Albion Online News

In our last Dev Talk, Game Director Robin Henkys introduced the upcoming Into the Fray update and gave an overview of its major features, including a major Magic Staff Overhaul. In today's video, he is joined by Combat Designer Michael Schwahn to give more details of this massive, from-the-ground-up rework of this entire weapon line.

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Read on for a written description – and if you missed the last Dev Talk, you can watch it here.
[h3]Background[/h3]

• In 2021, the War Gloves weapon line launched, with spells and abilities that felt crisp, impactful, and fun
• Some old favorites started feeling outdated in comparison, so have been revamped
• This rework is for one of the largest weapon groups in the game, Magic Staffs
  • 6 weapon lines: Fire, Holy, Nature, Cursed, Arcane, Frost
  • Over 220 items and 90 spells
  • Over one-third of all current weapon options
• Most of the rework will launch with the upcoming Into the Fray update, with the rest coming in a subsequent patch

[h3]Overview[/h3]
Goals:

• Bringing the gameplay experience of Magic Staffs to a whole new level
• Making Staffs fun to use while also rewarding strategic high-level gameplay
• Giving Staffs a powerful and mighty feel on the battlefield

These were accomplished through:

• Massively upgraded visuals (both graphical and VFX)
• Fully reworked player animations
• New audio effects created specifically for each spell
• Last but not least, numerous new and reworked abilities

[h3]Visual, Animation, and Audio Improvements[/h3]

• Redesigned and modernized Staff models
• More distinct shapes and colors for better readability during gearing and combat
• Greater distinction between One- and Two-handed Staffs, both through length and animations:
  • One-handed Staffs are now held towards the enemy; their action feels swifter, like a light sword
  • Two-handed Staffs are held upright; the caster conjures quick attacks from the offhand and heavier attacks from the full staff
• VFX overhauled to make spells feel more impactful and polished
• Completely re-imagined sound design, with all-new sound effects for each line

[h3]Gameplay Improvements[/h3]

• Numerous entirely new spells added
• Older spells reworked:
  • Improving underused spells
  • Adding more depth to simpler spells
• Examples of updates to specific staff lines follow

Fire Staffs

• Pyroblast made more nuanced as a channeled skillshot
  • The longer the channel, the more damage it deals
  • Causes additional knockback when fully charged
  • Caster can break channel at any time for a less powerful shot
• Other new spells: complete rework of Ignite, new E-spell for Infernal Staff

Holy Staffs

• Many smaller adjustments to make abilities more dynamic
  • Now possible to move (slowly) while channeling Holy Beam
  • Desperate Prayer now adds a buff to the caster if used on a target above 40% health
  • Reworked Smite, can now be cast at the ground to hit multiple enemies

Nature Staffs

• Thorns reworked into multi-castable ground area that slows enemies and gives stacking damage buff
• New W spell, Brambleseed: throw to deal instant damage, and after a delay knock enemies airborne and deal additional damage
• Both abilities make solo PvE and PvP more interesting and fun

Cursed Staffs

• Field of Death replaced with Anguished Soul: conjure a ghostly creature that inflicts fear and magic damage
• New Q-slot ability added, many existing abilities improved

[h3]"Into the Fray" and Beyond[/h3]

• The next update includes changes to Fire, Holy, Cursed, and Nature Staffs
• Arcane and Frost Staffs will follow in a later patch, with changes including:
  • Arcane: Energy Bolt and Energy Beam replaced with more dynamic and interesting damage spells
  • Frost: new Q spells that do not depend on cast speed

We’re looking forward to sharing more about Arcane and Frost Staffs once the update is released at the start of the next season. For now, stay tuned for more Dev Talks on Portal Towns, the Castle Rework, and more!

The Reaver has arrived! Available now from the in-game store, this premium vanity bundle includes a full costume set along with a matching Reaver’s Armored Horse skin for your Armored Horse base mount.

With dark, metallic armor from head to toe and a thick, black cape, the Reaver strikes fear into even the most hardened souls in Albion. The Reaver’s Armored Horse comes clad in the same burnished armor and thick, black fabric - a terrifying sight indeed as you bear down upon your foes. As Season 15 nears its climax, this is the perfect outfit to engage in epic territory battles.

The Reaver Bundle includes the following vanity skins, which work on male and female characters alike:

• Reaver's Helmet
• Reaver's Armor
• Reaver's Boots
• Reaver's Cape
• Reaver's Armored Horse

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As with past bundles, you can use all costume and mount skins with all characters on your account, and they are never lost or destroyed. All items will be unlocked in the in-game "Appearance" menu after purchase.

Enter the fight today with this premiere bundle and unleash your power!

Our last Dev Talk introduced some of the new features and improvements coming to Albion Online in 2022. In this video, Game Director Robin Henkys announces the arrival of many of these features in our next content update: Into the Fray.

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No time to watch the video? Read on for a summary…
[h3]Magic Staff Overhaul[/h3]

• Fire, Holy, Nature, and Cursed Staffs will receive a thorough overhaul in this update
• This means new animations, VFX, audio and even some new spells
• Arcane and Frost Staffs will also receive an overhaul in a patch following the update

[h3]New Crystal Arena & Crystal League Improvements[/h3]

• A new Arena mode which uses Crystal League match rules
• There will also be a non-lethal Crystal League, in addition to the current lethal Crystal League
• These new systems will make it easier for players to enter the Crystal League and build up their skills without worrying about gear costs

[h3]Castle Overhaul[/h3]

• Castles are receiving a complete update to their graphics, layout, and battle flow
• Castles and Castle Outposts will also receive new loot chests
• These chests will be available throughout the day, driving constant action

[h3]Dynamic Events[/h3]

• Daily events will be added to the game
• These will encourage engagement with particular features, such as Hellgates or Corrupted Dungeons
• Short-term crafting bonuses will also add market fluctuations and new dynamics to the game

[h3]Outlands Travel Improvements[/h3]

• Into the Fray will make traveling into the Outlands more convenient and more accessible to new players
• New Portal Towns offer a safe arrival point
• New ‘Journey Back’ ability on mounts reduces long walk times for return journeys

[h3]Other Improvements[/h3]

• Victory Emotes give players a way to mark PvP victories
• Training Dummies for Player Islands
• Tooltips for zone exits
• Party UI improvements
• And more…

The other features mentioned in our 2022 Roadmap Dev Talk, like the solo expansion of the Roads of Avalon and the new Guild Finder UI, are still being worked on and will be introduced in a future update. You can expect to hear more about these once Season 16 has kicked off.

Stay tuned for more Dev Talks coming soon, where we’ll go into more depth about the features coming to the world of Albion with Into the Fray!

Season 15 is coming to a climax, and the battle for territory in the Outlands is becoming ever fiercer. As Albion’s guilds pore over their plans and schemes, a figure is ready to step into the fray and unleash the forces of chaos…

This new vanity bundle is stepping out from the darkness next week! Get this mighty fighter on your side and assert your power over the lands. More details coming soon…

The Disciples of Morgana have re-emerged from the shadows... and for the entire month of May, you can take the Morgana Challenge to collect fantastic rewards. Earn points for open-world activities, unlock chests to get valuable loot, and claim your very own Morgana Raven mount.
[h3]Embrace the Darkness[/h3]
MORGANA RAVEN: This month's Challenge brings back the popular Morgana Raven, a fearsome, fast-moving flying mount with an area-of-effect Fear spell. (Note: the Morgana Raven requires the same terrain pathing as all other mounts, and cannot fly over gaps or obstacles).

AVATAR RING: Adventurers who rack up enough total Challenge Points will also earn the Morgana Challenge Avatar Ring, a menacing, fiery frame that will give your avatar an aura of dread. This non-tradable item permanently unlocks this avatar ring for one character.

SEASONAL SPECIALS: All month long, reach weekly goals to unlock Morgana Challenge chests. These chests contain valuable rewards like Adventurer's Tomes and Silver bags, along with unique Morgana-themed furniture items.

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!

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