Mabinogi Eternity’s First Unreal Engine 5 Alpha Test Has Wrapped

Nexon has wrapped the first large-scale alpha test for Mabinogi Eternity, the Unreal Engine 5 overhaul being built to replace Mabinogi’s long-running Playone engine. The test ran from September 3 at 1:00 p.m. through September 6 at 11:59 p.m. KST, with Nexon saying on September 7 that it had concluded successfully.

The alpha was focused on early-game progression, combat, and life content in a separate test build. Anything created during the alpha, including characters, items, and currency, is being wiped and won’t carry over to the live version of Mabinogi. Nexon has said that when Eternity eventually arrives as a live update, existing live-service character data is planned to migrate over.

For this first test, players could only create human characters. The available areas included Tir Chonaill, Sidhe Sneachta, Dunbarton, Dugald Aisle, Gairech Hill, and Abb Neagh. Progression leaned on repeat runs of Alb Dungeon and Dreamy Ravi Dungeon, plus gathering and crafting to build out gear.

The build also gave testers a look at some of the bigger control and interface changes. Combat included WASD movement, a Space-bar dash and evade, a simplified inventory that combines character and equipment slots, summonable and rideable pets with limited combat options, and an editable HUD.

General director Min Kyung-hoon streamed for about two hours on the first day, showing early story content, tutorial goals, life-skill tools, system changes, and the game’s updated audio and visuals. Nexon says player behavior and survey feedback from the four-day test will feed into ongoing development.

Eternity is being positioned as a rebuild of Mabinogi’s service foundation, not a separate sequel. Early coverage has pointed to sharper Unreal Engine 5 lighting and environments, more detailed character creation, and some mixed veteran reactions to the more modern control feel compared with classic Mabinogi.

Further reading: Official Mabinogi Eternity alpha guide