Avatar’s Update #361: R73 on QA! Player GM Tools Livestream Today! Lot Upgrades and Crown Sales!

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 73 on QA (Live next week)

An early version of Release 73 is on the QA server! Release 73 has some fun updates like Player GM Tools! An early version of the Release 73 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 week!

Player Game Master Tools Phase 1
Lua Phase 1.1
Scene Polish: Tartarus, Soltown
R73 Rewards Program Items: Winter Theme
Snow Pavers
January Login Reward: Krampus Statue
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!

Player GM Tools Livestream Today!

Another content packed weekly Community Livestream is today, Friday December 6, at 4 PM CT on Twitch! This week we are going to talk about the multiple phases of Player Game Master Tools, Phase 1 of which is happening in Release 73!

Release 72 Rewards Program Exclusive Items (Fall Theme 2!)

Autumn is finally here so we decided to make the Rewards Program items for Release 72 fall themed again! Reward Program members will receive these exclusive items immediately upon logging in during Release 72!

Autumn Leaf Mask
Autumn Leaf Shield
Autumn Leaf Trident

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 “Leaves are falling all around” in the chat window (no purchase necessary).

Watch on Twitch today, Friday at 4 PM CDT!

Are You a Livestreamer?

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

Lot Deed Upgrades & Crown Sale + New Winter Vault Round!

Greetings Avatars,

To celebrate the winter holidays Crowns and Lot Deed Upgrades are on sale for 20% off through the end of the year! We have also added another round of Winter and Yule themed items to the vault, including some of the very first Yule themed items we ever created!

Lot Deed Type and Size Upgrading with Crowns Sale: Upgrading Lot Deed Type and Size in-game with Crowns is on sale for 20% through the end of the year! Originally patched into Release 62, you can upgrade your deed “type” and size for Crowns in-game via right-click. This means, for example, you can upgrade from a Taxable Player Owned Town Village Lot Deed to a Taxable Player Owned Town Water Village Lot Deed, adding the ability to claim a water lot. You could also upgrade from a Village Lot Deed to a Town Lot Deed. This was previously available in the Game Services store but can now be done directly with Crowns. You can also upgrade from Taxable to Tax-Free deeds, with the exception that other types of deeds cannot be upgraded to Founder deeds. NOTE: you can only upgrade types, not downgrade, so you cannot go from a Tax Free deed to a Taxable deed, for example. Also you cannot upgrade to Tax Free Founder Keep or Castle, or Tax Free Keep or Castle (these were pledge exclusives). You can still upgrade to all other Keep/Castle types, including Tax Free Player Owned Town Keep, for example.
The Vault: Current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, December 19 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
- 2015 Menorah (digital)
- 2015 Ornate Snow Family (digital)
- 2016 Yule Gift Boxes 3-Pack (digital)
- 2016 Yule Stockings 3-Pack (digital)
- Taming Reindeer Call (digital)
- 2015 Holly Wreath with Candles Hat (digital)
- Replenishing Snowball Box (digital)
- 2017 Ornate Wall Garlands 12-Pack (digital)
- Viking 2-Story Stronghold Village Home

December Login Reward: Holly Wreath Hat with Sparklers

Sunday will be the first day to login and obtain the December login reward! To celebrate the Winter Holidays, every player who logs in during the month of December will receive a unique Holly Wreath Hat with Sparklers!

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

Release 72 Reward Program Exclusive Items: Fall Theme 2!

The Release 71 Autumn themed items were so popular that we decided to make the Rewards Program items for Release 72 fall themed again! Reward Program members will receive these exclusive items immediately upon logging in during Release 72!

Autumn Leaf Mask
Autumn Leaf Shield
Autumn Leaf Trident

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

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.

Release 72 & Various Other Livestreams (YouTube)

The Release 72 livestream was incredibly informative! Here is the livestream from our YouTube channel in case you missed it:

Atos and others also sometimes livestream 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 they go live.

Upcoming Events Calendar

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

Dec 12 – Release 73
Dec 20 – Release 73 Livestream
Dec 21 – Release 72 Dance Party
Jan 30 – Release 74
Feb 27 – Release 75
Mar 26 – Release 76
Apr 30 – Release 77
May 28 – Release 78
June 25 – Release 79
July 30 – Release 80
Aug 27 – Release 81

Community Event: Hit me with your Best Shot Holiday Giveaway

[Forum Post by Lace]

Greetings Avatars

Rather than our annual stocking stuffer hangover event (where you can steal the prizes someone won before you) we are doing a giveaway of “A few of our Favorite Things” for this Holiday Season.

You can pick up a backpack of goodies from the public cache located on Lace’s Holiday House (Village Lot in Novia Market) and after Thanksgiving weekend at the Crafting Pavilion in Diamond Fields on the East Side.

Here is a map to the Novia Market location and the contents of the swag bags:

*Note that beer and wine selection varies between bags

The Contest
These items should help get you in the holiday mood, and give you a leg up on decoing your house for the season. In addition we are holding a contest where you need to “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” (yeah yeah Lace is excited about the nomination for Pat Benatar for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

This is where you take a screenshot of one area of something you have decoed (including yourself if you wish) and post it on this forum thread.

ONE SCREENSHOT ONLY! — That is the hard part picking the area, the angle etc. If you post multiple pictures you will be disqualified. WE WANT YOUR BEST SHOT!. You have until midnight server time on Friday December 27th. Along with the screenshot designate where you lot is located so others can go and take a look for the full effect as well.

Prizes
1st Place 3000 Cotos
1000 Cotos to 4 runners up

Bonus Category
1500 Cotos Crafted Only Display (please designate in your post, so the items pictured can be verified)

And as a personal favor to Lace, if you have the time give Pat Benatar some love in the fan vote for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, please head to the link below to see the current standings, then follow the link to vote. You can vote once a day until January 10th. (which happens to coincide with her birthday)–Note they ask for an email but don’t make you confirm or anything, but maybe use a unattended one in case they spam you lol)

https://vote.rockhall.com/results/

Community Event: 2nd Annual Novia Market Yuletide Giveaway

[Forum Post by ldykllr]

Announcing the 2nd Annual Novia Market Yuletide Giveaway!

When: December 1st, midnight NBT – December 31st, midnight NBT
Where: Novia Market, located just south of Britanny along the road

What it is:

For the ENTIRE month of December, ANY purchase made at an eligible vendor (see map below) will enter you into a prize drawing! 1 entry per purchase at an eligible vendor PER day (example: 15 participating vendors, if you purchase an item from each = 15 entries for the day).

The PRIZES include:

1 MILLION in GOLD prizes (and not just small amounts – 2 x 250k is up for grabs!)
Furniture (including sets!)!!!!!
Over 10k in COTO’s!
Artifacts
Rares and other nice things — (Empty Land rows, Homes, Tax Free Village Lot deed, Eternal Patterns, Seasonal Deco, Dungeon set pieces, etc.)
Resources and rare crafting mats!
Pets!
GM crafted items!
…and much, much more! (I would list everything, but there is so much!)

The drawing for prizes will be held January 3rd @ 1900 NBT (location inside NoMa TBD!)

Additional vendors may be added to the map, so check back before shopping!

Vendors and Map:

1. Robyn Hood, Adam Crow, Lace Delamorte (Lace – Armor and Weapons vendors only)
2. Kron Caledon
3. shawn
4. Yigg Endimion
5. Swish
6. D’Laein Lachlan
7. Bjorn Dyonysis or Terrence Phillip
9. Corina Napar
10. Taikee Vetrae
11. Tardis
12. Scanphor
13. Emmory Watson
14. Bookin Air
15. Phenyx
16. Lace Delamorte

Community Event: 5th Annual New Years Eve Party

[Forum Post by Mal Hari]

Come Join us this New Years in the Jade Valley Tavern for our 5th Annual New Years Eve Party.

Project to Support – Crowfall

Be part of shaping the next great MMO by becoming a Crowfall Backer! Crowfall is the first and only online Throne War game. You can win. Join intense PvP battles that demand strategy, survival and a fierce competitive spirit. Reap the spoils of war as an Eternal Champion!

Claim virtual territory on behalf of your guild or faction. Capture mines, mills, and quarries to secure resources, build castles, and besiege your neighbors. Scavenge artifacts and relics from the Dying Worlds and install them in your temples to grant blessings to your vassals. Capture lost spirits to do your bidding — or bind them into your weapons to infuse them with sorcerous power!

Project to Support – Pantheon Rise of the Fallen

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen takes place on the high-fantasy world of Terminus, a wildly diverse land formed from fragments of many different realms and times, bringing with them their unique civilizations and deities. Explore long lost realms, as their people and cultures vie for power and form alliances, struggling to gain a foothold in an unfamiliar world. Uncover civilizations and awe-inspiring locales that offer incredible adventures for you and your friends to experience. Enter a world where the environment itself tells the story and where content is always king!

UPDATE: We were stunned to learn of the untimely passing of Brad McQuaid this week. He was one of the true pioneers and visionaries of our industry who brought Everquest to us. We have few words that can express how much we respect him; so we choose to honor him with a flaming sword tomb in Brittany Graveyard that reads: “Aradune: For the Brightest Flame Burns the Least Long”.

Project to Support – Avatar Express

[Forum post by Vladamir Begemot]

The Avatar Express is a Shroud of the Avatar fan news site!

I’m pleased to report that The Avatar Express is clacking away furiously. News is being delivered and we have established systems to deliver it directly to your brain.

You can use one of those systems by following us on Twitter at @avatar_express.

Even more reliable due to its fully automated nature is joining us on the Discord server. News items are posted there via RSS.

Or you can subscribe to RSS directly on the site.

—–

If you run an event, quests, etc, please consider helping out by self reporting. The Shroud community is big, and many things are happening that are never seen by others. With 10k monthly users, we would need a full time staff to track down everything that is happening.

You can fill out the contributor form, message @that_shawn_guy here or post in the Discord server that you would like to help. There is no committment once signed up, you can post as much or little as you like.

Writing up your own events has several benefits beyond the immidiate exposure. It serves as a record for others to see the history of New Britannia as we create it, in an attractive format. Publishing in the Express also has a higher chance than the forums of being seen by search engines and random readers, thus bringing more eyeballs and new players to the game.

It will even make posting in the forums easier! You can upload images to your news item, and then link to those images in your forum post. No more need for 3rd party image hosts!

So if you have something going on in your guild or town, or want to be a Reporter, Cartographer or Historian, please join us!

Resources – Players Helping Players

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.