Albion Online News

Wild Blood is now live! This update introduces some major new additions and improvements to Albion’s gameworld, with Shapeshifter Weapons, Tracking, Awakened Weapons, new and reworked potions, and much more.

To mark the update, we’ve produced a new trailer:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Fearsome New Forms[/h3]
Shapeshifter Weapons are a brand-new Staff weapon line which allow players to transform into fantastical beasts mid-combat, expanding the possibilities of combat builds and bringing a new level to Albion’s ‘you are what you wear’ system. Tracking, meanwhile, is a new activity in which these same creatures can be hunted across the open world by groups. These hunts will take you along unexpected paths, but success can reward you with rare, magical artifacts and ingredients.

[h3]New Powers Unleashed[/h3]


The ingredients gained through Tracking can be used to craft seven powerful new potions and Shapeshifter Artifact Weapons, while potions can now be enchanted to new levels. Meanwhile, Awakened Weapons can be attuned with unique combinations of traits, allowing the bearer to wield immense strength. These weapons may be lost in combat, of course, but their traits will live on, telling their story and that of their owners.

[h3]Additional Improvements[/h3]


Personal Islands now have stunning new visuals, reflecting the biome of the city they are attached to, and players can now own more than one island. Furthermore, new farming bonuses for each of these biomes encourage trade across Albion and economic specialization. Randomized Dungeons have expressive new visuals too, along with reworked layouts and some colossal new enemies you may encounter. And the Death Recap lets players go over their recent combat defeats, to hone their skills before returning to the fray.

[h3]Celebrate Wild Blood with Twitch Drops[/h3]


To mark the release of Wild Blood, we’re running a special Twitch Drops campaign in addition to our regular campaign! For full details, see this forum post.

For the complete list of changes coming with this update, see the patchnotes, and for more info, check out the official update page.

Out in the vast world of Albion, great dangers await. But some fearsome adventurers seek these out, prowling the lands in pursuit of precious prizes.

A new vanity set launches next week, and you too can join the hunt. Stay tuned for more…

The Wild Blood update launches October 16, and at its heart is a brand-new weapon line: Shapeshifter Weapons. In this Dev Talk, Game Director Robin Henkys and Combat Designer Michael Schwahn take an in-depth look at this significant expansion to Albion’s ‘you are what you wear’ system.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]A New Staff Line[/h3]
Shapeshifter Weapons introduce a whole new style of gameplay:

• There are seven different staffs
• Each lets you transform into a different creature, known as Shapes
• Each Shape has its own abilities and stats, from damage dealer to tank

When in human form:

• Shapeshifter Weapons can inflict damage, disrupt enemies, or support allies
• They can also transform enemies into weak, helpless creatures
• Using human-form abilities builds up Shift Charges, which provide energy to Shape-form abilities

[h3]Shapes and Abilities[/h3]
These are the different Shapes into which you can transform:

• Shadow Panther: turns invisible when no enemies are nearby
• Sylvian: increases allies’ health, provides healing, and can create a shield for your allies
• Spirit Bear: an aggressive tank that disrupts enemies
• Werewolf: Heals itself and gains a speed boost from attacking enemies
• Hellfire Imp: Has very high damage but low defense; can revive in human form after death
• Runestone Golem: a huge tank which is immune to all forced movement
• Dawnbird: deals very high damage from a safe distance

These Shapes offer a wide variety of playstyles:

• They completely override your human armor stats, allowing you to change roles mid-combat
  • For example, a Prowling Staff with Plate Armor makes you a tank in human form and an assassin in Shape form
• Previously active buffs continue in Shape form
  • For example, you can use a Hunter Jacket then transform into a Werewolf to utilize the auto-attack buff
• Toggle and Channel abilities do not carry over

Awareness of when to transform is crucial to using these weapons. This creates an active and enjoyable playstyle that is quick to pick up but offers a great deal of depth.
[h3]How to Get Them[/h3]
Shapeshifter Weapons:

• Are crafted at the Hunter’s Lodge
• Require rare ingredients dropped by the corresponding creature in the open world
• These can be found using Tracking Kits

Thus, Shapeshifter Weapons should remain quite rare and valuable, and bolster the appeal of Tracking.

Begin your hunt for a Shapeshifter Weapon when Wild Blood launches on October 16! Which will you pick?

Wild Blood is nearby, and you’ll be able to hunt some down for yourself when the update launches. In this Dev Talk, Game Director Robin Henkys looks at Tracking, a new feature where you pursue creatures across the open world.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Finding Tracks[/h3]
The tracks of rare creatures can be found in the Outlands and in Red Zones of the Royal Continent. To interact with these, players need a Tracking Toolkit. These are craftable at the Toolmaker and can be used by:

• Clicking on a track
• Using from inventory
  • This reveals nearby tracks on the map
  • Higher tier Tracking Toolkits reveal tracks in a wider area

There are seven types of creature you can Track, each of which exists in two sizes:

• A smaller one, for up to three players
• A larger one, for four-to-eight players

If your party is too big or small the track, you won’t be able to follow it.

The first tracks that players can find are those of Panthers, Sylvians, and Spirit Bears. Rarer creatures require higher-level tracking skills and higher-tier Tracking Kits.


[h3]On the Prowl[/h3]
After a track is successfully read, the hunt begins:

• Players are guided to an area
• Once you reach that area, you will have to search for further tracks or the target itself
• Party members can collaborate to read tracks more quickly
• Each completed step rewards Tracking Fame to all party members, which boosts your Tracking skill
• The chances of encountering the target at each step increases with:
  • The number of steps already completed
  • Your Tracking skill

When you encounter your target, a fight ensues. But the creature may flee if:

• Its health falls too low
• The fight lasts too long
• Too many players attack

A target that flees will have to be tracked to its new location, but any damage it has taken remains.
[h3]Spoils of the Hunt[/h3]
A defeated creature can drop various new items which are used for the following:

• Rare Animal Remains: enchanting Potions
• Rare Ingredients: crafting new Potions and Shapeshifter Weapons
• Artifacts: crafting Artifact Shapeshifter Weapons

These are the new Potions:

• Calming Potion: from Shadowpanther Claws, provides a PvE disengage
• Cleansing Potion: from Sylvian Roots, cleanses damage over time, crowd control, and debuffs
• Acid Potion: from Spirit Bear Paws, decreases resistances
• Berserk Potion: from Werewolf Fangs, boosts damage but decreases your defense
• Hellfire Potion: from Imp Horns, deals damage-over-time
• Gathering Potion: from Runestone Golem Teeth, increases gathering speed
• Tornado Potion: from Dawnbird Feathers, knocks enemies back

Rare Animal Remains can be reduced to Arcane Extract, to enchant Potions:

• Potions now have three levels of enchantment
• The amount of Remains required for each enchantment level increases significantly

When Wild Blood launches, there will be an increased amount of tracks and creatures to allow players to hone their skills. But to keep the new items rare, the additional creatures will drop Silver and loot instead. After a time, these additional creatures will be removed, and those which remain will drop only the new items.



We can’t wait to see players take part in this new economic activity, and start using these new items. You’ll also be able to use them to craft Shapeshifter Weapons, of course, which will be the subject of our next Dev Talk. See you then!

[video]http://assets.albiononline.com/uploads/media/default/media/video_/media/60f9d68b84e7a_720.mp4[/video]

A new Referral Season has arrived, and there’s another chance to get the Snow Leopard when you refer just one friend!

The Snow Leopard is an elegant, hibernal skin for your Swiftclaw base mount, with snowy gray fur and piercing blue eyes. Once unlocked, it can be used by any of your characters on that particular server (either Albion East or West).



There are also big rewards for your third and fifth referrals: a T7 Pile of Tomes worth 100,000 Fame for your third referral, and a T8 Pile of Tomes worth 200,000 Fame for your fifth. And for your first ever referral, you’ll get a T8 Pile of Tomes in addition to the Snow Leopard!
[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 massive 200,000 Fame.

This Referral Season lasts until 23:59 UTC on October 31, so invite your friends and enjoy these rewards!