[quote]This update focuses on instanced PvP content and on introducing new players to Albion. It brings a brand-new PvP mode, a new staging ground for Hell-themed instanced content, a reworked early-game experience, a new Albion Journal category, and much more.[/quote]

The Depths

• The Depths can be played in two-player or three-player modes
  • Players can choose to enter either mode with fewer players, if they desire
• Entrances are located in the Antiquarians Den in each city on the Royal Continent
  • These entrances open periodically, meaning players enter in waves
  • Groups entering from different cities can encounter each other in the Depths
  • An individual group must enter from the same city to play together
• Item Power restrictions
  • Access to the dungeon requires a minimum Base Item Power of 900
  • There is a 1200 Item Power softcap, with 20% scaling above this threshold
  • All healing in the Depths is reduced by 30%
• Once inside, players cannot leave for a limited period
• After a time, exits open within the Depths
  • Some exits lead out of the dungeon, allowing players to escape with their loot
  • Some exits lead to a deeper level
    • There are three levels in total
• After the exits appear, the dungeon level begins to collapse progressively
  • Players inside receive an increasing amount of damage from this as the collapse advances
  • Collapse can be escaped by either leaving the dungeon or descending to a deeper level that has not started to collapse yet
  • A countdown warns when final collapse is near
• Any players still within the Depths when they collapse, or knocked out while they are collapsing, are killed

• The Depths introduce Orange Zones, with new PvP rules
• On death, inventory is lost but equipped gear is not
  • Equipped gear takes durability damage equivalent to a Yellow Zone knockdown
  • Inventory items have the same trash rate as a death
• Kills in Orange Zones count as regular PvP kills and appear in the Kills List
  • PvP Fame is awarded, excluding the value of the victims equipped items
  • Kill Trophies are awarded, but exclude the value of equipped items when calculating their drop chances

• Within the Depths, players can fight mobs and other groups of players
• Clearing all mobs in a room will unlock a reward, which can grant either loot or a buff
  • The buffs persist for the time that the recipient is within the Depths
• Killed mobs and players can drop Souls
  • Enemy players drop Hostile Souls (red), allies drop Friendly Souls (blue), and mobs drop Neutral Souls (white)
  • A killed player always drops a Soul, while a mob will only sometimes drop a Soul
  • While dead, a player will observe their own Soul within the Depths
    • During this time, the dead player can decide to leave the Depths, forfeiting their Soul
    • If the dead player decides to leave the Depths, their Soul will turn into a Neutral Soul for all parties
• Souls can be carried to Altars within the Depths
  • Any Soul can be offered to an Altar of Greed in exchange for a loot reward
  • Friendly Souls can be offered to an Altar of Awakening to resurrect the dead player
• Some rooms contain Soulgates, which can be opened with a Soul to exit the Depths
  • These remain open for 30 seconds
• The deepest level contains a Treasure Vault containing valuable loot
  • After a time, the Treasure Vault becomes marked on the map
  • At this point, Keys appear within the Depths
  • Keys must be picked up and carried to the Vault in order to open it
    • In two-player mode, three Keys are required
    • In three-player mode, five Keys are required
  • Once the Treasure Vault is unlocked, an exit from The Depths opens for 60 seconds

Antiquarians Dens

• Entrances to Antiquarians Dens can be found in every city on the Royal Continent
• Antiquarians Dens contain:
  • Entrances to the Depths, Hellgates, and Corrupted Dungeons
  • A Bank connected to the corresponding city
  • A Repair Station
  • The Antiquarian NPC (more on the Antiquarian below)
• Players from different Antiquarians Dens can encounter each other within its dungeons; however, groups can only enter a dungeon from the same location

The Antiquarian

• Two new baby spiders, which can be raised into mounts on an island:
  • Tier 5 Hellspinner
  • Tier 8 Soulspinner
    • The Soulspinner has a unique spell, Soulspindle Pounce, which lifts it into the air and allows it to jump to a different location
• Demon Cape Crests
• Hell-themed Avatar and Avatar Ring

Hellgate and Corrupted Dungeon Changes

• Hellgates are now accessible via an entrance in the Antiquarians Den
  • They can no longer be entered from the open world
• PvP activity in Hellgates contributes to Antiquarian Standing
• Hellgate Map item salvage value has been increased from 20% 100%
  • Hellgate Maps are now unusable
• Item Power entry requirements have been adjusted:
  • 2v2 Non-Lethal: 800 700
  • 5v5 Non-Lethal: 800 700
  • 2v2 Lethal: 900
  • 5v5 Lethal: 1000 900
• Item Power softcap:
  • 2v2 Non-Lethal: 900 (10% scaling)
  • 5v5 Non-Lethal: 900 (10% scaling)
  • 2v2 Lethal: 1100 (20% scaling) 1100 (35% scaling)
  • 5v5 Lethal: 1200 (35% scaling) 1100 (35% scaling)
• PvP knockdown time in Hellgates is now unlimited
• Lava now breaks shields only on molten lava, not already cracked ground
• Both Loot and Fame have been increased
  • Loot no longer scales with Infamy
  • Fame Scaling from Infamy has been reduced from 50% to 20%
  • Our intent with these changes is to make sure that these features are rewarding from the onset, rather than only rewarding for players at the top end to accomplish this, the Loot and Fame bonuses more than compensate for the loss of the bonuses previously provided by Infamy
• 2v2 Hellgates:
  • Hell buff now adds an additional 10% damage increase
• Removed line-of-sight blocker from various elements inside Hellgates
• After a victory, players now heal and have any negative effects removed
• 10v10 Hellgates have been removed
  • Related Albion Journal missions have been moved to a new category called Archive
    • This is only visible if you have completed an archived mission
  • Rewards can still be claimed from the Archive category

• Corrupted Dungeons are now accessible via an entrance in the Antiquarians Den
  • Their entrances can still be found in the open world as well
• PvP activity in Corrupted Dungeons contributes to Antiquarian Standing
• Corrupted Dungeon Map item salvage value has been increased from 20% to 100%
• Entry requirements now use base Item Power, rather than average Item Power
  • These have been adjusted for Hunter and Slayer Corrupted Dungeons:
    • Hunter: 800 700
    • Stalker: 900
    • Slayer: 1200 1100
• Matchmaking has been accelerated
• Both Loot and Fame have been increased
  • Loot no longer scales with Infamy
  • Maximum Fame scaling from Infamy has been reduced from 50% 20%
  • Our intent with these changes is to make sure that these features are rewarding from the onset, rather than only rewarding for players at the top end to accomplish this, the Loot and Fame bonuses more than compensate for the loss of the bonuses previously provided by Infamy
• After a victory, players now heal and have any negative effects removed

New Player Experience

• A new First Steps category has been added to the Albion Journal, continuing the guided experience beyond the initial tutorial
  • All previous post-tutorial quests and their associated NPCs have been removed
• Upon receiving the Journal from Captain Tia, players choose from three starting Paths that reflect different playstyles:
  • Adventurer: PvE-focused, introduces players to different PvE activities and the Marketplace
  • Duelist: Emphasizes early PvP with supporting PvE to unlock and equip combat gear
  • Gatherer: Centers on gathering and fishing, without combat
• Your chosen Path can be changed at any time
• Once a starting Path has been completed, the full Journal becomes accessible
  • Progress made in other categories during the starting Path will be visible once the Journal is fully unlocked
  • New characters can choose to skip the First Steps category and access the full Journal immediately
• Players who complete all three Paths are awarded with a scholarly vanity hat to mark their graduation

• Shortened tutorial, with less gathering and crafting involved
• Text in tutorial quests shortened, and objective lists in quest UIs reduced
• Improved tutorial pacing to gradually introduce players to information
• Various smaller improvements

• Improved readability of tutorial HUD hints
• Several UI and guidance improvements to the Journal system
• New Starter Town selection screen for players who have completed the tutorial and new characters who have skipped the tutorial
• All buildings and various NPCs now display a tooltip that explains their function
• The warning popup when entering a Yellow Zone for the first time has been removed
• The warning popup when purchasing an item from the Marketplace has been removed

• A new Showroom Island has been added
  • This is a mockup island which players can visit to preview available features and amenities
  • Accessible via the Island Merchant
• An Arena Master has been added to all Starter Towns, replacing the Expedition Master

New Crystal Weapons

• Truebolt Hammer (Hammer): Hyperstatic opens a vein of magical energy, protecting allies while stunning and damaging enemies
• Stillgaze Staff (Shapeshifter Staff): Transforms you into a Crystal Cobra, able to both spit at your enemies and petrify them with your gaze

New Albion Journal Category

• This category rewards progression on the Destiny Board, encouraging players to explore different equipment and playstyles
• Unique rewards embody themes of enlightenment, wisdom, and mysticism

Learning Point Changes

• Destiny Board nodes no longer have a 20% threshold at which Learning Points can be spent to complete them
• A new Quick Learn system has been introduced, replacing Auto-Learn
  • Fame earned for nodes on which Quick Learn is active is multiplied by five, with Learning Points spent as this boosted Fame is earned
  • Nodes on which Quick Learn is active are visually highlighted on the Destiny Board
  • There is an overview UI which shows all categories on which Quick Learn is active
  • If the global Quick Learn option (at the top of the Destiny Board) is active, Learning Points are spent whenever Fame is earned for any active node
  • Nodes which are unlocked through Quick Learn also have Quick Learn applied to them by default
  • Auto-Learn settings that were active before the update are now applied to Quick Learn instead
• Progress made on nodes before the update has been multiplied by five within their current level. If a node had 20% or more progress, that level has been automatically completed at no LP cost.

Tracking Changes

• Tracking mobs in the open world no longer change regions during a hunt
• Blue and Yellow Zones now feature Tier 3 Tracking mobs, designed as more accessible, entry-level encounters than Tier 4:
  • Undead and Keeper Rare Quarries
  • Panther, which drops Rare Animal Remains used for crafting the Journeyman's Prowling Staff
• These are not affected by player crowding and remain available even with multiple players nearby
• Starting a new hunt now clears the markers of other tracks on the Minimap and Region Map, making it easier to focus on the current target
  • A white circle quest marker now highlights the target during hunts

UI Changes and Improvements

• All active quests, challenges, Destiny Board nodes, and tracked Albion Journal missions are now visible in a single HUD element
• Additional trackers such as the Party Finder, Arena Queue, or Region Queue also appear here when active
• The tracker automatically adjusts based on whats most relevant to the players current state and stage of progression, ensuring key objectives are visible without overwhelming the interface
• The Combined HUD Tracker can be configured via an integrated Settings menu, and in the HUD Editor

• Searching for items by category has been improved in all UIs which support this (eg. Marketplace, Bank Overview, Loadouts, etc.)
• This now uses more intuitive categories and subcategories, making it easier to find and compare items within these UIs

• Vanity item icons now display an indicator of their source (e.g. Albion Store, events, referrals, etc.) in both the Appearance UI and Inspect UI
• Within the Appearance UI, vanity items can now be filtered by source

• Duration of combat displayed extended from 10 seconds to 3 minutes
• A dedicated tab has been added to display crowd control effects
  • This tab allows zooming in and out for a detailed view

• Albion Journal opening performance has been improved
• Minimap skull indicators are now hidden for 1v1 kills, unless the player directly witnessed the kill
• Improved the food supply UI for crafting buildings to more accurately reflect Silver rewards
  • It now shows the Silver available and the actual Silver paid, in addition to the potential reward
• Kill Details in the Kill Trophy UI are now disabled in contexts where kill data isnt available (e.g. Chat, Trade Window, Bank Overview)
• [CONTROLLER] D-Pad can now be held down to continuously move between elements

Other Changes

• Blue and Yellow Zones in the open world (and Static Dungeons in these zones) have an Item Power softcap
  • Softcap: 1200 IP
  • Item Power & Awakened Weapon Trait scaling: 20%
• Yellow Mists and Knightfall Abbeys mirroring the open world have the same softcap
• Randomized Dungeons are not affected by the Item Power softcap
• Durability damage on knockdown now scales down when the Base Item Power of an item is affected by an Item Power Cap
  • Repair Costs are also scaled down as a result of this change
  • In these cases, the repair cost of an item is equivalent to an item of equivalent Item Power
    • E.g. if a T8 item is scaled to T6 values and you are knocked down, then the Repair Cost will be the same as a T6 item
  • This change affects all content that scales Item Power
  • Bonuses that provide extra Item Power are not included in this calculation (e.g. from Quality and Destiny Board bonuses)
• Knockdown duration after being defeated in PvP in Yellow Zones has been reduced from 180 to 90s

• Rewards from this line are now limited to Expedition and Avatar unlocks
• Removed bonus damage and defense against mobs from Reaver
  • Mob Power has also been reduced accordingly, so players with Tier 8 Reaver will notice no difference, and new players are no longer gated by Reaver unlocks
• Given the significance of these changes, their impact and player feedback will be monitored closely

• Legendary Resource Mists are now always Tier 8
• Resource Wisps are now slightly rarer but have a much higher fill rate

• Multiple artifacts can now be melded at once
• Melding is now quicker

• The Fame buff from World Bosses has been reduced from 1% to 0.5% per stack
• Faction-flagged players now receive a protection bubble at the threshold of the city for which they are flagged
• Players now retain their Faction Flag after participating in the Arena and Expeditions
• Standard Arena entry requirements have been lowered from 700 to 600 IP, and equipment is now hardcapped at 600 IP
• Carried items dropped near exits are now pushed back to ensure they remain accessible
• Maps to Randomized Dungeons now can only locate dungeons within regions of the same type
  • This means that maps can no longer be used from cities or Hideouts
• A short delay has been added between allowed gate interactions, to prevent players from accidentally entering and immediately exiting castle gates when double-clicking
• Outlands player count estimates now show 16 - 30 and 31 - 50 ranges, instead of a single 16 - 50 range
• Bleed damage dealt by Morgana arbalists has been reduced
• [CONTROLLER] Improved targeting of area target spells
• [CONTROLLER] The targeting speed of area target spells should now be consistent on all frame rates
  • As a result, the speed may feel different than before for some players
  • Players can adjust Spellmarker Stick Sensitivity in the settings

Combat Balance Changes

• Starfall (Astral Staff)
  • Resilience Penetration: 50% 35%

• Time Freeze (Great Arcane Staff)
  • Energy Cost: 15 27
  • Cooldown: 50s 72s
  • Cooldown reduction per 100 IP: 1s 2.5s

• Bloody Reap (Infernal Scythe)
  • Cooldown: 25s 20s

• Razor Cut (Bear Paws)
  • Lifesteal strength: 20% 15%

• Deadly Shot (all Bows)
  • Range: 20m 18m

• Enchanted Quiver (Bow)
  • Amount of initial arrows: 6 4
  • Additional arrows on recast: 4 3
  • Maximum arrows: 6 5
  • Physical attack bonus Strength: 230% 280%
  • Physical attack bonus with enemy player within 6m: 185% 235%
  • Cooldown: 12s 10s
  • Energy cost: 19 11

• Multishot (all Bows)
  • Removed knockback
  • Added: 30% slow for 1s
  • Cooldown: 5s 3s
  • Damage: 115 127
  • Cast time: 0.3s 0s (Stand time remains 0.2s)
  • Hit delay: 0s 0.2s
  • Range: 12m 13m

• Raging Storm (Bow of Badon)
  • Initial impact damage now counts as direct damage
  • Storm Duration: 4.8s 5s
  • DoT duration: 1.8s 2s
  • Projectile accuracy increased at max range

• Divine Engine (Energy Shaper)
  • Energy cost: 0 29

• Armor Piercer (all Cursed Staffs)
  • Damage: 130 110
  • Added missing AoE escalation to resistance reduction

• Deadly Swipe (all Daggers)
  • Range: 5m 4.5m

• Avalanche (Hoarfrost Staff)
  • Slow no longer cleansable

• Glacial Prison (Chillhowl)
  • Damage radius: 8m 6m
  • Damage: 230 249

• Seismic Tremor (all Hammers)
  • Channel time: 1.8s 1.6s

• Sacred Pulse (all Holy Staffs)
  • Heal: 40 94
  • No longer heals in a 5m radius around the target

• Smite (all Holy Staffs)
  • Cooldown: 2s 3s
  • Direct damage: 100 151
  • Mark damage: 30 43

• Sanctify (Exalted Staff)
  • Now also removes negative enemy effects with buffing components:
    • Smokebomb (Hellion Hood)
    • Time Corridor (Occult Staff)

• Gravitas (Morning Star)
  • Recast cooldown: 45s 40s

• Thorn Growth (all Nature Staffs)
  • Initial area radius: 0m 1m

• Well of Life (Wild Staff)
  • Cooldown: 25s 20s

• Mystic Rocks (Staff of Balance)
  • Healing reduction and slow aura radius: 6m 6.5m

• Hellfire Barrage (Hellspawn Staff)
  • Disruption factor: 0 5

• Corrupting Steel (Spirithunter)
  • Area no longer deals damage over time
  • Area now decreased enemy magical resistance by an additional 0.04
  • Added AoE escalation to resistance reduction

• Heroic Charge (all Swords)
  • Removed: 9% Movement speed per stack
• Heroic Cleave (all Swords)
  • Added 20% movement speed buff for 5s on hit
• Heroic Strike (all Swords)
  • Added 20% movement speed buff for 3s on hit
• Iron Will (all Swords)
  • Movement speed buff: 10% 30%

• Limit Breaker (Infinity Blade)
  • Removed slow
  • Damage buff duration: 5s 6s
  • Cooldown: 20s 25s
  • Resilience Penetration: 30% 25%

• Majestic Smash (Kingmaker)
  • Hit delay: 0.2s 0.1s
  • Knock-up now ignores existing diminishing returns

• Dragon Leap (all War Gloves)
  • Stand time: 0s 0.1s (first cast only)
  • Range: 4.5m 4m (first cast only)

• Earth Crusher (Ravenstrike Cestus)
  • Knock-up duration: 1.2s 1.4s

• Fleet Footwork (all War Gloves)
  • Standtime: 0.4s 0.35s
  • Cooldown: 3s 4s
  • Dash range: 7m 6m

• Gravitational Collapse (Spiked Gauntlets)
  • Slow duration: 4s 2s
  • Slow duration now benefits from AoE escalation

• Sacred Scepter
  • Crowd control resistance factor: 1.2 1.8

• Nasty Wounds (Hood of Tenacity)
  • Area duration: 2.5s 4s

• Energy Regain (all Helmets)
  • Reworked into the new ability: Energizing Shield
    • Gain a shield absorbing up to 192 damage for 3s
    • Restores 25% of your missing energy
    • Cooldown: 20s

• Elbow Smash (Judicator Boots)
  • Cooldown: 25s 20s
  • Range: 11m 10m

• Lightning Storm (Battle Eagle)
  • DoT duration: 8s 6s
• Earth Tornado (Juggernaut)
  • No longer able to pull mounted enemies

• Item Power for lower-tier equipment has been increased:
  • Tier 2: 300 500 IP
  • Tier 3: 500 600 IP
• Armor abilities below Tier 4 have been adjusted and reordered to unify spell selection across all lines
  • All Tier 2 armor has gained a second active and passive ability
  • All Tier 3 armor has gained a third active and passive ability
• Dodge is now the default first-slot ability for all combat shoes
• To maintain balance after fixing an issue with lifesteal returning less health than intended, the following foods have had their lifesteal values reduced by about 25%.
  • Roast Chicken, Roasted Whitefog Snapper, Roast Goose, Roasted Clearhaze Snapper, Roast Pork, and Roasted Puremist Snapper
• These abilities have had their skillshot indicators adjusted:
  • Vicious Barrage (Siegebow)
  • Spear Throw (Heron Spear)
  • Polymorph (all Shapeshifter Staffs)
  • Raging Storm (Bow of Badon)
• These abilities no longer require line of sight:
  • Caltrops (all Crossbows)
  • Ballista Support Fire (Royal Helmets)

Fixes

• Auto-attack (Forcepulse Bracers): Fixed issue where Tiers 4 to 7 did not use the intended 3-hit pattern
• Corrupting Steel (Spirithunter): Fixed issue where the initial resistance reduction from the spear hit could not be cleansed
• Raging Storm (Bow of Badon): Fixed issue where the damage-over-time visual effect would not display after leaving the storm area
• Fixed issue where Cleansing Potion would not provide immunity to transformation crowd control
• Fixed issue where Siege Hammers could benefit from attack range buffs

• Fixed issue where players could not switch between enchantment levels of selected resources in the Marketplace
• Fixed issue where clicking a characters name in the player context menu opened via chat could cause unintended movement
• Fixed issue where the Death Recap UI prompt would obscure match stats in the Arena
• Fixed issue where Guild and Alliance Rankings would not load for players who were not members of a guild
• Fixed issue where Weakened Wisps and Smugglers Crates would remain on the minimap for a short time after being picked up
• [CONTROLLER] Fixed issue where Server Selection and Settings menus could not be opened using button shortcuts

• Fixed issue where Tier 3 and Tier 4 Cougars and Sabretooth Tigers had the same health
  • Tier 4 Cougars and Sabretooth Tigers now have higher health, and their Fame and loot has been adjusted accordingly
• Fixed issue where the Bewildered Heretic Brawler could hit twice with certain parts of the Tremor ability

• Various additional graphical, animation, terrain, audio, UI, and localization fixes