Albion Online News

It's official: Albion Online launches worldwide on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store on June 9, 2021! This launch is the culmination of years of upgrades and improvements, and fulfills Albion Online's cross-play promise of delivering the full PC experience on mobile devices. Be sure to pre-register now to be notified when the mobile version is live!

To celebrate the launch, all players will be eligible for a cross-platform reward once the mobile version is officially released. This reward consists of the new Chimera Riding Horse Skin and Tomes of Insight worth 100,000 Fame, and will be awarded to all players who log into both the desktop and mobile version of the game after the launch on June 9.

Game Director Robin Henkys gives highlights of the mobile version and details of the launch in his latest Dev Talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfzoDXd5v5Y
Prefer a written summary? Read on...
[h3]A True Cross-Platform Experience[/h3]
Albion Online was conceived nine years ago with a clear goal: to create a deep and meaningful player-driven sandbox MMORPG that was as accessible as possible. The ultimate accessibility goal was for players to be able to get the full PC experience wherever they were, and on whatever platform they chose, including iOS and Android devices.


[h3]Developing the Mobile Version[/h3]
Creating Albion's mobile version presented several unique challenges:

• Making complex features accessible with the limited space available on mobile screens
• Adapting controls from mouse to touch controls to ensure mobile players can compete with PC players
• Optimizing memory usage and performance to run in the significantly more limited hardware environment of mobile devices

[h3]Launch Details[/h3]

• Albion Online launches worldwide for both Android and iOS on June 9
• After downloading the app, all existing players will be able to freely log in to their accounts on their mobile devices
• All players automatically qualify for the special cross-play reward (the Chimera Riding Horse Skin and Tomes of Insight worth 100,000 Fame) for playing on mobile and desktop on the same account
• New players who sign up via mobile can also use their accounts to log into any of the native PC, Mac or Linux versions and will also receive the cross-platform reward

Whether you’re an experienced Albion Online player or a new player interested in starting the game, we invite you to download Albion Online on your mobile device and join us on June 9, 2021!

Who says chivalry is dead? For the entire month of June, take the Knight Challenge to collect fantastic rewards. Earn points for open-world activities, unlock chests to get valuable loot, and claim the powerful and imposing Gallant Horse mount.
[h3]Knight Moves[/h3]
GALLANT HORSE: This month's Challenge brings back the powerful Gallant Horse, a noble mount with a combination speed boost / immunity spell that leaves foes in the dust. Ride fearlessly into the wilds of Albion on the back of this mighty steed!

AVATAR RING: Adventurers who rack up enough total Challenge Points will also earn the Knight Challenge Avatar Ring, a bold, plate-armor-themed ring that will give your avatar an aura of nobility. This non-tradable item permanently unlocks this avatar ring for one character – or you can trade it at the Vanity Merchant for one Adventurer's Token.

SEASONAL SPECIALS: All month long, reach weekly goals to unlock Knight Challenge chests. These chests contain valuable rewards like Adventurer's Tomes and Silver bags, plus knight-themed furniture like the Stone Throne, Round Table, Knight Statue, and Regal Carpet.

As always, you can earn Challenge Points by gathering, fishing, farming, and killing monsters. Points count simultaneously toward a daily bonus, a weekly unlockable chest, and the monthly mount. So log in, head out into the open world, gather points, and claim your rewards!

A new referral season is here! From now until August 1, refer your friends and claim your very own Shepherd Dog mount skin. This skin transforms your Direwolf base mount into a loyal and energetic canine companion – and once you've unlocked it, it can be used by all characters on your account.

You can also earn huge amounts of Fame for your third and fifth referrals: three referrals scores you a T7 Pile of Tomes worth 100,000 Fame, and five referrals gets you a T8 Pile of Tomes granting a colossal 200,000 Fame. And as always, your first-ever referral grants an additional T8 Pile of Tomes along with the mount skin.

The current referral season lasts until maintenance on August 1, so you've got until then to refer your friends and claim your rewards.


[h3]How to Earn Seasonal Referral Rewards[/h3]

• Send your referral link, which you can find here, to a friend. (You must be logged into your account on the website to view this page.)
• Your friend registers an account and starts playing Albion Online (preferably along with you!).
• The first time your friend purchases at least 30 days of Premium, they will trigger a reward for you.
• On top of that, for your very first referral ever, you'll receive a T8 Recruiter's Pile of Tomes, worth a whopping 200,000 Fame.

The newest addition to Albion's growing collection of Swiftclaw skins, the brand-new Darkfang skin, is now available in the ingame store. This premiere mount skin transforms your Swiftclaw base mount into a battle-scarred beast with black fur and fiery, glowing eyes and mouth that are sure to leave an impression on friends and foes alike.

With their ability to cover large distances quickly, Swiftclaws remain one of the most popular mounts in the world of Albion. The Darkfang adds further options for those looking to upgrade their Swiftclaw's appearance, show off in cities and the open world, and stand out in large-scale fights.

Like all mount skins, once the Darkfang is unlocked it can be used by all characters on your account. Pick one up today, and embrace the darkness!

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Call to Arms Patch 4, AKA the Call to Arms Balance Patch, is here! First and foremost, this patch brings big changes and improvements to all types of Hellgates, including massively increased rewards, improved matchmaking, an automatic cooldown reset when invaded, and streamlined knockdown mechanics.

Additionally, Patch 4 brings a huge array of Combat Balance Changes across numerous weapon and armor lines, along with updates and improvements to Faction Warfare, the 20v20 Crystal League, the Black Zone Fame Buff, and more.
[h3]Hellgates: Better Rewards and Matchmaking[/h3]
We've made numerous improvements to the overall experience in all sizes and types of Hellgates based on testing and community feedback. Here are some of the biggest changes:

• Significantly increased rewards across all Hellgate modes
• Chests now always spawn once a Hellgate is complete, whether or not PvP occurred
• Cooldowns and Health now reset after an invasion
• Removed matchmaking delay in chained Hellgates

[h3]Combat Balance Changes[/h3]
Michael Schwahn, Albion's Combat Designer, sums up the balance changes in this patch:

"This patch aims to bring a wider variety of healing staffs into the meta while reducing the dominance of certain items in specific content, like Dagger Pairs in 2v2 Hellgates and Quarterstaffs in Corrupted Dungeons. Sustain damage provided by the axe line is also reduced, to bring them more in line with other melee weapons. This patch also offers reworks of abilities that have been out of the spotlight recently."

Here's a partial list of what's new:

• Axes: Updated numerous skills to increase importance of positioning and timing
• Cursed Staffs: Buffed various skills to improve performance in PvP
• Nature Staffs: Added a burst-heal W-slot ability
• Armors: Updated Life Steal Aura and Self-Ignition

[h3]Other Changes[/h3]

• Improved load times between zones on all platforms
• Faction Warfare: Respawns now happen in batches to help rally forces; Bandit Assault is more frequent and unpredictable
• 20v20 Crystal League: Increased artifact rewards in final chests
• Black Zone Fame Buff persists when moving between zones
• Mobile Version: Further optimizations and UI improvements
• … and much more

Finally, for this patch, we're also trying something new: offering detailed explanations of combat balance changes under each weapon and armor type, to show the reasons and goals behind them. As always, you can check out the full list of changes, including these detailed balance change descriptions, in the official patchnotes.