# ArcheAge Chronicles > Auroria, every class and weapon, PvP channels, trade runs and the road to Early Access of XL Games' action MMORPG, with the footage to show it ArcheAge Chronicles is XL Games' open-world action MMORPG, formerly announced as ArcheAge 2, set in Auroria 50 years after the original ArcheAge; a free Steam Next Fest demo runs Oct 19 to 26, 2026, and Early Access on Steam is planned for later in 2026, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions announced. This viki covers its release plans, demo, price and pay-to-win promise, platforms and PC requirements, its four classes and their weapons, combat, PvP channels, dungeons and bosses, trade runs, crafting and housing, its world and story and how it differs from ArcheAge, and every key paragraph plays the moment on YouTube that shows it. ArcheAge Chronicles is a video wiki on Vi.ki: every key paragraph carries a timestamped YouTube clip that shows what it says, and every page lists its sources. Page text is CC BY-SA 4.0. Canonical page URLs are https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/{slug}; a category lists its pages at https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/{category}, and a photo has its own page at https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/photo/{title}-{id}; please link to them when you quote a page. Subject: ArcheAge Chronicles (schema.org VideoGame), the same thing as https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q115324133, https://store.steampowered.com/app/3218230/ArcheAge_Chronicles/, https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10011705, https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/archeage-chronicles/9NZQ2G7FM8L3, https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/archeage-chronicles-0b2ba9. ## Bosses - [Bosses](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/bosses): ArcheAge Chronicles has field bosses that roam the open world and drop gear and unique crafting materials, bosses that guard Raeven's Coilstones (the source of trait points), dungeon bosses, story bosses, and a timed, souped-up boss fight with a leaderboard in each zone's Hereafter Challenge (XL Games, Oct 15, 2026). ## Classes - [Berserker](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/berserker): The Berserker is the heavy class of ArcheAge Chronicles: an Axe with a shield that builds Bleed and has a chain (Reckless Destroyer, Shield Slam, Brutal Crash, Reel In), or a Warhammer that builds Burn and stored Thunder toward Meteor Hammer and Galactic Impact. - [Classes](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/classes): ArcheAge Chronicles has four classes, Warrior, Ranger, Berserker and Mage, each with two weapons at Early Access (eight in all) and a third weapon per class planned. You swap between your two weapons in combat, and every weapon has its own trait tree. - [Mage](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/mage): The Mage in ArcheAge Chronicles casts fire and lightning at range with the Elemental Staff, whose Retain mechanic stores spells to recast without incantation and builds Energy Core toward Shooting Star, or fights in melee with frost through the Wavesword (Tidal Rend, Thundersnow). There is no healing weapon at Early Access. - [Ranger](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/ranger): The Ranger in ArcheAge Chronicles is not only an archer: it fights up close with a lightning-charged Hatchet (Stormsplitter, Overcharge, Shocking Kick, Wind Blade, Storm Chaser) or at range with a Longbow (Rapid Fire, Fire Arrow, Aimed Shot, Ice Arrow, Crescent Kick), under the motto "Hunt Without Limits". - [Warrior](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/warrior): The Warrior is the ArcheAge Chronicles sword class, "Hold the Line. Break the Enemy.", fighting with a Longsword (parries, counters or a path of blood that spends and drains HP) or a Greatsword that builds Resolve for heavy blows such as Final Cleave, Rampage and Warrior's Cry. ## Development and Release - [ArcheAge Series](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/archeage-series): The ArcheAge series began with XL Games' sandbox MMORPG ArcheAge (Korea, January 2013), whose Western servers closed on Jun 27, 2024 and Korean service on Mar 6, 2025. It continues with ArcheAge War (2023), ArcheAge Chronicles (formerly ArcheAge 2, Early Access planned for later in 2026), ArcheAge S: Strait of Freedom (planned for 2027) and the China-only ArcheAge Returns. - [Development History](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/development): ArcheAge Chronicles is made by XL Games in South Korea. It began as ArcheAge 2 (made official in 2020, first shown at G-Star on Nov 17, 2022), was renamed ArcheAge Chronicles at Sony's State of Play on Sep 24, 2024, missed every release window from 2024 on, and has been self-published by XL Games since 2026. Early Access on Steam is planned for later in 2026, with no date announced as of Oct 20, 2026. - [Trailers](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/trailers): The main ArcheAge Chronicles trailer is the State of Play Trailer of Sep 24, 2024, which revealed the game under its new name; the newest is the Official Demo Trailer of Oct 19, 2026, for the free Steam Next Fest demo. XL Games' YouTube channel holds nine official videos, and Kakao Games released the first ArcheAge 2 teaser on Nov 18, 2022. There is no launch trailer yet, as of Oct 20, 2026. - [XL Games](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/xl-games): XL Games is the South Korean studio Jake Song founded in 2006, maker of ArcheAge, ArcheAge War and ArcheAge Chronicles. It is majority-owned by Kakao Games, and since 2026 it publishes ArcheAge Chronicles itself. ## Dungeons and Raids - [Dungeons](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/dungeons): ArcheAge Chronicles dungeons are instanced just for you or your party of up to four, share quest progress inside, and can be soloed (XL Games, Oct 15, 2026). Raids are on the Early Access content list, but their size has not been announced as of Oct 20, 2026. ## Economy and Monetization - [Trade Runs](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/trade-runs): Trade runs return in ArcheAge Chronicles: you make trade goods and haul them by Trade Wagon to sell in other regions, alone or with others. Trading is in Early Access but not in the Steam Next Fest demo, and XL Games has not described the risks, routes or PvP rules of a run, as of Oct 20, 2026. ## Gameplay - [Combat](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/combat): ArcheAge Chronicles uses action combat, not tab targeting: light and heavy attacks, dodges, rolls, blocks and parries on a stamina bar, two weapons you swap between in a fight, and skills reached through button combinations instead of a hotbar of dozens of slots. Ranged attacks can be parried straight back at the attacker. - [Exploration and Gliders](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/exploration): 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. - [Multiplayer and Guilds](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/multiplayer-and-guilds): ArcheAge Chronicles is an always-online game you can play solo or with others. Zones are split into channels of about 100 players, parties hold up to four, guilds and "company" activities are in Early Access, and the demo runs servers in five locations (North America East and West, Europe Central, Asia East and South). ## Beginner Guides - [Beginner's Guide](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/beginners-guide): In your first hours of ArcheAge Chronicles, pick a class by which of its two weapons you like, place your stat points every level, explore points of interest (most EXP comes from quests and discoveries, not kills), break Raeven's Coilstones for trait points, bring Nui Tears to Nui Statues for more HP, earn the glider, group up for field bosses, and switch between standard and PvP channels at a Nui Statue. - [Character Creation and Gender Lock](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/character-creation): In ArcheAge Chronicles you can take a pre-made character or build your own with detailed sliders, but each class is locked to one gender, and XL Games says that stays at Early Access; more gender options are in development, "starting with select classes". No playable races have been announced, as of Oct 20, 2026. ## Dungeon Guides - [Throne of Hinnon](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/throne-of-hinnon): Throne of Hinnon is the hidden high-level dungeon of the ArcheAge Chronicles Steam Next Fest demo (Oct 19 to 26, 2026), outside the normal quest path and opened with a key hidden in the world. A creator found the key on a ledge at the Sunken Ruins and the door at the Altar of Seals; inside are four sigils and a Reaper boss. ## Launch Guides - [Demo](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/demo): The free ArcheAge Chronicles demo runs on Steam from Oct 19, 10:00 AM to Oct 26, 10:00 AM PDT, 2026 (Oct 20 to 27 in Korea), worldwide and with no sign-up. It holds about two to three hours of quests in Diamond Shores, all four classes, the first public PvP and the hidden Throne of Hinnon dungeon; housing and trade are not in it, and progress does not carry over to Early Access. - [Platforms and Crossplay](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/platforms): ArcheAge Chronicles' Early Access is on PC through Steam only. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions were announced in Sep 2024 and their store pages are live, but no console date exists and crossplay has not been announced, as of Oct 20, 2026. - [Price and Pay to Win](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/price): ArcheAge Chronicles is buy to play, not free to play, and its price has not been announced, as of Oct 20, 2026. XL Games promises no paid shop at the start of Early Access and no pay-to-win items, ever. - [Release Date and Early Access](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/release-date): ArcheAge Chronicles has no release date yet. XL Games plans Early Access on Steam for later in 2026 and Kakao Games has said Q4 2026, but no date or price has been announced, as of Oct 20, 2026; Early Access is expected to last about 9 to 12 months. ## Progression Guides - [Hersander's Tower](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/hersanders-tower): Hersander's Towers, hidden in every zone of ArcheAge Chronicles and named for Hersander, "the god of gambling", each ask in a riddle for an item. Satisfying every tower in a zone gives a unique accessory and unlocks the Hereafter Challenge, a timed fight against a random souped-up version of one of the zone's bosses, with a leaderboard of clear times (XL Games, Oct 15, 2026). - [Progression and Traits](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/progression): In ArcheAge Chronicles you level mostly from quests, discoveries and points of interest; each level gives stat points for six stats (Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intelligence, Talent, Endurance). Trait points come only from Raeven's Coilstones, each guarded by a boss, and every weapon has its own trait tree; Nui Tears raise max HP at Nui Statues, and field bosses and chests give gear. ## Setup Guides - [PC System Requirements](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/system-requirements): ArcheAge Chronicles needs at least Windows 10, an Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER or AMD Radeon RX 6600 (8 GB) and 100 GB on an SSD, for 30 fps at 1080p on Low with upscaling on Quality. The recommended PC (Windows 11, Core i7-12700 or Ryzen 7 5700X, 32 GB, RTX 4060 Ti 16GB or RX 7700 XT) targets 60 fps at 1080p on High. ## Overview - [ArcheAge Chronicles](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/archeage-chronicles): ArcheAge Chronicles is XL Games' open-world action MMORPG set in Auroria 50 years after the original ArcheAge, formerly announced as ArcheAge 2. A free Steam Next Fest demo runs Oct 19 to 26, 2026, and Early Access on Steam is planned for later in 2026 with no date announced, as of Oct 20, 2026. - [Differences From ArcheAge](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/differences-from-archeage): ArcheAge Chronicles is not ArcheAge 2 in XL Games' own words: it is a new game in the same universe set 50 years after the original, with action combat instead of tab targeting, smaller-group play instead of mass faction war, PvP by channel, housing zones instead of open-world land, four classes with weapon trait trees, and buy to play with a promise of no pay to win. ## PvP - [PvP](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/pvp): PvP in ArcheAge Chronicles is opt-in by channel. In standard channels nobody can attack you; in PvP channels anyone outside your party and guild can, you switch at a Nui Statue with a cooldown, and PvP channels give 10 to 15% bonus EXP on monster kills but no reward for killing players yet (XL Games, Oct 4, 2026). ## Reception - [Reception and Previews](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/reception): As of Oct 20, 2026, ArcheAge Chronicles has no Steam user reviews and no reviews from major outlets, because it has not been released. Its free Steam Next Fest demo reached No. 1 on the festival's Top Demos chart on opening day and peaked at 20,507 players at once (SteamDB), while early press and creators are split between praise for the world and doubts about the combat's polish and depth. - [Steam Player Count](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/steam-player-count): ArcheAge Chronicles itself is not out, so it has no players yet; its free Steam Next Fest demo peaked at 20,507 concurrent players on Steam, its all-time high on SteamDB as read on Oct 20, 2026. Steam counted 5,856 players in the demo at 18:02 UTC that day. ## Story - [Story](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/story): In ArcheAge Chronicles you arrive in Auroria as an explorer of an established trading company, about 50 years after the original ArcheAge, and investigate a catastrophic airship crash and the intrigue around it, against a conflict between Auroria's settlers and the nations that want to keep it a colony. No story character has been officially named in English, as of Oct 20, 2026. ## Systems - [Crafting and Life Skills](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/crafting-and-life-skills): ArcheAge Chronicles' life skills are hunting, gathering, farming, housing and crafting: you gather, process and craft what you need, learn recipes (some found in chests), and crafting feeds your character's growth and the player economy. The demo has gathering and potion cooking; XL Games has not published a list of professions, as of Oct 20, 2026. - [Housing and Farming](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/housing-and-farming): Housing returns in ArcheAge Chronicles in dedicated housing zones split into channels, so every player can claim a home without the original ArcheAge's land rush; a claimed home stays in place for you and your neighbors, and interiors and exteriors can be customized. Housing is in Early Access but not in the demo, and farming is promised but not yet described, as of Oct 20, 2026. - [Mounts and Sailing](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/mounts-and-sailing): Neither mounts nor ships are confirmed for ArcheAge Chronicles, as of Oct 20, 2026: the Early Access content list names no mounts, sailing or naval combat. You travel on foot, by glider and by swimming, and haul trade goods by wagon. ## World - [Auroria](https://archeagechronicles.vi.ki/auroria): Auroria is the land of ArcheAge Chronicles, the continent of the original ArcheAge's lore, rediscovered in "the Age of Pioneers" about 50 years after the original game. Early Access has three of its regions, Diamond Shores, Gylden Ruins and Astron Plains; the demo is set in Diamond Shores, and no full map has been published, as of Oct 20, 2026.