I've been playing this game for about 3-4 years now. I never played it before, I never experienced that golden age. I started on one of the two private servers that exist (at least on the Western side), and the current state of both servers is awful. On both, the factions are unbalanced. On both, people are more interested in RMT valuable items (Erenor/Ayanad sets, WB items, etc.). They're more concerned with making money like crazy than actually playing the game and making it enjoyable to log in and do some PvP. But no. The worst part is that for those who like Unchained, there are no other options than Rage ; they have a monopoly of unchained files. And on the Classic side, playing a patch that reduces a or your play melee or your wasting your time is retarded.
Literally every video I see of a player there is melee. I can't understand how both servers don't even bother to listen to the community and balance the game (I say this because I've seen countless posts complaining about this, forum threads in the case of Classic discussing this, and there's the same meta specs of retarded players).
Why is the community of this game more focused on profiting from it than on keeping it alive? Don't they learn from their mistakes? Don't they see what happened to retail or legacy, as they call it? Then I see other private servers for other games, where there are custom balances based on what the community asks for, REAL custom content, not recycled garbage content pretending to be custom when it's literally a copy-paste from Korea.

This game is literally a goldmine; there's nothing else like it, and there won't be for at least 10 or 15 years, or maybe ever. On the server I play on, I see fewer and fewer people. It's practically a cult, and if a group doesn't like you, you can get banned. Who are you going to complain to? Meanwhile, other people are untouchable. It's frustrating and unpleasant.

Every time I talk to someone who played the official server, they all tell me the same thing: "The official server was the same or worse."

I like the game, I have a soft spot for it even though I didn't play it in the golden era but its current state and the awful community are making me increasingly less inclined to play.

And I'll say it again: how desperate do you have to be to be more interested in RMT than in trying to keep the game alive?

Playing around with a server and made an ironman mode Archeage Ironman? https://www.twitch.tv/infinitbgaming ? Would you play it if no trading or AH was used?

Been playing the CBT for a bit now and wanted to share since I know there's mixed feelings here about the CN client in general.

Honestly the game itself feels really good right now. Early zones and pacing feel closer to that original 1.0 era ArcheAge experience rather than the later power creep endgame stuff. If you played back in the day and missed that feeling, it scratches the itch.

The open world PvP has honestly been kind of insane so far. Got caught up in a huge fight out at Halcyona, felt like 200v200 at one point, and performance held up way better than I expected. I'm playing on ~190ms and didn't run into any noticeable lag during it, which genuinely surprised me given the scale.

Pirating also been really fun. Managed to steal a couple fishing boats and a few trade packs already. Feels like that early AA chaos where you genuinely have to watch your back out on the water.

Only reason I'm even able to read/play any of it is a translation patch a friend of mine built. Not trying to turn this into an ad, just figured people would ask how I'm playing this in English if I didn't mention it. Screenshot below if anyone's curious, otherwise feel free to just enjoy the gameplay shots lol.

Anyone else on the CBT?

Ive had so many dms about how to play or how to get an account. Also lots want to play but cant deal with translating everything to understand.

Well some one has made the answer with this new site program. The biggest help for me was the English auction house translator searching for items was such a pain in the ass lol. Just sharing the way for the dedicated brave souls who want to slay china zergs. <2

This petition asks XL Games and the relevant rights holders to preserve or release legacy files from discontinued ArcheAge services where legally and technically possible.

https://c.org/yLKDKXCXWT

why there is no eu classic server what is the real reason?

China CBT has been really fun low level pvp. Ill confirm china players are 99% no handed players or brand new first mmo type pvp player. Ive been welcoming everyone to Archeage with proper kill on sight leveling.

https://www.obtgame.com/8yx-chinese-account.html

You can buy a 8yx account here. You will need to find a Chinese id and name google is how i found a list to use. Use exit lag or lago fast for better ping. Enjoy this unique version of the game. The rest translation of website game will be left up to you. GLHF. From what i have been told test is 30 days into direct release.

I’m curious to see how the new Chinese server is since the cbt started today. Are there any English streamers or any streamers in general streaming the new archeage server? There’s nothing on twitch so far

Will it be a sandbox game or just another ue5 themepark?

Hi all,

Really quick question about the Classic launcher.

Every time I open the launcher the first time and hit play, i get an error saying 'Failed to load game dll'. I close the launcher, reopen, and play again and it works second time.

This is only a minor inconvenience tbh but was just wondering if anyone else had this issue?

I'll reinstall I think to try and fix, but the launcher update took a couple of hours so just checking before I do that.

Thanks!

Was very excited by my first "decent" item in form of epic obsidian greatsword.

After 3 days of gathering mats I've finally made it to t5... just to stare at it in disbelief for few seconds, cause the stats of epic t5 obsidian are the same as my hasla emerald greatsword, rotfl, as such I flushed a week or two worth of income making it just to get a 16.5% more critical damage and 40 gear score points.

I literally thought that t5 epic will SURELY outclass a divine weapon but I was very wrong, feeling a bit cheated to be honest. Sure, I guess I can upgrade it to t6 after another month, but now I dread to think if my obsidian armor will suck too compared to the celestial welfare gear.

What now? I clearly can't trust myself with making decisions, what piece(s) to gather resources for?

hey everyone, does somebody know how to join the Archeage Chinese CBT, any guides so ppl have an easier time to join and we will have a nice NA/EU community there

Thanks for the tip about storage silo, managed to fit bed, storage, owl post and alchemy table in it, while it also provides space for 10 packs of aged honey. Feels cozy too!

It's a small operation for sure, but self sufficient and I'm immensely proud of it.

If only it provided resident status :(

Maybe I'm stupid, but I couldn't find any information anywhere on how to craft/get mana wisps (two-hander in particular)

Does anyone have a spreadsheet or list of all the fishing turn in prices by any chance?

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Hi everyone,

Huge news for anyone who misses the glory days of ArcheAge. It looks like the original game is officially being rebooted! A Chinese developer/publisher (Chuangtian Mutual Entertainment) has entered into a joint licensing agreement with XLGAMES to bring back the classic PC experience under the title "ArcheAge: Return" (上古世纪归来).

They just announced their Pioneer Closed Beta Test (CBT), which is set to begin on June 26, 2026. This initial test will be a data-wipe CBT on PC with no cash shop/microtransactions, mainly focusing on server stability and optimization.

According to the official announcement, this isn't just a lazy "Classic" cash-grab server—they are actively aiming to fix the core issues that plagued the original game. Here are the key takeaways:

🗺️ World & Visuals

• 1:1 Classic Map Replica: A seamless, no-loading-screen open world featuring iconic zones like Halcyona, White Arden, Songcraft, and Ynystere.
• HD Remaster: The terrain and resource spots remain exactly the same as the classic version, but the graphics, lighting, and model precision are getting a major HD upgrade.
• Gliders, climbing, and deep-sea exploration are all fully intact.

⚔️ Classes & Combat

• 100% Faithful Mechanics: All 14 original skillsets (Battlerage, Witchcraft, Defense, Auramancy, Occultism, etc.) are returning, allowing for the classic 100+ class combinations (Blighter, Primeval, etc.).
• No Random Balance Changes: The devs explicitly promised that all skill effects, numerical scaling, and gear adaptation rules will strictly match the classic version.

⛵ Massive RvR & Naval Fixes

• Fixing the Lag: The main focus of this test is optimizing server loads for 1,000+ players on screen. They specifically highlighted fixing the notorious "lag spikes during massive faction wars" issue.
• Full Sea Content: Naval warfare (clippers, galleons), sea trade runs, Leviathan raids, and Halcyona faction wars with siege engines are all fully operational.

🏡 Economy & Anti-Cheat

• All 16 crafting/gathering professions, housing plots, and free trading channels (Auction House, player-to-player trading, open stalls) are back.
• Anti-Bot Monitoring: To prevent the land monopoly and economy ruins caused by studio bots in the past, the publishers are implementing a real-time monitoring system during the test to build a robust anti-cheat framework.

The development team stated they are working under a long-term "expansion/patch" model and promised that any future new content "will absolutely not destroy the original core ecosystem" of the game.

Obviously, this is currently a China-focused release managed by a local publisher alongside XLGAMES, so we'll have to see if a global version ever becomes a reality.

What do you guys think? Is there a sliver of hope that this could be the ArcheAge revival we've been waiting for, or are you keeping your expectations low?

Sources:

• Official Website: https://age.8yx.com/
• News Article (17173): https://news.17173.com/content/06162026/110137218.shtml