Avatar’s Update #337: R67 on QA, Freshwater Fishing Contest Today

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

News Announcements

Community Updates

Release 67 On QA (Live next Thur)

An early version of R67 is on the QA server. R67 is full of new content and fixes, some of which is now on the QA server for early testing. An early version of the R67 Instructions is also available for review. We could really use everyone’s help to test all of this amazing content before it goes live next Thursday June 27!

  • New User Experience Polish
  • “Always Open” option for Doors
  • Free Camera in POTs and Player Dungeons
  • Material Bonuses for Crafted Rings and Necklaces
  • Loot with Components & Enchantments
  • Outskirts Loot Improvements
  • “Hide Cloak” Option
  • Patterns from Rusty Weapons
  • Fishing Leaderboards
  • Chat Text Color Polish
  • R67 Login Rewards: Hero Theme!
  • Performance Improvements
  • More Bug Fixes
  • and more!

Please join us in testing on the QA server (instructions are posted each release in the bug forums) so we can make each release the best it can be. By helping us test prior to the release we can insure there are less bugs, more stability, and more balance.

Participating qualifies you for the Testing Incentives Program! We will reward you for your efforts because we do understand that time spent on QA is time lost on advancing your character on live. Each release we will randomly reward the following rewards (one prize per player):

  • 500 Gold Crowns (4 prizes)
  • Ant Farm (4 prizes)
  • Antennae (4 prizes)
  • Bug Cloak (4 prizes)
  • Set of Bug Paintings (4 prizes)
  • Bug Sprayer with emote (1 prize)
  • Insect Leg Table (1 prize)
  • Corpion Chair (1 prize)

In order to qualify you must meet the following requirements:

  • Install the QA version of the game
  • Login and play on QA for at least 4 hours per release
  • Report at least 1 bug in the QA section of the forums
  • Note that players will only be submitted for the lottery once per QA cycle. Continued bug reporting will not count toward additional submissions into the lottery.

Thanks Avatars!

Lord British Birthday 20% Crown Sale!

In celebration of Lord British’s birthday on July 4th we are putting all crown packages on sale for approximately 20% off through July 5th! This is the deepest discount we offer on crowns and crowns only go on sale rarely so get them while you can!

As a reminder there are also Lord British themed items that are currently available in the Crown Shop only until July 5th.

  • 2019 Lord British Birthday Cake
  • Lord British Basement Hatch
  • Lord British Shield
  • Lord British Fur Cloak
  • Lord British vs. Darkstarr Battle Banner
  • Red, White, & Blue Fireworks (Various)

 


Final Week for June Login Rewards

250,000 Adventuring XP + Obsidian Potion of Guidance!

This is the last week to claim your June Login rewards! Every player who logs in will receive an Obsidian Potion of Guidance (increases how fast your skills use experience out of our experience points pool) and 250,000 Adventuring Experience Points!

To receive the rewards simply login to the game before the end of June and check your rewards tab!

Freshwater Fishing Contest Livestream Today

Another content packed weekly Community Livestream is today, Friday June 21, at 4 PM CT on Twitch! This week we are going to have another Fishing contest! This time it will be a Fresh Water contest in Celestis!

To participate in the contest go to Celestis and start fishing at 4:15 PM. The best trophy fish (longest) caught by 5 PM will win a prize! NOTE: We will be verifying location and time!

Fishing Contest Prizes:

  • Runners Up (2): Ornate Fish Throne + Desktop Fish Trophy
  • 3rd Prize: Small Longboat Water Decoration (digital) + Bronze Fish Trophy
  • 2nd Prize: Shogun Lighthouse Village Water Home (digital) + Silver Fish Trophy
  • 1st Prize: Player Owned Town Village Water Lot Property Deed (digital) + Gold Fish Trophy

Release 66 Rewards (Dance)

This month’s exclusive rewards for Release 66 are dance themed! Just be part of the Rewards Program during Release 66 to receive these exclusive rewards.

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

  • Hustler Hat
  • Hustle Dance Emote
  • Colorful Mallard Duck Pet

As usual we will be giving out prizes at 4:15 and 4:45! To be eligible all you need to do is either make any purchase in the store or log into the game and type “Dance til your dead” in the chat window (no purchase necessary).

Watch on Twitch this Friday at 4 PM CDT!

Get this exclusive in-game Streamer Camera for being a veteran of our Livestreamer Program!Are You a Livestreamer?

6/21 Crown Shop Updates

Greetings Avatars,

The Crown Shop has some great updates this week including our first ever Keep sized homes!

  • Huge Pirate Galleon Keep Homes: These huge 7 deck ships are so large they only fit on Keep size lots! There is a Dry-dock and a water version available.
  • Ornate Dragon Bow: This ornate dragon themed bow will be sure to stand out!
  • The Vault: A new set of Vault items are now available until Thursday, July 4 at 10:30 AM Central Time. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for two weeks, and then the next, etc.
    • Airship City Home
    • Teletype
    • Telescope
    • Kobold Radiant Energy Coil
    • Kobold Radiant Energy Capacitor
    • Black & Chrome Ornate Aeronaut Outfit
    • Ornate Black Leather Aeronaut Helmet
    • Tiny Airship Pet
    • Hacked Oracle Flyer Pet

Rewards Program Update (and Release 66 Rewards)

We have some exciting news about the rewards program! The items previously known as stretch goal items are now exclusive only to the rewards program (versus also available through $5 purchase on the website). These items will now also be delivered immediately upon login during the release each month. Note that logging in during a given month is required in order to claim that month’s login rewards. To make this change happen we have to set the number of rewards to a fixed number of items per release (approximately 3) versus a variable number. This change will go into effect with Release 66.

For Release 66 the Rewards are Disco themed and Reward Program members will receive them immediately upon logging in during Release 66!

  • Hustler Hat
  • Hustle Dance Emote
  • Colorful Mallard Duck Pet

Here is the updated wording for the Rewards Program:

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

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

  • 900 Gold Crowns of the Obsidians every month
  • Exclusive Monthly 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

Lord of the Isle Episode 2 Bundles

As one of the biggest and earliest supporters of Episode 2 you will be granted the largest lot deed in the land (Castle), the title Lord (or Lady) of the Isle, a tour of the Portalarium Offices, and dinner with the game leaders including Lord British himself! Only 24 of these unique bundles will be sold! 

Complete List of Rewards:

  • UPDATED: Lord of the Isle Place Anywhere Castle Lot Deed: Tax Free Forever (when placed in a POT) and Tax Free for 1 Year (when placed outside of a POT). Placeable on water as well as land!
  • Title: Lord of the Isle or Lady of the Isle
  • NEW: Unique Lord of the Isle Home (to be revealed later)
  • UPDATED: PLUS Choice of any 1 House currently available in the store
  • Castle Basement currently available in the store of your choice
  • Castle Wall Set currently available in the store of your choice (with enough for Castle Lot)
  • NEW: Unique Lord of the Isle Dungeon Room (to be revealed later)
  • 1400 Crowns
  • 999 Bank Slots
  • Pick 12 Prosperity Tools
  • 2 Unique in-game items (to be revealed later)
  • Early Access to Episode 2
  • Episode 1 Box and map signed by the team
  • 1 hour one on one with Chris for design discussion (via video-conference)
  • One real silver ring crafted personally by Lord British: Numbered 1 – 8
  • In-game version of the Lord British ring: Numbered 1 – 8 (including a place-able decoration version)
  • Tour of Portalarium Offices
  • Fine dinner and drinks with Lord British, Darkstarr, & Atos at a location TBD in Austin or NYC.

NOTE: Digital items that are currently available will begin delivery as soon as Release 62 (Jan 31). Other items will be delivered at a future date TBD.

NOTE: Travel costs NOT covered by Portalarium for Tour & Dinner.

New User Experience / New Dungeons & Various Other Livestreams (YouTube)

The New User Experience & New Dungeons Livestream last week was super informative! Here is the livestream from our YouTube channel in case you missed it:

Atos and others have also been livestreaming most days and you can check those out on our YouTube channel (complete with “Mojito the dog” cam).  Note that if you subscribe to the channel you will be notified when he goes live. Here are a few highlights:



Upcoming Events Calendar

Be sure to check out the Forums Recurring Events section for other events!

June 27, 2019 – Release 67
July 5, 2019 – Release 67 Livestream
July 25, 2019 – Release 68
Aug 29, 2019 – Release 69
Aug 29 – Sept 2 – Dragon Con
Sept 26 – Release 70
Oct 10 – 13 – SOTA International Convention
Oct 31 – Release 71
Nov 14 – Release 72
Dec 12 – Release 73

Meretz: Win a Stone Dragon Statue

Win a Stone Dragon Statue – Town Size & earn free SotA in-game items daily!

Whether you move a little or a lot, as a Meretz user you rack up valuable Meretz Points (MPs). The more MPs you have, the more stuff you can buy!

Think: in-game SotA goodies, Sweepstakes entries, Relics by Rild giveaways, and tons more. With Meretz, we launch several sweepstakes every month. This month, we’re giving away a Stone Dragon Statue – Town Size! You can also enter to win a Relics By Rild $50 Gift Card and other cool prizes. AND, use your MPs every day for in-game items like potions and emotes.

What’re you waiting for? Download Meretz TODAY!

Community Event: Midsommar Events (Heavy RP)

Female-only spa night in preparation of Midsommar (June 28)

[Forum Post by Helvig Ingvildsdottir]

On the Friday before Norstead’s and Helboer’s Midsommar celebrations, all girls and women are invited to Helboer’s bath house for some relaxation and beauty time. We have several tubs and a sauna for you to enjoy. No males allowed!

Time: Friday, June 28, 6pm NBT
Location: Bath house in Helboer (district of Kahli in the Hidden Vale)
Contact: Helvig Ingvildsdottir

OOC information

About the roleplay
This is a RP event, and while everyone is welcome, we appreciate it if you attempt to stay in character for the duration of the event. There will be nudity and possibly talk about adult topics. Only female characters allowed, you can park your boyfriends at the meadhall next door to get drunk while we women get pretty. :cool:

About the location
Kahli is a no-ransom PvP POT. We cannot guarantee that you won’t be attacked by other players. We can guarantee that you’re not going to lose any items, though. The hosts of this event are -not- going to attack their guests and will make every effort to protect them. The sauna is in a no-PvP basement. And, come on, who is going to attack a bunch of naked and unarmed women soaking in a hot tub?

Directions
Kahli can be found in the Hidden Vale, next to Braemar. You can either access it from the overworld map or by using a wagon in Braemar. Helboer is just above the wagon to Braemar, the large walled fortress you see from afar. Kahli has an up-to-date map. You can use it to find Helboer. The bath house is the house directly left of the main gate of Helboer

Midsommar Blot and Dance in Norstead (June 29):

[Forum Post by Helvig Ingvildsdottir]

Jay Nord, the Gothi of Norstead and Helvig Ingvildsdottir, Völva in Helboer, cordially invite you to their second annual Midsommarblot. The Blot is a ritual where we celebrate the seasons, sacrifice to the gods of our original homeland, and experience community.

There is going to be an animal sacrifice, through which we are going to call our gods and the gods of our guests, if they so wish. This beautiful ceremony will be a cooperation of the Gothi and the Völva, and our guests are invited to participate at any level they feel comfortable with.

After the ritual there will be refreshments, music and dance, and possibly a performance of the skaldic arts.

All participants get to take home a limited edition sheet music and a book with a mythological tale.

Time: Saturday, June 29, 4pm
Location: Norstead (District of Hammaburg)
Contact: Jay Nord or Helvig Ingvildsdottir

OOC information

About the roleplay
This is a heavy RP event. Everyone is welcome as long as they are not disruptive to others’ roleplay. You can participate as heavily as you wish, or merely observe. It’s surely a good occasion to get in touch with other immersive RPers.

About the location
Norstead is a Viking village in the player owned town Hammaburg.

Directions
Hammaburg is a POT near Brittanny. Cross the central bridge and immediately go right, uphills. There you will find the Viking village of Norstead.

[Forum Post by Helvig Ingvildsdottir]

Midsommar Symbel and Games in Helboer (June 30):

On the second day of Midsommar, Jay Nord, the Gothi of Norstead, and Helvig Ingvildsdottir, Völva in Helboer, invite you to celebrate a symbel with them, followed by some games and other entertainment.

A symbel is a drinking ritual during which we invoke our gods, drink to our ancestors, honor lost friends and family, and remind everyone about our own great deeds of the past and/or promise new deeds of grandeur.

Word of caution: The whisky is going to be strong!

After the symbel there is going to be a treasure hunt with prizes.

Date: Sunday, June 30, 2pm NBT
Location: Helboer (District of Kahli)
Contact: Jay Nord or Helvig Ingvildsdottir

OOC information

About the roleplay
This is a very interactive roleplay occasion for those that want it, but you can also RP quietly or simply watch. Everyone is welcome. Please try not to disrupt the roleplay of others.

About the location
Kahli is a no-ransom PvP POT. The hosts of this event are not going to attack their guests, but we cannot guarantee that others won’t. You are not going to lose anything, though.

Directions
Kahli can be found in the Hidden Vale, next to Braemar. You can either access it from the overworld map or by using a wagon in Braemar. Helboer is just above the wagon to Braemar, the large walled fortress you see from afar. Kahli has an up-to-date map. You can use it to find Helboer.

Community Event: NBTT Presents — Daggers In The Dark – The Video!

[Forum Post by Asclepius]

Yes, we do have a video! This is the recording of our maiden performance, in the Sabra Rose Theater, in Rift’s End.

Hope you enjoy it!

 

Community Event: Grandmaster Tutoring Event for PRIDE

[Forum Post by Lace]

NBT Prism and Diamond Fields Present a Grandmaster Tutoring Event for PRIDE

We’re Back! By request from players the Original Crafting Mentoring Event is back and Pride month seemed like a great month to get back into the swing of things. We have decoed out the pavilion for Pride Month and even put in some disco balls.

@Amber Raine from Avatars Radio will be our DJ for us for the event!

In addition a training dummy will be located on the pavilion property, so you folks looking for some combat skill training can participate as well.

We invite all Grandmaster Crafters and now even combat Grandmasters to come and share their knowledge to new and would be Grandmasters.

We can confirm at least one Grandmaster in the following:
All Production and Refining GM’s will have at least one teacher available.

If more grandmasters donate their time then even more can be mentored simultaneously.

You must bring your own materials to this event. There are merchants very near by the crafting pavilion in Diamond Fields selling fuels, but prices may increase due to turn out (other sub pots have merchants in case this happens).

A banker is also near buy so you can shuttle in your raw materials and squirrel them away ahead of time for the event.

You can teleport to Lace Delamorte, or zone into Port Phoenix and take the first boat on the left to Diamond Fields. Hope to see you there!

If you are new to the game or want to learn more about crafting, come join us just to ask questions as well.

Community Event: 5th Annual Soldier’s Memorial Ball

[Forum Post by Bowen Bloodgood]

This year we have a new venue located inside the Library of Courage in Caer Dracwych. Read the ancient tome inside the observatory to enter the main library. The ballroom is on the left.

This is a formal event. Please dress appropriately.

Community Event: Shroudoftheavatar.net’s Monthly Raffle

[Forum Post by Titania Xylia]

Shroudoftheavatar.net wants to share the best information with the community that we can and we are currently sharing a ton of info about PvP, PvE monster hunting and loot. We will be making improvements over time and doing more with the data including hunting and PvP contests!

One of the most popular features on this site is our “How many people are playing Shroud of the Avatar?” page. There are three important numbers on this page: confirmed players, estimated players, and new characters created. We are committed to increasing the size of the Shroud of the Avatar community and sharing a game we love. I know I personally love checking in and seeing how many kills a specific player has made like Mac, Girlsname or Elgarion (a twitch streamer with LoM). I also like checking in on myself, Titania Xylia, and hang my head in shame, but I know seeing what I have been able to accomplish in-game and improving my process.

We want to improve our confirmed player numbers!
One of the biggest complaints about our “How many people…” page is that people do not trust our estimated player counts, and it is ONLY an estimate. The API gives all of us the ability to see all of the activity in-game including Anonymous players. Clearly, the greatest player in-game is Anonymous that group of players has what I estimate at least 75% of the data. Some want privacy and we respect that.Most players have no clue that there is an API or that they show up in that data! This is our campaign to educate the community and hopefully give you a good reason to share your name in the stats.

We want to continue to be the best place to find in-game pricing.
Now, market data is never exposed in the API much to our chagrin. For the love of Torc’Dawl the Broken, give us volume and price distribution in-game in 7, 30, 90, yearly and all-time windows. Our price listis the most popular page on the site by far. The greatest mystery in-game is “where are goods in-game and how much do they cost?”. Our in-game economy provides a ton of opportunity, but there are a few tools that help you manage all of the offers in-game or where to find them.

We have the ability to process your discarded emails, which you most likely didn’t know even existed. Every email that receive in-game is saved to a folder on your computer. You can upload that file and we will report on it for you. You get personal reports on items sold, items bought, top customers, top sellers, how each location performs (town specific), and total purchases and orders. You can inspect all of your receipts.

By default, when you upload a discarded email, your data is not shared with anyone on the site. Once your data is uploaded, you can delete it off the site. Your receipt information can be downloaded from the site, as well, in JSON format.

For the purposes of the receipt raffle, you must share your data publicly and show your player name. Login or register with this site, go to the SotA vendor tool and click on “upload discarded email” for details on how to find your discarded emails.

The tool only supports players that have set their in-game language option to English. We’re parsing a raw text file and the localization options are too diverse to possibly catch all edge cases. It’s our deepest regret, but it’s a big job.

Enough! What can I win??
If you share your data in API, there are three prizes this month! They will be distributed on July 1st. Each day that you share data with the API, will count as an entry into the raffle. There are three prizes this time around. Players can only win one of these prizes. Players are eligible to win the API raffle and the receipt raffle.

API Raffle Prizes

  • 100 point dungeon kit – everything you need for an incredible dungeon pre-built
  • Deco pack (44 pieces)
    • 2x Black Ice Elemental Statue
    • 2x Torture Table
    • 2x Torture Rack
    • 1x Haunted Snowman Set (4 snowmen)
    • 1x Haunted Yule tree set (tabletop to four-story)
    • 1x Haunted Sleigh
    • 1x Large Lord British Telescope
    • 2x Canvas Upholstered Set – Dyeable – (2x armchairs, 2x Barrel chairs, 2x barrel sofas, 6x chairs, 1x loveseat, 1x wood trim loveseat)
  • Weapon and costume pack (23 pieces)
    • 1x purple dragon mask
    • 1x krampus mask
    • 1x Dark Yule Short Skirted Leather Bodice Set
    • 1x Black Ice Staff
    • 1x Black Ice Bow
    • 2x Black Ice Sword
    • 2x Black Ice wand
    • 1x Black Ice Wings
    • 2x Aether Axe
    • 2x Aether Two-handed mace
    • 1x Bass Fish Mask
    • 1x Haunted Snowman mask
    • 1x Dragon Polearm (Two-handed)
    • 2x Dragon Sword (One-handed)
    • 1x Dragon Bow
    • 1x Jester Shirt, Pants, Shoes, Staff
    • 1x Masquerade Mask
    • 1x Haunted Snowman mask

Receipt Raffle Prizes

Upload your receipts and share with the public and share your name in public reports and you will be entered to win each one of these prizes. Players can only win one of these prizes. Players are eligible to win the API raffle and the receipt raffle.

  • 2500 COTOs
  • 1500 COTOs
  • 1000 COTOs

We will be holding this raffle every month and creating PvP and PvE tournaments. Unfortunately, there’s no fishing trophy data in the API, because that would be the ideal way to hold fishing tournaments going forward and creating a fishing leaderboard.

Prize Delivery on July 1st

All prizes delivered July 1st via in-game mail. The dungeon prize will probably be too have, so a pick-up/trade location will be arranged with the player in-game. PM Titania Xylia in-game or on the forums for any questions or requests.

Additional Prizes Offered by PoT Owners

Novia Market
Robyn Hood is offering additional prizes for residents of her town, Novia Market! The prizes in Novia Market will be rewarded randomly. The prizes are

  • 1,000 COTOs
  • 500 COTOs
  • 250 COTOs

Enjoy!

Project to Support – Avatars Radio

Avatars Radio is a community run and community funded radio station founded by community member Amber Okhan (formerly Amber Raine). They air plays, music, sermons, speeches, and they organize the monthly release dance parties. You can listen to Avatars Radio on their website or through one of the Aether Amplifiers inside Shroud of the Avatar. Consider helping this community endeavor by supporting their Patreon!

“This station was created with the love of our community and fellow citizens in Lord British – Richard Garriott’s new world of Shroud of the Avatar. Our dream desire is to serve and share (simply by airing) communities work through the moon towers. We have an open welcoming of all submissions from our community. Talented musicians (be it instrumental, vocal, or mixer), poets, designers of station identifications and other sound bytes, or perhaps you have the face and voice for radio and would like to try your turn behind the desk as a DJ? This station shall always welcome the creative works of the community weighed over that of earthly!”

Resources – Players Helping Players

SotA_NewPlayerWelcome_Forum

The official SotA New Player Welcome Forum and the Player Created Resources Forum have the best player created resources for Shroud of the Avatar, whether it’s a Player Written Guide, a Video Walk-through, or a Wiki-type Website.

Visit the official Community Resources page for a complete listing of all things community.