Albion Online News

It might seem hard to believe, but today Albion Online marks six years since its official launch in 2017! The last twelve months have been truly momentous, with a new server added, record player numbers reached, and the gameworld further expanded and improved. While we celebrate this with a special event and Anniversary Sale, join us to take a glance back at the last year in Albion’s history!

[h3]One Year Ago: Albion's Fifth Anniversary[/h3]

We begin with a look back at the previous anniversary, which marked a huge milestone: five years since Albion Online’s official launch. The celebrations kicked off with the debut of a brand-new in-game event, Living Legacy, which saw statues of Albion's past season winners come to life and roam the open world.

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The festivities continued with a special Anniversary Stream where Albion's developers discussed creating the game, offered rare insights into early development builds, and gave a sneak peek at what the coming months and years might bring to the world of Albion.

[h3]Beyond the Veil[/h3]

In November, Albion's next major update, Beyond the Veil, went live. This brought mysterious and magical new realms to the game, foremost among them the Mists, a new land of danger and opportunity. The update also introduced the lost city of Brecilien, a whole new Fey Armor line, Pristine Resources, and numerous other features and improvements.



[h3]Year-End 2022 Honors[/h3]

2022 was wrapped up with Albion Online receiving the MassivelyOP "Best PvP" Award for the second year in a row, while also appearing on several best-of lists in 2022, including Rock Paper Shotgun's "30 Best Steam Deck Games" and MMORPG.GG's "18 Best Isometric MMOs".



[h3]Albion East[/h3]

2023 kicked off with the announcement of one of the biggest developments in Albion Online’s history: the launch of a second server based in Singapore, Albion East [https://albiononline.com/news/coming-to-asia]. This would offer a completely fresh version of the game which players would build from the ground up, along with massively improved ping for the Asia-Pacific region and game timers optimized for that region.

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Prior to the server’s full launch, a Closed Beta was held. This included a unique, three-week long Beta Guild Season, allowing players to experience an intense, condensed season with permanent rewards for the most successful. S I A M marked their place in Albion’s history by taking the crown for this season, before the new server opened its doors to everyone!



[h3]Record Player Numbers[/h3]

The launch of Albion East saw an unprecedented rush of players arrive, as they sought to progress their characters and guilds from humble beginnings and carve out their piece of Albion. The first two weeks of the server saw nearly two billion resources gathered, nearly three million PvP kills, and, sadly, 2,680,889 dead rabbits - numbers which increased even more rapidly as the weeks went on.



But most notably of all, the server launch saw Albion Online smash its all-time player record, with an astonishing 300,000 active users on April 2 across both servers! This eclipsed the previous record, set following the mobile launch, and confirmed that the new server was taking Albion to new levels of popularity and activity across the globe.

[h3]Knightfall[/h3]

While this astounding achievement took place, development of the game did not stop, and May brought with it the release of a major patch: Knightfall.

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This expanded on and improved the features from Beyond the Veil in significant ways, adding new layers of depth and gameplay opportunities. The Mists received new treasure objectives, along with a brand-new dungeon: the storied and atmospheric Knightfall Abbey. Brecilien saw the arrival of a trader, Eralia Wayfarer, offering never-before-seen wares to those with sufficient standing. And swift, magical Mystic Owl mounts could be raised from Owlets to transport players through the world.

[h3]Looking Ahead[/h3]

As Albion heads into its seventh year, anticipation is building for even more big developments over the coming months - including new Shapeshifter weapons, which will allow players to switch back and forth between Human and Shape forms with different abilities, bringing entirely new dynamics to combat in Albion.

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With this and more on the way, the next year shows no signs of slowing down. And of course, it is you, the players, who bring this world to life, and we’re eternally grateful for your continued enthusiasm and support for the game. The Living Legacy event is currently running, so you can mark this occasion in-game against sentient statues from Albion’s past to earn special rewards. And here’s a toast to you, the community, as we look ahead to another exciting year for Albion Online!

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With Albion’s sixth anniversary just around the corner, the celebrations continue apace. Decorations adorn the cities, adventurers enjoy some birthday cake, and the statues of Conquerors’ Hall are back out in the open world! For the next two weeks, you can fight these living monuments to Albion’s history in the Living Legacy event.

And to mark this special occasion, we’ve created a brand-new trailer:

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[h3]Rich Rewards[/h3]

In addition to last year’s enemies, this year's event also features statues from Seasons 16, 17, and 18 brought to life. All of these monuments to Albion’s victorious guilds can be found roaming around any Tier 5 or higher zone, carrying valuable loot like a Sixth Anniversary Riding Horse Skin, Anniversary Cake which grants a temporary Fame buff, a firework-firing Chromacannon, and much more. The statues come in three different sizes and strengths - and of course, the fiercer the foe, the greater the rewards. For full details, check out the patchnotes.



On top of these rewards, any character who logs into the game while the event is running will receive a special Sixth Anniversary Avatar and Avatar Ring to mark their participation. The Living Legacy runs until maintenance on July 26 on Albion East and July 27 on Albion West - so arm up, bring down these malevolent monuments, and earn your rewards!

[h3]Twitch Drops, Contests, and More[/h3]

For the duration of the event, we’ll also be running a special Twitch Drops campaign. This will run concurrently to our regular Twitch Drops campaign and have the same watchtime requirements, but will feature new Exclusive Chests as rewards. And to top it all off, we’ll also be hosting contests on our social media platforms - check this forum post for an overview of these.

Another year has passed, and Albion Online is turning six years old! Doesn’t time just fly? To mark the occasion, next week will see a double celebration: the return of the Living Legacy event, and a two-week vanity sale!

[h3]Murderous Monuments[/h3]
It feels like only yesterday that the statues of Conquerors’ Hall rose up and caused chaos in Albion’s open world. Well, once more there are signs of movement, and soon they will wake from their slumbers again in the Living Legacy event!

This event starts on July 12 at 23:00 UTC on Albion East, and July 13 at 10:00 UTC on Albion West and runs for two weeks. As was the case last year, monuments to the triumphant guilds of Albion's past will leave their seats in Conquerors’ Hall, roaming through Tier 5 or higher zones. And in addition to last year’s statues, this time there are three new faces, with the statues of Seasons 16, 17, and 18’s winners joining the party.



These statues come in three different levels of size and difficulty, and can drop vast riches to those capable of defeating them, such as a new Anniversary Mount Skin, Anniversary Cake (which grants a temporary Fame buff), the Chromacannon, and much more. But such hardened fighters won’t give up their loot easily, and you’ll have to prove your worthiness in combat against them to grab these rewards. Meanwhile, any character that logs into the game during the event will receive a brand-new Avatar and Avatar Ring.

The Living Legacy event will run until maintenance on July 26 on Albion East and July 27 on Albion West, so join the festivities when they begin next week and make sure you don’t miss out!

For those wondering what’s coming next for Albion Online, we’re excited to bring you a new Dev Talk - the first of a series showing off some new features we‘re currently working on and how they fit into our long-term plans. In the first of these videos, Game Director Robin Henkys introduces Shapeshifter Weapons, Albion’s next major weapon line.

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Prefer a written summary? Then read on...
[h3]What are Shapeshifter Weapons?[/h3]
These are staff weapons that will further expand Albion’s ‘you are what you wear’ system in exciting new ways:

• Players can transform into entirely different beings called Shapes
• Offers a new level of versatility as players can switch back and forth between human and Shape, with different capabilities

[h3]How do they work?[/h3]
Human Form

• In human form, Shapeshifters are masters of manipulating raw energy
• Inflicts damage, disrupts enemies or supports allies
• While using energy they build up “Shift” charges
• Shift charges can be used to transform into their weapon’s associated Shape

Shape Form

• Each weapon comes with a unique Shape, with its own set of abilities
• Abilities can be enhanced using previously collected Shift charges
• Shapeshifters are encouraged to continuously switch between forms to maximize their potential on the battlefield
• As each Shape comes with unique health and armor stats which replace human stats, players can play different roles during a fight

[h3]Looking Ahead[/h3]
This system allows for a vast array of build possibilities, under two broad strategies:

• Players can double down on their Shape’s strength by equipping matching gear when in human form…
• …or they can choose equipment which suits a different playstyle to their Shape, e.g. letting them switch from damage dealer to tank and vice versa

Shapeshifter Staffs will arrive with Albion’s next major content update. Beyond that, expanding and improving the ‘you are what you wear’ system is always a priority on our Roadmap.

Our next Dev Talk will explore an all-new open-world activity that complements the  Shapeshifter weapons. This activity will also introduce additional equipment choices and further enhance the range of options available for designing your builds.

Thanks for watching! 

It’s not all conquering territories and killing mobs, you know. While some swashbuckling adventurers spend their time slaying mobs and fighting over castles, some lead a slower-paced life, tending the land on Albion’s long summer days.

But these rural folk need companions too - and luckily there’s a friend they can rely on: Ol’ Betsy.

Yep, for the month of July this benign bovine is available when you refer a single friend! This brand-new skin turns your Transport Ox base mount into a classic dairy cow, with a big old bell dangling from her neck. Once unlocked, it can be used by any characters on that particular server (either Albion East or West).

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[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 July 31, so invite your friends and enjoy these rewards!