Changes:

Loot tables and loot for 2v2 and 5v5 Hellgates in red and black zones have been updated:

• 2v2 Hellgates (Black and Red Zones):
  
  • The loot tables have been buffed, and also normalized: chests will now always contain 1-2 artifacts.
• 5v5 Hellgates (Black and Red Zones):
  
  • Loot from the final boss now always contains a Tome of Insight in addition to the regular loot table. The loot table itself is otherwise unchanged.

Fixes:

• Fixed an issue (introduced with Patch 9) where mob aggro sounds triggered too frequently
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented teleportation out of AoE spells and Sticky Potion areas (this should also reduce visual glitches that affected dash / knockback spells under high ping)
  
• The area size in the Frost Nova tooltip now displays correctly for all languages
  
• Added a clearer error message when a pack or reward cannot be claimed
  
• Fixed an issue where a Guild Master tag could be assigned to the wrong player while the sorting of guild members was updating
  
• Updated the "This Looks Interesting" achievement to display the correct Fame requirement (10,000 Fame)
  
• Additional graphical, UI, resource placement, and localization fixes

Our fourth major content update, Merlyn, arrives on July 31, bringing a huge number of new features, changes, and improvements to the world of Albion.

Open-world warfare comes to the Royal Continent with an all-new Faction Warfare system. Sign up with one of five factions, then set out into the wilds of Albion to claim outposts, transport valuable goods, and earn exclusive rewards.

• Outposts and Trading - Take down enemy factions' outposts by defeating unique faction bosses with their own strengths, skills, and personalities.
• Special Faction Rewards - New faction resources open up alternative crafting recipes, while faction capes and mounts offer exciting new gameplay opportunities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcdw7hjwess

• Refining and Crafting Bonuses - Each of the Royal Cities now has unique bonuses, based on materials that are rarer in that city's biome.
• Resource Redistribution - Enchanted resources now appear in greater quantities around the Royal Cities, providing new opportunities for gatherers and transporters.
• Equipment Overcharge - Overcharging an item gives it a temporary power boost, at the cost of risking breakage once the overcharge ends.
• Marketplace UI Improvements - In addition to a more streamlined UI, players can now view a more accurate average price display and an in-depth sales history.
• New Dungeon - The new T5 Group Dungeon, Stoneroot Caverns, pits you against hordes of massive Keepers in a sacred underground cave.
• New Costumes and Trophies - New wedding costumes celebrate the first year of Albion Online, and new Laborer Trophies are available for the various gathering nodes.
• Additional Improvements - Merlyn also brings balance and skill updates, easier navigation, bugfixes, and much more.

For a more detailed list of everything coming with Merlyn, visit our update page: https://albiononline.com/en/update/Merlyn

Elsa, Albion Online "Supermoderator":

"As we've recently had many new players join Albion Online, I've created this chart to show the vast amounts of activities available to players. Whether you like playing alone, with friends, or waging war on a massive scale - there's always something to do."

HD: https://i.imgur.com/K20iR8o.jpg

Stay tuned for upcoming guides on crafting, farming, and more over the coming weeks!

In our most recent Dev Talk, Game Director Robin Henkys discusses the major feature of the upcoming Merlyn update: Faction Warfare. This all-new system lets players join one of five factions on the Royal Continent to participate in open-world combat and earn valuable rewards.

Watch the video to learn more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcdw7hjwess
No time to watch? Click here to read a written summary.

Fixes

The one-handed weapon ability power progression has been updated since the changes introduced with Patch 9. The curve has been further adjusted to be in line with the one-hand / offhand rebalance.

Additional Fixes:

• Fixed an issue where custom match invitations sent during GvG battles (and the resulting auto-cancellation notices) were interfering with gameplay
  
• Fixed an issue where players were unable to enter names for new guild roles
  
• Fixed an issue where an Expedition would not complete when the final boss was killed after a player respawned
  
• Fixed an issue where characters affected by Fear sometimes ran back into Wall of Flames
  
• Fixed an issue where Hellgate names did not appear correctly in death details
  
• Additional graphical, UI, and localization fixes

Welcome, Adventurer - you return seeking knowledge of the role of the artisan in the fair land of Albion? Pull up a chair, pour yourself a drink, and let me share what I know, so that you may understand what this path will require of you...

The aim of this guide is to give you, the potential artisan, a decent understanding of the economics and strategy of crafting equipment, from the earliest stages to a solid mid-tier level. For players who have not previously considered crafting or who are new to the game, this guide will cover the things you need to consider prior to starting on the path of the artisan. Once you have read this guide, you can read the excellent work of ZaZii and Stravanov on the Albion forums for a more in-depth look at gathering, crafting and refining, as well as the relationship between these three skill groups.

Crafting in Albion Online is generally best viewed from one of two approaches:

1) Self-sufficiency, i.e. as a fighter/adventurer, or
2) Profit, i.e. as a producer

First I'll explain the basics, so you don’t make the mistakes many new players to Albion make. These mistakes can leave you feeling frustrated (along with an empty money pouch), but you can avoid this if you plan ahead carefully. These basics can be applied to all of the crafting skills ingame, from sword to ox to everything in-between, and an understanding of them will stand you in good stead.

(Please note: at the time of this writing, the Merlyn update is fast approaching. Merlyn will bring increased bonuses to refining and crafting in the Royal cities, so now is a great time to plan ahead with your crafting goals and to stockpile resources.)



1. What should I craft?

This comes down to to the two approaches mentioned above: a desire for self sufficiency versus a desire for profit through crafting. It is possible to craft for self-sufficiency and profit at the same time, but this will mean that the items you pick for self-sufficiency must be items that other people will also require. This means you will be crafting equipment to fit established builds already used by other players. This in itself can be a double-edged sword, as profits may be lower if many other artisans produce what you plan to make. However, worry not, as an active market is often the best one to participate in, as long as you're quick with sales and orders and able to turn a quick profit at higher tiers. Taking the time to study the current meta builds prior to crafting anything is a solid plan.

Be realistic in your end goal - trying to craft everything is an easy trap to fall into, and this will definitely hamper your long-term progression. Once you have decided which area you wish to specialize in, be it a weapon group, an armor group, a mix of equipment for your current build, or simply bags and cloaks, you are almost ready to begin. Pick one item to focus on and start crafting that item. Have a clear understanding and goal, stay focused, and concentrate on that item. Once your goal has been reached, look at the next item you wish to craft and start the process again.

2. How do I fund my crafting?

Crafting is expensive, so you will need a good source of income while you are training your skills. This will ideally be something that is not focus-intensive, as you will always want to craft with focus after you reach Tier 4 whenever possible. Having an alt character who can mass-produce carrots or refine materials to sell is a good start, or you can simply go adventuring and raise Silver on your own.

The most important thing is to ensure you can afford crafting fees at the city plots. You will always want to craft at a city plot, as they give a base 15% return of goods without focus. You will not want to sell anything you craft at first, as the quickest route to success is through the use of the "study" option, available at crafting stations in cities. Studying items gives you 300% fame on each and every item you craft: 100% from the actual crafting of the item and 200% from studying it! Please note: after the Merlyn update this base rate will increase depending on the city in which you craft and the equipment you are crafting, which could be the deciding factor in where you craft each specific piece of equipment.



3. Where do I craft?

Finding a good established vendor of the type you require in the cities is important. With the Merlyn update, the dynamic of crafting and gathering will likely change, and it is important to be able to take advantage of good vendors in the location that is right for you. Once you find a vendor you like the look of, it doesn’t hurt to send the owner a message asking if they are willing to add you as an associate to get better rates. In return, you can explain you are willing to craft at their station exclusively.

4. How can I buff my crafting level?

Salads are your best friend here, as they add to your crafting skill. Focus does not add to your crafting skill: focus when used in crafting determines the amount of returned resources you will receive. Try to find a regular supplier of salads, as their duration is short and you will require a lot of them. You could of course simply craft them yourself - maybe the alt that farms for you can also cook, or perhaps a friend or guildmate can help in return for equipment you are making. There are many options to consider on sourcing salads, so pick the one that works best for you.



5. I made something!

Congratulations! Crafting equipment to a tier 4 skill level is quick and isn’t too much of a drain on resources. If you are following the path of self-sufficiency, this is where your goals become very important, as you will want - whenever possible - to be able to craft your own equipment to wear. Many players find that keeping their crafting skill a level ahead of the equipment they need is a good goal until tier 6 - 7. This enables the self-sufficiency goal to work at maximum effect.

If you are trying to craft for profit, stick to your end goal and remain focused on one item. You'll want to get that item to a level where you can sell at a profit before looking for other items to craft. Remember, it is very important to stick to your goals and work at maximum efficiency where possible to reduce the impact upon your material stockpile.

6. I keep running out of materials. What can I do?

This is very common, as there is a massive hole in the crafting / refining process at tier 5. It is highly recommended that you use tier 4 materials to raise your crafting skill level to tier 6 if the current market prices persist - the cost of tier 5 materials makes it very difficult to incorporate them into your crafting and places unnecessary stress on your funds. It will take you longer, but it will be much cheaper, and will allow you to fill up more journals for your laborers. This in turn will set you up for future crafting projects with a good materials stockpile.

7. Wait - what are journals / laborers?

There are guides covering islands and setting up your labor force in the guide section, so these areas will not be covered in detail in this guide. At the very least, you will always want to have journals in your backpack when crafting, as the additional revenue from selling them is a great source of funding. Alternately, you can send your laborers out and they will return with materials for you, reducing the impact upon your own materials store. It cannot be overstated how important laborers are: at low tiers the resource return is a massive bonus, and at high tiers the chance for enchanted materials being returned by the laborer is enough to consider the outlay for buildings upon your island money well spent.

8. I'm an Apprentice Artisan!

Well done! You should now be either well on your way to self-sufficiency, or at a level where you can start to sell your crafted goods for a profit. In many people's experience, this is normally around tiers 5-6, but remember that each item you sell is something you are not studying for that amazing extra fame bonus.

So in conclusion, focus on one item at a time, buy cheap, and sell high where possible. Write everything down, build yourself an understanding of market pricing, add any contacts (be they suppliers or buyers) to your friends list, seek out those who require your services, and stay in regular contact with them.

Safe travels, Adventurer - may your pockets be full of Silver and your material stockpiles as high as the roof of the highest warehouse. Hopefully this will give you a basic understanding of crafting within the fair world of Albion.

---

Thanks again to ZaZii and Stravanov for their amazing work on the forums.

The Steam Summer Sale is here! Whether you've waited until now to join the world of Albion, or are looking to upgrade with an Epic or Legendary pack, we've got you covered: the base game and all packs are now 34% off.

With a major content update on the way later this summer, there's never been a better time to join the world of Albion. This sale won't last forever, so be sure to take advantage of it while you can!

https://forum.albiononline.com/index.php/Thread/90553-Lancelot-Patch-9-Known-Issues-and-Clarifications/


Hellgate Changes

• Players can now fight their own guild and alliance members in Hellgates when they appear in an enemy party
  
• Yellow Zone 5v5 Hellgates have been adjusted as follows:
  
  • Fame Factor: 1.5 → 2.5
    
  • Loot Factor: 1.75 → 2.25
    
  • Silver Factor: 1.75 → 2.25
    
  • Improved the loot table for the Hellgate Boss, so that it now drops better loot on average
• Fixed a loot table bug for chests in black and red zone 2v2 Hellgates - their rewards were sometimes much higher than intended, and should now be in line with comparable Hellgates
  
• To prevent solo and duo farming, gatekeepers for 5v5 Hellgates (red and black zones) now use a new spell ("Disembowel") when aggro'd by 3 or fewer people

Daily Season Points Adjustments

• The daily season points earned for Outlands territories has been adjusted as follows (the cost of placing mages, as well as the energy they drop, has also been updated accordingly):
  
  • Mercia: 384 → 336 (-12.5%)
    
  • Cumbria: 288 → 288 (no change)
    
  • Anglia: 192 → 240 (+25%)

Mount/Dismount Audio

• To cut down on unnecessary noise in cities, mount/dismount sounds are now only audible to the player performing them within city limits (as these sounds are an important element of PvP, they will remain audible to all players in the open world)

Faction Warfare Preparation

• As a teaser for the upcoming content update, builder NPCs have begun constructing faction headquarters in each of the Royal cities

GvG Updates

• Added soft item power cap to red zone GvGs (Item Power = 800 / Scaling Factor = 0.2, meaning everything above IP 800 will be scaled down to 20% of its normal power)
  
• To prevent furniture from being used as a blockade during GvGs, outdoor furniture is now hidden during GvG matches, and new furniture cannot be placed during matches

Arcane Staffs

• Time Corridor (Occult Staff)
  
  • Now also boosts attack speed of allies inside the area
    
  • Removed the Damage Over Time effect

Axes

• Rending Bleed Stacks (all axes)
  
  • Healing Reduction: 10% → 7%
• Tear Apart (Halberd)
  
  • Instant Damage: 144.60 → 137.37

Bows

• Deadly Shot (all bows)
  
  • Removed the Cast Speed Increase
    
  • It now reduces enemy resistances (stacks up to 3 times)
    
  • Damage: 81.43 → 86.52
    
  • Cast Range: 11m → 13m
• Multishot (all bows)
  
  • Range: 11m → 12m

Cursed Staffs

• Haunting Screams (Cursed Skull)
  
  • No longer requires Line of Sight

Daggers

• Sunder Armor (all daggers)
  
  • Armor Reduction vs mobs: 0.04 → 0.06

Fire Staffs

• Flame Tornado (Blazing Staff)
  
  • Damage vs Mobs: 47.23 → 43.45

Frost Staffs

• Frost Bomb (all Frost Staffs)
  
  • Hit Delay: 2s → 1.6s
• Frost Nova (all Frost Staffs)
  
  • Hit Delay: 0.2s → 0s
    
  • Now completely freezes enemies (Frozen enemies can't attack or cast)
    
  • Freeze Duration: 2.44s → 1.26s
• Avalanche (Hoarfrost Staff)
  
  • Cast Time: 1s → 0.7s
• Frozen Hell (Icicle Staff)
  
  • Cast Time: 1s → 0s
    
  • Standtime: 0.2s → 0.4s
• Ice Crystal (Permafrost Prism)
  
  • Damage vs mobs: 184.69 → 253.70

Holy Staffs

• Holy Explosion (Great Holy Staff)
  
  • Heal per Tick: 34.75 → 40.67
• Holy Touch (Lifetouch Staff)
  
  • Cast Range: 3m → 6m
    
  • Can now be cast even when silenced / stunned
• Salvation (Fallen Staff)
  
  • Delay after Cast: 3s → 2s
    
  • Energy Cost: 24 → 18
• Holy Orb (Redemption Staff)
  
  • The orb now always heals for the same amount, no matter the distance
    
  • Min Heal: 66.36 → 144.79
    
  • Max Heal: 225.63 → 144.79
    
  • Projectile Speed: 14.67m/s → 11.00m/s
    
  • Cooldown: 10s → 15s

Nature Staffs

• Hit & Run (passive)
  
  • Spells to trigger the effect: 4 → 6
• Poison Thorns (all Nature Staffs)
  
  • Number of Ticks: 10 → 7
    
  • Damage per Tick: 11.94 → 12.83
• Spirit Animal (Rampant Staff)
  
  • Spell has been reworked, and no longer stacks up over time.
    
  • Instead, the healing strength depends on the number of allies inside the area of each tick.
    
  • It also can’t be purged anymore.

Quarterstaffs

• Cartwheel (all Quarterstaffs)
  
  • Cooldown: 5s → 6s
• Forceful Swing (all Quarterstaffs)
  
  • Auto Attack Damage Reduction vs mobs: 30% → 50%
    
  • Radius: 5m → 6m
• Mystic Rocks (Staff of Balance)
  
  • Energy Cost: 0 → 20% of max energy
    
  • Slow Strength: 60% → 50%
• Hurricane (Iron-clad Staff)
  
  • Knockback Distance: 1.91m → 5m

Spears

• Cripple (all spears)
  
  • Cooldown: 15s → 20s
• Reckless Charge (Spear)
  
  • Range: 13m → 11m
    
  • Enemy airborne duration: 0.6s → 0.5s
    
  • Damage: 235.06 → 198.90

Helmets

• Energy Regain (all helmets)
  
  • Channel Duration: 7s → 10s
    
  • Energy per tick: 7.10 → 8.10
• Force Field (Cloth Cowls)
  
  • Radius: 5m → 6m
    
  • Knockback Distance: 11.67 → 14.22
• Energy Shield (Scholar Cowl)
  
  • Physical Resistance: 0.16 → 0.38
    
  • Magic Resistance: 0.16 → 0.10
• Perpetual Energy (Royal Cowl)
  
  • Duration: 10s → 15s
• Mortal Agony (Stalker Hood)
  
  • Armor Reduction: 0.54 → 0.50
• Electric Discharge (Judicator Helmet)
  
  • Cast Time: 0s → 1.2s
    
  • Hit Delay: 0.6s → 0s

Armors

• Speed Caster (Scholar Robe)
  
  • Energy Cost Reduction: 40% → 70%
• Obsessive Burst (Druid Robe)
  
  • Damage and Heal Power Increase per Stack: 8% → 7%
• Self Ignition (Specter Jacket)
  
  • Can't be purged anymore
• Fury (Soldier Armor)
  
  • Increased CC Duration per stack: 10% → 6%
• Force Shield (Judicator Armor)
  
  • Healing Received Increase: 50% → 35%

Shoes

• Focused Run (Scholar Sandals)
  
  • Move Speed Increase: 60% → 100%
• Defenseless Rush (Royal Sandals)
  
  • It is now a toggle spell and can't be purged
    
  • It no longer reduces resistance by a flat value - instead, while active, the caster's damage taken is increased by 15%
    
  • Max Duration: 5s → 7s
• Rotten Ground (Cultist Sandals)
  
  • The area no longer deals damage - it instead reduces enemy resistances
• Spectral Run (Specter Shoes)
  
  • Max Channel Duration: 20s → 16s

Offhands

• Offhand scaling reworked: all offhand items now scale in exact relation to item power, i.e. they profit from Destiny Board masteries and item quality bonuses. This is not a straight bonus on top: instead the progression curve has been reworked, so offhand bonus stats should remain at roughly the same values.

Potions

• Gigantify Potions
  
  • Duration: 10s → 8s

Food

• Flattened the progression of Combat-Related Stats on food.
  
  • Food Effect Progression (old percent → new percent):
    
    • Low-Tier Base: 100% → 100%
      
    • Low-Tier Enchanted 1: 150% → 150%
      
    • Low-Tier Enchanted 2 / Mid-Tier Base: 200% → 190%
      
    • Low-Tier Enchanted 3 / Mid-Tier Enchanted 1: 250% → 230%
      
    • Mid-Tier Enchanted 2 / High-Tier Base: 300% → 270%
      
    • Mid-Tier Enchanted 3 / High-Tier Enchanted 1: 350% → 300%
      
    • High-Tier Enchanted 2: 400% → 330%
      
    • High-Tier Enchanted 3: 450% → 350%
      
    • Base Stat value from fish-based foods: 75% → 70%

Miscellaneous

• Cleansing any CC effect now grants a 1-second CC immunity

• Fixed an issue where spells that were simultaneously cast by a player and canceled by another player or mob (via stun, knockback, silence, or other countereffects) were still subject to cooldown time
  
• Fixed a similar issue where the toggle spell button would become stuck if the toggle spell failed due to knockback, silence, or other countereffects
  
• Fixed an issue where the passive skill Weakening could be used without unlocking the corresponding Destiny Board node
  
• Fixed an issue where Desecrate would sometimes fail to inflict DoT on struck enemies
  
• Improved performance of fishing minigame on clients with low FPS
  
• Fixed an issue where ghoul mobs were immune to CC damage while channeling Acid Waste
  
• Fixed an issue for some spells where the graphical spell indicator was bigger than the actual spell effect
  
• Fixed an issue where the combat log sometimes listed the source of an effect as "unknown"
  
• Fixed an issue where DoT effects would keep you in passive combat even when the mob had reset
  
• Improved hit detection for the Claymore charge spell
  
• Cripple now removes the move speed buff for Rotten Ground and Frost Walk
  
• Damage vs. Players and Damage vs. Mobs stats have been removed from Enchanted Facebreaker Shield
  
• [Russian version] Numerous fixes and updates to Russian terminology, particularly related to Destiny Board masteries
  
• Numerous additional graphical, animation, texture, audio, UI, and localization fixes

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