Albion Online News

The first patch for the Into the Fray update is now live! This patch brings changes and improvements to the Arena, Crystal Arena, Portal Town travel, spells and UIs, and more. Here’s a summary of some of the changes:
[h3]Arena and Crystal Arena[/h3]
This patch brings some improvements to the Arena and the brand-new Crystal Arena. Firstly, players are fully healed at the end of a match and have all cooldowns reset, so that you enter the next fight at full health. Players’ max load now receives a significant increase while in an Arena match. Waiting times in the queue have been significantly reduced, particularly for premade 5-player teams, to get you into the action even quicker. And the highest Crystal Arena Rank Points that a player has reached in a season is now displayed in the Character Stats UI.


[h3]Quality-of-Life Improvements[/h3]
This patch builds on the Into the Fray update with some helpful Quality-of-Life improvements, including:

• Players can now travel to Royal Cities and islands from Portal Towns with luggage
• Clicking a capturable orb, for example in the Crystal League, while mounted now dismounts a player rather than displaying an error message
• Various spell and UI optimizations

[h3]Other Changes and Improvements[/h3]

• The time it takes for Castle and Castle Outpost chests to despawn has been increased from 5 minutes to 30 minutes
• "Enrage" buff of Elite Castle Guards no longer stacks
• … and more

For a comprehensive list of changes, read the official patchnotes.

Albion's sixteenth Guild Season kicks off June 11, with big changes to Castles and Castle Outposts, a new Crystal League mode, Might Level adjustments, and more.
[h3]Castles Re-Envisioned[/h3]
Season 16 updates Castles and Castle Outposts, with improved layouts to encourage fighting on multiple fronts, and reworked visuals to make them more varied and visually appealing. Instead of generating passive points, Castle and Outpost chests now grant Might to those who claim them, and appear dynamically on a new timer. And a dedicated Might Level in the Conqueror’s Challenge still allows big Season Point payouts.
[h3]Crystal Arena and Non-Lethal Crystal League[/h3]
Season 16 brings two new 5v5 modes for players of all levels. The new Crystal Arena offers a ranked version of the classic Arena, with matches played in the Crystal League map with knockdown mechanics. And the new Non-Lethal Crystal League provides access to the full 9-level experience, but without the full-loot kills of the regular League. Both modes have unique rewards as well, including Gladiator Wardrobe Skins. And of course, the classic 5v5 and 20v20 full-loot modes are still available for players looking for hardcore endgame content.


[h3]Might Level Balancing[/h3]
To keep seasons balanced, progress has been boosted in several Might Levels where guild progress was somewhat behind the curve. Corrupted Dungeons, Crystal Spiders, and Outland Treasures now offer faster level progress, giving guilds more overall Season Points and more ways to stay competitive.


[h3]Unlock the Behemoth[/h3]
Players who gain enough Might will receive unique Avatar Sets, as well as the coveted Behemoth and valuable Fame Buffs. Might is earned through a huge range of activities in the Conqueror's Challenge, and there are additional bracket rewards for guilds who reach at least Iron Rank. And as always, the season's number-one guild will become a permanent part of the world of Albion with their very own statue in Conquerors' Hall.



For the full list of season rewards, check out this forum post.
[h3]Watch the Season Kickoff on AlbionTV[/h3]
The season kickoff on Saturday, June 11 will be broadcast live on AlbionTV starting 17:30 UTC, with hosts Shozen, Lewpac and Bogul bringing full coverage of Invasion Day.

At 18:00 UTC all territories will be reset for guilds to claim. Those in the North and South American time zones can tune in for the second round of territory resets on Sunday at 00:30 UTC, when hosts Shozen, Robinhoodrs and Tazzik cover the next round of invasions. All open-world fights are broadcast live with a 15-minute delay.

Check out AlbionTV's latest Invasion Day coverage:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
For the complete Season 16 Schedule, see this forum post.

Last weekend saw the Season 15 Crystal League Championship take place, with TheyTamedBears taking the crown.

Congratulations to them on their victory in Albion’s showcase 5v5 event, and to the 2nd-4th place teams:

• 2nd: Gone Glonkin’
• 3rd: Back for HOTs
• 4th: LAST MINUTE

TheyTamedBears take home the coveted Sabertooth Rex Swiftclaw Skin as their grand prize!



Thanks, as always, to the AlbionTV crew of Shozen, Lewpac, Tazzik, Bogul, and Robinhoodrs, along with Community Managers Nesnes and Shadowbrick, for all their work over the weekend.

Season 16 begins on Saturday, with the introduction of the Non-Lethal Crystal League and the Crystal Arena, and the new Crystal Gladiator Wardrobe Skin up for grabs. You can learn more about these changes and new features here.

The Into the Fray update is live, bringing a host of new features including reworked Magic Staffs, new Portal Towns, improved Castles, Dynamic Events, new Arena and Crystal League modes, and much more.

To celebrate the launch of this update, we've created a brand-new trailer:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Get Into the Action[/h3]
Magic Staffs have new visuals and animations alongside reworked abilities. Castles and Outposts have been overhauled with new graphics, layouts, and mechanics to make these high-end objectives more thrilling than ever. And the Crystal Arena and Non-Lethal Crystal League offer competitive but accessible 5v5s for players of all levels.


[h3]Albion at Your Fingertips[/h3]
New Portal Towns in the Outlands offer Bank and Marketplace access along with visually reworked Invisibility Shrines. Resources have received a graphical overhaul, standing out within their environments and making gathering easier and more enticing. New Daily Events offer bonuses for a wide range of activities, encouraging players to try new parts of the game and shaking up Albion’s economy.


[h3]Additional Improvements[/h3]
A new Activities UI provides a convenient overview of all ongoing events. Twitch Drops are available for the first time, and Victory Emotes let players mark kills with audiovisual flourishes. Lost Equipment Loadouts allow easy regearing after death, a new Journey Back ability helps cut down on long travel times, Gathering Tomes offer faster gathering progress, and Training Dummies allow players to practice combat and healing abilities on their Islands.

For more on Twitch Drops, see this article.



For the complete list of changes, check out the official patchnotes, and for more info, see the official update page:

We’re excited to announce that from today, with the launch of the Into the Fray update, Twitch Drops will be available to Albion Online players. In up to seven weekly drops you can earn exclusive wardrobe and mount skins, along with charges for our new Victory Emotes, simply by watching Albion Online streams!

In order to receive Twitch Drops, connect your Twitch account with your Albion Online account here and tune in to Twitch streams from members of the Albion Online Creators Program. You can find a list of participating streams here. The longer you watch, the bigger the rewards you’ll get!

LINK YOUR ACCOUNTS

And to celebrate the launch of Twitch Drops, we’re doubling the rewards handed out during the first Drop campaign which runs until June 14. So each time you receive a chest, you’ll actually get two!



We can’t wait to see you trying out the new Victory Emotes in-game and showing off your new vanity skins. For more information about linking accounts, Twitch Drop rewards, and the campaign structure, check out this forum post.