Avatar’s Update #423: Play Release 88 Now! New Quests! New Food & Fish Varieties! Fixes & More! Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!


Greetings Fellow Avatars!

So many changes, fixes, and improvements have happened in the game this round, Avatars! Loot improvements! New crafting recipes! New fish! Fixes, fixes, fixes! Head on into the game and experience it for yourself! For those wishing to participate in any community activities, upcoming one-time and recurring community events have been announced! Be sure to also review the Players Guide and Known Issues list for additional information on recent changes and upcoming fixes. Now, let’s see what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates


Release 88 Patch Notes!

Below are a list of updates that are live as of Release 88 in the game of Shroud of the Avatar! In our tick-tock development cycle, this is primarily an improvements and bug fixes month (a tick), with some new content coming your way for R89. This round has an AMAZING amount of changes! For new content, some new crafting recipes have been added that should give players many more things to gather, loot, craft, and sell between players. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 88!

Crafting, Decoration, Gear, & Consumable Changes:

  • Added 12 “Young” versions of the ultra rare trophy fish to the game and added them to the fishing loot tables. These young versions are still considerably rare but players will be able to fish these with far greater frequency comparatively to their ultra rare and full-size versions.These new versions can be placed as deco but do not scale nor have trophy data and will appear as 25% the size of the smallest trophy version. These can be processed at the at the butchering station using the same butchering recipes their larger versions use.Their addition to the game will allow for less ridiculous amounts of fillets needed if only the ultra rare versions continued exist without their young cousins. These young versions will still provide a large number of fillets in conjunction with the “feed the village” concept based upon the scarcity of the young fish, which typically vary between 1% and 3% catch rates (far more common that the ultra-rare versions that can be converted to trophies.)Mundane fish catches were reduced in frequency slightly to accommodate the addition of these fish, and trophy version fish chances were in no way changed. In Release 89 and 90, players can expect these young fish to be convertible to a small trophy, but size scaling is not a consideration. Future plans to provide Drying Rack and Fish Pile decorations are in the works!The 12 fish types receiving a new Young Fish variety are as follows:
    • Alligator Gar
    • Dunkleosteus
    • Ichthyosaurus
    • Marlin
    • Mosasaurus
    • Pike
    • Plesiosaurus
    • Sailfish
    • Shark
    • Sturgeon
    • Swordfish
    • Tarpon
  • Added 23 new food recipes to food recipe NPC merchants which focus upon use of underutilized ingredients. The food spreadsheet has been updated and will continue to be updated as food changes occur in the future.
  • As an example, the Broiled Mackerel recipe adjusted to only require 1 fillet with 4 meals created instead of 2 and 2. Other low rarity trophy fish recipes were also adjusted in similar ways to increase their food recipe’s output.
  • Added identifiers to the display names to every fish carcass to aid players in searching/filtering for fish in their inventories. Identifiers are either Lava Fish, Freshwater Fish, Saltwater Fish, or Fetid Water Fish. If just “Fish” was used as the identifier, then it can be fished in multiple water types. Also, the weights for each fish variant have been adjusted so that players can sort by relative weight and have SOME indication as to size comparisons, but these numbers are just estimates within the length ranges to provide SOME additional help with sorting. Future improvements could arrive at a later date in that regard.
  • Exceptionals received slight tweaks, and tech has been implemented so future recipes can be tagged as grandmaster recipes. More details to come!
  • Craftable belts have been added to the game!
  • The Epic Lead Gauntlets had worse stats than the legendary, which has now been fixed.
  • The Epic Quiver of Jealousy stats were worse than lower level versions. This has been fixed.
  • Edelmann bird bath is once again functional.
  • The Cowbell of Reaping will no longer show effects that are zero.
  • Pets once again work in basements!
  • Fish Masks now correctly disappear when a character uses a stealth ability.
  • The Round Heraldry Shield now correctly accepts dye
  • Fixed blue flame sconce and floor lamps so that they properly illuminate.
  • The Aether Orb can now be enchanted.
  • The Belt of Control has received an updated description in its tooltip.
  • Fixed the level of detail for the moon magic shrine.
  • Fixed a crafting and gathering error which appeared when the success chance was higher than 90%.
  • Fishing rods no longer disappear when hiding a helm or cloak.
  • The initial spawn points for the circling dragons have been improved. They should no longer initially spawn in the distance.
  • Animal spawner decorations such as the carrots or bowls no longer float in the air.
  • The Practice Dummy can now be placed as a Player-Owned Town decoration and “should” be usable by everyone even if the owner is not present.
  • Perennial Coast Dragon Mask eternal pattern can now be applied to helm slot items.
  • The new plumed helm pattern can now be applied to other helmets.
  • Updated the store entry name for Plumed Plate Helm to Ancient Xenossian Plumed Plate Helm
  • The inebriation effects from all alcohols was reduced to 15 seconds from 5 minutes due to player complaints of disorientation, but a generic red wine remains on NPC food merchants, and a generic ale was created and added for NPC food merchants that still retains the full 5 minute effect for those that wish to party it up.
  • Farmhouse Ale, which provides a dexterity bonus, was removed from NPC merchants and its name was changed to Satyr Spirits and added to Satyr Archer loot tables.
  • White Table Wine, which provides a spell critical bonus, was removed from NPC merchants and its name was changed to Kobold Spirits and added to Kobold caster loot tables.
  • 1 Year Whiskey, which provides agriculture bonuses, was removed from NPC merchants and its name was changed to Elven Brandy and added to all elf loot tables.
  • Trout has also been removed from NPC merchants like all other common fish. NPC fisherman and fish stall merchants now also sell 4 decorative fish.
  • The red and swirly decoration fish have been fixed and no longer appear sunken into the ground.
  • Mutton Stew has been removed from all NPC merchants and now is only available through crafting.
  • All 3 varieties of tavern, innkeeper and barmaid now sell the generic red wine, the generic ale, as well as the 7 bread type starter foods (which are used in several of the new cooking recipes as well as the bread ingredient).
  • Base Damage Resistance for Epic Plate Gauntlets adjusted to 5 from 2.
  • Large, Medium, and Small Ruins now accept decorations upon many surface areas.
  • The 5 paintings used for turn-in on the positive and negative virtue quest lines have been removed from merchants in anticipation of improved rewards for these quests.
  • Corrected the display name of Pristine Skeleton Rib Cage.
  • The Faerie Belt is now marked as Premium and Protect from Ransom since it is a store item.
  • Improved tooltip item description to all 6 public cache container types to indicate public cache permission settings on these items allow any player to take items from these containers.
  • Decorated Cupcake now shows on eating progress bar and on buff icon tooltip instead of Dyeable Cupcake.
  • Bass with Peppers now shows on eating progress bar and on buff icon tooltip instead of Sauteed Bass.
  • Salt Cured Obsidian Pork renamed to Salt Cured Obsidian Boar to match the name of the recipe.
  • Corrected Darkstarr Fried Oysters to use 3 flood slots instead of 1.
  • Obsidian Bacon Recipe is no longer teachable.
  • Salt Cured Obsidian Boar recipe has been added to cooking recipe merchants.

Player Economy & Loot Changes:

  • Deed limits for all NPC towns have been lifted. Previously players were limited to 3 lots in any non-Player-Owned Town per account, now players may settle anywhere as often as they like!
  • Wyvern Haunches have been lowered in gold value.
  • Many of the low tier purple wyverns at Wyvern’s Roost in the Well of Aldur have had their loot amounts reduced. High tier purple wyverns and all white wyverns remain unchanged.
  • The Troll Toenails daily quest starting in Tenebris Harbor now also rewards 3 servings of Kobold Spirits.
  • The Rune Bag daily quest in Yew now also rewards 3 servings of Elven Brandy.
  • The Thick Animal Hide daily in Highvale Outskirts now also rewards 3 servings of Satyr Spirits.
  • The Ghost Corpion now has a significant chance to drop a Common Focus Battery Artifact, and Ancient Essence, and a decent amount of Corpse Wax.
  • Drop chances for crocodile carcasses has been significantly increased on T5 versions.
  • Hemlock Borer now has lowered gold value, but now drops from T1 through T4 pine trees, and T8 and above nodes have increased drop chances for this item.
  • Emerald Ash Borers now have lowered gold value, but have been added to loot tables for T1 to T4 maple trees and increased drop rates from high tier maple trees.
  • Black Cutworm now has lowered gold value, but increased drop rates from Cotton Bushes, with higher drops present on high tier nodes. Beetle Carapace also now has an increased drop chance on high tier Cotton Bushes.
  • Significantly increased chances for Common Heart’s of Vrul to drop in Daemon loot tables.
  • Increased chances for Common, Uncommon, and even Rare drops of Anapa’s favor across the lich loot tables, with guaranteed chances for at least a common version on the Lich bosses such as the bosses in the Ruins of Ravensmoor.
  • The recipe and blueprint for “Transition Stone Dungeon to Ancient Stone” have been moved to the Bookseller vendor. Also the recipe for “Tomb Dungeon Entrance” has been moved to the bookseller. Now all dungeon recipes that can be purchased with gold from NPC Merchants should be available on the bookseller merchant.
  • Brown Cap Mushrooms and Cinammon Bark purchase prices from NPC merchants have been doubled. Possible removal from merchants will come with R89, likely accompanied by an increase in drop rates from their various loot sources.
  • 18 produce items used in recipes yet grown via agriculture have had their NPC Merchant prices doubled and sale to NPC Merchants prices halved. In R89, all 18 of these items will be removed entirely from NPC merchants to encourage more agriculture use.
  • Changed Artifact values to be 125, 500, 2000, 8000, and 16000 based upon being Common, Uncommon, Rare, Legendary, and Epic. Players will notice almost all Commons lowering in value significantly, and a good portion of Uncommons have dropped in value while others have increased in value. Lowered gold value of crafted artifact components as well, such as the rods and troll belt pieces, but increasing drop rates of these crafted artifact components was also implemented.
  • Adjustments were made to artifact rarity especially in regards to the Common tier of artifacts. Future balance for all artifacts will be occurring throughout the next 2 releases, which will include a variety of power reductions and power increases. These changes will be accompanied by additional work related to how exceptionals function in crafting, new crafting components based from artifact salvage, new crafting components that are purely crafted from base resources, potential adjustments to many crafting components, and potential adjustments to the bonuses provided by the creation of the purely crafted base item (such as the initial weapon or piece of armor). The changes to the artifact drop rates and locations are as follows:
    • Increased gem fragment drops on Envy Angel’s wisps, and add a slight chance for the Savage Sash of Swiftness to drop from them, and a larger chance for the common version of the Ring of the Deep Woods to drop.
    • The Common Pirate Tricorn Hat of the Cap’n now has a much improved drop rate on the pirate captain in Tartarus, with a small chance to drop an uncommon or rare instead.
    • Increased drop rates for the Envy Bow on Envy Angel. Also, she now has a much better chance to drop a common quiver, with a small chance for it to be an uncommon or rare version.
    • Added the Common Ring of the Frogkin as an additional reward for completing the repeatable Ecology Researcher quest.
    • Added Common Ring of Life as an additional reward to Hyun’s daily in Necropolis Barrens.
    • Added the Common Ring of Cat’s Grace to the daily quest in Ardoris (5 Paintings) with Caravaggios Wolf as an additional reward.
    • Added the following Common version artifacts to the 4 dailies in Lord British’s Castle: Ring of Jones, Belt of the Brutal Butcher, Belt of the Patient Harvester, and Ring of Chrysopoeia.
    • Added Common Necklace of Civility as an additional reward for completing the repeatable Pilgrim Untimely Demise quest.
    • Added Common Ring of Death to as an additional reward to the Arch Lapin Bones daily quest.
    • Added Common Belt of the Ox as an additional reward to the Tanglemire Missing Bones daily.
    • Added Common Ring of Water to water and ice elemental loot tables, with increased drop chances for higher tier mobs.
    • Common Daemon Trident has been added to Daemon loot tables. They now have a much larger chance to drop the common version of the trident, though an uncommon or rare version could drop instead at a much lower rate.
    • Common version of the Shield of the Wicked King has been added to all Cabalist loot tables, with a significant chance to drop.
    • Added Common Shard of Night as a slight drop chance in the 9 hidden chests in Hilt Fortress. Also added a common version of this artifact as an additional daily reward to Skarde’s runestone daily in Spindelskog.
    • Added Common Ancient Two-Handed Sword to loot tables of Kobold fighters, with higher tiers having improved drop rates.
    • The Spider Queen in Spectral Peaks now has a greatly increased chance to drop a Staff of Xen, with a Common, Uncommon, or Rare version being possible.
    • Added Common Two-Handed Mace of Unsummoning to Satyr fighter loot tables, will increasing chances with higher tiers. Also added this common version of the artifact to the “Repair the Spirit Wheel” daily in Tanglemire as an additional reward.
    • Added Common Crossbow of Accuracy to Kaiser’s dragon tooth daily in Ulfheim as an additional reward.
    • Added Common Shield of Attraction to loot tables of non-pirate skeleton warriors, with higher tiers having increased chances to drop. Also added this common artifact to daily rewards for turning in the siege encounter Arcane Catalysts daily.
    • Added Common Vexlyn’s Ember of Conflagaration as an additional rare drop amongst Cabalist loot.
    • Added Common Thunder Branch to Air Elemental loot tables, with higher tiers receiving increased chances.
    • Added chance for Common Wand of Undying Embers to drop from Xavara and T15 Fire Elementals.
    • Added Common Wand of Static Discharge to pirate caster loot tables, with higher tier receiving increased chances.
    • Added Common Sword of Speed to Ebon Dawn melee loot, with higher tiers having increased chances. Also, the repeatable Bounty quest available in roaming encounters now offers a common version of this artifact as an additional reward.
    • Added Common Cutlass of the Swashbuckler to higher tier melee pirates loot tables, with the higher tiers having improved chances. Also, the Broochash criminal-requested shakedown daily quest now provides the common cutlass as a daily reward.
    • Added Common Thimble of Evelyn to Elven Archer loot tables, with higher tiers having a greater chance. Also added this ring to the daily rewards for the Sven the Hunter/Animal Hide daily in Highvale Outskirts.
    • Added Common Ring of Sun to Phoenix loot tables to drop at a significant rate. Also, a Phoenix will now always drop 1-2 talons. Also, the drop rates for the Ankh of Wala on the Phoenix have been increased, and a small chance to receive an uncommon and rare instead have been added.
    • Added Common Maple Band to plant creature loot tables (primarily PvP zone creatures). Also added this ring to Reaper loot tables at a smaller chance. Also, 1 of these rings can be obtained daily by completing a daily quest in Yew where Pendro wants a Boundless Forest Rune Bag.
    • Added Common Pax Ring as a reward for the Tenebris Harbor Troll Toenail daily quest.
    • Added Common Ring of the Mouse to all Faun loot tables, with higher tiers having an increased chanced. Also, the daily quest in Ardoris (5 Paintings) with Stephanie Broadmeadow will award a Common Ring of the Mouse each day.
    • Increased drop rate of Common Ring of the Obsidian on tier 15 fire elemental bosses, now also with lesser chances for an uncommon or rare instead. Also, added a slight drop chance for this ring amongst the 9 hidden chests throughout Hilt Fortress.
    • Added Common Ring of the Moon to Shadow animal loot tables. Also added this ring to the daily rewards in Elder Bodil’s quest in Tanglemire which takes players to Spindelskog.
    • Added Common Ring of Life to Destructible Crate loot tables, and added one as an additional reward to Esmerelda’s tea leaf daily in Highvale Outskirts.
    • Common Ring of the Lich Kind added to loot tables for Lich casters, higher tiers having better chances. Most lich boss casters have a good chance for a common, with a slight chance for an uncommon. Corrected display names for the upgrade recipes for this ring.
    • Common Ring of the Gambler added to loot tables for all tiers of melee pirates with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Ring of Frogkin added to loot tables for all tiers of fungus creatures with increased drop rates on higher tiers. Green ones have a slightly elevated chance. The high tier ones in PvP zones have the best chance.
    • Common Ring of Fire added to loot tables for all tiers of Fire Elementals and Xavara with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Ring of Earth added to loot tables for all tiers of Sand, Earth, and Lava Elementals with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Ring of the Deep Woods added to loot tables for all tiers of Wisps.
    • Common Ring of Death added to loot tables for all tiers of Skeleton casters with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Ring of the Cuttlekin added to loot tables for all tiers of Barrel Mimic with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Ring of Jones added to loot tables for commoner corpses, barrels, and sacks.
    • Common Ring of Chrysopoeia added to loot tables of all tiers of Kobold Grenadier with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Ring of Cat’s Grace added to loot tables for all tiers of Clockwork Cats with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Ring of Brittle Brawn added to loot tables of all tiers of Obsidian Golems with increased drop rates on higher tiers. Also, additional Obsidian Chips now drop from Obsidian Golems.
    • Common Wayland’s Loop added to loot tables of all tiers of Kobold melee (non-brawlers) with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Ring of Air added to loot tables of all tiers of air elementals with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common and Rare Lavalliere of the Lagomorph has been added to the Death Bunny Loot table. Each kill will always provide 1 version of the artifact, with a small perccent chance the version will be uncommon or rare.
    • Common Focus Battery Necklace added to ghost loot tables, with increased chances given to higher tier ghosts. Also, T5 and above ghosts will drop increasingly additional amounts of Corpse Wax. Also, T5 and above ghosts now have a small chance to drop an ancient essence.
    • Common Necklace of Civility now has a small chance to drop in destructible crates and guard corpses. Also, the Adventure Level Buff has been removed and replaced with +50, +100, +150, +200, +250 health and focus for Common through Epic.
    • Common Necklace of Common Precision added to loot tables of all tiers of pirate archers with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Halberd of the Sun added to loot tables of all tiers of melee bandits (to include Red Sash), which are T5 and below. Any bandits using a Bandit Leader loot table receive a significantly higher chance to drop a the common as well.
    • Adventure scene mountain trolls can now drop Common versions of The Ring of an Unknown BMC Member at a significant rate, and the uncommon version will drop slightly more often.
    • Common and Uncommon Zombie Skin Belt drops more regularly from the high tier zombies such as the slow walking ones in Tartarus. Common Zombie Skin Belts now also have a slight chance to drop from all zombies. The Creepy Dolly now drops more regularly from zombie children.
    • Common Spider Silk Belt has 100% chance to drop from the Spider Queen in Spectral Peaks with small chances for an Uncommon or Rare. All other T15 spiders have a small chance to also drop the common Spider Silk Belt. Venom, Spider Silk, Eyes, Legs now have increased drop rates on high tier spiders.
    • Common Savage Sash of Swiftness added to low tier Wisp Loot tables to drop at slight chance. Increased chances for Savage Sash of Swiftness to drop from high tier Wisps in Tartarus.
    • Common Slipshod Shooter’s Sash added to loot tables of all tiers of Ebon Dawn Archers with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Sage’s Sash added to loot tables of all tiers of Elven casters with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Belt of the Patient Harvester added to loot tables of all tiers of Fauns with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Belt of the Ox added to loot tables of all tiers of Kobold Brawler with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Belt of the Brutal Butcher added to loot tables of all tiers of Barbarian Archers with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Gauntlets of Lead added to loot tables of all tiers of Satyr Warriors with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Supple Gloves of Riding added to loot tables of all tiers of Nightmares and Unicorns with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Spurred Boots added to loot tables of all tiers of Nightmares and Unicorns with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Common Ring of Wisdom added to loot tables of all tiers of Satyr casters with increased drop rates on higher tiers.
    • Ringmaster’s Vest removed from the single Lich Archer loot table it was available in, and added to the loot tables of all Destroyer animals at a larger drop rate.
    • Added all rod pieces for Staff of Death to all Lich caster loot tables, with varying chance based upon tier of Lich. Rod 1 was removed from Daemon loot tables. Rod pieces also drop from 3 varieties of supply bundles (Yellow, Blue, Orange), which have not been adjusted.
    • Glowing Belt Buckle and Strip of Thick Troll Skin removed from Reaper loot tables, added to all troll loot tables at various drops rates depending upon the tier of the troll.
    • Added all rod pieces for Staff of Anarchy to Daemon loot tables. Rod 1 was already available on T15 Daemons, which has received an increased drop rate in line with the other additions. Rod pieces also drop from 3 varieties of supply bundles (Yellow, Blue, Orange), which have not been adjusted.

Combat, Skills & Balance Changes:

  • The formula for calculating melee damage has been changed to use a bit more skill and stats for the calculation and a bit less weapon damage.
  • Savage Sonata has had it’s critical hit effects tuned down. All bard skills are at 100% experience return on unlearning.
  • Backing our the focus regen changes for shield of air for now
  • Ring of fire cast time has increased by 0.5 seconds
  • Fireball cast time has increased by 0.5 seconds
  • Base focus cost increased from 12 to 15 for multishot
  • Shield of Air adjustment to reduce dex effect. Previously the calculation was based on Skill Level + dex/5. This is now based on Skill Level + dex/6. Shield of air will get a major refactor in R89
  • Damage in PVP is now on a slight curve. Hits up to 50 points will do slightly more than previous releases and hits over 50 will do slightly less.
  • The math for how much focus a skill costs based on skill level and effect has been increased slightly. This will only be noticeable in the 100+ range
  • The bonus from Fire Proof and Blue Blooded have been doubled
  • The speed at which free attacks charge has been made slightly faster but the extra damage each tick adds has been decreased slightly. The expected result is roughly the same DPS but with a lower max hit.
  • All Ranged Combat, Fire Magic, Bard, Air Magic skills allow for 100% XP return during the month of Release 88.
  • Combat movement speed has been reduced slightly.
  • Atonal Aria, Ice Field, Immolation, and Ring of Fire can no longer critically hit on the first tick of their damage-over-time effect.
  • Psalm of Stagnation now uses the correct icon.
  • Psalm of Stagnation no longer has a chance to fizzle.

World, Quests, and Miscellaneous Changes:

  • The oceans and lakes of Novia are no longer Green. By player request, we’ll work on decorations for governors to place to let them change their water color. We’re behind on providing the weather changing decorations for Player-Owned Towns, but those should hopefully arrive in R89.
  • Owlshead: NPC’s have been moved away from player lots so they harass players less while their at home.
  • Fall damage has been adjusted to be far more forgiving especially for new players.
  • Level of Detail for the Lord British throne has been adjusted so it doesn’t vanish at an inappropriate distance.
  • A large number of the log errors in towns have been fixed to help improve performance and stability.
  • A version of dungeon stairs now has the proper material applied.
  • Collision on stairs in the Lost Vale have been fixed.
  • The leaderboards have been fixed again!
  • With the introduction of ambient sound effect decorations, the Crown Store is now capable of providing audio previews of these items.
  • Hidden Vale: Removed access to POT The Fields of Misery from old location near West Ravenswood.
  • Fixed a stuck spot in The Crags.
  • Norgard Fens: Fixed an issue where a tree was floating above the ground.
  • Lost Vale: Adjusted the collision for stairs near the center of the scene.
  • Mysterious Swamp: Fixed an issue where the tier marker ribbons weren’t attached to the spikes.
  • Sequanna Colossus: Corrected oversized and undersized ore nodes.
  • Taenby Landing and all PRTs: Added discoverable entrances for all PRTs.
  • Spite: Added a daily repeatable quest that allows players to turn in the “Burial Coffin” item for 3 Elixirs of Potency, a new unique potion only offered in this questline which provide 5% increased consumable effects.
  • Necropolis Barrens: As a daily “quest,” Davropos the master trainer will request a dead body from experienced avatars or those who already have a dead body in their inventory. This quest provides 3 Elixirs of Longevity, a new unique potion only offered in this questline which provides 15% increased consumable duration.
  • Blood River Outskirts: Updated text in the “Deliver Evidence to Bearfield” and “Give Phineas the Warrant” (formerly “Serve the Warrant”) journal entries.
  • Solace Bridge Outskirts: Updated some of Kinsey’s responses to better account for her giving players the “Caregiver” title. Added a couple of climbable vines along the river.
  • Solace Bridge Outskirts: Update the method by which the “Kinsey Needs Your Help” task auto-archives if the task remains lingering after completing.
  • Ardoris: Fixed an issue with Damai’s responses that was causing a build error.
  • Norgard Fens: Adjusted a rock to remove a stuck spot.
  • Northwest Blackblade Mountains: Removed collision from the dangling “glow worms” prop and re-generated the path grid.
  • Ardoris: Fixed a typo in Damai’s respones.
  • Music: Added additional background music selections to several scenes.
  • Solace Bridge Outskirts: Adjusted one of the exit archways to avoid blocking players who were trying to exit from some directions.
  • Malice: Added safeguards in Malice to prevent players within the wrong quest stage from advancing prematurely and blocking their progress in the main storylines.
  • Highvale Outskirts: Reduced the size of Phineas Drumplemouth’s walking path to be closer to his tent. Updated his early “hello” response to mention the “help” and “elf” keywords.
  • Battle of Highvale: Added a safety feature to help ensure the “Find Word of Nena’s Charges” task archives even if the task lingers after completion.
  • Soltown: Added a “safety” fix to Edwin’s “hello” response to help remove the “Create a Leather Helm” task if it lingers after completion.
  • Seasonal Monsters: Envy Angel has been deactivated (in Necropolis Barrens) while the Arch Lapin has been activated (in Spectral Mines).
  • Owl’s Head: Updated Myra’s special responses that occur if you badmouth her fish to better auto-archive the tasks related to her brother.
  • Tanglemire: Fixed an issue where the “Deliver Wildflower” compass marker wasn’t appearing at Frida at the correct stage of the related quest.
  • Soltown: Improved how Edwin the Tanner manages his crafting tutorial tasks.
  • Well of Aldur: Moved 3 floating Aldurite Crystal formations to ground level. Updated the ambient wind sound effects.
  • Tanglemire: Fixed an issue where some watery areas were too deep; all “shallow water” areas now share a consistent depth.
  • Ruins of Ravensmoor: Updated the recommended tier for the “Find Roedberk’s Sarcophagus” task from 8 to 10.
  • Ulfheim: Made adjustments to allow wave battles to reset when they aren’t engaged with any players
  • Well of Aldur: Improved the safety feature for the “Get Professor Another Amulet” and “Deliver Amulets to Aeronaut?” tasks to help them auto-archive when appropriate.
  • Elysium Mines: Adjusted a wooden barricade to allow players to walk through its large hole. Also, blocked a stuck-spot to one side of that barricade.
  • Verdantis Mines: Fixed an issue with a silver ore node that couldn’t be mined.
  • Daily Quest Rewards: Internal adjustment of daily quests has been implemented to make future work on these quest rewards more efficient.
  • Lamech’s Bazaar: Fixed an issue where the difficulty teleporter wagon wouldn’t always display the alternate difficulty versions of the scene.
  • Well of Aldur: Moved a treasure chest that was sunk into the ground to ground level.
  • Sequanna Colossus: Fixed the collision on the statue of Sequanna and NPCs should no longer walk through its base.
  • Ardoris: Fixed a typo in the journal for the shady art dealer.
  • South Boundless Forest: Fixed a data mismatch which had Visna’s barks referring to herself as “himself.”
  • Well of Aldur: Fixed an issue where the “Te amo in aeternum” amulet of testimony was linked to the incorrect content.
  • Soltown: Added Hee-Jin Jun, a player vendor NPC, to the center of town.
  • Initial updates to Brittany Graveyard has been implemented to create a Player Memorial Cemetery, with more updates to follow.
  • Bug Brigade in-game titles have been adjusted for syntax.
  • North Midmaer Way: An unreachable copper node has been fixed.
  • Added and assigned a unique load screen to the Episode 2 Lord British’s Castle scene.
  • Created a Crown Store sub-category for dungeon (adventure design) tagged store items in Recently Added so any new items with the Dungeon parent tag will show up in Recently Added as appropriate, such as the new sound effect player dungeon items.
  • Added a note in each store entry for circling dragons to indicate they do not effectively function in cavern style Player-Owned Towns due to the altitude of flight.
  • Lowered prices of the Ornate Public Cache Chest, the Resurrection Ankh, and the Resurrection Chaos items in the crown store.
  • Added War Dance Emote to Crown Store Vault rotation.
  • All dye store descriptions were updated to remove unnecessary verbiage from the web store transfer, and an explanation of how dyes function was added.

Player-Owned Town Changes:

  • POT Silverdale Estates: Renamed from Obsidian Market and biome changed to Grassland 01a from Forest 01c.
  • POT Haven Ridge: Upgraded to Town from Crossroads Village.
  • POT Lightbringer Isle: Upgraded to a Megalopolis.
  • POT Victory Peaks: Added new Hamlet to Mistrendur, in the southeastern mountains of the western island.
  • POT Freyr’s Town: Added new hamlet southeast of Brittany.
  • POT Ironhall: Upgraded to Town from Crossroads Village.
  • POT The Fields of Misery: Upgraded to City from Village. Moved to south shore of Hidden Vale, near Ravensmoor.


Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

The weekly Community Livestream is Friday, March 26th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris “Atos” Spears and other members of the development team for a community 1-hour livestream!

To enter the prize drawings, type “spring has sprung” into any in-game chat channel OR make a purchase on the website Add-On store. Please submit questions into Twitch Chat by inserting !question at the beginning of your text. Watch on Twitch, Friday at 4 PM CT!

Atos and other members of the Shroud of the Avatar development team go live very frequently on twitch.tv/shroudoftheavatar — be sure to get these channels on follow for notifications so you can join us right as we go live! Also, if you’ve missed our latest streams, check out our archive of content at our YouTube Channel. Like! Follow! Subscribe! Prizes!!!




Don’t forget to also join the Shroud of the Avatar team and community over at all our social media venues:


Support the Family of CatherineRose!

Avatars! CatherineRose, a beloved member of our community, is going through troubling challenges as one of her family members is battling cancer. If you are able to, please lend their family support during these trying times. Even if you are not able to provide monetary assistance, providing well-wishes, thoughts, and prayers go a long way towards helping a family through such hardships.

An auction run by the Aerie Fund is underway! Interested players can bid upon a Lord of the Isle Bundle in this forum thread. For more information about the auction fundraiser, please also see this thread. All proceeds will go towards the GoFundMe fundraiser supporting Wendy Barry’s fight with cancer.

Also, Thradia with The Avatar Express, has posted information on the forums about portions of this fundraiser. Please see this forum thread for more details.


New Store Additions: Shogun Armor, Pink Dyes, Ambient Sounds, & Holiday Items!

Many new store items are coming your way in the month ahead! Keep an eye out each week as the following items become available in the Crown Store. Available today on March 25th, this amazing dyeable Shogun armor set with matching dyeable helms sold separately:

  • Shogun Armor Set
  • Shogun Armor Helm
  • Shogun Armor Helm with Mask
  • Shogun Armor Helm with Mask and Crescent Crest
  • Shogun Armor Helm with Mask and Horns
  • Shogun Armor Helm with Mask and Pronged Crest

Becoming available on April 2nd, a giant rabbit animal spawner and a variety of pink dyes:

  • Animal Spawner, Giant Brown Rabbit
  • Magical Pink Glowing Pulse Dye 12-Pack
  • Magical Pink Sparkle Dye 12-Pack

Becoming available on April 9th, these ambient sound items which can only be placed in a basement or dungeon:

  • Ambient Sound 3-Pack: Clock Ticking 1
  • Ambient Sound 3-Pack: Clock Ticking 2

Becoming available on April 16th, the “Dead Body, Elf Male 1” decoration which functions as a Public Cache Container:

Becoming available on April 23rd, the Sparse Cherry Blossom Pavers set:

The Spring Equinox celebration has arrived, and some St. Patrick’s Day items still have a chance to appear in the Vault! The rare spring items will remain on the store from March 26th until May 3rd and will appear in the Vault or in the Spring Equinox section of the store! All 3 St. Patrick’s Day items could appear in the Vault anytime between now and April 30th!

  • Bunny Ears & Slippers Set
  • Decorative Dyeable Egg Pack
  • Flower Crown
  • Flower Emote
  • Flowerleap Emote
  • Lepus Mask 2017
  • Lepus Mask 2018
  • Rabbit Tailed Bodice Ensemble
  • Replenishing Confetti Eggs Basket 2016
  • Replenishing Confetti Eggs Basket 2017
  • Replenishing Confetti Eggs Basket 2018
  • Replenishing Confetti Eggs Basket 2019
  • Silver & Gold Lepus Mask
  • Spring Fountain w/ Floating Candles
  • White Lepus Mask
  • Leprechaun Hat
  • Pot o’ Gold
  • Garden Leprechaun

With the recent changes to the frequency of update publications, we will no longer be providing details each week about what’s arrived in the Crown Store Vault, but we have prepared a forum post showing all possible items which could appear throughout the year!


April Login Reward: Magical Pink Glowing Dye 12-Pack!

Don’t miss out! Log in during the month of April, and you’ll receive a Magical Glowing Pink Dye 12-Pack! With other pink dyes becoming available during April, what better way to show dress for Spring-time festivities than to sport some vibrant pink clothing!


Release 88 Rewards Program Login Items: Ancient Xenossian Chest Armor, Cherry Blossom Pavers, Cherry Blossom Dress!

Avatars! Rewards Program login items for Release 88 are simply fantastic this round — you don’t want to miss out on these! Reward Program members must login during Release 88 to receive these login items:

  • Ancient Xenossian Plate Chest Armor
  • Cherry Blossom Pavers
  • Cherry Blossom Dress

The Shroud of the Avatar Rewards Program lets you earn the best rate on purchasing Crowns, AND receive monthly reward items! For the low price of $9 USD per month you will receive the following:

  • 900 Crowns of the Obsidians every month
  • Monthly Login Reward Items (about 3 per month)
  • Exclusive Title every 3 months
    • 3 Months: Keeper of the Faith
    • 6 Months: Keeper of the Word
    • 9 Months: Keeper of the Vow
    • 12 Months: Keeper of the Flame
    • 15 Months: Keeper of the Oath
    • 18 Months: Keeper of the Pledge
  • Pick any Dye 12-Pack every 6 months
  • Pick any three of the 7 Obsidian Potions every month, including:
    • Potion of Capacity: Increases carrying capacity
    • Potion of Conservation: Reduces reagent use chance
    • Potion of Expedience: Swift gathering on all gathering skills
    • Potion of Precision: Increases Meticulous Collection to all gathering skills
    • Potion of Preservation: Reduces armor and weapon damage
    • Potion of Reclamation: Increases Salvage and Repair to all production skills


Updates to the Streamer Rewards Program!

Several months ago, a program was proposed for the Streamers of Shroud of the Avatar. The ultimate goal being to showcase Shroud of the Avatar while giving SotA streamers a reward for their efforts. The program is currently in Phase I, with Phase II technology currently being discussed and worked internally. So, let’s talk Phase I!

Phase I:
Streamers who wish to be included in the Streamer Program must contact Laney via in-game mail or in a private message on the forums with their Character Name and Twitch Channel information. If you have already signed up for the program in the past, fear not, you’re on the list, and you don’t need to reapply.

  • Streaming Rewards Program participants must adhere to our Terms of Service (TOS) and Community Rules while Streaming Shroud of the Avatar.
  • Streaming Rewards Program participants must stream at least 10 hours of Shroud of the Avatar ACTIVE game play to remain in the program with reward accrual.

Streamers will receive a one-time digital reward of in-game items after meeting the program’s requirements: Streamer’s Cloak, Streamer’s Camera, and a brand-new LIVESTREAMING title. Future incremental rewards will occur at 6-month intervals. (More information to come).

Rules:

  • To qualify for Streamer Rewards, each streamer must continue to meet the minimum requirements for 60 days after application.
  • To accrue additional rewards, Streamers must stream SotA a minimum of 10 hours per month, tallied on the 1st day of each month, to remain in the program.
  • Streamers must be actively playing the game during their streams. Being away from the keyboard (AFK) for short periods is acceptable. If Twitch indicates the streamer is playing SotA but they are streaming other content or a timeout/login screen, they risk being removed from the program.

Items of Note:

  • SotAbot: Streamers in the program will be included in the SotAbot StreamPop function, appearing in the player-streaming channel in Discord.
  • Graphics & Overlays: An optional “Streamers Kit” is available to the participating streamers as well as all players of Shroud of the Avatar, which includes graphics, overlays and other material.

Watch the forums for more information, coming soon, regarding Titles, future rewards and for info on Phase II of the program. We love our Streamers, so get out to Twitch and follow them, watch them, and support them!


Bug Brigade & Testing Directives!

The Bug Brigade was established to improve how the community and the development team work together to improve the game. Since the Brigade’s inception, the program has gone through a number of changes and was eventually placed on hold. The stability of the game is as important to the development team as it is to the players, therefore the program was revamped and was recently relaunched.

The Brigade has been up and running for two months now, and the volunteers are getting into a good rhythm for verifying and submitting bugs to the developers. If you have reported a bug that has not yet been addressed, please be patient while the backlog is being worked. The Brigade is working diligently to cleanup the backlog of bug reports posted by players on the forums.

As was recently announced on a Twitter post by Chris “Atos” Spears, the upcoming development time for Release 84 will be primarily spent working many of the verified bugs which have been submitted to the team by the Bug Brigade. This focused effort on bug fixes would not be possible without the recent efforts of the Bug Brigade. Please take the time to thank these bug hunting aficionados when you encounter them in your travels!

In turn, the development team would like to express a big thank you to the Bug Hunters! These community members are doing a fantastic job bringing so many bug reports to the team, and they’re doing it in a way which makes the process smooth and efficient. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Already, much improvement has been noticed by the development team, and we’re so very excited to see the program successfully back in action!

The development team would also like to thank all of those who took time out to participate in the QA Testing Directive for the upcoming Mount System. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, many issues and bugs were identified and fixed prior to the system going to the Live Server! Keep up the great work! For those that wish to participate in future bug hunting endeavors, please check the forums regularly for upcoming QA Testing Directives.

Also, the Bug Brigade would like to welcome its newest Bug Moderator, Echondas! Please congratulate him the next time you see him in-game or on the forums. This new member expands the Bug Moderator team to: Alley Oop, Echondas, and Justyn. Thank you Moderators! Your efforts are highly valued by the development team!

Don’t forget, the Bug Brigade is open to all players in good standing, and the bug rewards are back! And they are SWEET! They will be awarded on a monthly progression basis with only minimal requirements to qualify. The available rewards to receive in progression via qualifying participation are as follows:

  1. Antennae Head Gear and Forum Title 1: “Bug Hunter”
  2. Single Ant Cloak
  3. Lady Bug Backpack
  4. Bug Painting A and In-Game Title 2: “Associate of Aphids”
  5. Ant Farm
  6. Insect Leg Table
  7. Many Ants Cloak and In-Game Title 3: “Bachelor of Beetles”
  8. Bug Painting B
  9. Bug Sprayer
  10. Bug Painting C and In-Game Title 4: “Master of Moths”
  11. Butterfly Chair
  12. Corpion Chair (Pictured Below)
  13. Yellow Fireflies VFX and In-Game Title 5: “Doctor of Dragonflies”
  14. Hacked Oracle Flyer
  15. Giant Blue Butterfly Pet
  16. Butterfly Mask
  17. Dragonfly pet
  18. Fairy Wings
  19. Monarch Butterfly Pet
  20. Dragonfly Wings
  21. Hacked Oracle Crawler
  22. Blue Butterfly VFX
  23. Orange Fireflies VFX
  24. Orange Butterfly VFX

If you’ve come to think of Shroud of the Avatar as your home, signup and help make New Britannia a better place to live! To learn more about joining the Bug Brigade, please read the announcement thread by Ravolox in the main Bug/Feedback forums.


Upcoming Release Dates

Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events page for spotlighted events plus links to various areas to post or find events on our forums. The upcoming 2021 Release Schedule is as follows:

  • Release 89 (Content) – Apr 29
  • Release 90 (Polish) – May 27
  • Release 91 (Content) – Jun 24


Community Updates & Resources

Greetings event holders and event attendees! So many fun and exciting events are available in the upcoming weeks. Be sure to get out there and participate, make some new friends, perhaps make some great emote, recipe, or gear trades, or get some adventuring and role-playing into your mix! Here are spotlighted events or updated community resources that we’ve noticed popping up lately on the official forums:

Catnip Games Contests:

  • Catnip Games Monthly Fishing Tourney: Greetings Anglers! The monthly Catnip Games Fishing Tourney is live! Join in on the fun! SO many prizes available for the anglers of New Britannia!
  • Catnip Games Monthly Screenshot/Video Contest: Avatars! For those of you skilled with the camera or screenshot key binding, a monthly screenshot and video contest is underway which features a large number of valuable prizes. The focus will be for players to submit creative or informative screenshots and videos of content introduced to the game during the latest 3 monthly releases.
  • Catnip Games Monthly Treasure Hunting Contest: Want to go hunting for rare items? Want to see if you can beat other players in this quest for treasure? Well join in on the monthly treasure hunting contest, Avatars!

Special Announcements:

One-Time Events:

  • Mysteria Fishing Contest: Join the governor, stewards, and residents of Mysteria for a fishing contest on March 26th through April 30th! Lots of great prizes and fun!
  • Avatar Express Spotlight – Ironhall: Head on over to The Avatar Express to check out the latest town spotlight for Ironhall! Such a fantastic town and a fantastic read!
  • Avatar Express Spotlight – Phoenix Haven: Don’t miss out on reading a recent and insightful spotlight for the wonderful Player-Owned Town of Phoenix Haven. Thank you Thradia and the journalists of The Avatar Express!
  • Recent Beat of Novia Episode: If you missed her latest streams, check out Alleine Dragonfyre’s latest “Beat of Novia “episode!

Recurring Events:

  • Combat & Crafting Sunday School: Head on over to Immortal City every Sunday from 7PM to 9PM CT to learn the tricks of the trade in combat and crafting!
  • 500 Crown Fishy Prize: If you’re ever worried there isn’t an active fishing contest going on, well worry no longer! Sonja Solar and friends are running a continuous fishing contest in Brittany Fort “Now and Forever for All Eternity” which has wonderful prizes and objectives. Be sure to watch the video indicated in the “bagged” link provided to see the full explanation of the contest rules.
  • Islands of Wonders Monthly Fishing Contest: Don’t miss out on more prizes with this monthly fishing contest in Isle of Wonders! Good luck, Anglers!
  • RHEC Traveling Pop Up Fishing Contest: Keep an eye out in universe and trade chat this weekend! Asmodi M’hul will be announcing at least one pop up fishing contest for those anglers out there anxious for extra prizes and fun! Don’t miss out!
  • Lightbringer Isle Auction: Ladies and gentlemen! The Citizens of Lightbringer Isle welcome you to the weekly auctions! The auctions are about bringing together people from all corners of the community, with the Lightbringer Isle’s market being the perfect place to do so! Join us every Sunday at 2PM CT!

New Fan Fiction:

  • Dying for a Drink: Womby is back, Avatars! And his quill is in hand and already hitting the parchment. Please take some time to enjoy the first post in his new thread in the Library forums.
  • Horror Stories 2: Asclepius has done it YET again, Avatars! The DJ extraordinaire has created another amazing oration of Shroud of the Avatar fan fiction, this time the second chapter of a work written by Fetid SirDidy. Check this out as well as other fantastical orations at TheCaverns.Net!
  • SotA Horror Fiction, The Home on Spectral Peaks: Fetid SirDidy already has another chapter available for the SotA Horror Fiction saga. Check out his latest!
  • Black Rose Chronicles 13: Another fan fiction oration is available from TheCaverns.Net! This piece has been narrated by Joline Sedai! Please take some time to thank Belladonna Rose and the Echoes from the Caverns team for this fantastic community endeavor. Check this out as well as other fantastical orations at TheCaverns.Net!
  • The Ebon Viper – Book II: Blaquerogue has shared another chapter of Ebon Viper’s fictional journey throughout New Britannia. Give it a read and Blaquerogue a thank you for sharing another great literary work!

New Community Resources:

  • Dragon Slayer Leaderboard: Tirrag has created a fun website that tracks the players with the most kills for dragons! Be sure to give him a thank you for his hard work, and head on over to see the current dragon slayer leaders!
  • SotA Event Calendar: Event participants, take heed! Thoryk Omara has done a wondrous job creating a community event calendar which is available to all players of Shroud of the Avatar. Please make an effort to support this new calendar. The more resources players have at their disposable for event notifications, the better!
  • SOTAPrices.com: Join Shawn in his latest endeavor to create a price hunting application and website for Shroud of the Avatar merchants and shoppers!

Here are some fantastic resources for tracking down community events or posting your own events. Become involved! Create! Explore! Make friends! But most of all, have fun!

  • One-Time Community Events Forum: Sometimes events happen only a single time, so you’ll not want to miss out on these events as they occur. Check out the forums routinely to spot these!
  • Recurring Community Events Forum: Some events occur on weekly or monthly schedules which are a great way to routinely meet up with friends and to make new ones. Be sure to check this forum frequently for new events or time changes to existing ones.
  • Player Radio Station Forum: If you want to check out the latest and greatest from our in-game radio stations, go to the radio stations forum! If you’re a DJ, be sure to advertise your time slot and venue in this forum.
  • Player Livestreams & Videos Forum: If you’re searching for a Shroud Streamer to watch, head on over to the streamer forum! If you are a live streamer for Shroud of the Avatar, be sure to advertise your Shroud stream by posting in this forum.
  • Town Directory Forum: Want to find a town to live in or get your town listed in the directory, head over to the forums and check it out!
  • Guild Directory Forum: Looking for a guild or want to get yours posted in the guild directory? Head on over to the forums and check it out!
  • Fire Lotus Tavern: This wondrous role-playing and story writing forum is the spot to be if you love fan fiction and role-play.
  • Community Resources:  Looking for links to community and official resources for Shroud of the Avatar? Well look no further. On this page you’ll find links to a plethora of helpful resources created by the dev team or the community.

SO many options to stay tuned-in with fellow community members. Please take advantage of all these wonderful options. Happy adventures, Avatars!


Project to Support: Amanita’s Adventures

Comic lovers of New Britannia! Rosemary Price has published a variety of Shroud of the Avatar themed comics which are available on Amazon! These highly entertaining works are a must have for any collector. So far, 5 comics are listed as available for digital download:

  • Amanita’s Adventures: The Pig
  • Amanita’s Adventures: Sword of Oliver
  • Amanita’s Adventures: Steve
  • Amanita’s Adventures: Red Ruby
  • Amanita’s Adventures: Billy

Please give Rosemary a.k.a. Amanita Phalloides a big show of appreciation for her hard work and dedication to the community. Happy reading, Avatars!


Project to Support: Shard RPG

Shard Studios invites you to enter the fantastic world Dárdünah, the vast shard of a shattered realm, as presented in the colorful pages of the SHARD RPG! Many years in the making, this system allows players to choose from a wide variety of animal people who are the main cast of the many adventures this otherworldly setting offers. Skyships glide through shimmering clouds past majestic crystal peaks. Giant insects prowl alien jungles or lurk in the sparkling emerald seas. Warriors with blades of diamond and amber duel across crimson sands. And mystics chant in shadowy chambers as their spirits wander abroad.

  • Intro Sheet: For a quick glimpse into the world of Dárdünah, be sure to download the intro pdf! It’s packed with great information and features beautiful artwork, not unlike the artwork found throughout the many pages of this gaming system’s gorgeously designed manuals.
  • Core System Manuals: It’s easier than ever to delve into Dárdünah, World of the False Dawn, with the Core Books Bundle! If you’ve never had the opportunity to experience this unique gaming system and setting, now’s your chance! This bundle includes two beautifully illustrated, full-color, hardcover books: the original Basic Compendium and the Magic and Martial Arts book! They contain everything you need to begin your adventures, and include instructions for the ritual magic and martial arts combat systems. These manuals also include 90 new Animal Templates upon which to base your character!
  • Other Shard RPG Products: So many more manuals and gaming materials are available! Everything an avid tabletop role-player and game master needs to delve into the world of Dárdünah!

So if you’re ready to experience a gaming world like no other, check out what Shard Studios has created for tabletop role-players on the Shard RPG official website! You’ll most certainly be immersed and amazed by the offerings of the Shard RPG!


Project to Support: Shadow of Valhalla

Shadow of Valhalla is a visceral physics-based VR combat game with dynamic RPG elements, set within an ancient realm of Viking lore and mystic powers! Early Access beta includes “endless horde mode” featuring a variety of enemies with progressive difficulty. Also, players can discover many magic spells to unlock! So much more is coming!

Finn Staber with Chicken Waffle, will join the Shroud of the Avatar team on Twitch during their Friday the 28th livestream to showoff this new Early Access game! Also, here is a teaser video on YouTube:


The development team is working hard to create additional environments and new quests! Shadow of Valhalla is available on Steam as Early Access. Additional features coming to the game:

  • More Enemies!
  • More Environments!
  • More Magic Spells!
  • RPG Quests!
  • Weapon Forging and Crafting!
  • Much, much more!

If you would like to learn more about Shadow of Valhalla, be sure to stop by the main webpage for the game as more news becomes available!


Project to Support: Dragon Fight

Darkstarr has also been hard at work with the team for Dragon Fight VR which recently went live on Steam! Dragon Fight VR is an internal experiment to capture the “essence” of a dragon fight, the classic penultimate experience of every fantasy story. We wanted to create a short visceral, realistic experience stripped of user interface, lobbies, scores, levels, and other visual intrusions that might distract. There were some key elements of fighting a dragon that we wanted to capture and we felt VR was uniquely qualified to convey:

  • Face to face with a large scale hostile creature trying to kill you
  • Using a sword and a shield
  • Fire!
  • Nowhere to run!

This started out as an internal experiment to learn some things about VR’s capabilities, be reductionist in our designs, etc. We felt that the experiment was successful enough to release as a free experience to share. Enjoy! Available for free on Steam!


Project to Support: Avatar Express

[Forum post by Vladamir Begemot]

I’m pleased to report that The Avatar Express is clacking away furiously. News is being delivered and we have established systems to deliver it directly to your brain. You can use one of those systems by following us on Twitter at @avatar_express. Even more reliable due to its fully automated nature is joining us on the Discord server. News items are posted there via RSS. Or you can subscribe to RSS directly on the site.

If you run an event, quests, etc, please consider helping out by self reporting. The Shroud community is big, and many things are happening that are never seen by others. With 10k monthly users, we would need a full time staff to track down everything that is happening.

You can fill out the contributor form, message @that_shawn_guy here or post in the Discord server that you would like to help. There is no commitment once signed up, you can post as much or little as you like.

Writing up your own events has several benefits beyond the immediate exposure. It serves as a record for others to see the history of New Britannia as we create it, in an attractive format. Publishing in the Express also has a higher chance than the forums of being seen by search engines and random readers, thus bringing more eyeballs and new players to the game.

It will even make posting in the forums easier! You can upload images to your news item, and then link to those images in your forum post. No more need for 3rd party image hosts!

So if you have something going on in your guild or town, or want to be a Reporter, Cartographer or Historian, please join us!


Resources: Players Helping Players

SotA_NewPlayerWelcome_Forum

The official SotA New Player Welcome Forum and the Player Created Resources Forum have the best player created resources for Shroud of the Avatar, whether it’s a Player Written Guide, a Video Walk-through, or a Wiki-type Website.

Visit the official Community Resources page for a complete listing of all things community.



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