Exploration and Gliders

Auroria is built to be wandered, XL Games says: few map markers, points of interest and chests that give most of your EXP, a glider you earn through quests, swimming and underwater gathering, and Nui Statues that creators report double as fast travel points. Mounts are not confirmed, as of Oct 20, 2026.

9:06 Exploring in ArcheAge Chronicles means wandering Auroria off the marked path: XL Games built the world with few map markers, put most of your experience in quests, discoveries and points of interest, and gives you a glider, swimming and underwater gathering to reach places on foot you could not. Its own tour says "We didn't want a map covered in markers telling you where to go next. Auroria is built to be wandered." Ser Medieval reported from the Network Test of Sep 12, 2026 that the gliding "brought me right back to 2014", with the lean-back move "just like you could in the original ArcheAge", and that you could fast travel between the Nui Statues you unlock around the world. Mounts have not been confirmed, as of Oct 20, 2026.

Thick amber fog almost hides a hillside. Silhouettes of broken, roofless houses stand at left beside a bare tree, the small bright sun shows through the haze at center, a tall wooden frame stands at right, and splintered fence posts and a rack of spears or poles fill the foreground. No game interface is shown. — A ruined hillside village in thick golden fog, the sun a pale disc above dark broken houses, bare trees and a line of splintered fence posts in an official Steam store image of ArcheAge Chronicles. XL Games

Quick facts

Design	Few map markers; "Auroria is built to be wandered" (XL Games, Sep 7, 2026)
Where EXP comes from	Mostly quests, discoveries and points of interest, not monsters
Glider	Earned through quests in the demo (MeinMMO, Oct 20, 2026)
Swimming	Yes, with underwater gathering
Fast travel	Between Nui Statues, creators report
Chests	Open once per character
Auto-run	Not in the demo (MeinMMO)
Mounts	Not confirmed (as of Oct 20, 2026)

No glowing arrows

XL Games designed the world to be found rather than followed. Executive Producer Yongjin Ham wrote on Jul 31, 2025: "There aren't glowing arrows dragging you to objectives here. You'll find forgotten temples, strange characters, ruins with secrets whispered by old gods. Some things you'll find by accident. That's the point." The Early Access FAQ on Steam says each region "has its own narratives and quests, but your adventure doesn't have to follow a set path."

2:50 Ham described the same loop in XL Games' video of Oct 7, 2026 (Korean speech with English subtitles): the game is not only combat; you talk to NPCs, get clues from them and set off to find the way, ride the glider to places you cannot otherwise reach, and come upon unexpected places while exploring underwater. He hopes those moments are what make the game fun.

7:08 In the Network Test, Azrial found side content worked that way. Some NPCs did not hand out a normal quest marker but added "little footstep markers" to the map where something was worth investigating, and exploring the spot opened a quest; stumbling on it without the NPC worked too. He found chests hidden around the world, "including one tucked away behind a waterfall", and said exploring felt "less like you're just following a checklist of exclamation marks".

8:13 Azrial's demo guide of Oct 12, 2026 gives the practical advice: follow the main quest first to get your bearings, then branch out, and listen to NPCs, because some of them mark locations on the map. After the Network Test, XL Games made paths and clues in points of interest and dungeons clearer and added a guide to how hints are displayed, "without losing the sense of discovery" (Ham, Oct 18, 2026).

Points of interest and chests

Exploring is how you level. XL Games' progression post of Oct 15, 2026 says monsters give "some EXP, but most of it comes from questing, finding things out in the world, and completing points of interest." Some points of interest are instanced for you or your party, so nobody else walks in. Treasure chests range "from sitting in plain sight to hidden behind the waterfall you almost didn't check"; they hold gear, rare crafting recipes and more, and "can be opened once per character, so you're never racing another player to get there first."

The world also hides what makes you stronger. Nui Tears tucked around the open world raise your maximum HP at Nui Statues; Raeven's Coilstones, each guarded by a boss, give the trait points for your weapons; and every zone hides Hersander's Towers whose riddles lead to the Hereafter Challenge. XL Games' Global Project Manager Don summed it up: "Exploring makes you better in a fight, and being better in a fight lets you push further into the world." Details are on Progression and Traits and Hersander's Tower.

The glider

The glider returns from the original ArcheAge. In the demo you earn it through quests, MeinMMO reported on Oct 20, 2026, and Anders' Network Test footage of Sep 14, 2026 has a "Glider Quest" chapter. XL Games' "PvP Gameplay #1" clip of Sep 4, 2026 opens with "A glider comes into view", and Ham names the glider as the way to reach terrain you cannot walk to. In the demo, Ser Medieval's route to the hidden Throne of Hinnon key has you glide across a row of pillars at the Sunken Ruins.

A motion-blurred image. At left a dragon with ridged horns, open jaws and bronze scales lunges through a wall of orange fire over broken wooden beams and rooftops. At upper right a small figure hangs beneath a glider with two long, narrow striped wings against a cloudy blue sky. No game interface is shown. — A dragon with bronze scales crashes through flames and splintered timbers as a figure on a glider with long striped wings flies across the sky at upper right in an official Steam store image of ArcheAge Chronicles. XL Games

Swimming and underwater

1:15 You can swim and explore underwater. XL Games' tour "A Quick Look at Auroria" (Sep 7, 2026) shows a player swimming among coral at 1:15, then gliding over a lake toward a ruined tower with the glider tutorial on screen (1:19 to 1:23), then a carved stone door and a dungeon. Coral is gatherable: Azrial lists "trees and berries and corals" among the Network Test's resources, and Anders' footage has an "Underwater Gathering" chapter. Kyunghyang Games picked a mushroom underwater in the demo (Oct 20, 2026). Gathering and crafting are on Crafting and Life Skills.

Fast travel and getting around

Fast travel exists between Nui Statues, creators report. Ser Medieval said after the Network Test that you "could fast travel between them using the Ever After Stone" (his spelling; in his Throne of Hinnon guide of Oct 20, 2026 he says "hereafter stones"). XL Games has not named the item, as of Oct 20, 2026. Nui Statues are also where you switch to a PvP channel.

There is no auto-run in the demo, MeinMMO noted. Mounts are not confirmed: the Early Access FAQ does not mention them, though the 2024 State of Play trailer shows a rider on a horse in a town. Trade Wagons are driven on trade runs (Trade Runs). What is and is not known about mounts and ships is on Mounts and Sailing. XL Games has not described a minimap or a world map, as of Oct 20, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a glider in ArcheAge Chronicles? In the ArcheAge Chronicles demo you earn the glider through quests, MeinMMO reported on Oct 20, 2026; XL Games describes the glider as the way to reach places you cannot walk to.

Can you swim in ArcheAge Chronicles? Yes. ArcheAge Chronicles has swimming and underwater exploration: XL Games' tour shows swimming among coral, and players gather coral and other resources underwater.

Is there fast travel in ArcheAge Chronicles? Creators report fast travel between unlocked Nui Statues in ArcheAge Chronicles, using an item Ser Medieval calls the "Ever After Stone"; XL Games has not described it officially, as of Oct 20, 2026.

Are there mounts in ArcheAge Chronicles? Mounts are not confirmed for ArcheAge Chronicles, as of Oct 20, 2026: the Early Access FAQ does not list them, though a 2024 trailer shows a horse rider in a town.

Does ArcheAge Chronicles have quest markers? ArcheAge Chronicles has a main quest to follow, but XL Games avoids a map "covered in markers"; NPCs give clues and some mark spots on the map, and much content is found by exploring.

Is there auto-run in ArcheAge Chronicles? No. MeinMMO found no auto-run in the ArcheAge Chronicles demo (Oct 20, 2026).