- Anvil Empires playtest is a pre-alpha MMO where up to 1,000 players fight medieval wars.
- Faction lock: You commit to one of three factions for the entire age (world cycle).
- Death penalty: You drop your full inventory on death; your corpse can be looted.
- Silver economy: Bounties and town services run on silver, the core currency.
- Expect grind: Early builds are clunky and grindy, ideal for clan-based play.
What the Anvil Empires Playtest Is
The Anvil Empires playtest comes from the developers behind Foxhole, applying their massive-war formula to a medieval setting. Where Foxhole supported roughly 100 players on screen, Anvil Empire scales the concept toward 1,000-player battles between player-driven factions, complete with town building, resource gathering, and large siege warfare reminiscent of old sandbox MMOs.
The game is currently in pre-alpha, which shapes everything about the playtest experience:
- Queues can be long — expect 15+ minute waits during peak test waves
- Graphics are low-resolution by design, keeping huge player counts playable
- Content creators must label footage as pre-alpha per the NDA-friendly playtest rules
- Mechanics like storage, repair, and crafting are functional but unpolished
Video Highlights:
- Full first-session gameplay from faction selection to bounty turn-in
- Overview of the three factions: the Pagans, the Ancients, and the Remnant
- Crafting basics: flint knife, spear, crude bow, and makeshift hammer
- Death mechanics and inventory loss demonstrated live
- Underworld mine exploration with ore harvesting
If you stream or publish gameplay from the playtest, you must clearly indicate the game is in pre-alpha in your title and commentary. Violating this can get you removed from future test waves.
Faction Selection: Pagans, Ancients, or Remnant
Your first major decision in the Anvil Empires playtest is faction choice — and it is effectively permanent for the length of the age. Once you join, you cannot switch until the world resets.
| Faction | Theme | Flavor Identity | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Pagans | Seafaring raiders | Forged in the frigid Wayward Sea, sailing north for conquest | Aggressive, raid-focused players |
| The Ancients | Native defenders | The Mirish of the land; forests and storms aid them | Defensive, territorial play |
| The Remnant | Fallen empire | Survivors of the routed Noven kingdom seeking to reclaim glory | Players who like underdog narratives |
The Pagans
- Norse-inspired raiders
- Expansion-driven lore
- Strong fit for siege attackers
The Ancients
- Native homeland defenders
- Blood-of-the-land identity
- Strong fit for ambush tactics
The Remnant
- Exiled nobility
- Reclamation narrative
- Strong fit for organized clans
Coordinate faction choice with your group before the age begins. Faction switching mid-cycle is not possible, so a split clan means split logistics for weeks.
Step-by-Step: Your First Playtest Session
Follow this sequence to get from the login queue to your first silver payout efficiently.
Queue Up and Lower Settings
Expect a queue of 60+ players at peak times. Drop graphics to medium — early builds can push your hardware harder than the visuals suggest.
Check the Bounty Board
Head to the town keep and press E on the bounty board. Start with the boar hunt — it is the easiest chain and teaches gathering, crafting, and combat.
Gather and Craft Basics
Collect branches and flint to craft a flint knife, then three branches plus two flint for a spear. Hold-click to gather; single clicks do nothing.
Hunt and Turn In
Kill your bounty target, harvest the trophy from its corpse with a knife, and return to the town keep to turn it in for silver.
Rent Storage and Gear Up
Use silver to rent private storage at the keep, craft a crude helmet and bow at the workbench, and store valuables you cannot afford to lose.
Tab opens inventory, C lowers a spear into throw position, E interacts, Shift sprints, and V drops your held item. Learning these early saves minutes of fumbling.
Survival Mechanics and Death Rules
The playtest is punishing for careless players. These systems define the survival loop:
| Mechanic | How It Works | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Full loot on death | All inventory drops at your corpse; you respawn with almost nothing | High |
| Hunger system | Eat berries and meat to restore your hunger bar | Medium |
| Cold and weather | Rain can chill you toward freezing without proper gear | Medium |
| Stamina swimming | Swimming drains stamina; running out likely means drowning | High |
| Wildlife | Wolves, boars, and bears attack on sight early on | High |
One recorded session lost a full kit to a wolf minutes after crafting it. Bank anything valuable in town storage before venturing out, and avoid deep water crossings in heavy gear.
Useful survival notes:
- Animals that enter deep water die instantly — you can bait boars into water rather than melee them
- Thrown weapons can be retrieved from the ground with E
- Caves lead to the underworld mine layer, rich in limestone, iron ore, and thick pelts — bring a torch
- Homestead gates can be set to restricted, blocking strangers
Economy, Avatars, and Town Services
Silver is the backbone of the playtest economy. Bounties pay out silver, and nearly every town service charges it.
| Service | Location | Cost / Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Bounty turn-in | Town keep | Free; pays silver on completion |
| Private storage rental | Town keep | Silver rental fee |
| Workbench crafting | Town workshops | Materials only |
| Item repair | Repair bench | Costs nails per item; batch repairs share resources |
| Avatar recruitment | Keep UI | Silver; quality tiers are apprentice, journeyman, master |
A notable system is avatar recruitment: new avatars appear for silver as existing ones are recruited, and their starting attributes depend on tier. Recruits may arrive with gear shown in their preview, though your starting character often does not.
Bounty rewards may not display exactly as advertised — one player reported earning 8 silver after a 24-silver bounty. Check your balance before renting services.
Crafting depth ramps quickly from flint tools into copper nails, stone bricks, malachite fragments, auxiliary weapon kits, ration supplies, and horse feed — pointing toward a clan-scale logistics economy similar to PlanetSide 2 layered with Valheim-style crafting.
Playtest Readiness Checklist
Before Your First Session:
- Choose your faction with your clan before the age starts
- Lower graphics settings to medium
- Learn keybinds: Tab, C, E, Shift, V
- Complete the boar hunt bounty chain for starter silver
- Rent private storage and bank valuables
- Craft a spear, helmet, and bow at town workbenches
The current build suits patient players who enjoy grind and clan logistics. If you expect polish or solo-friendly progression, wait for later testing phases before diving in.
FAQ
Q: Can I change factions during the Anvil Empires playtest?
No. When you join an age, you commit to your chosen faction — Pagans, Ancients, or Remnant — for the remainder of that world cycle. You can only switch when a new age begins.
Q: What do I lose when I die?
You drop your entire inventory at your corpse. You can run back to recover it, but anything looted by other players or animals is gone. Store valuables in rented town storage before risky trips.
Q: How do I make silver in the playtest?
Complete bounty chains at the town keep, starting with boar, deer, and wolf hunts. Turn in trophies harvested from animal corpses to collect your reward.
Q: Is the Anvil Empires playtest worth playing solo?
It is playable solo, but heavily grind-oriented. The systems — bulk crafting, siege logistics, faction warfare — are clearly designed around clans and coordinated groups, similar to PlanetSide 2 with medieval crafting.