After many years, I finally setup this open source .Net ArcheAge server emulator. Years ago, it was fairly incomplete (you could create a character and enter/run around the game world at most). In recent years though, many more contributors began to fill in all of those empty pieces where the game (using the 1.2 game client from October 2014) is mostly playable.
Version 1.2 (the client is from October 14, 2014) is currently the main development target for this emulator since they have the decrypted databases for them. I’m running the last pre-complied server package from May 2025 (but updates are being made daily to the repository where you can build those development versions for ongoing play testing).
This server emulator itself is also lightweight (it doesn’t have a lot of that publisher and business backend baggage like an official build would have (including all of the load balancing/scaling). There are some quests that are missing, mobs that are stacked on top of each other, achievements don’t seem to work, etc, but these are minor issues.
1.2 pre-dates a lot the game that was associated with it for most of its life (no heroes, no hero halls, no dwarf and warborn races, no community centers, rudimentary trade, many zones still closed off, etc). For Auroria, only the Diamond Shores area (faction bases and Ayanad Library area) and hostile zones of Sungold Fields, Marcala, Calmlands, Heedmar, Nuimari, and Exeloch are open (the camp in Reedwind is there but the rest of the zone is a lot of placeholder terrain). Mounts, pets, vehicles, ships, gliders work properly. Nonetheless, it is still cool to have an older build with the original game world where you can experience good portions of the early environment of ArcheAge.
I spent some time exploring the unfinished areas; it’s pretty interesting to see how those locations ended up turning into those zones during their release (like Golden Ruins, Whalesong Harbor, Western and Eastern Hiram Mountains in later versions). Even in the live version, I never got a chance to explore a lot of areas on Haranya and Nuia (higher mountain elevation areas by gliding from airship routes) so this will give me the opportunity to do that leisurely/peacefully.
As for actual official server binaries, those are in the hands of a small group (mainly the folks that run ArcheRage) and will likely never see the light of day because actual huge sums of money was paid out for several builds (effectively an inside job by someone who had access to them at mail.ru) starting from at least the version 5 (I beleive 6 and 8 were also acquired). Every other private server is running an emulator (forked from this open source version including some private projects that have forked it to recreate more of the 3.0x release).
Incidentally, it is unclear whether or not Astrum Entertainment (which took over the titles that had been previously serviced by MY.GAMES including ArcheAge Russia) is actually continuing to run the game with an valid publishing contract. Not only did XLGAMES end publishing in South Korea, development also ended in March 2025. People have rightfully pointed out that Astrum Entertainment continues operating Revelation Online, a game that NetEase ended development and was shutdown in March 2024.
If this is like a VALOFE VFUN type of setup (continuing to operate no longer developed titles under modified licensing agreements in what is mostly maintenance mode/limited changes associated with database changes), then I can see. But this will eventually become known as time goes on.
On a related note, XLGAMES “teased” a while ago they would eventually be open sourcing ArcheWorld (which is that blockchain-crypto-NFT laden fork of ArcheAge). IF that ever comes to pass (which I personally sort of doubt because why would they open up that pandora box), that would obviously help towards developing later versions of the game. However, that message was directed at their ArcheWorld customer base (basically to keep them captive for as long as possible with that game).
For myself, 3.x server emulation would be good enough since I don’t care about the PVE and PVP game play or the gear. Just having all races available, their starter zones, and enough housing/decor (where some later ones could probably be back ported) would satiate the way I had played the live versions anyway. The following was mainly driving to Two Crowns from Marianople, then gliding/riding to one of my favorite spots (Two Crowns Moonswept Homes housing zone).
I didn’t record it but I also managed to glide up into the Aubre Cradle zone (since this 1.2 client has those areas inaccessible via their normal routes). The designers had most of that zone completed along with most areas of Airain Rock (Andelph didn’t have all its textures and lighting setup completely though). Sunbite Wilds (Warborn home zone) however was really mostly placeholder textures with a few spots that looked like test environments.
Serious kudos to the folks working tirelessly on this project and keeping good portions of this game preserved.
