantle it instead. This can be accomplished by opening the inventory window and clicking on the hammer icon, then selecting the piece of gear you wish to dismantle. This will destroy the piece of equipment, but also provides you with Enhancement Stones (deposited in the Consumables Tab of your inventory), which are critical for strengthening your gear.

Once you’ve acquired enough stones of the appropriate type (Armor, Weapon, or Accessory), you can begin strengthening your equipment. Open the Enhancement window by clicking the anvil icon, located in the inventory window, and place the piece of gear into the new window. At the top of the window, you will see the Enhancement Level and name of the selected gear. Near the middle of the window, the cost in Asper and Enhancement stones is displayed. If you have enough of both, you can Enhance your gear.

If a piece of gear is below level 50, it cannot be upgraded past +6. At that point, you will need to evolve your gear. Evolving gear takes it to the next level bracket. For example, a level 26 weapon may evolve into a level 33 weapon. These evolution levels are static and do not vary based on rarity. If you evolve a piece of gear and it is higher than your character’s level, you will not be able to re-equip it until you are the appropriate level. Evolution also resets the item’s Enhancement level.

Should you evolve your gear to level 50, you will now have a maximum of 10 Enhancement levels, however, there are more challenges. After +3, you can experience failure. There are a few types of failure. The first will leave your item unchanged, but consume the Asper and Enhancement Stones. The second will decrease the Enhancement Level of your item by one, and consume the materials. The last form of failure is critical failure and will not only consume the Enhancement materials, but lower your Enhancement level by several points.

Besides Enhancing gear, there is another way to empower your equipment. Each piece of gear has five slots, corresponding to Runes. Runes come from drops, dungeons, quests, and crafting (Archaeology). There are (5) types of runes, with two classifications. The first of the classifications are Offensive runes, which give bonuses to: Attack, Crit, Spell power, etc. The second are Defensive runes, which improve: Evasion, Critical Evasion, HP, MP, and Energy. The five types are Diamond, Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Runes also have grades, like gear.

Each piece of gear can have one of each type of Rune, however, they are limited to a single classification. Weapons, Earrings, and Rings can only be equipped with offensive runes, while Armor, Bracelets, and Necklaces can have only defensive runes.

To Equip a Rune, select the first of the row of icons in your Inventory. This will open the Rune window. You can place a gear piece in the window and see what Runes you have equipped, slot new runes, or unequip the runes. Runes are in their own tab of the Inventory, which is automatically opened when you open the Rune window.

The enhancement and rune systems provide an initial glimpse, into a few, of the many ways Astellia strives to provide players with the ability to fully customize their gaming experience. We hope you enjoyed this preview, and welcome you to visit our website or social media (Twitter, FB) for more information on Astellia as we approach our launch in Summer 2019.

Safe Travels Astellians,

• The Astellia Team

[Trox]

Announcement today saying for luanch at least the warrior and assassin classes will not be gender locked, with the others probably happening post launch. Think it is a coincidence that the first two classes to be gender unlocked were the two “male only” classes?

Developer Diary: Say Bye-Bye, Gender Locks!

May-22-2019 announcements

As we continue to prepare for the Astellia launch later this summer, one objective has remained at the forefront of our focus; ensuring that we uphold the standards native to the Western gaming market. We discussed many of these topics during our PAX South panel, ranging from ‘Playing to Win’ to unlocking gender support for all classes to fielding questions from excited attendees.

For many players, our characters are extensions of our own imagination, brought to life within these fantasy worlds. We care about them, often times investing significant amounts of time into customizing their appearances, before even setting foot into the game world. To this end, we felt it was an essential addition for our Western audience, to remove the gender lock restrictions on classes, allowing players to focus on fully immersing themselves within the world of Astellia.

Female Assassin

Introducing this level of change affects nearly every aspect of Astellia’s development, requiring a full design phase to implement new character models, animations, and all of the supporting equipment for each class. With this in mind, our current roadmap aims to have both the Assassin and Warrior classes unlocked by launch, with the remaining three included as free content releases upon completion.

Players who desire to play any of the classes that are not releasing with both genders needn’t worry. As additional classes are completed, all players who have created one of the gender-restricted classes, prior to the release of this content, will be provided with a one-time ability to change their characters gender.

Female Warrior Armor Variants

We’re excited to be able to bring you a first look at both the Warrior and Assassin classes. Careful attention has been paid to ensure that the overall look and feel of the characters equipment matches the original design. While affording players additional freedom in designing their character.

These additions to Astellia stem from both our research, as well as the incredible feedback we’ve had from our growing community. Recently we launched our Official Website, in conjunction with Community Forums. Where interested Astellians can share ideas directly with our team, pre-order the game, and engage in discussion with one another. We encourage you to stop by and introduce yourselves!

We hope you enjoyed this brief look into the development of Astellia. Be sure to keep an eye on our social media (Facebook, Twitter) and website for the latest news!

[Trox]

Also today they had released their pre-order packages; also at the top of the page (not shown in picture) there is a countdown for how long the packages will be available that indicates a September launch (doubt they would pull the pre-order packages before launch day):

They have also updated their website to include forums and everything.

[Trox]

# Community Forum: Pre-Order Q&A

May-30-2019 ategorized

Greetings Astellians,
Last week the Official Astellia Website opened, and we are happy to report there were minimal issues with the website & forums. Over the next month, we’ll be rolling out multiple updates to bring online additional features, such as: two-factor authentication, additional sign-up/in methods, integrating the single sign-on service (SSO) into the forums.

Putting the upcoming website changes aside. We wanted to take the opportunity to speak to everyone regarding several topics of interest that cropped up this week. Many of you took the time to share your excitement about the approaching launch of Astellia, commented on future information you’d like to see, and concerns over the contents of the pre-order packs.

During the launch of the website, our team took to the Community Discord to give live, on the fly responses to many of these concerns and questions. However, it simply wasn’t feasible to catch all of them, or provide as in depth of answers as we felt they deserved. We also understand the importance of providing this information in an easily discoverable and static format, to that end we’re happy to cover these topics via this announcement.

Pre-Order Pack Details

Head Start
For the Western Launch of Astellia each pre-order package will have a different start date, this has been done to support game server integrity. We considered this at length internally before deciding to approach launch in this manner, and believe it is the best method to bring the servers online. As most gamers have experienced, when a game launches, servers often have issues. We have all spent hours sitting in a queue, or worse scheduling time off work to enjoy the launch only to end up sitting around all day waiting for servers to stabilize enough to support players.​​

This choice has raised concerns about the advantages such a head-start will grant users, especially in competitive content such as Avalon. Our plan has been from the beginning to not have Avalon enabled at launch, but instead to closely monitor user activity and progression so we can enable the content once we have enough players ready and able to participate. Outside of PvP content there was also the concern that players would simply progress further than others could ever hope to catch up to. While we understand this concern, following launch we are preparing to open legendary dungeons, again this will not happen until we see users are progressed enough and ready to tackle the content. These Legendary Dungeons will offer the next tier of gear progression, Legendary Gear, which will act as a soft gear reset, again offsetting any potential advantage.​​

By planning and releasing content in this responsive manner we are able to keep a level playing field and insure the best gameplay experience possible as the service goes live.​

Paid CBT Access
There has been some confusion about Closed Beta (CBT) access being entirely limited to Pre-Order Packages. Purchasing one of these packages is not the only way players will be able to gain access to CBT. We are planning to release a total of 15,000 Keys prior to launch across a variety of platforms such as our website, social media, news outlets, and other community hubs such as Discord.

Limited Edition Costume, Astel Skin, and Mount
There have been some concerns that these rewards were a one time only claim as seen in many other games, that is not the case. The Limited Edition Player Costumes, Astel Skins, and Mount awarded by pre-orders, will always be claimable for your account across all characters you make.

Name Reservation Restrictions
We received some questions regarding what type of restrictions will be in place for name reservations. As is standard for many games, there will be some restrictions in place to ensure we maintain a safe and fun environment for all players. Information on these restrictions can be found here: [Here]

Nordens Favor

Dungeon Ticket Regen & Cap Increase
As a system from the original KR release of Astellia, Dungeon Tickets were earned only while online, and sold via the Cash Shop. In the Western version of Astellia, the ticket system still exists, but they are earned passively over time, and are not sold for cash. Additionally we have added repeatable quests in the game that reward players with tickets upon completion.

By default a player will earn 1 ticket every 30 minutes, and have a total limit of 20 tickets. With the Norden’s Favor buff, a player will earn 1 additional ticket every 90 minutes, and have a cap of 24 tickets. For context, late game dungeons require 4 or 5 tickets per attempt. With this system, if a user is not actively using these tickets, they will hit the cap and generate no additional tickets until they enter additional dungeons.

It is also worth noting that tickets will regenerate, for all players, whether online or offline at the same rate. Between this passive offline regeneration and the accessibility of the repeatable quests, no player should have difficulty obtaining enough tickets to satisfy their dungeon running needs.

Bonus Astel EXP
Astels are battle companions that assist you in your adventures throughout Astellia. They can be added to an 8 slotted action bar, referred to as your Astel Deck in-game, located just below your standard hotkeys. Like your player character, experience earned through adventuring is shared with your Astels. It is worth noting that only those Astels currently slotted into your 8 slot deck earn this experience.

As experience is earned, Astels can level up to a maximum level of 50. Beyond this point, Astels can be further empowered towards late game progression, by earning Star Levels, which provides them with their highest combat power gains. Unlike normal Astel experience however, star levels can only be earned through earning Astel cards through in-game content, such as dungeons.

Star Levels are not affected by the bonus Astel EXP awarded from the Nordens Favor buff, as this EXP bonus is intended to help level Astels to the initial stage of late-game progression, while not providing an overall lasting power advantage.

Cash Shop / Item Concerns (P2W)

BeesWax (Item Sealer)
We have seen many concerns arise over the notion that this item, which allows players to unbind a soulbound item, will be sold on the Cash Shop. We wanted to clear up this misunderstanding, and take a moment to clarify that this item will not be available via the Cash Shop, players will be able to earn it through other in-game systems.

What are other “in-game” systems?
Whether from rewarding you for logging in, participating in an event, completing a quest or achievement, purchasing it through Loyalty, or another means. This statement refers to a non-cash based method in which a player may obtain an item.

Earning Nordens Favor In-Game
Norden’s Favor will be made available through a variety of in-game systems, that do not require purchase through the Cash Shop, such as Login Rewards and the Loyalty Store.

Dungeon Tickets
As indicated earlier, Dungeon Tickets will not be sold for cash. Instead they will be passively earned over time (on and offline) and through new daily quests we have created, specifically to ensure these tickets would be readily available.

Costumes with Stats
As some of you with experience in the KR version of Astellia have astutely taken note of, costumes had stats associated with them. Offering players multiple tiers of perks that were available for direct purchase via the Cash Shop.

In the Western version of Astellia, cosmetic items, such as costumes will still be available for purchase via the Cash Shop. With one major change, they will not provide any form of stats or advantages, making them purely cosmetic.

Astel Card Packs
Directly purchasing Astel Card Packs is commonplace in the KR version of Astellia. Users are able to buy packs and quickly earn high tier Star Levels, granting a direct advantage over players that do not.

We understood the negative impact this would have on the overall experience of our Western audience. These packs will not be available for purchase on the Cash Shop, instead like many of the previously mentioned systems, will be made available to be earned through other in-game systems.

What is the actual price of the base game with no additions?
The base cost of Astellia is valued at $30.

Will there be a pre-download?
Yes, there will be a pre-download for launch. We’ll have more details we can share on this as we get closer to the launch date.