Key Points
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Upcoming playtests: We plan to release Playtest 2 in the late first quarter or early second quarter of 2026.
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Single Axis Combat: We’re focusing on building single-axis combat rather than squad-based combat to introduce more depth and greater component utility.
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Risk Return: Multiplayer with a risk-return extraction system is the next major gameplay layer. We focus on making it possible for everyone to take risks and earn returns.
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Axi Core: We are also working to connect the entire Axie ecosystem to the game. Think of Axie Core, Codex, and Land all as one.
Last week, the Atia’s Legacy team met with the community to discuss the development of Atia’s Legacy. Cruise and Shade have provided some feature and timeline updates. They also shared some of our vision for the much broader Atia’s Legacy. Here’s what they talked about:
Cruise began by sharing how the team improved the game’s multiplayer system. Our internal team is focused on combat feel, network stability, and backend infrastructure to ensure Atia’s Legacy can handle the demands of large-scale dungeon gameplay.
“We feel good, there are no lags or synchronization issues, and we’re making sure the backend can actually support what we’re dreaming of.”
Once the foundation is solid, the team plans to share early internal videos or screenshots to give the community a preview before the next public playtest. The vision remains unchanged. It’s a long-term, replayable MMO experience where 100 or 10,000 hours still feels meaningful. Once you’ve mastered the basics, the end game loop you perform remains the core of the design.
One of the biggest reveals from this AMA was the major shift from squad-based combat to single-axis combat. Playtest 1 featured five axes fighting together, but internal testing showed that this approach limited clarity and balance, especially in multiplayer raids.
“It was cool, but confusing.” Cruz explained. “When everyone brings a squad, it becomes difficult to read, difficult to coordinate, and you lose your class identity.”
Each player now controls one primary axis whose body parts directly define their combat abilities. This change opens up deeper skill expression, strategic diversity, and collectible utility.
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Axie parts gain active abilities rather than passive skills and stats.
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Classes and archetypes such as tank, DPS, and support become more clear.
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Combat is closer to ARPGs like Diablo or Brawl Stars, making it feel more intense and personal.
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Each Axi can be equipped with multiple weapons, increasing flexibility.
The team is testing dodging, sprinting, and other movement techniques to make minute-by-minute gameplay more dynamic. These changes also future-proof multiplayer party play by enabling clearer roles, better synergies, and less chaos.
The next major milestone is the debut of multiplayer dungeons with extraction elements inspired by modern PvPvE Risk games like Tarkov and Arc Raiders. While the team emphasized that Atia’s Legacy won’t be Arc Raiders, the genre’s recent success has helped confirm some of the directions the team was already exploring.
“We’ve been exploring this space since before the Arc Raiders blew up,” Cruise said.
Playtest 2’s dungeon combines boss fights, exploration, and extraction. Players can choose to extract early for safety or push deeper for higher risk. The goal is not to create a tough, harsh extract title, but to create an emotional, thrilling, and accessible version.
Cruz summed up the principles succinctly:
“How do we enable mothers to take risks and make money? That’s the design challenge.”
Monetizable risk has traditionally been geared toward a small, niche subset of players. Atia’s Legacy aims to redefine this. There are still consequences for losing gear or extracting it late, but the system is being structured to reward smart thinking and team coordination rather than reflexive gameplay.
Cruz called this emotional income.
“Interest comes from risk. Accessibility comes from control. We want both.”
The clear message from Playtest 1 is that equipment obscures axie’s identity.
We are working to resolve this issue.
In the future:
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Axie parts have active abilities.
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AXP levels and evolutions will provide meaningful advancement.
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Statistical granularity can make upgrades feel important again.
Cruise noted that collectors and breeders who own a wide Axi roster should feel the depth reflected in the game. This may not apply to everything in Playtest 2, but we are considering it for the future. This also opens up space for deeper economic loops. This is because higher level axes require rarer materials and more thoughtful crafting.
Shade confirmed that Codex will evolve beyond cosmetic rewards. The team is experimenting with:
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Accessories that provide in-game bonuses
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Consumables connected to Axie Core and Legacy
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New reward categories that help tie the entire ecosystem together
“Think of Codex as a testbed,” Shade said. “This is where we experiment with reward types that go back to legacy and core.”
Everything in Axie becomes important over time: badges, accessories, collectibles, and items you earn.
Atia’s Legacy is designed holistically through the larger Axie ecosystem. This includes the Axie Core, the AXS token economy, materials, collectibles, and finally lands.
Shade emphasized that this approach is fundamentally different from previous titles.
“We’re not just building fun games, we’re building connected systems.”
Cruise added that Axie can’t aim small.
“We can’t just serve the same Degen audience. We need to reach millions.”
The Axie world includes parts, classes, levels, evolutions, accessories, and more. It’s impossible to balance all of this at once, so the team will be introducing the utility system in phases.
Crafts will be a key pillar of our long-term economy. Lifestyle skills such as fishing, mining, and foraging complement the crafting system, but may be rolled out incrementally due to their complexity.
“Fishing may seem trivial, but doing it right is its own mini-game,” Cruz explained.
The long-term goal is to allow meaningful non-combat progression that fuels the economy, even for players who have never entered a dungeon.
The team reiterated that these bi-weekly Lunacian lounges exist to maintain transparency in developments.
“If you’re here, you’re basically in the development room with us,” Cruise said.
Community feedback directly influences design decisions, and the team wants players to understand how and why those decisions evolve.
Two badges are issued in Playtest 1:
These badges will appear soon and may gain utility across the Axie ecosystem in the future.
yes. Acquisition risk is at the heart of Playtest 2.
Our next test will verify how fun, accessible, and emotional Loop is when connected to multiplayer dungeons.
We roll out economic utilities one layer at a time. The team does not want all Axi perks or collectibles to be active systems at the same time.
Cruise pointed out that Origins is stuck on a content treadmill, with limited opportunities for deeper change. Atia’s Legacy is more intentional.
Some affect combat. Others increase loot or crafting results without affecting combat power. This separation allows collection ownership to feel rewarding without creating imbalance.
Life skills support crafting and the wider economy, but can be rolled out gradually. The team is investigating whether some life skills may exist outside of the primary customer.
Everything is being built into one integrated ecosystem. Rewards, materials, and consumables are shared between Core and Legacy. Highlighted Shades:
“Participating in the Axie ecosystem will bring good results. Everything will matter.”
Late Q1 or early Q2 2026, depending on stability. Internal testing is ongoing and a community preview will be shared once the system is solid.