Albion Online's third GvG Season starts on June 23. To prepare for this occasion, we will release a patch that includes combat balancing changes, updates to siphoned energy and red-zone GvGs, and various quality-of-life improvements. In this Dev Talk, Michael Schwahn, Combat Designer for Albion Online, discusses what's coming with this patch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIh8Prk-pGs
For a written summary of his talk, click here: https://albiononline.com/en/news/devtalk-season-3-balance-changes

Changes

• Numerous Destiny Board issues have been tackled:
  
• Added specialization nodes for crafting of Bags, Capes, and Demolition Hammers
  
• Having a complete specialization now gives the same amount of focus cost reduction and an increased chance for higher-quality crafting events as crafting similar items
  
• Basic tool crafting node now offers a higher boost to the crafting of all corresponding items
  
• Non-artifact offhand specialization node now offers a higher boost to the crafting of all corresponding offhand items
  
• Offhand combat specializations now offer the same amount of item power when maxed out as other weapon specializations: for example, with T8 dual daggers, average item power is 1360; with T8 one-handed dagger + torch, average item power is now also 1360. (Previously, offhand items granted 40 less item power when maxed out.)
  
• The goal of these changes was to make sure that all items (besides consumables) will have the same degree of bonuses if all nodes have been completely mastered. Of course, the relative amount of fame to achieve this condition will be related to the overall importance of the item.
  
• Mastery level crafting requirements for Bags, Capes, and Demolition Hammers have been updated as follows:
  
• T4: 1 → 1 (unchanged)
  
• T5: 20 → 10
  
• T6: 43 → 30
  
• T7: 64 → 60
  
• T8: 76 → 100
  
• Relic armors have now been added to the overall loot tables, meaning the Black Market will now buy these items and redistribute them to open-world mobs.

Fixes

• Dash can now be interrupted by stun and ground effects
  
• Farming achievements now correctly display the actual Fame needed
  
• Fixed an issue where an unlocalized error message would display while rerolling quality of an item
  
• Fixed an issue where the buff during Deflecting Spin would cancel for no reason
  
• Fixed an issue where Wanderlust buff sometimes dropped while stacking up
  
• (iOS) Fixed an issue where audio would drop out unpredictably
  
• (LINUX) Ubuntu 18 is now supported
  
• Numerous additional graphical, texture, audio, animation, UI, and localization fixes

What are referrals?
Referrals let you get Gold and item rewards for bringing other players into the game. New players who sign up through links and keys you provide will earn you referral credits.

Overall, there are three types of referrals:
1. Trial Keys
2. Referral links
3. Gifting a pack

How do referrals work?
Referrals are credited to the current referral season, each of which has its own unique rewards such as mounts, equipment, and furniture. There are three ways to refer a friend and earn rewards:

1. Send them a Trial Key. As soon as your friend redeems the key, they will count as referred by you. If it’s your first, fifth or 25th referral in this referral season, you will also immediately receive the rewards associated with that. If they later upgrade to a Starter Pack, you will receive the in-game currency for the Trial Key back – and, after 7 days, additional Gold rewards.
**You can buy Trial Keys ingame under Settings -> Invite Friends.**

2. Gift them a Starter Pack. As soon as your friend redeems the key, they will count as referred by you. 7 days after the Starter Pack has been redeemed, you will receive your Gold reward – plus additional bonuses, if this was your first, fifth or 25th referral in this season.

3. Send them your referral link. If they then register an account with that link, they will count as referred by you. Seven days after they purchase and redeem a Starter Pack for themselves, you will receive your Gold reward – plus additional bonuses if this was your first, fifth, or 25th referral this season.

For the full details and rules, head to the referral overview page (make sure you're signed in). There you can read more about the process, get your own unique referral link, and check the rewards and timeline for the current season. You can also keep an eye on our News page for updates on the current season's rewards.

Spruce up your desktop with authentic artwork from the world of Albion Online! A few sample images are below - to view the full collection and download hi-res versions, click here: https://albiononline.com/en/news/albion-online-wallpapers

The next major content update for Albion Online, Merlyn, is coming soon. In this Dev Talk, Robin Henkys, Game Director of Albion Online, describes some of the features coming your way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE84UmTQ6dQ
No time to watch the video? Click here for a written description of his talk:
https://albiononline.com/en/news/devtalk-merlyn-roadmap

Today's the day: Albion Online is now available on Steam!

The world of Albion welcomes all, new and veteran players alike, with the Mists of Albion buff. From now until May 23 at 10:00 UTC you'll gain a 25% Fame boost on gathering, crafting, killing monsters, and all other activities. Dive right in and make Albion your home!

And to all new players: join us for an Intro to Albion Livestream, the perfect way to make sure you're up on the basics of the game. Join us on AlbionTV this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to learn the basics of gathering and crafting, the Albion economy, exploring the open world, and progressing through early-tier leveling. Each day's program will be different, so feel free to tune in for any or all of the broadcasts!

Here's the detailed streaming schedule:

Wednesday 16. May from 20:00 UTC: Introduction to the series; the Day 1 experience with Q&A
Thursday 17. May from 18:00 UTC: Weekly GvG Highlights
Thursday 17. May from 20:00 UTC: Day 1 recap; the Day 2 experience with Q&A
Friday 18. May from 20:00 UTC: Day 1-2 recap; the Day 3 experience with Q&A

Big news: Albion Online will officially launch on Steam on May 16. If you've been waiting for the Steam launch to join the world of Albion, the big day is almost here!

To set the mood, we've released an action-packed new trailer, "Join the Fight". Check it out on the official store page, or watch it on Youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kixfZq_VttA
And finally, we're celebrating the Steam launch by giving all players a week-long Fame boost. From May 16-22, all players will get 25% more Fame for all activities in the world of Albion - gathering, crafting, killing mobs, and anything else. The boost is automatic, so get ready to log in and send your Fame levels skyrocketing!

Until then, be sure to follow us and add Albion Online to your wishlist. We'll see you soon in the world of Albion!

Albion Online features a unique classless system in which your stats and abilities are entirely determined by the gear you have equipped. You can freely combine your equipment items to match any situation, going from a cloth-wearing archer to a healer in plate armor to a mage wearing a mixture of all armor types. Experiment with different builds and specializations, and customize your equipment to your preferred playstyle.

Forge Your Own Destiny

Progress in Albion Online is tracked via the Destiny Board, an in-depth visual tool that shows the game's numerous skill paths and their corresponding milestones. As you progress outward through the various paths on the Destiny Board, you'll unlock nodes, each of which grants you access to new skills and specializations along with more powerful tools and equipment. Become a generalist with a vast array of decent skills, or focus on one particular niche to become a legendary specialist. You have the freedom to become whoever you want - as long as you're willing to invest the time and practice.

Classless Character Creation

When you create your character, you will not have to choose any specific playstyle, class, or role. Your character's stats and abilities are entirely defined by the armor and weapons you choose to equip. Each weapon and piece of armor will open up different playstyles in Albion Online, and each new milestone you reach on the Destiny Board will unlock new gear in turn.

Where weapons dictate how you can attack and what type of offensive abilities you have, armor will give different defensive resistances and toughness while also bestowing both passive and active defensive abilities.

Define Your Own Role

When you create your character’s ideal loadout, every single piece of gear matters. Try experimenting with different weapon and armor builds to create your own unique character suited to your playstyle - with hundreds of unique spells, pieces of gear, and weapons, the choice is yours.

The world of Albion is rife with conflict, and as players compete for resources and wealth, they will often find themselves fighting over territories and cities. Fights range in size from two-player duels and small-group engagements to massive battles involving hundreds of players. With numerous open-world raiding objectives such as Guardians, Territories, Castles, and World Bosses, you can your friends will have countless opportunities to claim a piece of Albion for yourselves.

Deep and Engaging Combat

In Albion Online, there are no classes to choose from to restrict your gameplay style. As a player, this offers a great level of freedom in the way you customize your gear, weapons, and ability loadout. Experiment and create your ideal builds, moulding them to different situations and enemies. Albion's classless system brings a new dimension to combat, resulting in engaging PvP battles and requiring smart tactics to outplay your opponents.

Guild Warfare

The world of Albion has various types of ownable land, including territories and major cities. The ownership of cities is determined through intense 20 vs. 20 battles, where team composition and the group strategy of your guild and alliance matters. Smaller 5 vs. 5 MOBA-style battles determine ownership of guild territories, allowing smaller guilds to use smart tactics to carve out their own piece of Albion.

Open-World PvP

Challenge yourself with intense, exhilarating PvP fighting against other players in the open world of Albion. Gear up and use teamwork to send the enemy fleeing from the battlefield! Compete for rare resources, fight roaming bosses, seek out hourly or weekly treasures, or try your luck in a Hellgate. Hellgates mix PvE content with a thrilling dose of PvP, pitting two teams against hellish demons (and each other) with valuable rewards at stake.

Full-Loot PvP

Albion Online uses a rewarding full-loot PvP system, where you, as a player, lose your whole gear set and full inventory upon death in full-loot zones, which are called red and black zones in Albion. The corpse of a killed player can be fully looted by the victor, or by any other player who happens to be nearby. This high-risk, high-reward system brings a thrilling element to open-world encounters, and means that any trip into the game's more dangerous zones, while requiring careful planning, also has the potential to bestow great rewards.

The world of Albion is rife with conflict, and as players compete for resources and wealth, they will often find themselves fighting over territories and cities. Fights range in size from two-player duels and small-group engagements to massive battles involving hundreds of players. With numerous open-world raiding objectives such as Guardians, Territories, Castles, and World Bosses, you can your friends will have countless opportunities to claim a piece of Albion for yourselves.

Deep and Engaging Combat

In Albion Online, there are no classes to choose from to restrict your gameplay style. As a player, this offers a great level of freedom in the way you customize your gear, weapons, and ability loadout. Experiment and create your ideal builds, moulding them to different situations and enemies. Albion's classless system brings a new dimension to combat, resulting in engaging PvP battles and requiring smart tactics to outplay your opponents.

Guild Warfare

The world of Albion has various types of ownable land, including territories and major cities. The ownership of cities is determined through intense 20 vs. 20 battles, where team composition and the group strategy of your guild and alliance matters. Smaller 5 vs. 5 MOBA-style battles determine ownership of guild territories, allowing smaller guilds to use smart tactics to carve out their own piece of Albion.

Open-World PvP

Challenge yourself with intense, exhilarating PvP fighting against other players in the open world of Albion. Gear up and use teamwork to send the enemy fleeing from the battlefield! Compete for rare resources, fight roaming bosses, seek out hourly or weekly treasures, or try your luck in a Hellgate. Hellgates mix PvE content with a thrilling dose of PvP, pitting two teams against hellish demons (and each other) with valuable rewards at stake.

Full-Loot PvP

Albion Online uses a rewarding full-loot PvP system, where you, as a player, lose your whole gear set and full inventory upon death in full-loot zones, which are called red and black zones in Albion. The corpse of a killed player can be fully looted by the victor, or by any other player who happens to be nearby. This high-risk, high-reward system brings a thrilling element to open-world encounters, and means that any trip into the game's more dangerous zones, while requiring careful planning, also has the potential to bestow great rewards.