Albion Online News

The Call to Arms update arrives March 17, bringing a completely reworked Faction Warfare system with a new playable Caerleon Faction. In our newest art showcase, Marcus Koch, Art Director of Albion Online, describes the process of creating new NPCs, enemies, and Outposts based on the Caerleon mythos, and shows off some of the concepts that defined this new "outlaw Faction".

What was the main style / aesthetic you were trying to convey with the design of the Caerleon faction?

As the Caerleon Faction differs from the other Factions where no PvP between members is allowed, we wanted to present this Faction in a darker and more twisted way. We took inspiration from the real-life Thirty Years' War, an age where soldiers fought amongst themselves in loose bands and many things had to be improvised.



Does this improvised, patchwork aesthetic extend to the updated Caerleon visuals as well?

Caerleon's wealthy past has given way to a fallen present, and the city is a mix of ancient ruins and newer structures, cut through with crooked alleys. It's a place where riches can be earned quickly and lost even quicker, so everyone keeps one hand on their weapon at all times, and one eye over their shoulder.

Any hints of details players should look out for?

If you just walk the side alleys you might encounter some little shadows scurrying around… and you might be surprised who is visiting the tavern and lurking around for a drink or two.



How did the design of the "Stabbed Mug" tavern come to be?

We wanted this Faction Base to look less “official”. Here you get your contract in a less formal way, and a dirty medieval tavern just felt like the right place in a rough town such as Caerleon. If you enlist here, you're doing it to line your own pocket instead of someone else's. As long as you can keep it :)



From concept to modeling to animation to audio, it takes a whole team to create Albion's world. Kudos to the Art Team for bringing this new Faction to life!

Alexander Pierschel (Animation)Alexandra Obst (Character Modeling)Alice Dalemans (Animation)Amon Kalagin (Character & Environment Modeling)Aron Schneider (Level Design)Carlos Ancot (Concept Artist)Daniele Bornino (FX Artist)Florian Rößler (UI Artist)Johannes Geier (Environment Modeler)John Schroeter (FX Artist)Marcus Koch (Art Director)Maria Pedrosa (Environment Modeler)Maria Perakis (Concept Artist Environment)Melissa Müller (UI Artist)Stefan Warias (Art Director Environment)

The wait is almost over: the Season 11 Crystal League Championship is this weekend! Starting Saturday at 17:00 UTC, tune in to AlbionTV to watch all the action live. Winners will receive huge Gold rewards and rare mounts, with the first-place team walking away with the brand-new, ultra-rare Saber Tiger Rex Swiftclaw Skin.



Join hosts Shozen, Lewpac, and Tazzik as they bring you live coverage and commentary on these high-action fights. Here's the weekend's schedule:

• Saturday, March 6: 17:00 - 20:30 UTC
• Sunday, March 7: 17:00 - 22:15 UTC

(Note: the above end times are approximate, depending on how long matches run.)

For team breakdowns, full rules, and the final schedule, keep an eye on this forum post.

Guild Season 12 kicks off on Saturday, March 13. In anticipation of this, Rise of Avalon Patch 15, AKA the Season 12 Patch, brings changes to make ownership of territories more significant and create incentives for more Outlands activities outside of large-scale battles. It also brings improvements to the new 20v20 Crystal League alongside other improvements and fixes.

Here's a rundown of what's new:
[h3]Season Point Changes[/h3]

• Territory Season Points are still given daily for owned Outlands territories, and have been increased overall, with the point difference between the outer and inner parts of the Outlands somewhat flattened
• Castle Season Points are still given every six hours for owned castles and have been increased overall
• Castle Outpost Season Points are now given every three hours for owned Outposts and have likewise been increased overall

[h3]World Boss and Static Dungeon Changes[/h3]
The PvE Fame buff in these locations now comes primarily from Elite mobs instead of the bosses themselves, and stacks incrementally with each mob killed. By repeatedly defeating mobs in the area, players in a party can stack the buff up to +50% bonus Fame while remaining in the zone.
[h3]Other Changes[/h3]

• 20v20 Crystal League Changes: Starting Points per team and point value per player kill increased, new level added between the former Levels 1 and 2 – there are now 7 total levels
• Treasure Chest Changes: Overall loot value of Castle Chests increased, and Lesser Outland Treasure Chests now spawn more often
• Guild Challenge Change: Reduced Season Points for lower Guild Challenge levels put more emphasis on open-world objectives like territories
• Bracket Season Point Thresholds Updated: The points required for each bracket (Crystal, Gold, etc.) have been updated in tandem with these changes
• Fixes: Corrected map tooltips for Outlands treasures and fixed some cases where Hideouts could not be set as Home

For the full list of fixes, changes, and improvements, check out the official Patchnotes.

For the Season 12 Schedule, click here.

Spring is back, and the Keepers of Albion are beginning to awaken... and for the entire month of March, you can take the Keeper Challenge to collect fantastic rewards! Earn points for open-world activities, unlock chests to get valuable loot, and claim your very own Grizzly Bear mount.

GRIZZLY BEAR: This month's Challenge brings back the popular Grizzly Bear, a huge, intimidating mount with an arsenal of powerful spells. In addition to its Intimidating Aura toggle spell, it also gains a temporary speed boost when attacked, giving its rider an edge when enemies are in pursuit.
 
AVATAR RING: Reach your goals to unlock the Keeper Challenge avatar ring, which gives your chosen avatar the stone-and-leather look of Albion's true guardians. This non-tradable item permanently unlocks this avatar border for one character, or can be traded for one Adventurer's Token at the Vanity Merchant.

SEASONAL SPECIALS: All month, reach weekly goals to unlock Keeper Challenge chests. In addition to valuable rewards like Adventurer's Tomes, Silver bags, and rare resources, this month's chests contain various Keeper-themed furniture and capes.

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!

The Season 11 Crystal League Championship takes place March 6-7, with Albion's top Crystal League players facing off for tremendous prizes including the ultra-rare new Saber Tiger Rex Swiftclaw Skin. The tournament is open to teams who won one Level 9 match or two or more Level 8 matches with the same 5 characters during Season 11.

Additional rules:

• Teams must sign up by Tuesday, March 2 at 10:00 UTC
• Participants must use the same team and characters that qualified during the season
• Each team can allocate one substitute
• Each team must assign a Captain as the main contact point
• For full rules, signup info, and the final schedule, see this forum post.

[h3]Watch the Action Live on AlbionTV[/h3]
Like 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 the first high-stakes tournament of 2021, and keep an eye on our forum for updates!