Ashenfall

Power levels as the walking order

Brynmoor is the landing. Power 1-2 covers Temple Woods, Bramblemead Valley, and Whispering Swamp while Velgar still rules the south. Ghornfell opens the north at power 3-4: Fractured Plains, Stormtouched Highlands, and Bloodblight Swamp, with the same Dragon General overhead. Treat those two Early Access maps as one Velgar problem with two climates, not two unrelated campaigns.

Fellhollow sits at power 5 behind Dragon Slayer and Withering Heights. Imaru the Revenant Dragon / Soul-Eater rules an undead region with Death’s shop and soul rifting. Dowdun Reach is power 6 south of Silverthorn Keep: mithril, Ashenfall Black Knights, and the Black Knight Titan. Umbral Sands is logged as desert rather than a sixth number: Fuzan, carpets, Kot'Haar, kalphites, adamant, and yew. Scorned Wilderness is the raid step, not a seventh overworld grind.

Which version added which region

15 April 2025 shipped Brynmoor and Ghornfell with nine skills and iron-tier gear. 15 December 2025 added Fellhollow, Farming, Steel, terrorbird mounts, and Imaru. 31 March 2026 added Dowdun Reach, four quests, the Black Knight Titan, dedicated servers, and better controller support. 23 June 2026 added Umbral Sands as the last major Early Access region, with Fuzan, carpets, adamant sets, and CJK language support.

15 September 2026 closed Early Access with Scorned Wilderness and Kuldra. If you are returning from a long break, do not assume the desert or the raid existed in your old save’s mental map. Walk the table above in listed order, then open the Brynmoor landing guide or the raid brief. Official store copy still frames the whole continent as the place you master survival and ancient secrets before facing the Dragon Queen.

Where to confirm a region name

Region spellings on this site follow first-party pages: Brynmoor, Ghornfell, Fellhollow, Dowdun Reach, Umbral Sands, and Scorned Wilderness. If a third-party guide shortens a name, keep the Steam and official-wiki form in your notes. The 1.0 launch post is the version spine; the official wiki region pages fill power levels and bosses.

Pick a power-level route from the table, then jump to Brynmoor if you still need a first shelter, or to the raid page if your group is already in rune gear. Dragons have their own comparison because Velgar, Imaru, Fuzan, and Kuldra are bosses with titles, not region decorations.

How a group should actually travel

A new co-op group should treat Brynmoor as a shared camp, not a race to Velgar. Raise a shelter in Bramblemead Valley, split Attack, Magic, or Ranged so someone can hold a door, and keep one gatherer on Woodcutting or Mining so Construction and Artisan have inputs. Whispering Swamp and Temple Woods are still power 1-2; they are for learning the stamina loop, not for spending rune bars you do not have.

Ghornfell is the first climate change: Fractured Plains, Stormtouched Highlands, and Bloodblight Swamp under the same general. Do not skip it to “save time” for Fellhollow. Dragon Slayer and Withering Heights are the named gates into Imaru’s undead map. Dowdun Reach then asks for mithril and a mountain fortress fight with the Black Knight Titan. Umbral Sands asks for carpets, adamant, and fire-dragon prep. Only then does Scorned Wilderness read as an end step.

If someone in the group is returning from Early Access week one, walk the version column in the table before you assume the desert or the raid is “just north.” 15 December 2025, 31 March 2026, 23 June 2026, and 15 September 2026 each added a named map. Official store copy still frames the continent as the place you master survival and ancient secrets before the Dragon Queen. That sentence is the travel plan, not flavour text.

Keep the version dates next to the names when a returning player argues about “the new desert.” 15 December 2025 is Fellhollow. 31 March 2026 is Dowdun Reach. 23 June 2026 is Umbral Sands. 15 September 2026 is the raid. That calendar is the argument.

Weather, gates, and why order matters

Brynmoor is green and wet on purpose. Whispering Swamp teaches you to hate standing still. Temple Woods teaches you to watch the canopy. Ghornfell then changes the sky: Fractured Plains, Stormtouched Highlands, Bloodblight Swamp. Same general, worse weather. If you skip that step, Fellhollow’s undead gate feels like a difficulty spike instead of a scheduled one.

Dragon Slayer and Withering Heights are named locks, not optional lore. Imaru waits behind them at power 5 with Death’s shop and soul rifting. Dowdun Reach is a mountain fortress at power 6 with mithril and the Black Knight Titan. Umbral Sands is a scorch desert with carpets, Kot'Haar, kalphites, adamant, and yew. Each climate has a packing list on the crafting table.

The raid is floating islands with a Hub you can still build in. Treat that as a different sport, not as “north of the desert.” Official copy still says grind skills and slay dragons until the path to the Dragon Queen is obvious. The table above is that path with dates attached.