Technical test results and player behavior

The first phase of the technical playtest is presented as a large-scale early alpha test focused on gathering real player data. Tens of thousands of players entered Andrus Fall to explore the zone in its current state, complete quests, test core gameplay systems, engage in open-world PvP, and fight the Lord of Shadows.

The test is described as more valuable than internal testing because players stressed the game in unexpected ways. The resulting data is used to identify what players enjoyed, what requires more work, and which areas should be prioritized next.

Scale of participation

By the end of the playtest, players from 165 countries had participated. The volume of access requests exceeded expectations, indicating broader interest than anticipated for this stage of development.

Reported gameplay patterns

Several aggregate trends are highlighted from the test data:

• The Sacred Order is identified as the most selected faction.
• Mage is described as the most popular of the four available classes, with Paladin close behind.
• Human is identified as the most played race.
• Nearly 2.5 million NPCs were killed during the test.
• The jumping spiders were the most frequently killed NPCs.
• The Lord of Shadows world boss was defeated repeatedly, at an average interval of about 2 minutes and 31 seconds.
• Quest completion and PvP activity were both high, with nearly 180 quests completed (caption unclear; likely a larger figure may have been intended) and more than 100,000 PvP kills.

Boss and class observations

The Lord of Shadows encounter appears to have been widely attempted and frequently cleared during the test period. One notable result mentioned in the recap is that a player reportedly soloed the boss as a Paladin, suggesting that players were already pushing class and encounter limits even in the alpha environment.

Purpose of the test

The test is framed as a diagnostic milestone rather than a polished gameplay preview. Its main value lies in exposing real usage patterns, edge cases, and system weaknesses under population pressure. The recap emphasizes that this information will guide future iteration on both technical stability and gameplay priorities.

Source

• Recording: Thank you for breaking our game (Scars of Honor Technical Test Recap)
• YouTube: Watch on YouTube
• Published: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 12:27 PM UTC