3 sources 2m ago
ArcheAge Chronicles Opens Early Access On November 4 At $29.99 Buy-To-Play
XLGAMES will launch ArcheAge Chronicles in early access for PC on Steam on November 4 at 8:00 AM Japan time, the developer announced on October 28.
Reporting from 3 sources: Automaton, Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark.
Why it matters
XLGAMES is selling a $29.99 buy-to-play box for a game it plans to keep in early access for up to a year, a pricing decision its executive producer said was chosen to make the first step easier for new players.
Key Facts
- ArcheAge Chronicles enters early access on PC via Steam on November 4 at 8:00 AM Japan time.
- ArcheAge Chronicles costs $29.99 as a buy-to-play purchase with no monthly subscription fee.
- Pre-ordering ArcheAge Chronicles grants the Dawn Pioneer Set costume bonus.
- Early access for ArcheAge Chronicles includes three regions and four classes, Warrior, Mage, Ranger and Berserker.
- XLGAMES plans an early access period of about nine months to one year for ArcheAge Chronicles.
The fantasy open-world action MMORPG carries a $29.99 buy-to-play price, with no monthly subscription, and pre-orders are open now. Buyers get the Dawn Pioneer Set costume as a pre-order bonus. The game is set in Auroria, a legendary land from the pioneer era, and casts players as adventurers who join a trading company to explore ruins and investigate airship crashes. Early access ships with three regions (Diamond Shores, Gilden Ruins, Astrom Plains) and four classes: Warrior, Mage, Ranger and Berserker. Each class handles two weapon types, eight in total. Content at launch covers dungeons, raids, PvP, housing, trading and guilds. XLGAMES plans an early access run of roughly nine months to a year, adding regions, class gender options, a third weapon per class, and more life skills and community features along the way.
- ArcheAge Chronicles began development as a successor to the online game ArcheAge and is set about 50 years after it. It was first announced in 2020 as "ArcheAge 2" and renamed to its current title in September 2024.
- XLGAMES Executive Producer Ham Young-jin said in a video: "To make it easier to take the first step, we set the Early Access price at $29.99." He added: "I hope this price will be an opportunity for more players to begin their adventure."
- A producer's letter released in 2025 stressed that "this is not ArcheAge 2," describing an action RPG built around tense combat and discovery rather than a straightforward sequel.
- A limited-time demo at Steam Next Fest in October surpassed 20,000 peak concurrent players on SteamDB and placed 5th overall in unique players for the period.
- Combat runs on Unreal Engine 5 and requires positioning built around dodging, blocking and parrying, with loadouts that combine weapons and skills. The trailer shows swords, hammers, bows and staves.
- Life skills include hunting, gathering, building, farming and crafting, and items made from learned recipes can be traded between players. Mount travel and group trade runs across dangerous fields also feature.
- Classes launch with gender fixed per class, with selectable gender planned for the first content update after launch. The pre-order bonus is limited to one outfit for a class of the buyer's choice.
- Store pages are published for PC via Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, though release timing for those versions is not clear.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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