Ashes of Creation’s latest preview offers a first look into the Citadel of Steel Bloom, one of the game’s standout points of interest in the riverlands area. The preview features some lore, some combat, and a raid boss fight with a dragon.
The Order of the Steel Bloom was a special unit that existed before the Exodus and the apocalyptic events that sets things up. The Citadel was their headquarters, and in this stream, we get to see some of the interior spaces, along with some of the developers commenting on how they created these spaces, their intentions, and more as we get a first look at this place.
From just a visual point of view, we see the citadel’s walls and the sunlight coming through and the trees setting the mood and giving that historical feel to the location. That mood changes when we see that the citadel has been overrun by the Forsaken Blades, a military unit that allied with cultists when they defected.
As part of the narrative here, you'll learn about the origins of the order and what your enemies are up to. You’ll have to battle through the Fortress and summon the spirit of the Lady of the Rose, the last commander of the Steel Bloom, to stop your enemies from completing a ritual. Even after summoning her, there’s a lot more to do to get through, including to help defend her against strong forces.
Even after you allow her to complete her channeling and retrieve the special egg relic, there's even more danger ahead: Firebrand the dragon. The team shows off surrounding environments as they gather 40 for the raid. The devs highlight wanting to deliver what you might expect from a dragon while also working to surprise with the mechanics too. You have to make a dragon feel like a dragon, but it can't be too generic to fight because then that's a bit disappointing.
You can watch the full preview, but if you want to skip to the dragon fight, skip to around 28 minutes in.
