Embers Adrift is setting up its free trial with the latest update, which also adds a number of technical and quality of life improvements, and adds a new Ember Vein loop option, itemization system overhaul, and new behavioral stat indicators.
Early this month, Stormhaven Studios announced Embers Adrift’s roadmap update, along with a new free trial on the way. The free trial for the buy to play MMORPG would grant access to the first zone of the game, and now, thanks to the latest patch notes, we know the details.
The free trial opens March 1st, and is unlimited in time, but limited in communication and gameplay. You can start one character and the trial gives access to Newhaven Valley, Central Veins 1, and Newhaven City. There’s very limited chat access, no trading, no guild participation, and no sending friend requests. You can receive friend requests, so if you know an active player outside of the game or team up with someone who wants to work with you again, they can send you requests.
The update also adds some new content, a new solo loop to do in the Meadowlands’ Noxious Bog Ember Vein. In the recent roadmap, the team said that one of their goals was to bring a solo loop option to every Ember Vein, and this addition makes that goal ever-closer. Another addition this month should make status effects more easily identifiable. Status effects will now be color coded, with some design variations. Among them, confusion will now be shown by pink question marks spinning around and stunning someone will show yellow X's.
A big change is the itemization overhaul. All rare drops and quest rewards get an alignment and have been categorized into several tiered categories. These are Basic -> Advanced -> Superior / Imbued -> Relic -> Mythic -> Legendary. These categories correlate to items relative power, not necessarily the rarity. Legacy items can fall anywhere within the power progression scale, and those have different qualifications. Ultimately, these changes should make valuable items clearer and help prevent accidental sales of good loot or questions about whether a drop is worth it.
