Updates

Avatar’s Update #377: Developer Run In-Game Events Coming! Latest News and Q&A Friday Livestream!

April 17, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates

Developer Run In-Game Events Coming!

The time for battle draws near, Avatars! Don thine armor and ready thine weaponry, or strip down bare so thine armor and thine weaponry not be looted by thine enemy! Objective-based developer run PvP events are just around the corner. Scheduled for 10AM and 10PM CST on Saturday, April 25th in Paladis Shardfall, the first two of these events will commence. During and after these initial test events, the Community Manager (Elgarion) will experiment with gathering activity data within the scene related to the stated goals for each player within the event. Lessons learned should allow for more elaborate goals and objectives for future events as these concepts continue to unfold. Please provide registration information if you would like to compete (per the guidance) as well as any feedback on the PvP Event Forum Thread.

For the Anglers of New Britannia, another developer run event is in the works. Scheduled to start Noon CT on Friday, April 24th, this fishing derby will last until Noon CT on Friday, May 1st. Players may register towns to be put into a list which will dictate the venues available for the fishing competition. The first fishing venture will take players to at least 3 towns from the registry, Sunless Barrens and Paladis Shardfall. Head on over to the Fishing Event Forum Thread for more information.

Prizes provided by the Community Manager will be available for attendees of the PvP and Fishing events, but governors, guild leaders and players are welcome to sweeten the pot by providing additional prizes based on objective criteria entirely of their own design. In fact, please consider planning events to overlap the duration and chosen weekly locations of the PvP and Fishing developer events. Please post these events in the in-game events forums and the Community Manager will promote accordingly. After the first week of these events, likely there will be a pause for planning before additional weeks start rolling in, but after that point? Expect a constant stream of weekly events, each to feature new locations and new objectives. Happy adventures, Avatars!

Latest News and Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, April 17th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris Spears a.k.a. Atos and other developer team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

To enter the prize drawings, type “April showers bring May flowers” 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!

New Store Items: Decorative Urns & Vases!

Coming to the Crown Store shortly are the Decorative Urns 5-pack and the Decorative Vases 5-pack. These new ornate pottery pieces feature of beautiful array of patterns and shapes. Recently, a Rustic Antique Shop (Town Home) modeled after Starr Long’s family antique store was added to the Crown Store. Also added were two amazing helmets which allow players to tune-in to our community in-game radio stations. Coming in both cloth and leather, these Aether Aviator Helmets are available for purchase with Crowns! Both can be salvaged to receive Eternal Patterns. These patterns can then be utilized to apply the look of the Aviator helmet to another cloth or leather helmet. The cloth version is dyable.

Decorative Urns 5-Pack
Decorative Vases 5-Pack
Rustic Antique Shop (Town Home)
Leather Aether Aviator Helmet
Cloth Aether Aviator Helmet (Dyable)

Springtime Vault Round 2!

The current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, April 23rd at 10:30 AM CST. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for two weeks, and then the next, etc.

Leaf Spear
Leaf Shield
Large Spring Themed Fountain with Floating Candles
Thorn Bow
Flower Crown
Giant Dragonfly Pet
Thorn Sword
Elven Keep Village Home
/Flowers Emote

Avatar’s Update #376: New Rustic Antique Shop (Town Home)! Latest News and Q&A Friday Livestream!

April 10, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates

New Rustic Antique Shop (Town Home)!

For those players who’ve frequented Central Brittany, you might have noticed a peculiar antique shop nestled away not too far off from the bustling business of the harbor. This shop is reminiscent of a real-life store which was known as “Goudeau Antiques” and run by Cary Long, who had passed away many years ago. Cary Long was father to Starr Long, our beloved Darkstarr. Many releases ago, as a gesture to Starr, Richard Garriott tasked a world builder to design a version of the antique store and place it in Central Brittany.

Soon, this building will be available to all players! The Rustic Antique Shop (Town Home) will be added to the Crown Store and become available as a new town-sized home. The expansive interior will allow shop owners a considerable amount of elbow room to display their wares. Whether your character is a tailor, a blacksmith, a carpenter or simply a tradesman of resources and discovered treasures, this building will offer a great home to any would-be merchant within the world of New Britannia.

Latest News and Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, April 10th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris Spears a.k.a. Atos and other developer team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

New Store Items: Cloth & Leather Aether Aviator Helmets!

Soon to arrive on the Crown Store are two amazing helmets which allow the player to tune-in to our community in-game radio stations. Coming in both cloth and leather, these Aether Aviator Helmets will be available for purchase with Crowns! Both can be salvaged to receive Eternal Patterns. These patterns can then be utilized to apply the look of the Aviator helmet to another cloth or leather helmet. The cloth version is dyable.

Also soon to patch in is the Rustic Antique Shop (Town Home)! Other items which recently became available were the Tulips Flower Arrangement, the Pink Dye Pack and a Silver & Gold Lepus Mask!

Leather Aether Aviator Helmet
Cloth Aether Aviator Helmet (Dyable)
Rustic Antique Shop (Town Home)
Tulips Flower Arrangement
Pink Dye Pack (Breast Cancer Awareness Charity Item)
Silver & Gold Lepus Mask (Dyable)

Springtime Vault Round 2!

The current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, April 23rd at 10:30 AM CST. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for two weeks, and then the next, etc.

Leaf Spear
Leaf Shield
Large Spring Themed Fountain with Floating Candles
Thorn Bow
Flower Crown
Giant Dragonfly Pet
Thorn Sword
Elven Keep Village Home
/Flowers Emote

Avatar’s Update #375: Spindelskog Adventure Scene Update! Latest News and Q&A Friday Livestream!

April 3, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates

Spindelskog Adventure Scene Update!

Spindelskog is an upcoming Episode 2 adventure scene located on the new Mistrendur continent which is currently deep in design with List Rostov at the helm! For those familiar with the Mistrendur Land Rush, this location has been indicated for some time as Adventure Scene 1, far to the northwest of the continent. Just this past week, List shared a screenshot of his progress with the scene, and the image definitely brings “spooky forest” to mind.

“Amidst the fetid swamps of the Northwest of Mistrendur hides Spindelskog, a rotting and decrepit old-growth forest. Swathed in ancient webs and choked with detritus and weeds, this forest can go without sunlight for months at a time. Within this foreboding darkness, the summer growth falls into decay and the webs and shadows creep across the woods. It is home to creepies and crawlies, huge predators and mysterious creatures of shadow.”

Latest News and Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, April 3rd at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris Spears a.k.a. Atos and other developer team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

Bard Skill Tree is Live!

The bard skill tree is has now officially entered into the world of New Britannia on the live server. Players can find the trainer for this new skill tree on the continent of Mistrendur at the main entrance to the Ruins of Utheim. So many skills await your mastery, Avatars! Go and test your musical prowess with these new abilities: Melody of Mending, Atonal Aria, Anthem of Alacrity, Psalm of Stagnation, Concussive Canticle, Savage Sonata as well as several innate abilities!

Party Size Increases to 12!

Avatars! Exciting news! The first iteration of Party/Raid type lovin’ for this year has arrived — Parties of 12! Players can utilize this new feature on the live server for Shroud of the Avatar! Expanding the capabilities of adventure parties is just one of the exciting new features to arrive this year. Read more about what’s on the horizon in the Shroud of the Avatar 2020 Vision!

Avatar’s Update #374: Play Release 76 Now! Lord of the Isle Statesman Outhouse! Q&A Friday Livestream!

March 26, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates

Lord of the Isle Statesman Outhouse!

Due to recent public outrage and many requests for more architecture in the Lord of the Isle Mansion style, the master architects of New Britannia have developed a new type of outhouse particular to the tastes of our most esteemed supporters, and just in time to stem the tide of “The Great Outhouse Rebellion of 2020!” Riotous throngs of unrelieved New Britannians took to the streets! Amongst the angry mob, one man’s anxious cries clamored above the rest, “Nay! I shall not use that wooden outhouse any longer! It be beneath me! And it puts splinters in my bottom! And it smells! And Bob used it! Don’t go in there! I shall simply hold it until my demands are met!” As you can see, the architects simply had no choice but to meet the demands of the unruly, for the regularity of supporters was surely at stake! And thus, the very regal Lord of the Isle Statesman Outhouse was created, and all were merry. (Coming to the Crown Store April 1st…)

Atos Q&A Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, Mar 27th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris Spears a.k.a. Atos and other developer team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

To enter the prize drawings, type “march to a different tune” 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!

April Login Reward: Bunny Ears!

Just in time for the return of the notorious Arch Lapin, a new springtime wearable becomes available! Be sure to log in sometime between April 1st and 30th to receive this special and festive Bunny Ears headpiece! WARNING: The Bunny Ears headpiece does not cause the Arch Lapin to befriend you nor does it provide bonuses to hearing. Enjoy!

Release 76 Reward Program Exclusive Login Reward Items: Springtime Theme!

The hillsides are abloom, bunnies abound, and evidently ladybugs are also around! Rewards Program exclusive login reward items for Release 76 are springtime themed! Reward Program members will receive these exclusive items immediately upon logging in during Release 76!

Giant Bunny Companion
Ladybug Backpack
Bunny Slippers

NOTE: You must login during the release to receive each release’s exclusive rewards.

The Shroud of the Avatar Rewards Program lets you earn the best rate on purchasing Crowns, AND receive exclusive monthly reward items!

For the low price of $9 USD per month you will receive the following:

- 900 Crowns of the Obsidians every month
- Exclusive Monthly Login Reward Items (~ 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

Avatar’s Update #373: Sneak Peek into “Bunker C” Adventure Scene! Atos Q&A Livestream!

March 20, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates

Sannio Shows-Off “Bunker C” Design!

In the Twitch video below, Keith “Sannio” Quinn shows off the early stages of a new scene, “Bunker C.” Players will be directed to this crumbling underground shelter as part of an upcoming quest that will start in Novia’s Far Hinterlands. The bunker will challenge players with deadly lava in addition to undead and elemental threats. The “Bunker C” adventure scene is just one exciting new feature arriving this year. Read more about what’s on the horizon in Shroud of the Avatar’s 2020 Vision!

Atos Q&A Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, Mar 20th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris Spears a.k.a. Atos and other developer team members today for a community 1 hour livestream!

Join us today! We’ll be ready to answer any questions about the land rush in Mistrendur, the Packaging Items for Trade feature, the new Bard Skill Tree or any other topic broached by the viewers. Hope to see you all there!

Packaging Items for Trade in Player Test Environment (QA)!

Just arriving to the Player Test Environment (QA) server is a very useful new feature with which allows players to trade formerly no-trade Heritage items by packaging them for trade. Simply right-click the item, then select “Package Item for Trade” which will spawn an option window requesting a Crowns payment for the packaging. Once packaged, the item can be freely traded to another player, who can then unpackage it for use simply by double-clicking upon the item.

Allowing for the trade of formerly no-trade Heritage items is just one of many useful new features to arrive this year. Read more about what’s on the horizon in the Shroud of the Avatar 2020 Vision!

Avatar’s Update #372: Mistrendur: Land Rush Starts Tomorrow! Episode 2 Q&A Livestream!

March 13, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates

Mistrendur: Land Rush Starts Tomorrow!

By royal decree, the process details for the Mistrendur land rush have been issued to the peoples of New Britannia! Players made reservations to add or move towns to Mistrendur some time ago, and the time to begin selecting locations comes this weekend!

The official announcement thread is ready and full of information about the land rush proceedings! Tomorrow, on Saturday, March 14, Noon CT, we’ll officially begin collecting land rush selection submissions and organizing the data collected for the first bracket. Let those entries roll in — we’re ready for them! If you have any last minute questions or concerns, reply to the official announcement thread, or contact Elgarion on the forums via forum conversation.

The site selections will be made in the sequence the reservation vouchers were purchased.
The first bracket of players commence site selection on Saturday, March 14, Noon CT.
For more information, please read the official announcement in the forums.

This new land mass is just one exciting new feature arriving this year. Read more about what’s on the horizon in Shroud of the Avatar’s 2020 Vision!

Episode 2 Q&A Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, Mar 13 at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris Spears a.k.a. Atos and other developer team members today for a community 1 hour livestream!

Join us today! We’ll be ready to answer any questions about the land rush in Mistrendur as well as other Episode 2 topics broached by the community. Hope to see you all there!

Megalopolis: New Town Size Available!

After the Municipality town size became available, the Player Owned Town (POT) governors of New Britannia demanded even larger town size upgrade options! And more upgrade options they shall receive! Now, players of Shroud of the Avatar can upgrade their POTs to the size of Megalopolis. NPC Buildings, NPCs, Decoration Limits and Light Limits scale as follows:

Avatar’s Update #371: Party Size Limits Increasing! Fishing Contest & Trivia Livestream Today!

March 6, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates

Party Size Limits Increasing!

Avatars! Exciting news! Patched into the Player Test Environment (QA), the first iteration of Party/Raid type lovin’ for this year has arrived — Parties of 12! Players can test this new feature and provide crucial feedback to the development team on the Player Test Environment (QA) forums. Players will no longer be limited to 8 members in their party, and will soon be able to group with others in a party of 12! Once this new feature is fully tested, it will push to the live server!

Expanding the capabilities of adventure parties is just one of the exciting new features to arrive this year. Read more about what’s on the horizon in the Shroud of the Avatar 2020 Vision!

Fishing Contest & Trivia Livestream Today!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, Mar 6 at 3PM CDT on Twitch! Join Chris Spears a.k.a. Atos and other developer team members today for a community two-hour livestream!

3 PM: Introductions and Q&A
3:30 PM: Shroud of the Avatar Trivia Time!
4:00 PM: Fishing Contest at the Fishing Expedition
5 PM: Ending Announcements

New Store Items: Gothic Furniture and Chandeliers!

Additional CotO Store goodies are arriving during Release 75 to include three Gothic Furniture Sets, a Gothic King Sized Bed and a variety of Gothic Chandeliers with varying chain lengths. Also new to the CotO Store this release are the Dyable Heraldry Gustball Uniforms. Let the more stylin’ Gustball tourneys begin! Lots of great decoration items become available recently, such as the 8 amazing non-player characters (NPC) readied for the player created dialogue scripting system! These new type of NPC’s are known as Conversationalists. Other items added of late were a Dirt Path Pavers Set, a Fancy Kitchen Sink, and a Fancy Wash Basin Set!

Gothic Furniture Mega Set
Gothic Furniture Dining Set
Gothic Furniture Bedroom Set
Gothic King Sized Bed with Black Leather
Gothic Chandeliers (4 Varieties)
Dyable Heraldry Gustball Uniforms
Dirt Path Pavers Set
Fancy Kitchen Sink
Fancy Wash Basin Set
Conversationalist (Female, 4 Varieties)
Conversationalist (Male, 4 Varieties)

Avatar’s Update #370: Play Release 75 Now! Universal Broadcast Orb Transformed! Land Rush Q&A Livestream!

February 28, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates

Universal Broadcast Orb Transformed!

To celebrate the upcoming 2nd anniversary of Shroud of the Avatar’s official launch, a major enhancement has been made to the Free-to-Play (FTP) experience. The Universal Broadcast Orb was formerly a $2 Add-On Store item which gated FTP players from having initial access to the global chat channels. This feature offered some level of spam protection to our in-game chat, but it also inadvertently stifled communication for new FTP players wanting to participate in our community. Well now the FTP players will be heard! As of R75, the Universal Broadcast Orb will no longer be required to utilize Universal nor Trade chat channels. This item has been removed from the Add-On Store, and for those already having one in their possession? Those users have received a stunning orb decoration as a replacement. The new decoration version of the Universal Broadcast Orb also emits light and counts as a light source.

This enhancement to the FTP player experience is just one of the exciting new features to arrive this year. Read more about what’s on the horizon in the Shroud of the Avatar 2020 Vision!

Land Rush Q&A Livestream with Atos Today!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, February 28 at 4PM CDT on Twitch!

Join us today for a community Q&A session! Chris Spears a.k.a. Atos and other developer team members will be present to answer questions about the Land Rush for Mistrendur as well as other topics broached by the community. Hope to see you all there!

To enter the prize drawings, type “love makes the world go round” 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 today, Friday at 4 PM CDT!

New Store Items: Dyable Heraldry Gustball Uniforms and More!

New to the CotO Store for Release 75 are the Dyable Heraldry Gustball Uniforms. Let the more stylin’ Gustball tourneys begin! Also, a Dirt Path Pavers Set is now available on the store! And better late than never, patching in during R75, a Fancy Kitchen Sink and Fancy Wash Basin Set will arrive on the store! Lots of great decoration items were patched in throughout R74, such as the 8 amazing non-player characters (NPC) readied for the player created dialogue scripting system! These new type of NPC’s are known as Conversationalists. Other items added to the game recently were a variety of stone/boulder packs, crystal chandeliers, goofy fish trophies, and even a new variety of VFX decoration — Fireflies!

Dyable Heraldry Gustball Uniforms
Dirt Path Pavers Set
Fancy Kitchen Sink (will patch in during R75)
Fancy Wash Basin Set (will patch in during R75)
Conversationalist (Female, 4 Varieties)
Conversationalist (Male, 4 Varieties)
Boulders (4, 6 and 10 Packs)
Fireflies (Blue, Green, Orange and Yellow)
Crystal Chandelier (Several Varieties)
Goofy Fish Trophies

Avatar’s Update #369: Mistrendur Land Rush Guidance! Darkstarr & Atos Livestream Today! New Store Items!

February 21, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates

Mistrendur: Land Rush Guidance!

By royal decree, the process details for the Mistrendur land rush has been issued to the peoples of New Britannia! Players made reservations to add or move towns to Mistrendur some time ago, and the time to begin selecting locations draws very close!

The site selections will be made in the sequence the reservation vouchers were purchased
The first bracket of players will commence with their selections on March 14, Noon CDT
For more information, please read the official announcement in the forums

This new land mass is just one exciting new feature arriving this year. Read more about what’s on the horizon in Shroud of the Avatar’s 2020 Vision!

Darkstarr & Atos Livestream Today!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, February 21 at 4PM CDT on Twitch!

Darkstarr has much to share about his latest ventures during his short time away. Albeit we very much look forward to Darkstarr’s return in the not too distant future, let’s check out what exactly he’s been up to:

Terrasurf Boards: the most exciting Onewheel XR accessory ever created. Check it out!
Dragon Fight VR: an internal experiment to see how a short, single level, visceral dragon fight could work in VR.

Also, Atos has been working diligently on the new Bard Skills coming to QA shortly. A total of 16 skills we be added into the Bard Skill tree. Be sure to pick his brain about these new abilities during today’s livestream!

Kobold Vault Round! Hrrrrk!

The current round of Vault items are available until Friday, February 27 at 10:30 AM Central Time. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for two weeks, and then the next, etc.

Kobold Mask
Kobold Fighter Mask
Kobold Archer Mask
Kobold Mage Mask
Spike Trap Decoration (non-harmful)
Hacked Oracle Crawler Pet
Kobold 3-Story with Open Deck Town Home
Ornate Kobold Metal Storage Chest
Kobold 2-Story with Rooftop Deck Village Home

Avatar’s Update #368: New Continent Update! Valentine’s Dinner Community Livestream Today! New Store Items!

February 14, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

News Announcements

Community Updates

Mistrendur: Episode 2 Continent Update!

Sometime very soon during Release 74, Avatars of New Britannia will be able to explore the overworld map of Mistrendur, the Episode 2 continent for Shroud of the Avatar! We will shortly announce the location selection process for Player Owned Town reservations within these new lands, whether it be a new town or one transferring from Novia or the Hidden Vale. All are welcome to explore and take in the spectacular views once this overworld map goes live! As the year rolls out, content will be added to this new region so that players can actually begin entering the various scenes therein, some as they become available, and others at the official launch of Episode 2. This new land mass is just one exciting new feature arriving this year. Read more about what’s on the horizon in the Shroud 2020 Vision post by Chris Spears!

Valentine’s Dinner Community Livestream Today!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, February 14 at 4PM CDT on Twitch! The developer team, feeling a little peckish, has decided to crash a party at Ordinis Mortis! PLEASE keep in mind this event actually starts at 3PM CDT, an hour before the official start time of the stream, so don’t be late… like us… For information about this fantastic event, now 4 years in running, be sure to read more below. Also, Chris will dive into Q&A with the community.

As usual we will be giving out prizes! Simply type !raffle throughout the stream to enter. We will also be answering questions throughout the livestream, so submit them in Twitch Chat and insert !question at the beginning of your text. Watch on Twitch today, Friday at 4 PM CDT!

Kobold Vault Round! Hrrrrk!

The current round of Vault items are available until Friday, February 27 at 10:30 AM Central Time. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for two weeks, and then the next, etc.

Kobold Mask
Kobold Fighter Mask
Kobold Archer Mask
Kobold Mage Mask
Spike Trap Decoration (non-harmful)
Hacked Oracle Crawler Pet
Kobold 3-Story with Open Deck Town Home
Ornate Kobold Metal Storage Chest
Kobold 2-Story with Rooftop Deck Village Home