I very much enjoyed the closed alpha. I think Ubisoft is on the right track. Some of my suggestions may seem derivative or repetitive. If they are, please note that I did not have time to search the forums, these are all my personal thoughts on what would make this game shine. Having said that, to ensure we don't hit a wall like some recent big production Ubi IP mistakes, I suggest the developers consider the following:

1. Novelty wears off quickly, please continue to focus and expand on leveling up gear, new gear and customization for our characters we can "purchase" with our "coins." The deeper you go with the customization the better. More choices = more for the player to strive for = longer, sustained play sessions.

2. I can easily see coins likely being a purchasable micro transaction. If that is the case, fine, but please, take care not to make it a pay to win. Sticking to cosmetic purchases would be the safest bet.

3. Have some difficult, yet extremely rewarding, PvP quest chains for the hardcore players to strive towards (do not allow any of these chain quest rewards be purchasable through micro transactions!)

4. Create elite class versions. These elite warriors would be available for each major group (Viking, knight, samurai) and each subgroup of the major groups. Elite classes could be one of the highest level rewards for players that want to put in serious grind time. The elite class should have the most striking versions of their specific weapon and armor. They could give an added passive bonus. For example, let's call it "Inspiration" which would give all nearby allies within their visible aura faster stamina regen. In addition to this passive buff and looking utterly amazing compared to the other player controlled heroes, the opposing team will know to focus their efforts on this elite champion, providing more challenging gameplay for extremely skilled players. This could in and of itself, assist with game balance of less skilled players vs highly skilled players. The servers should limit one champion per team when matchmaking, if possible. Or the elite champions could perhaps have champion-only matches where the most dedicated players square off against each other.

5. Make the environments highly interactive. Let the player hold down square or x (PS4) next to a line of defending archers to rain a volley of arrows down on the attackers (for added immersion code a voiceover that says "Nock! ........ Draw! .......... Loose!" This would not only add to the realism and immersion but serve as a game mechanic to avoid anyone spamming the arrow volley and the player would be highly vulnerable while holding down x or square and watching the white circle slowly make it's way around the button hold. If the player is struck before he can complete his command, the volley is interrupted and he must dispatch the enemy player before signaling the command again. This could be upgraded as well, someone who wishes to spend their coins towards environmental support could upgrade regular arrows to flaming arrows. The arrows volley should be seen by any players standing on the ramparts where the NPC archers are positioned and those below should see a cloud of arrows rain down on the battlefield. These arrows should instantly kill the one hit NPC mobs and do significant damage to any players as well. Friendly fire should be on for the arrows. This could also be expanded to catapults and rocks, burning pitch, etc. while holding down the action button, a white circle should come up, similar to when a player uses a bomb, allowing the commanding hero to focus where the volley will land on the battlefield. This is separate from the samaraui's perk to call arrows.

6. Dedicated servers, no further explanation needed.

7. Tighten the controls. Currently the heroes we play as feel sluggish when turning or running. This almost caused my character to fall on more than one occasion. Speaking of falling:

8. Fix ladders. It is incredibly cheap for an enemy to climb above a player and then drop off on top of him killing the player below. If this will remain, the enemy should also die or be severely crippled (such as instant health loss down to 1/4 of health from full health bar.) Falls from very large heights should also instantly prevent a player from sprinting until they can heal.

9. Variety. Keep switching things up, keep adding new environments over time and new play modes. Consider siege towers that players can enter while other players could assist in pushing forward. A middle eastern class would be very relevant and give us the four "super powers" that would fit with this game nicely. Could also explore Mongol warriors, Spartans/Roman legionnaires etc.

10. Keep up the good work! I love medieval arms and armor and collect quite a few high end swords, including fine recreations by Albion Swords and Arms and Armor. No game has ever captured medieval warfare with such attention to detail and realism, half swording in a game, love it!