Category Archives: Update of the Avatar

Avatar’s Update #404: Bug Brigade & Testing Directives! Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

October 23, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

This week’s update brings players of Shroud of the Avatar a bit of information about Release 84, which will focus primarily on bug fixes rather than new features and content. We’d also like to extend an enormous thank you to all those participating in the Bug Brigade! 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

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, Justyn, and Tazar. 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:

Antennae Head Gear and Forum Title 1: “Bug Hunter”
Single Ant Cloak
Lady Bug Backpack
Bug Painting A and In-Game Title 2: “Associate of Aphids”
Ant Farm
Insect Leg Table
Many Ants Cloak and In-Game Title 3: “Bachelor of Beetles”
Bug Painting B
Bug Sprayer
Bug Painting C and In-Game Title 4: “Master of Moths”
Butterfly Chair
Corpion Chair (Pictured Below)
Yellow Fireflies VFX and In-Game Title 5: “Doctor of Dragonflies”
Hacked Oracle Flyer
Giant Blue Butterfly Pet
Butterfly Mask
Dragonfly pet
Fairy Wings
Monarch Butterfly Pet
Dragonfly Wings
Hacked Oracle Crawler
Blue Butterfly VFX
Orange Fireflies VFX
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.

Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, October 23rd 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 “I love fall most of all” 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!

Jenn Gilbert Memorial Fund

Through years of gameplay and attendance of live Shroud of the Avatar events, community members might have had the opportunity to meet developer Justin “oneandonly” Gilbert. Justin has been a most valued team member for many years, but is now experiencing an immense loss in his life and could really use our support. Tragically, Justin’s wife, Jenn Gilbert, has passed away. Please, for those that have met Jenn or Justin or simply have love in their hearts for the team, please reach out and offer your condolences. On Justin’s behalf, Chris Spears has launched a GoFundMe page to help the family in their great time of need:

“No amount of money could ever replace the love, laughs, and comfort that Jenn Gilbert brought to her family. But we are hoping to help raise enough to help make life for her husband, Justin Gilbert, and her three children a little more bearable while they work out how to move forward without her in their lives. Jenn and Justin had been together over 20 years, having started dating in high school. Justin and Jenn’s mom, Judy, will now be trying to fill the hole her sudden passing has left in the lives of their three children, JJ, Jax, and Jayla…” (more at GoFundMe.com)

Even if times are hard and a donation to the memorial fund is not possible, please visit the Jenn Gilbert Memorial Fund page to learn more about Justin’s beautiful wife, Jenn. May she always be remembered, and may the memories of her always be cherished. Any contributions to the Gilbert family, no matter how small, are so greatly appreciated.

New Vault Round!

The current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, October 29th at 1PM CT. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for one week, and then the next, etc.

Baby Black & Orange Spider Decoration Pet
Fall Wreath 2017
Bloodraven Decoration Pet
Ghost Cat Decoration Pet
Wood & Plaster 2-Story Village Home
Wood & Plaster 2-Story with Overhang Village Home
Obsidian Sarcophagus
Prisoner’s Mask
Giant Scarecrow

Avatar’s Update #403: New Mini-Maps Available! Special Guest Friday Livestream!

October 16, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

This week’s update brings players of Shroud of the Avatar a very large number of additional mini-maps! New and old players alike will have a map to guide them in more adventure and town scenes! 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

New Mini-Maps Available!

Master cartographers Ravalox and List Rostov are hard at work exploring the world of New Britannia and annotating their travels through the creation of new mini-maps! Check out this amazing list of scenes that have received new mini-maps during R82:

Alpine Road
Approach to the Shuttered Eye
Braemer
Brightbone Pass
Fishing Expedition
Graff Gem Mines Entrance
Greymark Forest
Hills Encounter
Human Battle Encampment
Kingsport
Kingsroad
Kobold Battle Camp
Kobold Expeditionary Camp
Lamech’s Baazar
Mistrendur
Mistrendur Ulfheim Classic
Moors of Northshore
North Ravenswood
North Valeway
Northmarsh
Owl’ Nest Mine
Owl’s Nest
Plains of Righ Inis
PRT Template 1 (used in multiple scenes)
PRT Template 2 (used in multiple scenes)
South Ravenswood
South Valeway
Southeast Blackblade Mountains
Southmarsh
West Perennial Trail
West Ravenswood
Wynton’s Folly
Wyrmsands

These new maps were already announced and added before or on R82. For those that missed out:

Celestis
City of Yew
East Perennial Trail
East Veiled Swamp
Eastreach Gap
North Brightbone Woods
Restless Woods
South Brightbone Woods
South Celestial Wetlands
Spindelskog
Tanglemire
West Veiled Swamp
Whiteguard Foothills

In this first pass for many of these maps, the goal was to make them available as soon as possible, with plans for more touch-ups to occur at a later time. So even after a map becomes available, expect many of these to receive aesthetic improvements in a second pass. At some point, adventurers of New Britannia can expect to see mini-maps in every adventure and town scene. So get your exploration gear ready, Avatars! So many more mini-maps are coming your way!

Special Guest Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, October 16th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Stephen “Ravalox” Reinen and special guest Scott Jones for a community 1 hour livestream!

Not only will Scott Jones share tales of his work with Shroud of the Avatar, he’ll be sharing news about one of his most amazing projects, Shard RPG!

Jenn Gilbert Memorial Fund

New Vault Round!

The current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, October 22nd at 1PM CT. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for one week, and then the next, etc.

Grim Reaper Mask 2016
Ornate Scythe 2017 Pattern Pack
Ghost Dog Decoration Pet
Grim Reaper Mask
Jabbering Bertha
Ornate Skull Candle
Autumn Leaf Trident
Torn and Tattered Wedding Dress Outfit
Large Spooky Fountain

Avatar’s Update #402: Upcoming Adventure Scene – The Breach! Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

October 9, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

This week’s update brings players of Shroud of the Avatar details about The Breach! The Breach is an upcoming new adventure scene featuring team-oriented boss mechanics. 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

Upcoming Adventure Scene – The Breach!

Another new adventure scene is in design and will be revealed to players on the QA server shortly! Chris “Atos” Spears is hard at work creating a new style of boss encounter which can only be experienced in The Breach, a new location soon to become available to Episode 2 Access holders!

This PvE scene is a modified version of Dysborg Ruins, a PvP scene located along the shores of the Naryad Channel. Much of the terrain has been altered to provide a chilly arctic feel with more visual changes to come during development. A dark and foreboding fog accompanied by frequent lightning strikes will most certainly put adventurers ill at ease! The Breach will also feature improved performance over Dysborg Ruins, and the creature spawns will be expanded considerably.

By accomplishing team-oriented events within the scene, a highly difficult wave battle will commence in the center of the map. Players will face four guardian golem mini-bosses which spawn in key locations.

Each golem will have a five minute respawn timer. Two of these golems will be highly resistant to magic. The other two golems will be highly resistant to physical damage. All four golems must be slain at nearly the same time, requiring considerable team coordination. A player must also be present at the wave battle spawn location to trigger the wave event when the four guardian golems are defeated. The resulting wave battle will be highly difficult, and provide a significant challenge to even the most powerful of teams.

The Breach is coming soon, Avatars! So stay tuned, and happy adventures!

Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, October 9th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris “Atos” Spears and other development team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

New Vault Round!

The current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, October 15th at 1PM CT. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for one week, and then the next, etc.

Rotten Armor Outfit
Ghost Raven Decoration Pet
Grim Reaper Statue
Witch’s Hat
Zombie Mask
Skull Cloak
Autumn Leaf Shield
Fall Wreath 2019
Large Nightmare Statue

Avatar’s Update #401: Teleporter Revisions Continue! Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

October 2, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

This week’s update brings players of Shroud of the Avatar details about additional teleporter revisions coming shortly! 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

Teleporter Revisions Continue!

Soon, the governors and stewards of Player-Owned Towns (POT) will be able to enjoy extra functionality with their premium NPC Town teleporters. Currently, these 3 teleporters only take players to a single NPC Town. In Release 83, they will have additional capabilities, and the names of these 3 teleporters will be adjusted to coincide with the changes to their functionality as follows:

“Teleporter to Ardoris” name changes to “Shogun Teleporter”
“Teleporter to Central Brittany” name changes to “Bell Tower Teleporter”
“Teleporter to Owl’s Head” name changes to “Tower Archway Teleporter “

Not only will governors and stewards be able to adjust which towns these 3 teleporters point to, but all NPC Towns, Player-Run Towns (PRT) and POTs will be available as destinations. Of note, the prices for these 3 teleporters will be significantly reduced for price balancing with other store items.

Along these same lines, the recently added POT Interconnection Teleporters will also receive name changes. In a similar fashion, all of these teleporters will also allow NPC Town, PRT, and POT destinations. The names will update as follows:

“Player-Owned Town Wagon” name changes to “Wagon Teleporter”
“Player-Owned Town Hatch” name changes to “Hatch Teleporter”
“Player-Owned Town Balloon” name changes to “Balloon Teleporter”
“Player-Owned Town Boat” name changes to “Boat Teleporter”

We hope this Quality of Life (QOL) improvement will enhance the gameplay experience of town governors, stewards, and residents. So many more QOL improvements are just on the horizon, so stay tuned, Avatars!

Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, October 2nd at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris “Atos” Spears and other development team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

Avatar’s Update #400: Play Release 82 Now! New Adventure Scene: Lord British’s Castle! Food & Drink System Update! Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

September 24, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

This week’s update brings players of Shroud of the Avatar a new adventure scene! Now, adventurers can delve into Lord British’s Castle, the newest Episode 2 scene to be released! Among other amazing updates, the food system got a very significant improvements! 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

New Adventure Scene: Lord British’s Castle!Master world builder Keith “Sannio” Quinn has done it again! His latest adventure masterpiece is Lord British’s Castle and is now on the live server for players of Shroud of the Avatar! The gorgeous gardens, theater, and décor would be quite inviting to guests under normal circumstances, but alas, these are not normal times, Avatars! Something is amiss at Lord British’s Castle in Mistrendur, and only Episode 2 Access holders can to rally to our ruler’s aid!

Challenge yourself! Progress through the castle while fighting waves of progressively-harder enemies (similar to the Compendium of Pain and Suffering)
Explore! After clearing out the whole castle, explore new areas that weren’t accessible while invaders were around, including Lord British’s vault (but only if you want your virtuous reputation tarnished!).
Quests! Talk to the guards by the entrance to learn a little backstory and get 2 new repeatable quests.

“Lord British’s Castle! Frequently under assault by those who want to slay the ruler of New Britannia or pillage the vast fortune rumored to exist within his private vault. Even now, deadly enemies have breached its walls and overrun the stronghold’s hallowed halls. Your reasons to venture to Mistrendur and into Lord British’s home will be your own, but know that each room will throw you against waves of the toughest enemies you have ever faced!”

These words from Sannio should inspire caution amongst the intrepid. Those first to storm the gates of Lord British’s Castle will soon learn that the waves of enemies within will continue to grow in power such that even the greatest of New Britannia’s warriors will eventually fail. How far into the castle will your band of companions venture? What treasures could be within? A challenge unlike no other awaits thee!

Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, September 25th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris “Atos” Spears and other development team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

To enter the prize drawings, type “a September to remember” 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!

Food & Drink System Update!

Avatars! Eat! Drink! Be Merry! A long-awaited round of love to the Food and Drink Systems is upon us! In the past, players could imbibe 2 foods regardless of which was eaten. Now, all foods and drinks have been assigned a numerical value from 1 to 3 which indicates how many food buff slots are utilized when eating and drinking that item. Up to 6 food channels are possible, so if a character eats 6 single point foods, they can fill up all 6 food channels. If the character eats 2 foods which have 3 points each, all 6 food channels are also filled.

This new concept as well as a revisit/balancing to all food recipes should greatly increase the versatility of the food system and make a larger range of recipes desirable for use and consumption. Here are some examples of food recipe tooltips which show the buff slots as well as revised effects:

Also, players can now feed their pets with newly added recipes! Pet food allows for 3 channels of food in a point system entirely separate from the 6 food channels available for characters. The newly added pet foods are as follows:

Bear Bites
Dragon Kibbles
Fishy Nibblers
Rabbit Pate
Venison Jerky

Even after these changes patch onto the live server, the system will continue to be tweaked and each food recipe scrutinized. Ultimately we hope players of Shroud of the Avatar enjoy the revamped system. So many more amazing game updates are just around the corner, so stay tuned!

Agriculture Trophies: Pumpkins & Jack O’Lanterns!

Gardeners of New Britannia, take heed! A strange occurrence has permanently altered pumpkins throughout the lands causing them to grow larger than ever before! Now, gardeners growing pumpkins through use of the Agriculture System have rare chances to harvest Trophy Pumpkins! Take those pumpkins to your crafting tables to convert them into Jack O’Lantern Trophies! The recipe for creating the Jack O’Lantern Trophies is for sale on Cooking Merchants.

Sometime in the near future and before the expiration of this year’s appearance of Pumpkin Head, players can expect certain size ranges of Trophy Pumpkins to drop as loot from the spooky seasonal boss and his minions. Of note, the Agriculture System will likely produce the largest pumpkins available.

Players can expect a considerable size range in available trophies, and the image above does NOT show the largest sizes! That’s for the players of Shroud of the Avatar to discover! Happy gardening, Avatars!

Maps and More Maps!

Mini-map creation in Shroud of the Avatar has resumed! The development team is hard at work adding additional maps so that players can find their way in the enormous world of New Brittania. As adventurers explore, they’ll encounter these additional maps added for Release 82:

Celestis
City of Yew
East Perennial Trail
East Veiled Swamp
Eastreach Gap
North Brightbone Woods
Restless Forest
South Brightbone Woods
South Celestial Wetlands
Spindelskog
Tanglemire
West Veiled Swamp
Whiteguard Foothills

More maps will be added with every monthly release, so gear up and get out there, explorers!

Player Dungeon Creature Spawner!

The Mysterious Swamp and Upper Tears are two adventure scenes amuck with the ever living… the lingering… those who should have passed on to their next lives but have not. The high level lich fighters in both of those scenes now have a small chance to drop a recipe for a Lich Fighter Spawner Statue! Once crafted, players can place these statues in their dungeons whilst in Design Mode. This marks the spawn point for a lich fighter. Once the dungeon is placed into Adventure Mode, the statue comes to life and is replaced by a Tier 15 Lich Fighter!

Meant solely as a method to add “roaming monster immersion” into player dungeons, these lich spawners will not generate loot nor experience since they can only be placed in non-encounter rooms where decorating is possible. Expect a larger variety of spawners to become available in the future as the dungeon system continues to evolve. The majority of these spawners will become available as crafting recipes, with focus placed upon requiring underutilized crafting materials such as Aortic Thrombi and Ancient Essences.

Avatar’s Update #399: Crafting Station Decoration Surfaces! Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

September 18, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

This week’s update brings crafters and decorators of Shroud of the Avatar wondrous news! Now, players can decorate the surfaces of all 4 categories of crafting stations. 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

Crafting Station Decoration Surfaces!

Avatars and decorators of New Britannia! Get some decorations ready to place upon your crafting stations, because those decoration surfaces will be functional when Release 82 hits! All 40 or so crafting stations were verified as working, as you can see in the picture above. Each station has a Lord of the Isle crown placed upon a decoration surface. These categories of crafting stations are affected by this change:

Crafting stations on in-game gold merchants
Expert crafting stations on the Crown Store
Founder crafting stations
Benefactor crafting stations

The stations affected from each category are as follows:

Alchemy
Blacksmithing
Butchering
Carpentry
Cooking
Milling
Smelting
Tailoring
Tanning
Textiles

So get to your crafting stations, Avatars! They’ll be awaiting your decoration efforts in Release 82!

Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, September 18th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris “Atos” Spears and other development team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

Castle Wall Decoration Surfaces!

Of note, as we progress into further enhancement of existing decoration items, Castle Wall sets will soon receive significant updates on the QA server. The decoration surfaces on Castle Walls have been enabled! For any players wishing to help test the castle wall sets on QA, please see the testing directives thread on the main forums for further information. And for those wishing to assist with this and other Bug Brigade efforts, here’s more information to help you get involved. Happy decorating and testing Avatars!

New Vault Round!

The current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, September 24th at 1PM CT. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for one week, and then the next, etc.

Black Clockwork Raven Decoration Pet
Adobe 2-Store Village Home
Shogun Five-Story City Home
Ornate Obsidian Sarcophagus
Black Ice Sword
Admiral’s Hat
Ladies’ Riding Outfit
Dragonfly Wings
Virtue Dirndl Outfit

Avatar’s Update #398: The Well of Aldur Sneak Peek! Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

September 11, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

This week’s update brings players of Shroud of the Avatar a small sneak peek at an upcoming new scene known as “The Well of Aldur!” 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

The Well of Aldur Sneak Peek!

New Britannians! Rumors of a mystical and mysterious locale are spreading throughout the lands. “The Well of Aldur” is an upcoming new adventure scene for Episode 2 Access holders which will feature a variety of activities to challenge even the most stalwart of Avatars! Still very early in design, the image above is a small example of the wondrously ethereal ambience which this new scene will exhibit.

“High above the mountain peaks of Mistrendur floats the crumbling remains of a civilization whose origins are lost to time. Only the greatest adventurers will decipher the secrets, survive the threats, and discover the true nature of the Well of Aldur.”

Amongst other challenges, players can expect a jump puzzle to tackle with a reward upon reaching its end. More objectives will be available at this locale, so stay tuned for more previews of this astonishing new scene as it continues to develop!

Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, September 11th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris “Atos” Spears and other development team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

New Vault Round!

The current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, September 17th at 1PM CT. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for one week, and then the next, etc.

Brass Mini Automaton Decoration Pet
Magic Sigil Cloak
Ornate Norgard Axe
Ornate Tansu Chest
Elven Keep Village Home
Ornate Viking Short Sword
Dragon Polearm
Candle Helmet
Oracle Eye Throne

Avatar’s Update #397: Decorative Wall Update! Public Garden Blossoms! New Store Items: Round Setees & More! Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

September 4, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

This week’s update brings players of Shroud of the Avatar some changes to the craftable stone walls with more updates soon coming to other wall and fence varieties! The Public Garden Player-Owned Town decoration has been revamped to feature decorative flowers! 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

Decorative Wall Update!

Builders of New Britannia! A round of love for fencing and wall sets has begun! Demonstrated in the image above, this style of craftable stone wall can be stacked so players can build taller walls. The wall set also allows for significant overhang to encourage more interesting/creative wall structures. Decorators will be able to scale these wall objects from .5 to 1.3. That particular scaling change was also recently applied to all the building block packs. And for those decorators wanting to use these for indoor walls and partitions, go right ahead! Now, these walls can be placed indoors, in basements, and in dungeons!

Expect these changes to patch in shortly, but many more changes are coming your way for fences and walls in the near future. Other varieties of these sets will receive similar changes listed above in the upcoming month, but additional decoration surfaces placed on these fence and wall assets are also on the horizon!

Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, September 4th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris “Atos” Spears and other development team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

Public Garden Blossoms!

Governors and stewards of New Britannia have become accustomed to having a particular non-functional Player-Owned Town (POT) asset known as the Public Garden. The original intent of this item was to allow players without property to still have a means to grow crops in the agriculture system, but with the advent of Free-to-Play concepts in the game, continued design of these gardens was postponed. Now, since all players receive two free property deeds allowing use of the agriculture system, the original public garden functionality was no longer required yet a need to polish the asset in a decorative sense still remained.

In a recent effort to improve the Public Garden, the partially designed agriculture functionality has been removed, and the planting beds have blossomed with a plethora of flowering plants! For any governors and stewards wanting additional Public Garden decorations, the garden will soon be added to the Crown Store. Happy decorating, Avatars!

New Store Additions: Ornate Round Settees, Golden Oracle Guardian Statue & More!

A new furniture style has been introduced and added to the Crown Store — round settees! Each settee allows for 4 occupants and is a must have for anyone with a reading room in their house! The settees feature two dye layers and a decoration surface behind the occupant’s head (the pictured lamp does not come with the settees, but is there to demonstrate the decoration surface provided). Also, a giant Golden Oracle Guardian Statue has been added to the store and two new plants are available to enhance your gardens!

Ornate Red Floral Round Settee
Ornate White & Gold Round Settee
Golden Oracle Guardian Statue
Potted Giant Banana Tree
Potted Elderberry Tree

Also, we’re scouring the realm for items that have long been missing from the store. Many items are being loaded into the Vault and will rotate in periodically which are announced each week as they go live, but here’s a small number of additional items becoming permanently available on the Crown Store:

Glowing Jewel Cube 3-Packs (Blue, Green, Orange, Purple, Red, Yellow)
Display Camera

New Vault Round!

The current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, September 10th at 1PM CT. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for two weeks, and then the next, etc.

Virtue Flame Armor Set
Red Fez Hat
Tiny Airship Pet
Ornate Katana
Ornate Katana Pattern Pack
Elven Elder Archer Armor
Kobold Masks Set 1
Gentleman’s Admiral Outfit
Black Ice Shield

Avatar’s Update #396: Play Release 81 Now! New Town Scene: Tanglemire! Guest Speaker Friday Livestream!

August 27, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

This week’s update brings players of Shroud of the Avatar a new town scene for Episode 2 Access holders! Tanglemire is located on the new continent of Mistrendur! Four new species of lava fish have been added, and many more lava fishing locations have also been added! Additionally, a sneak peek on the upcoming rideable mounts has been revealed, and building blocks now have a much more flexible behavior as decorations! 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

New Town Scene: Tanglemire!

Tanglemire is now available to Episode 2 Access holders! Inhabited by a deeply superstitious Norgardian-style populace, the people of Tanglemire protect their borders with Spirit Warders that impede the incursion of creatures from Spindelskog.

The shadow-like beasts from within that nearby darkened wood infect their weary minds with crippling dread. The people of Tanglemire are ruled by a group of “elders” struggling to preserve their village, but how long can they delay the inevitable demise of their beleaguered settlement? What aid might an Avatar bring to a people so burdened by doubt and fear?

“Life is a never-ending struggle for Tanglemire, a fading outpost in the north of Mistrendur virtually abandoned by the Norgard Empire. Surrounded by freezing cold, deadly swamps, and a haunted wood, it’s no wonder that the desperate locals have turned to unusual means for protection. But how long will their decaying “spirit warders” keep them safe from the untold horrors that threaten these peaceful people?”

The outskirts of Tanglemire, in similar fashion to Valhold, features a variety of enemies to defeat and challenges to overcome. Much of the Tanglemire content will ultimately land somewhere in the middle of the Mistrendur storyline, but for this initial release, Tanglemire features two repeatable quests. Additional quests will be added as more Episode 2 content is released in the time ahead.

Guest Speaker Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, August 28th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris “Atos” Spears and other development team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

This week, we have a special guest! Finn Staber will be speaking about Shadow of Valhalla, a new project to support!

To enter the prize drawings, type “wishing I was fishing” 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!

Four New Species of Lava Fish!

Brave lava anglers throughout the lands have discovered four entirely new species of lava fish swimming deep within the molten hot magma pools of New Britannia! Will you dare to cast your lines into the lava, Avatars? These beasts are enormous! So be sure not to be pulled into the scorching lava. Once caught, take these denizens of depths to your crafting table and create display trophies to marvel all of your visitors and friends. The following trophies and recipes are now available:

Plesiosaurus (Ground and Hanging Versions)
Ichthyosaurus
Coelacanth
Trilobite

But that is not all, anglers! You can scour the lands for additional fishable magma flows, thanks to many more containing lava fish! Some scenes received more expansive lava fishing spots, but other scenes were added as entirely new lava fishing locations. Be sure to have a lava fishing pole equipped and gemmed lures on your hot bars, for these gigantic creatures will only nibble upon gem stones! Here’s a list of all the lava fishing locations now available:

- Blackblade Foothills
- Blackblade Passage
- Bunker C
- Etceter Crag Mines
- K’rawl
- K’rul
- Northwest Blackblade Mountains
- Oracle Colossus
- Quel Passage
- Spectral Mines
- Sunless Barrens
- Verdantis Mines

Rideable Mounts Sneak Peek!

It’s been some time since Avatars have returned to New Britannia, and with their arrival came otherworldly tales of men and women riding upon beasts. The peoples of New Britannia have taken these tales to heart and have labored tirelessly to discover the art of riding for themselves. As you can see from this sneak peek video, their labors were fruitful! Soon, all players of Shroud of the Avatar will be able to dash across the lands upon rideable mounts. More news about the upcoming mount system and many other exciting new features are just around the corner!

Flexible Building Block Placement!

Builders of New Britannia, prepare to stack your building blocks like you’ve never stacked them before! As of Release 81, every piece of every building block set allows for much more flexible placement while decorating. In the image above, you can see that blocks now allow for a very significant amount of overhang. Also, larger blocks can now be placed on top of smaller blocks. With these changes as well as the recent scaling update allowing blocks to scale from sizes 0.5 to 1.3, builders will have a much wider variety of capabilities at their disposal. Happy block stacking, Avatars!

Of note, there were some slight design aberrations with the particular blocks shown in the above picture. The original versions of these blocks flipped along a different axis than their counterparts in other block sets. All Crown Store entries now sell updated replacement blocks, but any player who’s purchased any of the affected block sets in the past 3 months will receive replacement blocks (applicable pieces listed below) sent to them via the in-game mail system in the coming weeks ahead. The blocks affected were as follows:

Players who’ve purchased the new block sets (Polished Wood, Iron, Fallow Granite, Polished Granite, Black Marble, White Marble) would have received 15 of the 2x1x1 blocks. They will receive an additional 15 1x1x2 blocks via in-game mail.
Players who’ve purchased the Black Ice and Ice block sets would have received 20 of the 2x1x2 blocks. They will receive an additional 20 2x2x1 blocks via in-game mail.

If players already have the 1x1x2 blocks or the 2x2x1 blocks within these block sets, those are the newer versions so they’re good to go! Deliveries of blocks will begin sometime in the coming week, so please be patient as we work through the deliveries.

Screenshot/Video Contest!

With the holidays quickly approaching, it’s time for all New Britannians to partake in the festivities! Labor Day is right around the corner and within the game world, the in-game calendar is about to hit 600 P.C. for a new year and new century! To celebrate, it’s time for a screenshot/video contest!

Theme: Fireworks show! All screenshots and videos for this contest must be of a choreographed fireworks show launched from the Overworld map or from in-game towns and adventure scenes. Get your guild/team together to compete in this world wide fireworks competition!

Screenshot Requirements:

Resolution: Minimum of 1920×1080, and always in 16:9 aspect ratio (cropping allowed).
Quality: Use in-game settings to their maximum, no post-screenshot alterations allowed other than labels, overlays, or watermarks to promote your guild/team. Overlay holiday messages are also allowed.
Time of Day: Nighttime shows only, no night vision please.
Hide the UI: Please toggle off the UI using the default key F9.

Video Requirements:

Resolution: Minimum of 720p.
Quality: Use in-game settings to their maximum, no post-screenshot alterations allowed other than labels, overlays, or watermarks to promote your guild/team. Overlay holiday messages are also allowed.
Time of Day: Nighttime shows only, no night vision please.
Hide the UI: Please toggle off the UI using the default key F9.
Duration: 30 seconds minimum, 60 seconds maximum. Anything occurring after the 60 second mark will not be considered for judging.

Guild/Team Requirements:

Captain: Each guild/team must select a team captain.
12 Players Max per Team: Each team, to include the team captain, can have a maximum of 12 players.

Submission Requirements:

# of Entries Per Team: 1 screenshot and 1 video entry per guild/team maximum.
Submission Location: Submissions must be placed as a reply into the main thread for this contest on the official forums by the guild/team captain.
Post in Forums: In the submission post, the guild/team captain must post the screenshot as a viewable image and/or the embedded video.
Participant List: The captain must list out all participants of their team (max of 12 players) in their submission post. The participant list must include the proper spelling of each character. If proper spelling and character names are not provided, prize delivery will be negatively affected.
Deadline: All submissions must be posted by 6AM CT on Monday September 21st.
OPTIONAL: Please post these on our Twitter and/or Facebook pages to help spread the word about the contest.

Best Screenshot Prizes:

1st Place: 10,000 Crowns (delivered to team captain), Title: Master Artist (delivered to all team members).
2nd Place: 5000 Crowns (delivered to team captain), Title: Master Artist (delivered to all team members).
3rd Place: 2500 Crowns (delivered to team captain), Title: Master Artist (delivered to all team members).

Best Video Prizes:

1st Place: 10,000 Crowns (delivered to team captain), Title: Master Artist (delivered to all team members).
2nd Place: 5000 Crowns (delivered to team captain), Title: Master Artist (delivered to all team members).
3rd Place: 2500 Crowns (delivered to team captain), Title: Master Artist (delivered to all team members).

Prize Rules:

Crowns will be delivered to team captain only. The team captain will determine how to split the Crowns amongst their team.
Please ensure your team member list has accurate spellings of character names, or titles cannot be delivered.
Each team can win once in the screenshot and once in the video categories.
Players can only represent a single team.

The Catnip Games team members will pick the winners based on aesthetic and creative qualities of the screenshots and videos. Winners will be announced during the community livestream 1 to 2 weeks after the contest’s deadline! Good luck, Avatars!

Crowns, Deed Upgrades, & Two-Hour Flash Sales!

In celebration of Labor Day as well as the 600 P.C. in-game calendar event, various sales will begin on Friday and extend throughout the holiday. Crowns will be on sale for 20% off. Deed Upgrades will also be 20% off! To upgrade a deed, place the deed into your inventory, then right-click the deed to reveal upgrade options. But that’s not all! Two-Hour Flash Sales will also commence on Friday morning! So watch your clocks, Avatars! A new batch of 9 sale items will rotate into the in-game Crown Store every 2 hours!

Players have until Monday, September 7th at 1PM CT to take advantage of these great discounts, at which time all 3 sales events expire. Happy shopping, Avatars!

September Login Reward: Dyeable Fishing Rod!

Anglers rejoice! September’s login reward is an indestructible dyeable fishing rod! Featuring both primary and secondary dye layers, anglers will really be able to show off their style whilst casting a line into the waters of New Britannia! Simply log in during the month of September, and this dyeable fishing rod will become available in the Rewards Window.

Release 81 Reward Program Login Reward Items: Lord British & Farming Items!

Avatars! Rewards Program login reward items for Release 81 are Lord British and farming themed! Reward Program members must login during Release 81 to receive these login items:

- Lord British Plate Leggings
- Large Haystack
- Small Haystack
- Strawbox
- Box Hay Bale 5-Pack
- Hay Pile
- Hay Drying Rack
- Hay Cart

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 (~ 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

The Bug Brigade Rides Again!

The Bug Brigade was established to assist the community and the development team to work together to improve the game. Since then 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 player-base, and for that reason the program has been revamped and is being relaunched.

The program is now open to all players in good standing and bug rewards are back! They will awarded be on a progression basis monthly with only a minimal requirement to be filled to qualify.

We are bringing the bug forums current and will make every effort to have triage and intake for each validated bug. To assist in doing this we have asked Alley Oop, Justyn, and Tazar to take on a moderator role within the bug and feedback forums. Please congratulate them the next time you see them in the game or on the forums!

The Bug Brigade will be open to all. If you feel the game is your home, sign up and assist us in making it a better place to live! To sign up, read the post “Bug Brigade Rides Again!” in the main Bug/Feedback forums for both the Live or Player Test areas in the official forums. If you have trouble finding them, please ask a Hospitaller, or one of the Moderators via PM in the forums or in Discord.

Avatar’s Update #395: New Player-Owned Town Signpost Functionality! Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

August 21, 2020

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

This week’s update brings details new functionality for the recently created Player-Owned Town Signposts! 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

New Player-Owned Town Signpost Functionality!

Governors and stewards! Even more teleporter love is coming your way! Soon, players will be able to experience additional functionality for the Player-Owned Town (POT) Signposts that were recently added to the store. Functionality for these signposts includes a lot of amazing customization options already, but another feature has just been added:

NEW! Town Spawn Locations: In an upcoming patch, any player attempting to enter a POT with Player-Owned Town Signposts placed will see those destinations amongst the list of spawn options. This is a fantastic way for players to immediately travel to the parts of the town that’s been marked with signposts. Governors and stewards can mark favorite locations such as shops, theaters, fishing areas, Oracle Confirmatories, banks — the list goes on! No limit has currently been placed on the amount of custom signposts a town can utilize. Please keep in mind, changes to your signpost locations, names, or amounts will appear instantly for people already inside of your town, but visitors arriving to your town from other locations will not see these spawn locations as options until approximately a day after a signpost was added or changed.
Custom Names: Signposts can be named while in your inventory. Right click the signpost, use the rename option, then place the signpost as a decoration in your town. Once placed, any signpost in the town will feature that newly placed signpost as a destination option.
Custom Colors: Signposts can be dyed with primary and secondary dyes! What better way to make that signpost more noticeable than to use vibrant colors!
Decoration Surface: The signposts base allows for decorations, so if players want to place books, notes, lights, or other decorations at the base, go for it!

This new signpost functionality is just one example of the wondrous things coming to town governors, stewards, and residents this year! Be on the lookout for more exciting changes on the horizon. Release 81 will be packed with game updates, so stay tuned for next week’s announcement on Thursday, August 27th!

Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, August 21st at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Chris “Atos” Spears and other development team members for a community 1 hour livestream!

New Vault Round!

Vintage Blue Velvet with Nailheads Furniture Set
Oracle Cloak
Aether Two-Handed Mace
Tansu Chest
Ornate Elven Longbow Pattern Pack
Ornate Elven Wardrobe
Shogun Four-Story Town Home
Viking Brynhildr Shield
Elven Mage Outfit