Avatar’s Update #342: Play R68 Now, R68 Livestream 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

Play Release 68 Now!

Release 68 successfully launched yesterday, July 25, with thousands of backers downloading, patching, and logging in to check out the changes! There’s lots of new content to explore, including:

  • New Brittany Graveyard Quest
  • Mannequins
  • Crafting Masteries
  • Persistent State for Lights
  • Free Camera Mode for POT Stewards
  • More Top Tier Tameable Creatures in Scenes
  • Fishing Trophy Length Display Increase
  • Combat Balance
  • Consumable Leaderboards
  • Player Lot Permissions Restructure
  • New User Experience Polish
  • Release 64 Livestream Items: Dark Spring
  • R68 Rewards Program Items: Lord British Theme!
  • Performance Improvements
  • More Bug Fixes
  • and more!

Check out the Release 68 Instructions update for detailed information about all the new content.

If you have not downloaded the game yet, go to www.shroudoftheavatar.com and click the “Play Now” button. The game is also available on Steam.

Release 68 Player Instructions

Release 68 Known Issues


Release 68 Livestream Today!

The Release 68 Livestream is set for today, Friday July 26! All Avatars from around the world are welcome to join us in the livestream activities. We will be having a Crafting deep dive, answering questions, and handing out prizes. We will also be having a Lava Fishing Contest to celebrate the extra decimal place being displayed on trophy fish that we added for Release 68! For Release 68 the exclusive monthly rewards are Lord British themed!

LIVESTREAM SCHEDULE (Central Time Zone)

Monthly livestreams are on Twitch and include answers to your gameplay questions, deep dives, prize giveaways, and more! Here is the schedule:

  • 3 PM: Introductions
  • 3:30 PM: Crafting Deep Dive: Weighted Chance, Display Power, Specialization
  • 4:15 PM: Lava Fishing Contest (Oracle Colossus)
  • 5 PM: Ending Announcements

To participate in the Lava Fishing Contest go to Oracle Colossus and start fishing at 4:15 PM (you can also try whispering one of the devs for a teleport). The best trophy fish (longest) caught by 5 PM will win a prize! NOTE: We will be verifying location and time!

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

WIN THESE GREAT PRIZES!

We will be giving prizes away on an hourly basis with many being given away multiple times. Enter for a chance to win a prize by either logging into the game and typing “Happy Belated Birthday Lord British” into chat OR by purchasing any item from our webstore during the livestream!

    • Fire Dance Wheel Emote (digital)
    • Breathe Fire Ring Emote (digital)
    • Replenishing Fireworks Mega Set
    • Large Ornate Stone & Wood Fireplace 9-Pack (digital)
    • Large Ornate Telescope
    • Observatory Village Home (digital)

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS

We will be answering questions throughout the livestream, so submit them in the comments section below or in Twitch Chat during the event.

Watch on Twitch Friday July 26 at 3 PM CDT

Are You a Livestreamer?

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

7/26 Crown Shop Updates

Greetings Avatars,

The Crown Shop has some great updates this week including six new Combat themed paintings and Mannequins! Also you still have one more week to get the several flame themed items in celebration of the start of summer including the Flame Scimitar and the Flame Trap Decoration from the Vault!

  • Combat Paintings: Six new paintings depicting various scenes of combat have been added to the Crown Shop.
  • Mannequins: Display your armor and weapons on male and female mannequins that are now available in a variety of poses in the Crown Shop (with more poses coming)!
  • Potion Packs: There are now 6 and 12 packs for all the potions! No more having to click buy over and over! This includes all the Obsidian Potions, Growth Potions, Shrink Potions, and the Disco Potion.
  • The Vault: A new set of Vault items are now available until Thursday, August 1 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.
    • ? Hat
    • ! Hat
    • Metal and Leather Kilt
    • Flame Shaped Shield
    • Flame Shaped Scimitar
    • Large Tiki Heads with Flames
    • Flame Trap Decorations (non-harmful)
    • Adobe 2-Story with Patio & Balcony Village Home
    • Tower Town Home (digital)

Lord British’s Birthday Make a Difference and Episode 2 Stretch Goal Stores 50% Price Drop!

To celebrate Lord British’s birthday on July 4 we have reduced the prices on every item in the Make a Difference and Episode 2 Stretch Goal Store by 50%! Check out the stores for all the amazing items including the Reaper Sapling Pet, Water.org Glowing Mug, Pink Dual Wax Cylinder Phonograph with Emotes, Barn Two-Story Village Home and more!

Episode 2 Stretch Goal Store

Nature Charity

Safe Water and Sanitation Charity

Breast Cancer Charity

Autism Awareness Charity

Movember

Children & Family Charities


Last Week for July Login Reward: Lord British Cake Slices with Unique Buff

It is the last week for the the July login reward! To celebrate Lord British’s birthday on July Fourth every player who logs in during the month of July will receive a set of 8 Lord British Cake Slices that when consumed convey a unique buff (two hours of increased focus and health regeneration plus a 100% speed learning buff)!

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

Release 68 Reward Program Exclusive Items: Lord British!

Lord British’s birthday was July 4th so we decided to make the Rewards Program items for Release 68 be Lord British themed in his honor! Reward Program members will receive these exclusive items immediately upon logging in during Release 68!

    • Lord British Round Shield
    • Lord British Leather Helm
    • Lord British Silver Serpent Spear

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.

Tech Talk & Various Other Livestreams (YouTube)

The Tech Talk livestream was incredibly 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!

July 26, 2019 – Release 68 Livestream
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
Jan 30 – Release 74
Feb 27 – Release 75
Mar 26 – Release 76

Meretz: Win a Turreted City Home

Win a Turreted City Home & 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 Turreted City Home! 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: Party In Club Zero

[Forum Post by Tailz]

Join Us For A Party In Club Zero

Friday, July 26th @ 8pm CST/NBT

Located In Elementum

City Lot – Twin Spire Home In The Basement

All Are Welcome & Invited – Bring Friends

Rumor has it DJ Sister Love (aka Fionwyn Wyldemane) will be DJing!

Community Event: Lily’s Summer High Tea in the Garden

[Forum Post by Lily Byrd]

July Tea is not in Jade Valley at my cottage, it’s going to be in Elementium.

I am visiting friends at the Suvorov Castle and decided to have a tea party here instead.

Tea will be earlier than usual too and we made lots of lovely cakes to share!! See you all there

Community Event: Shogun Ridge Chronicles – Savage Assassinations Event!

[Forum Post by Chrystoph Reis]

Starting: Friday Night at 7pm NBT
Ending: Sunday Afternoon at 12pm NBT
Type: PVP – RP Assassination Event

Objective: Obtain a Marker from Chrystoph Reis or Savage Calypso and complete the assassination. Killing blow completes marker, then escape zone with your life! Most successful assassinations wins!

Details:
* Obtain a Marker from Chrystoph Reis or Savage Calypso in Savage Orchid Inn
* Each target will have 3 guards during the assassination window.
* If target is successfully assassinate there will be a 15 min break. A new marker will have to be acquired. Markers must be handed back to who they were obtained from.

Assassination attempt Windows will be from:
1) 7pm NBT to 12am NBT – Friday
2) 6am NBT to 12pm NBT – Saturday
3) 6pm NBT to 12am NBT – Saturday
4) 6am NBT to 12pm NBT – Sunday

Rules:
1) Obtain the marker.
2) Kill the target by any means necessary.
3) Escape.

No other rules!

Prizes:
Most markers completed: 5000 Cotos
Second most: 3500 Cotos
3rd: 1000 Cotos

See you there!

Community Event: 2019 Summer Fashion Show Contest!

[Forum Post by queenbee]

You are invited to participate or attend the 
2019 Summer Fashion Show Contest
Thursday, August 1, 2019
5:30 pm Central Time
Located in Bee Striker’s Dungeon Party Room
(Justice Hold, nested in Crossroads)
Hosted by Taikee Vetrae and Bee Striker​

 

Official Streamer: Taikee Vetrae
Judges: Lace Delamorte, Phamyns, Flair Minamoto
Narrator: Killermantime​

There are three categories:
Male (must be a male character)
Female (must be a female character)
Fairy (must wear wings)

Prizes: There are first and second prices for all three categories:
First Prize:
100,000 gold coins
1,000 Gold Crowns of the Obsidian
1 Prosperity Tool

Second Prize:
75,000 gold coins
500 Gold Crowns of the Obsidian

Additional prizes donated by various players will also be included.

Judging: Participants will be judged in three areas:
Outfit (What you are wearing)
Catwalk (How well you walk the stage)
Description (How creative you are in describing your outfit. This is what will be read while you catwalk the stage.)

Rules:
One outfit per category (no outfit changes)
Descriptions must be Rated G (no questionable content)

Descriptions for each outfit must be submitted to Bee Striker by Tuesday, July 23, 2019 with the following information:
Full in game character name
Which category you want to participate in (Male, Female, and/or Fairy)
Full description of your outfit.

Blank sheets of paper are available in a public cache chest to write your description. There is also a bag next to it to submit your description. Both are located at Bee Striker’s house outside the front door. Otherwise you can mail your descriptions to Bee Striker.

Please send questions to Taikee Vetrae or Bee Striker.
Thank you and have fun!

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.