Hero image: ArcheAge Chronicles. Image: XLGAMES
XLGAMES Opens the Way to Auroria on Steam
ArcheAge Chronicles launches in Steam Early Access at 3pm Pacific time on 3 November, which is 10am AEDT this morning by our conversion.
XLGAMES gave the time in the producer’s letter posted last week, and the pre-download went live on Steam overnight. The Australian Steam store lists the game at A$43.95, and it sat among the store’s Australian top sellers early this morning.
The demo from Steam Next Fest covered only a small part of Diamond Shores. According to executive producer Ham, Early Access opens most of the rest of it, plus two new regions, Gylden Ruins and Astron Plains.
That adds up to more than 60 areas, which the letter describes as “roughly twenty times the size of the demo”, with over a thousand exploration and collection points.
The letter also lists the fixes made since the demo, from disconnects and black screens on first launch to combat balance. Region selection is now automatic, and servers in Brazil and Singapore have been added.
Server choice matters more than usual. A separate notice says characters cannot be transferred to another server during Early Access, and players on different servers cannot play together.
XLGAMES advises choosing carefully before creating a character, and picking the same server as any friends.
The game does not support Steam Family Sharing, which the studio puts down to the game’s shared world and in-game economy. Machine-translated Japanese and Brazilian Portuguese text has been added, with a warning that some terms may read unnaturally.
Pre-orders came with the Dawn Pioneer Set, a costume for one class of the buyer’s choice, claimable in-game once Early Access opens.
The first update after launch is planned for December. It is due to add a female option for the Warrior, the first class to lose its gender lock, and the Gladius as a third weapon type for the same class.
A roadmap for the rest of Early Access is promised soon after launch.
Source: XLGAMES – A Letter from Producer Ham: From the Demo to Early Access (Steam), XLGAMES – ArcheAge Chronicles Release Date Revealed (Steam), XLGAMES – Early Access Pre-Download Now Available (Steam), XLGAMES – Language Support and Steam Family Sharing (Steam), XLGAMES – Server Transfers and Cross-Server Play (Steam), Steam – ArcheAge Chronicles