Albion Online News

The next Guild Season kicks off on September 25! (See the full schedule here). The standalone Energy Surge Season will run for approximately 10 weeks, and will have a unique structure and unique rewards, which include the ability to designate an HQ Hideout for guilds who earn enough Season Points, plus four different brand-new avatars, a one-of-a-kind winner statue placed in the open world, and more. Read on for all the details!
[h3]Unlock Your HQ Hideout[/h3]
In our last Dev Talk, Game Director Robin Henkys introduced HQ Hideouts, a new feature that allows guilds to designate a single Hideout as their primary headquarters. As these special Hideouts are highly resistant to attack, they offer smaller guilds a chance to gain a foothold in Albion's black zones for as long as they are properly maintained.



While this feature is still in the development phase and many more details are forthcoming, the ability to claim HQ Hideouts with the next update will be based on total Season Points earned during the Energy Surge season. The following Season Point thresholds apply for where HQ status can be assigned in Season 14:

• Quality 6 zones (inner circle of Outlands): 200,000 Season Points
• Q5 zones: 120,000 Season Points
• Q4 zones: 80,000 Season Points
• Q3 zones: 40,000 Season Points
• Q2 zones: 20,000 Season Points
• Q1 zones (outer ring of Outlands + all Roads of Avalon zones): 10,000 Season Points

Going forward, the ability to assign HQ status to a Hideout in a given zone will be dependent on points earned during the prior season. We'll have plenty more details on this feature in the coming weeks, but for now, you can prepare for the Energy Surge season by checking out the complete list of zone quality levels in this updated forum post.


[h3]Bracket Rewards... and an Open-World Statue[/h3]
As always, members of guilds who reach a high enough rank during the season will receive special rewards. This season, these rewards will include the powerful Tower Chariot battle mount for guilds who reach Silver Rank or higher, unique Crystal, Gold, Silver and Bronze Energy Surge Season Avatars for all ranks Bronze and higher, and Tomes of Insight. Here's the full rewards list (click to expand):



Additionally, the top five guilds of the season will receive a 90-day Fame Buff to gathering and PvE, and the top three guilds will each receive a season winner statue with a permanent place in Albion's open world! Here's the detailed breakdown (click to expand):



The first-place winners will be able to select the design and placement of their statue in collaboration with our team after the season ends, while the second and third place winners will receive a standard statue with their guild logo, which can also be placed in the open world in collaboration with our team. Take advantage of this one-of-a-kind opportunity to make your guild a permanent part of Albion's landscape!

The new season starts September 25 – get ready to rack up Season Points and unlock these unique rewards!

The Mists of Albion are back! Between now and maintenance on September 20, get 25% additional Fame for all ingame activities.

Here are the details:

• At the end of maintenance on Monday, September 13 the Mists of Albion buff will be automatically enabled for all players
• This buff automatically grants an additional 25% Fame for all activities
• The buff does not apply to Fame earned via PvP kills and Tomes of Insight, and does not boost the rate at which Challenge Points are earned
• The Fame boost ends at 10:00 UTC on Monday, September 20

Take advantage of this week-long Fame Boost to level up your combat, crafting, and gathering!

Our newest Dev Talk is here, featuring Game Director Robin Henkys broadcasting from the brand-new Albion Online video studio! This new home for Albion's video content will streamline our filming process, allowing us to bring you Dev Talks more frequently. It's been awhile since our last Roadmap Update, and now we can reveal further details of two major upcoming features: War Gloves and HQ Hideouts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo3pJ-4u93A
Note that the above video includes subtitles for all nine of our supported languages – and as always, if you prefer a written summary, read on!
[h3]New Weapon Line: War Gloves[/h3]
War Gloves are an entirely new weapon line, featuring:

• Three new base weapons
• Four Artifact weapons
• Fifteen new abilities
• Melee-focused brawler gameplay style (damage, mobility, control) plus limited ranged abilities
• Dedicated Combat and Crafting Masteries (Warrior line / Warrior's Forge)

These weapons excel at engaging an enemy and then keeping them engaged, dealing damage at the same time.
[h3]War Glove Artifacts[/h3]

• Although War Gloves will only become craftable once the next major update is released, the Artifacts for this weapon line will already be added to loot tables before the start of the next season
• This ensures their availability once the update releases, and gives PvE and market players a valuable new loot type to play with
• Drop rates will start low and be adjusted to the same level as other artifacts once the update is released

[h3]HQ Hideouts[/h3]
Headquarters Hideouts, AKA HQ Hideouts, are still early in development, but we’re very excited about the changes they will bring. We believe Albion to be best and most exciting when many small groups are competing for power in the Outlands, but the current Hideout system is controlled by large powerful groups, forcing players to consolidate or pay tribute.



Features of HQ Hideouts:

• Allows guilds to place and protect a Hideout based only on their own achievements
• Guilds will earn the ability to make one Hideout an HQ Hideout as a season reward
• HQ Hideouts are invulnerable to all attacks, even during battle times

[h3]Hideout Power Cores[/h3]
Once created, the Headquarters status will need to be maintained. The upcoming open-world Vortex Power System has been extended to include Hideout Power Cores, which are required to make sure an HQ Hideout stays invulnerable. The required level of power depends on the quality of the region, with Hideouts deeper in the Outlands requiring significantly more power. Attackers can take advantage of this by preventing Power Cores from reaching the HQ, causing it to lose invulnerability eventually.



Other features of HQ Hideouts and general Hideout changes:

• To assist in their creation, guilds can earn the right to make a Hideout construction site invulnerable once per season
• Access to HQ Hideouts is limited to guild members
• General Hideout upkeep for non-HQ Hideouts will increase based on the number of Hideouts already in a region, to strengthen smaller guilds in the Outlands

[h3]When will these features arrive?[/h3]
HQ Hideouts require guilds to collect enough Season Points by the end of a Guild Season. Thus, the current season will be followed by a shortened season before the launch of the next update:

• Name: “Energy Surge”
• Increased Season Point and Siphoned Energy reward rates
• Duration: 6 weeks (ends early November): https://forum.albiononline.com/index.php/Thread/154573

This gives us sufficient time to finish these new features while giving guilds the opportunity to earn their right to an HQ Hideout.



Stay tuned for more Dev Talks coming soon – thanks for watching!

The Season 13 Crystal League Championship takes place September 18-19, with Albion's top Crystal League players facing off for tremendous prizes including the ultra-rare Saber Tiger Rex Swiftclaw Skin. Like last time, the tournament will be open to the top 8 Crystal League teams of the season, based on the following:

• Number of Level 9 wins
• Number of Level 8 wins
• Number of Level 7 wins
• ...and so on

Additional rules:

• Teams must sign up by Tuesday, September 14 at 10:00 UTC
• Participants must use the same team and characters that qualified during the season, and one player cannot qualify with multiple teams
• Each team can allocate one substitute
• For full rules, signup info, and the final schedule, see this forum post

[h3]Watch the Action Live on AlbionTV[/h3]
As always, you can watch the action all weekend long on AlbionTV, the official Albion Online Twitch Channel. Join hosts Shozen, Lewpac, and Tazzik as they bring you live coverage and commentary on these high-action fights. The reigning champions will be crowned and receive their prizes at a ceremony after the final match on Sunday.

Get ready for Albion's next high-stakes tournament, and keep an eye on our forum for updates! In the meantime, check out last season's Grand Finals:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8kqFkOZ1uw

The chill of fall is beginning to creep into the air... and the Heretic Challenge is back! For the entire month of September, earn points for open-world activities, unlock chests to get valuable loot, and claim your very own Heretic Combat Mule.
[h3]Mighty Mules and Heretic Decor[/h3]
HERETIC COMBAT MULE: This month's Challenge brings back the Heretic Combat Mule, a war machine from the twisted minds of Heretic saddlers. The Combat Mule fires a powerful cannon shot that knocks back and slows targets, but watch out for its massive recoil!

AVATAR RING: Adventurers who rack up enough total Challenge Points will also earn the Heretic Challenge avatar ring. This non-tradable item permanently unlocks this crazed, ramshackle 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 goals to unlock Heretic Challenge Chests. In addition to valuable rewards like Adventurer's Tomes, Silver, and resources, you'll also have a chance to unlock special furniture items like the Heretic Lantern, Heretic Junkpile and Heretic Scarecrow.
 
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 rewards. So log in, head out into the open world, gather points, and claim these rewards while they last!

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