Backs

A big component of the MMORPG that - half of that acronym is RPG role-playing game. And in order to role-play you need to be able to represent what your character is doing in that world and part of what animation is doing is creating these sockets on the let's say the belt or the back that can plug in certain types of props or items that are created by the character team, like Carson, might be a scroll tube, it might be a potion, it might be whatever: Those players will have the ability as we've discussed in the past will have the ability to select what they want to be represented in those sockets and then animation will make sure that jibe well in movement.^[1] – Steven Sharif

Back slots include.^[2]

Ranged slot.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[2]
Cloak/Cape.^[3]^[5]^[2]
Accessory (backpack etc).^[3]^[2]
Shields.^[5]^[2]
- Shields have likely been moved to an offhand slot.^[6]

Ranged weapons

Alpha-2 bows 3D renders.^[7]

A character may equip up to two hand weapons and also wear a ranged weapon on their back.^[8]^[9]^[2]

Characters performing ranged abilities will switch to the ranged weapon, then can switch back to the melee weapon and shield or two-handed melee weapon.^[8]^[9]
There will be a setting to determine if the ranged weapon or main/offhand is the primary weapon to use for Q or left-mouse-button basic attacks.^[8]^[9]
Rangers do not have a minimum distance requirement for using their ranged weapons.^[10] Previously rangers were intended to have a minimum distance requirement.^[11]
- Instead of a minimum range requirement, certain Ranger skills, such as Thundering Shot, currently have variable effects conferred at different ranges.^[12]
Some Ranger skills require a bow to be equipped.^[13]

Cloaks

Cape (Cloak) concept art.^[14]

Ashes of Creation Apocalypse cape (cloak) preview.^[15]

Kiss of summer cosmetic character cloak concept art.^[16]

Cloaks (capes/coats/backs) are a type of back armor in Ashes of Creation.^[17]^[18]

There will be one shoulder capes, full body capes and cloaks. These attach to the player's back slot.^[19]
- Players may choose to show or hide items in their back slot.^[19]
There will be capes (cloaks) with hoods.^[20]
- All hoods, whether part of a complete costume or individual gear, will have the option to be shown or hidden on the character by the player.^[21]
Cloak cosmetic skins can not be applied over costumes.^[22]

Backpacks

Three different backpack types with varying stack sizes and spatial inventory shapes.^[23]

I see now I've actually gotten a unique looking structure for the Aelan Herbalism Basket; and those are the types of structures you would expect them to gather that are the gatherables for herbalism. So, that's not necessarily to say that I can't collect non-herbalism resources: I could and I could put them in that bag, but it just wouldn't utilize the most beneficial aspect of it, which is the higher stack count for those types of herbalism resources.^[23] – Steven Sharif

Featherstone Expedition Pack backpack 3D renders.^[3]

In order to roleplay you need to be able to represent what your character is doing in that world and part of what animation is doing is creating these sockets on the let's say the belt or the backpack that can plug in certain types of props or items that are created by the character team.^[24] – Steven Sharif

Backpacks (also referred to as a Bags) are craftable items that provide personal inventory space.^[25]^[26]^[27]^[28]^[29]

Backpacks offer varying stack sizes and/or spatial inventory shapes that are optimized for carrying different items.^[23]^[28]
- Gatherer's backpacks are intended to carry gatherable resources in spatial inventory slots relating to specific gathering professions.^[23]^[28]
- Adventurer's backpacks are intended to carry consumables and items in non-spatial inventory slots.^[28]

These bags have specifically curated benefits for stack sizes of the type of resources they relate to and that's the specific profession of gathering and the resources you would gain from those those different unique professions.^[23] – Steven Sharif

Profession NPCs sell lower level backpacks.^[30] Higher level backpacks are crafted by players.^[25]^[26]^[27]^[28]

The higher level the backpack, the greater the inventory capacity.^[28]

There's item progression as it relates to quality of bags, types of bags, and the materials they're most used for. Some of them are more PvP oriented that can reduce significantly drop rates for PvP as a result of that progression.^[27] – Steven Sharif

Artisans must meet the required artisan certification to equip backpacks of that level (or lower).^[31]

A character currently may equip up to 3 artisan backpacks, but is subject to change.^[32]
- Characters may equip multiple of the same type of backpack.^[33]^[34]

Backpacks are equippable (visually) in a character's back slot.^[3]^[2]

Backpacks are only able to be equipped by player characters.^[35]

Some backpack types may have additional stats on them.^[36]
- Stats that affect PvP looting times.^[37]^[27]
- Stats that affect drop rates on death.^[27]

Some of those bags might have increased times to interact with a player corpse and you can choose to perhaps have less capacity, less stack size, less slot availability for the certain types of gatherables you may want to acquire in exchange for an increased interaction time for other players that might try to loot that bag, giving you time to reach it and take back your belongings. Or, if in the middle of a fight they see a corpse on the ground and they're like wait a minute, I want to grab that. Well, if I got to spend 10 seconds to interact with that corpse and there's combat going on, this is an opportunity strategically for you to recapture the grounds- for you to recapture the battlefield. You want to think about those types of interactions. How do you add layers of strategy to engagements and and there's ways to do that through inventory management as well.^[37] – Steven Sharif

Gear appearance priority

Players can set the appearance priority for the items they wish to show in their Back and Belt slots.^[5]^[38]^[39]

Only one item can show at a time, and that is determined by player choice.^[2]

Some ranged or melee abilities require a specific weapon to be equipped. Weapons that are equipped in the character's ranged or offhand slots will automatically swap in and out as required by the skill.^[40]^[41]^[8]^[9]
- Players may toggle back and forth between using their ranged and melee slot for basic weapon attacks.^[40]