Albion Online News

Allhallows is in full swing, and the Grim Challenge is back! For the entire month of November, earn points for open-world activities, unlock chests to get valuable loot, and claim your very own Pest Lizard.
[h3]Pestilential Prizes For Intrepid Adventurers[/h3]

PEST LIZARD: This month's Challenge offers another chance to claim the popular Pest Lizard. This sleek, slithery mount comes with a Toxic Cloud ability that causes enemies who touch it to become temporarily disoriented.
 


AVATAR RING: Adventurers who rack up enough total Challenge Points will also earn the Grim Challenge avatar ring, featuring a spooky skull-topped iron frame. This non-tradable item permanently unlocks this avatar border for one character, or can be traded to the Vanity Merchant for one Adventurer's Token.

SEASONAL SPECIALS: All month long, reach weekly point totals to unlock Grim Challenge Chests. Along with valuable rewards like Adventurer's Tomes, Silver, resources, and other loot, you'll also have a chance to unlock four furniture items: the Empty Coffin, Grim Gravestone, Grim Lantern, and Weeping Woman Statue.

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 and avatar ring reward. So log in, head out into the open world, gather points, and claim these rewards while they last!

With the Lands Awakened update coming in November, players can look forward to a revamped soundtrack as they explore Albion. Senior Audio Designer Marie Havemann gives a glimpse behind the scenes of its production in our latest Dev Talk, introducing new music for combat, cities, Hideouts and more.

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Prefer a written summary? Then read on...

It’s already been five years since the original soundtrack for Albion Online was composed, and since then a good deal of new features have been introduced. To enhance the sonic richness and emotional impact of playing Albion, new music has been recorded with Prague's FILMharmonic Orchestra. This was composed over the last year by Marie along with Albion’s original composer Jonne Valtonen, and includes new music for:

• Combat and Bosses
• Cities and Starter Towns
• Hideouts
• Tutorial
• Destiny Board

[h3]Combat[/h3]

• A percussive soundtrack seamlessly adapts to changes in threat level
• Features in both PvP and PvE and is adapted to different combat scenarios:
  • Hellgates and dungeons include varied music "layers" based on the scenario
  • Three different boss themes, depending on mob type and threat level
  • These convey a sense of danger and urgency, while emphasizing the player’s own agency and a sense of fun

[h3]City Themes[/h3]
In line with the stronger sense of regional identity within Albion that the Lands Awakened update brings, each city will have its own theme that reflects the character of the different factions:

• Lymhurst retains its existing city theme, with its proud and playful character
• The down-to-earth, easy-going inhabitants of Martlock have an upbeat theme, reminiscent of a beery celebration after a combat victory
• The music of Bridgewatch reflects its dignity and elegance as well as the energy of a bustling trading city
• The magic and mystery of the swamps come through in Thetford’s theme, which emphasizes its people’s wisdom, knowledge and connection to nature
• Deep in the cold, hostile mountains, the people of Fort Sterling are sober, hardy warriors, whose pride in their strength is conveyed through its theme
• Caerleon, the city of outlaws, musically expresses its identity as a devious, dangerous place, yet also with a sense of adventure

The starter towns of Albion also have a new theme to convey their liveliness and the sense of adventure at the beginning of a journey.
[h3]Hideout Themes[/h3]
For the first time, Hideouts have their own musical identity, befitting their status as a player’s home within the black zones.

• Simple, memorable melodies reinforce the “do-it-yourself” feeling of Hideouts
• The theme develops as a Hideout grows, reflecting its progression:
  • Starts low-key and calm, with a sense of precarious beginnings
  • Upgraded Hideouts gain a more orchestral theme reminiscent of a busy tavern

[h3]Additional Soundtrack Changes[/h3]

• New tutorial music which highlights the excitement of first arriving in Albion
• A new Destiny Board theme, reinforcing the mystical, fateful feeling of looking over one’s own journey

This new soundtrack will really enhance the emotional experience of fighting, trading and venturing within the world of Albion Online. Stay tuned for more Dev Talks coming soon, where we’ll look at upcoming changes to Guild Seasons, HQ Hideouts, and more. See you then!

The nights are drawing in, there’s a chill in the air… yes, Allhallows has returned to Albion! From 10:00 UTC on October 27 through to 10:00 UTC on November 10 you can run the Hallowed Ground dungeon by entering one of the special portals that appear randomly in T4-T8 zones across the open world. Once inside you’ll find creepy corridors filled with pumpkins, gruesome mobs, and the strange, terrifying final boss known simply as Bob.



Both group and solo versions of the dungeons will appear, and each offer rare seasonal loot like the Jack o' Donkey and Horse Macabre mount skins. And as always, Halloween decorations will adorn each of Albion’s cities to mark this eerie time.



So don your dungeon-delving kit, venture out into the dark night and rid Albion of these malevolent spirits!

In our last Dev Talk, Game Director Robin Henkys introduced the visual and level design improvements coming with the Lands Awakened update in November. In this newest video, he introduces open-world gameplay changes including mobs that level up over time, updated Static Dungeons, and fully reworked treasure sites.

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No time to watch, or prefer a summary? Read on...
[h3]Challenges and Goals[/h3]

• Challenges:
  • Offering valuable rewards that aren't static or predictable
  • Avoiding monopolization by powerful groups
• Goals:
  • Dynamic, unpredictable rewards available to anyone in the right place at the right time
  • Exciting gameplay opportunities for all player types and group sizes

[h3]Open-World Mob Improvements[/h3]

• Overhauled visuals, balancing, abilities, and rewards
• Mobs now level up over time:
  • "Recruits" spawn first
  • Over time these upgrade to regular or Champion mobs
  • If these remain unkilled, whole areas fill with them, offering massive rewards
  • Rewards exploration
  • Allows players to choose worthwhile areas
  • Encourages players to stray further from cities
• Additional new map view mode showing approximate mob value of regions

[h3]Static Dungeon Updates[/h3]
Mob upgrading system also applies to Static Open-World Dungeons:

• Encourages dungeon exploration beyond the entrance areas
• Entrances in neighboring regions added to make dungeons interesting hotspots:
  • Ensures players can’t camp one entrance
  • Can be used as emergency exits to escape powerful groups
  • Ensure that players can enter from all sides during “Dungeon Rush” Events
• Dungeon Rush:
  • Limited warning; randomized start times; last for short periods
  • Mobs and treasure chests upgrade more quickly, offering huge rewards
  • Attracts other players, leading to showdowns

The reworked open-world dungeons offer plenty of opportunities for different player types: PvE players can explore them outside event times, while PvP players can rush in during events.
[h3]Reworked Treasure Sites[/h3]
Current system:

• Fixed locations
• Open at preset intervals
• Many players avoid for fear of encountering well-prepared groups
• Outdated rewards

New system:

• Treasures now appear anywhere in the open world
• Give only limited warning before opening
• Only visible to nearby players
• Unlock time and visibility distance based on value
• Offer opportunities for various player types and group sizes
• Spawn much more frequently than current treasures
• Treasures now use the rarity randomization system, resulting in rare and legendary treasures

[h3]Resource Treasures[/h3]
Treasure system now spawns resources as well:

• Fully charged resource nodes are marked on the region map for local players
• Type and tier of resources depends on region, but will always be valuable and often enchanted
• Additionally, for gatherers who want to avoid other players, the world map now shows approximate available resources by type and tier

[h3]More to Come[/h3]
As you can see, there are tons of new features and improvements coming to the open world with the next update, and many other features as well. Soon we'll discuss new music, major Guild Season changes, HQ Hideouts and more, so stay tuned!

The standalone Energy Surge Season surges to the next level this weekend, with all territories reset and Season Points tripled.

Tune in to the AlbionTV Twitch channel starting Saturday at 17:30 UTC, where hosts Shozen, Bogul and Lewpac will be broadcasting live with a 15-minute delay.

Starting at 18:00 UTC, guilds will have new opportunities to claim territories and launch attacks. Those in the North and South American time zones can also tune in for the second round of territory resets on Sunday at 00:30 UTC with hosts Bogul, Shozenwon and Robinhoodrs, with territories becoming claimable at 01:00 UTC.

Be sure to stick around between the two reset broadcasts, as we'll be broadcasting high-level Crystal League fights with no delay.

For the complete schedule of this unique standalone season, check out this forum post.

Check out highlights of the last Invasion Day:

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