After 4 months, the first beta server of Aether Kingdoms has finished. Over 400 accounts registered, leading to a final battle between the Empires EMP and River that lasted 2 weeks. Let's look at some numbers from the beta and the future of Aether Kingdoms.

Final game message Final game message after the server ended

Beta 1 statistics

It's been wonderful seeing so many of you enjoying Aether Kingdoms. Now that the beta has come to a close, let's look at some of the numbers.

First off the accounts registered. It's been a pleasant surprise to see so many people checking out the game, and even more that almost 25% were active in the last month.

  • 409 accounts registered, 3 playing with a dual

Then we come to expansion. Players claimed a lot of land, developed their kingdoms and built armies.

  • 787 villages settled, with a total of 369.275 population
  • A total of 345 Villages, 128 Towns and 180 Cities remained alive
  • 27.863 buildings built with a total of 247.063 levels
  • 434.191 items added to the village queues

A big change compared to other games of the genre is that farming is dynamic and PvE only through events. People seemed to like the system, as they did a lot of events.

  • 237.628 events spawned
  • 137.726 events completed
  • 10.118.605 PvE kills as attacker
  • 1.747.399 PvE kills as defender
  • 1.110.150.226 resources farmed from events

A cluster of events on the map A cluster of events on the map

The PvP aspect was no less popular though. We have no stats on the number of conquests this time, but we do have some totals.

  • 2.087.988 PvP kills as attacker
  • 3.167.335 PvP kills as defender

And all this comes down to a lot of reporting.

  • 220.469 reports created using 436.102 lines
  • 95.182 battles were fought

The goal is to make the next beta even bigger and better!

A look ahead

So, what's next for Aether Kingdoms? This first beta test is part of a series of tests. During each beta the game will be closer to finished, and we work on making it better with your input every time. After a few beta tests we'll be ready for launch and able to run multiple servers at once. With more than 2 years of work already underway, it's time share some of these plans.

Beta 2: x3 speed server

We're gearing up for a next beta test with a speed server. While Aether Kingdoms is already fast-paced compared to its inspirations, its base speed doesn't come close to a true speed server.

  • Server: Forest 1 (beta)
  • Start: 26 February 2026 16:00 UTC
  • Speed: x3

Screenshot of one of the final attacks of the server Screenshot of one of the final attacks of the server, this one on a monument

Beta 3: Goblin NPC Faction and Premium

During beta 1 we found that using the same units for events wasn't ideal for balancing. Separating the player faction from the NPC faction(s) also allows us to lean more into the fantasy theme. That's why we're reworking the necessary parts of the game to support factions.

While factions will at first be limited to a single player and NPC faction, we're setting it up so that we can expand on both in the future. This means more playable factions. It's a big rework, and we hope this will greatly enhance the dynamics of playing Aether Kingdoms down the line.

The launch date of the Beta 3 server will be announced after Beta 2 completes.

  • Server: Plains 2 (beta)
  • Start: t.b.d.
  • Speed: x1

Premium features

Along the way work will also continue on the aspects of the game that will be monitised. We plan to offer a premium plan that will give you access to features to enhance your gameplay. These will not provide significant gameplay benefits, at most convenience.

Premium features are planned in three categories:

  • Statistics. You'll get a detailed breakdown of your daily progress in different categories: what you queued, type of events completed and performance breakdown per type, population development, and a lot more.
  • Timeline. An overview of the development of your Kingdom through the server, including villages settled/tiered/conquered/lost and researches completed.
  • Convenience. Convenience features to make playing the game and keeping track of things easier. Examples include the Culture Planner (already exists), showing the ROI on resource production upgrades, and viewing the walk times for all your unit types on the map.

Premium plans will activate per server account, so when playing with duals only one person has to pay. Premium on multiple servers will be charged per server.

Final words

We hope you enjoyed this look ahead into the plans for Aether Kingdoms. And we hope you're just as excited to see how far we can take it! Please keep in mind that none of what's shared are final designs, things may change based on testing and of course your feedback.

Sign up for an Aether Account to not miss any big updates. We'll notify you per email when a new server starts.

Hope to see you in game! Play Aether Kingdoms now!