# Ashes of Creation Update: Crate & Caravan Bug Shakes the Economy Again  

The **Ashes of Creation** Alpha Two testing has once more been disrupted by an economic issue. Earlier this week, players discovered that the **crate diminishing returns system was accidentally set to 0** after a server restart. This bug effectively broke the balancing mechanic intended to curb mass farming, resulting in inflated gold and item generation.  

## What Happened
According to Community Marketing Lead **Margaret Krohn (Luperza)**, the team quickly identified the problem. A hotfix is being deployed to restore proper diminishing returns on crates. Unfortunately, some players used the bug to generate massive amounts of gold, destabilizing the in-game economy during this phase of testing.  

## Intrepid’s Response
- **Permanent bans issued** for players who excessively exploited the bug.  
- **Gold and items purchased** with illegitimate currency have been stripped from affected accounts.  
- **No rollback planned**, as the team has tracked and targeted problematic transactions directly.  
- **Crate stacking** was investigated but not confirmed — testers are asked to submit proof if they encounter it.  
- **Caravan limits** are also under review after reports of caravans carrying more crates than intended.  

## Why It Matters
Even in a testing environment, **bugs that affect the economy ripple across all systems** — crafting, trading, caravans, and guild logistics. For many testers, this feels like déjà vu, as previous phases also saw major economic exploits.  

The bright side is that this is exactly what Alpha is for: finding, reporting, and fixing the issues that could undermine a live game’s economy. Intrepid’s quick enforcement actions and transparency signal their ongoing commitment to ensuring that Verra’s economy remains stable when launch day eventually comes.  

For now, adventurers are encouraged to continue reporting suspicious activity and avoid abusing known issues, so testing can remain fair and productive.