Welcome back, Driftmaster:
We’re thrilled to continue sharing our latest changes with you—yes, these will be unveiled on April 24th, but we thought it was time to get your war engines revving a bit early.
In this article, we’ll dive into the new content and improvements coming to Warborne Above Ashes between our test phases. We hate wasting time when there’s so much exciting stuff to cover, so hold onto your reins—let’s get straight to it!
Total War: New Regions, New Factions
As teased in our previous post, Warborne Above Ashes will now showcase our complete war-torn world to all Driftmasters: 6 factions and a fully open world map!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3142050/view/499444389996658709?l=schinese
While you might already know the details, we’d like to formally introduce the six factions you’ll lead in the battle for the Drift Sectors:
Emberwild
● The Fringe is alive, and Emberwild will burn those who seek to enslave it. Machines and industry have no place here—only flames, fury, and the will of the wild.
○ Mounted Warfare – Mounts have increased 5% movement speed.
○ Creature Extraction: Deals increased 10% damage to mobs.
Ashen
● Born from the ashes of a broken world, Ashen bows to no king or warlord. They fight not for power, but for survival—taking what they need, no mercy. Scavengers, rebels, mercenaries—those who refuse to kneel endure in the fire.
○ Demolition Experts: Demolisher and siege weapon demolition power increased by 5%
○ Extreme Endurance: Maximum health increased by 2.5%
Sirius
● Masters of knowledge and precision, Sirius believes the future belongs to those who can control it. Their technology dictates the battlefield, where every movement is a calculated step toward victory. Resistance is not defiance—it is error.
○ Loot Bonuses: Recovers 5% additional Loot Reward Tokens over time.
○ Master Hunters : Deals increased 5% damage to mobs.
Ironcreed
● Discipline is survival. Order is strength. Ironcreed purges weakness, forging the world into something unbreakable—by fire, steel, and war.
○ Tech Scientists : 10%Faster research speed for Driftmark technologies.
○ Industrialists: Increased 7.5% yields from tech wreckages and trees.
Shroud
● They whisper where others shout, moving unseen, striking without warning. Shroud does not wage war—they end all before it begins. In a world of chaos, true power is the blade unseen.
○ Skill Slinger: 1.5% Faster skill cooldown speed.
○ Night Vision: Additional 5m night vision range.
Magnates
● Power is not given—it is bought, traded, or seized. The Magnates rule not through war, but through wealth—turning soldiers into assets and loyalty into currency.
○ Money Moguls: Increased 10% Starfall Token gains from Trading House sales.
○ Rising Hunters: Earns 5% more experience from mobs.
Each faction has its own identity and strengths. Find the one that suits your style and join the fierce battle for the The Forgeheart!
Have you decided which side you’re on? For safety, here are a few notes about factions for this test:
● The faction bonuses listed above are not final. During this test, our developers will monitor your performance and adjust the balance dynamically to ensure each faction offers a balanced and fun experience.
● As you can see, resources for early development are limited on the planet (unless you’re taking them from others...), so each server will have a cap on faction population. We strongly recommend choosing a faction with lower Warband congestion to avoid being locked out of the action due to overpopulation.
What? You still want to join the most popular faction?
Then you should check this out:
https://r.qoolandgames.com/war/index
Pre-create your WarbandYes, the Pre-Assembley event for Warborne Above Ashes is live! You and your friends can get a head start by selecting your preferred server and faction for this test. You’ll also earn Eclipsium, name reservation rights, and access to an attractive cash reward pool. The more participants, the richer the rewards—invite all your Warband comrades to join!
For those already participating, you can click [Edit Warband] to change your pre-selected server and faction. Remember: choosing the right faction for your Warband’s growth is crucial. Popular factions face fiercer competition early on, so avoid unnecessary internal strife and focus your energy and resources on the real battlefield—the endless war for the Scorchforged City.
The First Step to Conquering the Planet: Optimized Driftmark Relocation
From the moment you drop onto the planet, your Driftmark is your most vital asset—your home, your mobile fortress, your first strategic spot!We admit, during the March Playtest, relocating the Driftmark was a struggle for some Driftmasters. You’d exhaust all your fuel to reach your ideal map, only to find it overcrowded and unable to deploy... nothing worse than that. We’ve fixed it!
In the upcoming test, we’ve implemented three measures to make Driftmark relocation smoother and more user-friendly:
● During the novice phase, relocating your Driftmark costs no energy, so you can move without anxiety!
● We’ve added a fuel calculation system, allowing you to see exactly how much energy is needed to relocate to each map—no more "energy anxiety."
● Finally, we’ve introduced a [Relocation View] in the world map interface, clearly marking deployable maps in green and showing the number of Driftmarks already stationed there. You can also check this in the relocation preview, ensuring you never make a wasted trip.
We hope these changes will help all Driftmasters, especially newcomers, develop their strength and that of their Warbands more smoothly, so you can get to the real action faster—Total War!
All You Need is KILL: New Harvester Hub Mechanics
Yes, war! As your Warband and faction grow, the valuable Harvester Hubs in the region will be the focal point of your first conflicts with other forces.In the last test, the Harvester Hub rules were a major concern (yes, we heard your complaints loud and clear!). We’ve completely overhauled them: starting this test, when a Harvester Core is destroyed, we’ll calculate the contribution of each attacking Warband. The Warband with the highest total contribution will be deemed the conqueror and will exclusively claim the armory rewards.
Here’s a table detailing our contribution criteria (note: this is not set in stone!):
● Warband member lands the final blow on the boss: Massive contribution
● Warband member lands the final blow on a guardian: Small contribution
● Warband members cumulatively deal 1% damage to the Harvester Core: Medium contribution
● Warband members cumulatively deal 1% damage to the Harvester Stronghold gate: Small contribution
No one can steal your victory anymore—no one. All you need to do is slash and kill with all your might.
The Final Battle for The Forgeheart: Better Mechanics, More Epic Battlefields
After the baptism of Hub wars, you’ll be a battle-hardened Driftmaster, with the thirst for slaughter coursing through your veins. No longer confined to war times, you’ll crave combat, killing, and looting at any moment.To that end, we’ve made significant optimizations to the global map’s queuing system, ensuring smoother entry into this 24/7 "meat grinder" for both sides:
● In map battles, we’ll naturally prioritize factions with strategic needs, but we’ve also reserved space for third-party "wild cards"—welcome to the chaos, and good luck surviving.
● Even outside war times, if a large-scale ZvZ event occurs, we’ll activate a separate set of engagement rules to prevent one-sided slaughters in wildly imbalanced encounters.
● Legion Rank is no longer a barrier to war! Based on your feedback from the last test, we’ve replaced Legion Rank with Power to determine battlefield entry priority. If you’re strong enough, you’ll get into the fiercest battles faster—and face stronger enemies. But we know you’ll love it.
It's that ALL？
This 30-day Total War will test every Driftmaster’s deployment and understanding of the battlefield. Develop your resources, upgrade your gear, and through the baptism of fire and blood, delve deeper into the planet’s core to uncover its secrets.
On April 24th, we can’t wait to see every Driftmaster in action—make sure to click [Request Access] and add us to your wishlist (it’s crucial for us). Join this feast of war!
But wait, there’s more! We’ll be releasing further details in the coming days, so don’t forget to join our Discord for the latest updates. See you on the battlefield:
https://discord.com/invite/EUXk2zVFnV