Catherine HuSummary: This guide explains how long Of Ash and Steel takes to complete, covering average playtime for the story campaign, side activities, and elements that influence total gameplay duration.
Of Ash and Steel is a Gothic-inspired open-world RPG combining challenging stamina-based combat with no-hand-holding exploration—players guide cartographer Tristan through the lawless island of Grayshaft while mastering three combat stances and choosing between rival factions. With its old-school RPG design philosophy and marker-free navigation, playtime varies significantly based on exploration depth and faction choices.
This guide breaks down estimated completion times, outlines the faction-based story structure, and explains how different approaches affect session length. You’ll also learn how XMOD can enhance your adventure through performance improvements and quality-of-life features.
Table of contents
- What is Of Ash and Steel?
- How long is Of Ash and Steel?
- Of Ash and Steel Chapter List
- All Objectives in Of Ash and Steel
- How Can You Enhance Of Ash and Steel Gaming?
- Conclusion
What is Of Ash and Steel?
Of Ash and Steel is an open-world action RPG developed by Fire & Frost and published by tinyBuild, released on November 24, 2025 for PC via Steam and GOG. Inspired by 2000s RPGs like Gothic and Morrowind, the game emphasizes classic design philosophies.
You play as Tristan, a cartographer shipwrecked on the island of Grayshaft after The Blight destroys his vessel. Unlike legendary heroes, Tristan starts as an inexperienced civilian who must learn combat through training and practice. Core gameplay features no quest markers or hand-holding navigation requiring player attention to NPC dialogue and quest journal descriptions, three combat stances (agile, heavy, hybrid) with stamina management and parry timing, faction choices between three major groups each offering unique storylines and rewards, attribute customization (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Vitality, Willpower) affecting character development, and survival elements including day-night cycles, hunger, and environmental hazards.
The game world spans diverse biomes across Grayshaft island including lumberjack camps, abandoned villages, capital city harbors, forests, and snow-capped regions. Built in Unreal Engine 4, it emphasizes atmosphere, extensive dialogue with voice acting, and exploration-driven progression.
How long is Of Ash and Steel?
Since Of Ash and Steel launched on November 24, 2025, playtime estimates are based on early player reports and game structure:
Main story completion: 25–35 hours focusing primarily on main faction questline after choosing one of three factions, completing required story missions, and reaching narrative conclusion. Players rushing through critical path tend toward 25-30 hours.
Main story + exploration: 40–55 hours for players who complete substantial side quests, explore major regions thoroughly, engage with faction politics beyond main storyline, develop multiple skill trees and professions, and discover hidden locations across Grayshaft island.
Completionist playthrough: 65–80+ hours to experience all three faction storylines (requires multiple playthroughs or saves before faction choice), complete all discoverable side quests and activities, master all combat stances and weapon types, maximize character attributes and skill development, unlock all achievements, and fully explore the entire island discovering all locations.
Multiple faction paths: Additional 20–30 hours per alternative faction playthrough to experience different storylines, exclusive quests, and unique rewards specific to each faction choice.
The no-marker navigation system significantly impacts playtime—players must carefully read quest descriptions and listen to NPC directions rather than following waypoints. Combined with challenging combat requiring mastery of stamina management and parry timing, difficult terrain navigation, day-night cycles affecting NPC schedules and accessibility, and extensive dialogue-driven narrative, individual playtime varies widely based on exploration thoroughness and combat skill progression.
In short: Of Ash and Steel offers substantial 25-35 hour main campaign with 65-80+ hours for complete exploration, heavily influenced by navigation skill and combat mastery speed.
Of Ash and Steel Chapter List
Of Ash and Steel structures progression through exploration-driven advancement rather than linear chapters. Below is the general journey structure.
Early Survival & Learning
Begin shipwrecked on Grayshaft after The Blight destroys your vessel. Complete tutorial area working with lumberjack camp NPCs. Learn basic combat fundamentals including stamina management, block/parry timing, and stance switching. Navigate without quest markers using NPC dialogue clues and quest journal descriptions. Acquire your first map and compass while understanding the day-night cycle. Journey toward the capital harbor through abandoned villages and guard towers.
Capital City & Faction Introduction
Reach Grayshaft’s main city where the narrative accelerates. Meet representatives from three competing factions vying for control. Complete initial quests for multiple factions before committing. Develop attribute focus (Strength for heavy weapons, Dexterity for agile combat, Intelligence for magic). Train combat skills through practice and paid trainers. Explore profession systems including smithing, alchemy, and survival skills.
Faction Commitment & Specialization
Choose one of three factions permanently affecting storyline direction. Each faction offers unique questlines, exclusive rewards, and different perspectives on Grayshaft’s conflicts. Develop specialized combat stance mastery—agile rapier wielder, heavy armored knight, or hybrid approach. Progress through faction hierarchy completing increasingly complex missions. Build alliances or make enemies based on dialogue choices.
Island Exploration & Power Growth
Venture across diverse biomes including forests, fields, mountains, and snowy regions. Navigate using environmental landmarks rather than quest markers. Discover hidden treasures rewarding thorough exploration. Face increasingly dangerous enemies requiring combat skill mastery. Manage survival needs during long expeditions. Unlock advanced abilities and equipment through quest completion and training investment.
Endgame & Faction Resolution
Complete faction’s main storyline reaching narrative conclusion. Face climactic encounters testing combat mastery and strategic preparation. Experience ending determined by faction choice and major decisions. Optionally continue exploring post-story or begin new playthrough for alternative faction path.
All Objectives in Of Ash and Steel
Of Ash and Steel challenges players to survive and thrive on a lawless island through combat mastery and strategic choices. Here’s a breakdown of core objectives.
Survival & Navigation Objectives
Master navigation without quest markers by reading descriptions and listening to NPCs, manage day-night cycle affecting NPC schedules and locked buildings, handle survival needs including hunger and environmental hazards, and learn to read the map and compass for orientation across unfamiliar terrain.
Combat Development Objectives
Progress from inexperienced cartographer to capable fighter through training, master three combat stances (agile, heavy, hybrid) with unique strengths, perfect stamina management preventing exhaustion mid-combat, learn parry timing for defensive counterattacks, and develop attribute-based specialization (STR for heavy weapons, DEX for finesse combat, INT for magic).
Faction & Story Objectives
Choose between three competing factions each with exclusive storylines, complete faction-specific questlines advancing your chosen group’s interests, make dialogue choices affecting NPC relationships and story outcomes, navigate political conflicts on the lawless island, and experience narrative conclusion based on faction alignment.
Exploration & Discovery Objectives
Explore diverse biomes across Grayshaft island discovering hidden locations, complete side quests uncovered through exploration and NPC interactions, unlock professions including smithing, alchemy, and survival skills, discover treasure and resources rewarding thorough investigation, and adapt to different regional dangers and environmental challenges.
Character Progression Objectives
Allocate attribute points (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Vitality, Willpower) defining character build, train skills through practice and paid trainers requiring gold investment, unlock advanced combat techniques and special abilities, acquire and upgrade weapons and armor suited to combat style, and master multiple weapon types for tactical flexibility.
How Can You Enhance Of Ash and Steel Gaming?
The platform XMOD offers enhancements to optimize your Of Ash and Steel experience beyond standard gameplay.
Performance Optimization: XMOD provides frame rate stabilization addressing the game’s reported performance issues in Unreal Engine 4, essential for smooth combat where precise timing matters. Helps maintain stability during intensive rendering moments.
Combat Training Assistance: Adjust combat difficulty variables for learning parry timing and stamina management without repetitive deaths, modify enemy damage for practicing against tougher opponents, control training costs for faster skill progression, and enable combat analysis tools for understanding mechanics.
Navigation & Exploration Tools: Use enhanced map markers (optional) for players struggling with no-marker design, access save management for experimenting with different faction choices, employ visual aids for clearer quest direction understanding, and utilize UI improvements for better inventory and stat tracking.
Progression Enhancement: Accelerate attribute point gains for testing different character builds, adjust gold acquisition for affording training and equipment earlier, modify experience rates for faster skill development, and unlock profession recipes for experimentation without extensive grinding.
Quality-of-Life Improvements: Implement save-anywhere functionality given the game’s challenging nature, access performance monitoring for hardware optimization, use gameplay analyzers tracking combat efficiency and resource management, and enable bug workarounds addressing reported technical issues.
By integrating XMOD tools, you can customize difficulty curves, practice combat mechanics efficiently, reduce navigation frustration if desired, accelerate character development for testing builds, and improve overall stability for smoother gameplay.
Always back up saves before modifications and ensure compatibility with game updates.
Conclusion
Of Ash and Steel delivers an ambitious Gothic-inspired open-world RPG where playtime depends heavily on exploration thoroughness and combat skill progression. With 25-35 hours for main story and up to 80+ hours for completionist runs, the game offers substantial content for fans of old-school RPG design.
The no-marker navigation system and challenging combat create a learning curve that significantly impacts playtime. Three faction choices with unique storylines encourage multiple playthroughs, while diverse biomes and extensive dialogue provide depth for dedicated explorers.
XMOD provides tools to customize difficulty, improve performance, practice combat mechanics, and accelerate progression for players seeking more accessible or varied experiences.
Whether you’re drawn to Gothic-style exploration, challenging stamina-based combat, faction-driven narratives, or old-school RPG philosophy without hand-holding, Of Ash and Steel offers a nostalgic adventure worth experiencing—though technical polish may vary.
