Avatar’s Update #405: Play Release 83 Now! Mounts of New Britannia Revealed! New Adventure Scene: The Breach! Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 83 brings players of Shroud of the Avatar a plethora of new features, content, and fixes! The new Mount System is available! A new adventure scene known as “The Breach” is ready to challenge battled-hardened adventurers! The changes to the Player-Owned Town Teleporters are now live! 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

Mounts of New Britannia Revealed!

Rideable mounts have arrived in New Britannia! Now, players of Shroud of the Avatar will be able to zip across the lands of Novia, Hidden Vale, and Mistrendur atop 16 beautiful mounts, with many additional varieties coming in the near future! Of note, 6 of the Crown Store mounts will also be obtainable by players who already own particular foal decoration pets! Also, 3 of the new mounts will be obtainable through exchange of the tamed versions of those horses. Additionally, to add a bit of spice and fun to riding, 4 new mounted skills have been added to the Tactics Skill Tree!

The first iteration of mounts added to the game are as follows, and should become available throughout the early part of R83:

  • Appaloosa Horse Mount (Crowns, Foal Exchange)
  • Bay Horse Mount (Taming Necklace Exchange)
  • Black Horse Mount (Crowns, Foal Exchange)
  • Black Unicorn Mount (Crowns)
  • Blanket Horse Mount (Taming Necklace Exchange)
  • Buckskin Horse Mount (Crowns, Foal Exchange)
  • Dun Horse Mount (Crowns, Foal Exchange)
  • Ghost Horse Mount (Crowns)
  • Nightmare Mount (Crowns)
  • Palomino Horse Mount (Taming Necklace Exchange)
  • Roan Horse Mount (Crowns, Foal Exchange)
  • Shadow Horse Mount (Crowns)
  • Skeleton Horse Mount (Crowns)
  • White Horse Mount (Crowns, Foal Exchange)
  • White Unicorn Mount (Crowns)
  • Zombie Horse Mount (Crowns)

Following through with the old webstore mount stretch goals, players with the following foal decoration pets will soon be able to trade-in these pets at a quest NPC to receive domesticated versions of the foal PLUS the corresponding Crown Store horse mount! Also, players will receive domesticated versions of the foals from all future Crown Store purchases. Whether a domesticated foal version is received via the foal quest trade-in or through a future store purchase, the domesticated versions of these foals cannot be traded-in at the quest NPC. More details are coming soon, but the current plans for the trade-ins at the quest NPC will yield the following:

  • Appaloosa Foal, Trade-in Yields: Appaloosa Foal (Domesticated), Appaloosa Horse Mount
  • Black Foal, Trade-In Yields: Black Foal (Domesticated), Black Horse Mount
  • Buckskin Foal, Trade-In Yields: Buckskin Foal (Domesticated), Buckskin Horse Mount
  • Dun Foal, Trade-In Yields: Dun Foal (Domesticated), Dun Horse Mount
  • Roan Foal, Trade-In Yields: Roan Foal (Domesticated), Roan Horse Mount
  • White Foal, Trade-In Yields: White Foal (Domesticated), White Horse Mount

Three of the new mounts are specifically reserved for the tamers of New Britannia! Tamers will be able to exchange their tamed horse pets for a bridle, which is the inventory item that allows players to summon a mount. More details will soon be revealed, but current plans will allow players to trade-in the following Taming Necklaces:

  • Taming Necklace (Bay Horse), Trade-In Yields: Bay Horse Mount
  • Taming Necklace (Blanket Horse), Trade-In Yields: Blanket Horse Mount
  • Taming Necklace (Palomino Horse), Trade-In Yields: Palomino Horse Mount

To provide players some additional functionality as riders gallop across New Britannia, 4 additional skills have been added to the Tactics Skill Tree:

  • Horsemanship (+Mounted Speed, +Mounted Carry Capacity)
  • Horse Gallop Speed (+Mounted Sprint Speed)
  • Horse Carry Capacity Focus (-Mounted Speed, +Mounted Carry Capacity)
  • Horse Speed Focus (+Mounted Speed, -Mounted Carry Capacity

These newly created mounts are just the beginning! Players can expect many more mount varieties to come their way in the future! Please stay tuned for more mount related news just on the horizon.

Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

Another weekly Community Livestream is this Friday, October 30th 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!

New Adventure Scene: The Breach!

Another adventure scene is nearing release and will become available in early R83 to challenge players of Shroud of the Avatar! Chris “Atos” Spears has created a new style of boss encounter which can only be experienced in The Breach, a new adventure scene 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. The Breach features improved performance over Dysborg Ruins, and the creature spawns have been expanded considerably. For players to best the creatures and wave event within The Breach, team-oriented tactics must also be employed!

Players must face four guardian elemental mini-bosses which spawn in key locations. Each elemental has a five minute respawn timer. Two of these elementals are highly resistant to magic. The other two elementals are highly resistant to physical damage. All four elementals 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 elementals 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, Avatars! Will you accept this challenge and defeat the denizens of The Breach? May the Virtues guide thee…

Player-Owned Town Teleporter Update!

Governors and stewards of Player-Owned Towns (POT) can now enjoy extra functionality with their premium NPC Town teleporters. Currently, these 3 teleporters only take players to a single NPC Town. As of Release 83, they have received additional capabilities, and the names of these 3 teleporters have been adjusted to coincide with the changes to their functionality as follows:

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

Not only can governors and stewards adjust which towns these 3 teleporters point to, but all NPC Towns, Player-Run Towns (PRT) and POTs are available as destinations. Of note, the prices for these 3 teleporters have been significantly reduced.

Along these same lines, the recently added POT Interconnection Teleporters have also received name changes. In a similar fashion, all of these teleporters now allow for NPC Town, PRT, and POT destinations. Now that teleportation to NPC Towns is available through player-placed decoration items, POT service vouchers can no longer be utilized for new POT to NPC Town interconnections. The names of these teleporters have changed as follows:

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

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

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.

Crowns, Deed Upgrades & Two-Hour Flash Sales!

Avatars! Sales for the Halloween season are upon us! Crowns are on sale for 20% off! Players will have the entire holiday weekend to enjoy the discount. Deed Upgrades are ALSO 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! The Two-Hour Flash Sales event returns for another round and start today at 1PM CT! So watch your clocks, Avatars! A new batch of 9 sale items will rotate into the in-game Crown Store every 2 hours! All sales should start shortly!

Players have until Wednesday, November 3rd at 1PM CST to take advantage of these great discounts, at which time all 3 sales events expire. Happy shopping, Avatars!

New Store Additions: Conversationalists, Drinking Glasses & Seasonal Items!

Additional Inky NPCs have been added to the store with MANY more soon on the way! Players can now enjoy customizing the dialogue for a variety of Elf, Entertainer, and Kobold Conversationalists! A new Breathe Leaves Emote has been added to the store. Clover Pavers have also been added to the store, as well as the fully completed Lord British Plate Armor Set!

  • Breathe Leaves Emote
  • Lord British Plate Armor Set
  • Clover Pavers
  • Beer Glass 12-Pack
  • Wineglass 12-Pack
  • Drinking Glass Mega Pack
  • Conversationalist, Elf Archer Female 1
  • Conversationalist, Elf Archer Male 1
  • Conversationalist, Elf Fighter Female 1
  • Conversationalist, Elf Fighter Male 1
  • Conversationalist, Elf Mage Female 1
  • Conversationalist, Elf Mage Male 1
  • Conversationalist, Entertainer Female 1
  • Conversationalist, Entertainer Female 2
  • Conversationalist, Entertainer Female 3
  • Conversationalist, Entertainer Male 1
  • Conversationalist, Entertainer Male 2
  • Conversationalist, Entertainer Male 3
  • Conversationalist, Kobold Brawler
  • Conversationalist, Kobold Ghost

The fall, Thanksgiving, and winter store seasons are upon us, Avatars! The following items will be available either in the Vault or as recurring seasonal items:

  • 2016 Winter Holiday Soundtrack
  • Autumn Fairy Crown
  • Autumn Fairy Outfit
  • Autumn Fairy Wings
  • Autumn Leaf Mask
  • Autumn Leaf Shield
  • Autumn Leaf Trident
  • Banded Turkey Decoration Pet
  • Breathe Blue Fire Emote
  • Breathe Emote 6-Pack
  • Breathe Snow Emote
  • Brown Pilgrim Bonnet
  • Brown Pilgrim Hat
  • Ceiling Yule Tree
  • Dark Yule Outfit
  • Fall Wreath 2017
  • Fall Wreath 2019
  • Fountain of Frozen Waters
  • Frozen Bagpipes
  • Giant Haunted Yule Tree
  • Giant Scarecrow
  • Giant Yule Tree 2015
  • Giant Yule Tree 2016
  • Giant Yule Tree 2017
  • Giant Yule Tree 2018
  • Haunted Snow Family
  • Haunted Snowman Mask
  • Haunted Yule Tree
  • Holly Wreath with Candles Hat
  • Holly Wreath with Sparklers Hat
  • Ice Elemental Statue
  • Ice Hot Tub
  • Ice Nightmare Mask
  • Ice Wings
  • Icy Ancient Stone Cathedral
  • Icy Ancient Stone Room Fishing Grotto
  • Large Haunted Yule Tree
  • Large Yule Tree 2016
  • Large Yule Tree 2017
  • Large Yule Tree 2018
  • Menorah 2014
  • Menorah 2015
  • Menorah 2016
  • Menorah 2017
  • Menorah 2018
  • Ornate Cornucopia 2014
  • Ornate Cornucopia 2015
  • Ornate Cornucopia 2016
  • Ornate Cornucopia 2017
  • Ornate Mantle Garland 2017 12-Pack
  • Ornate Mantle Garland 2018 12-Pack
  • Ornate Replenishing Snowball Box 2014
  • Ornate Replenishing Snowball Box 2015
  • Ornate Replenishing Snowball Box 2016
  • Ornate Scarecrow 2016
  • Ornate Sled
  • Ornate Sleigh
  • Ornate Snow Family 2015
  • Ornate Snow Family 2016
  • Ornate Snow Family 2017
  • Ornate Snow Family 2018
  • Ornate Wall Garland 2017 12-Pack
  • Ornate Wall Garland 2018 12-Pack
  • Ornate Yule Music Box
  • Ornate Yule Wreath 2015
  • Ornate Yule Wreath 2016 3-Pack
  • Ornate Yule Wreath 2017 3-Pack
  • Ornate Yule Wreath 2018 3-Pack
  • Reindeer Decoration Pet
  • Scarecrow Mask
  • Small Ornate Wall Garland 2017 12-Pack
  • Small Ornate Wall Garland 2018 12-Pack
  • Snow Emote
  • Snowdragon
  • Snowflake Pattern Cloak
  • Snowman Mask 2015
  • Snowman Mask with Hat & Moustache 2018
  • Snowman Mask with Stovepipe Hat 2016
  • Snowman Mask with Stovepipe Hat 2017
  • Speckled Turkey Decoration Pet
  • Tabletop Elf Statue with Yule Hat
  • Tabletop Haunted Yule Tree
  • Tabletop Yule Tree 2014
  • Tabletop Yule Tree 2015
  • Tabletop Yule Tree 2016
  • Tabletop Yule Tree 2017
  • Tabletop Yule Tree 2018
  • Traditional Yule Hat
  • Turkey Decoration Pet
  • Virtue Ice Crown
  • Virtue Ice Gown Outfit
  • Virtue Ice Shield
  • Virtue Ice Sword
  • Virtue Ice Wand
  • Virtue Icicle Cloak
  • White Raven Decoration Pet
  • White Reindeer Decoration Pet
  • White Rottweiler Decoration Pet
  • White Squirrel Decoration Pet
  • White Turkey Decoration Pet
  • Winter Lynx Decoration Pet
  • Winter Pattern Glass Chandelier 3-Pack
  • Winter Pattern Glass Floor Lamp 3-Pack
  • Yule Card 2017 5-Pack
  • Yule Card 2018 5-Pack
  • Yule Gift Box 2016 3-Pack
  • Yule Gift Box 2017 3-Pack
  • Yule Gift Box 2018 3-Pack
  • Yule Hat
  • Yule Stockings 2016 3-Pack
  • Yule Stockings 2017 3-Pack
  • Yule Stockings 2018 3-Pack
  • Yule Tree 2014
  • Yule Tree 2015
  • Yule Tree 2016
  • Yule Tree 2017
  • Yule Tree 2018
  • Yule Velvet Bodice Ensemble

New Vault Round!

The current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, November 5th at 1PM CT. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for one week, and then the next, etc.

  • Ancient Stone Room Fishing Grotto
  • Combat Sigil Cloak
  • Crafting Sigil Cloak
  • Vintage Red Velvet with Nailheads Furniture Set
  • Wood & Plaster 3-Story with Open Floor Plan Village Home
  • Elven Elder Fighter Armor
  • Obsidian Cloak
  • Thorn Mace
  • Aether Longbow

November Login Reward: Autumn Leaf Pavers!

Just when you thought you got all your raking done, more leaves have fallen from the trees! Simply log in during the month of November, and these amazing Autumn Leaf Pavers will become available in the Rewards Window.

Release 83 Rewards Program Login Items: Spooky, Autumn, & Lord British Themed!

Avatars! Rewards Program login items for Release 83 are Lord British, autumn, and spooky themed! Reward Program members must login during Release 83 to receive these login items:

  • Conversationalist, Pumpkinhead Minion
  • Lord British 2-Handed Sword
  • Autumn Leaf Piles

 

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

World & Miscellaneous Changes

These miscellaneous updates affecting the game world or aspects of the user interface (UI) patched in during R82, will go live with R83, or will go live shortly after R83:

  • Ardoris: Many more ladders were added to the Ardoris dock area.
  • Tanglemire: Added “renown” feedback to the conversations for some NPCs, allowing a player to have a general sense of their status among the local populace.
  • Forged Artwork Quest: Updated the responses for the Caravaggios Wolf and Stephanie Broadmeadow to be more clear that 5 paintings are required for turn-in. Also, Caravaggios Wolf now names the paintings in his “painting” response (Stephanie Broadmeadow already did this).
  • Far Hinterlands: This scene has been changed from Tier 5 to Tier 5+.
  • Soltown: Improvements were made to the Silver Necklace quest in Soltown.
  • Samael as a Companion: Each of the 3 companion whistles for Samael now mention their respective scenes in their labels. Also, when acquiring a summoning whistle from Samael, the other ones are removed from the player’s inventory.
  • Scene Mini-Maps: The following mini-maps were added…
    • Alpine Road Encounter
    • Blackblade Pass
    • Braemar
    • Brightbone Pass
    • Celestis
    • Ferig’s Battle Camp
    • Fishing Expedition
    • Graff Gem Mines Entrance
    • Greymark Forest
    • Greystone
    • Hidden Vale
    • Holtrot
    • Kingsport
    • Kingsroad
    • Kingswood
    • Kobold Battle Camp
    • Kobold Expeditionary Camp
    • Lamech’s Bazaar
    • Mistrendur
    • Moors of Northshore
    • North Celestial Wetlands
    • North Ravenswood
    • North Valeway
    • Northmarsh
    • Northshire
    • Northwest Blackblade Mountains
    • Owl’s Nest Approach
    • Owl’s Nest Mines
    • Owl’s Wash
    • Plains of Righ Inis
    • Ravensend
    • Restless Forest
    • Righ Inis
    • Ruins of Utheim
    • Solace Forest
    • South Ravenswood
    • South Valeway
    • Southmarsh
    • Southmarsh Village
    • Spectral Foothills
    • Spectral Mountains
    • Valemark
    • West Perennial Trail
    • West Ravenswood
    • Westhollow
    • Wynton’s Folly
    • Wyrmsands
    • Yew
  • Explosive Chests: Trapped explosive chests have been added in several scenes and will continue to be added as scenes are created/updated.
  • Kingsport Sewers: The task given by the prisoners to kill the lich is now a proper quest, including compass markers and experience reward.
  • Ferig’s Battle Camp: Lord Ferig now has a small quest tasking the player to get him a special bottle of wine.
  • Valhold Palace: The letters on a certain desk are now signed with the full names of their authors.
  • Tanglemire: Created new “spirit wheel repair” quest for guards. Results in a smaller repeatable version.
  • Braemar: Improvements to the “Ask about Kelly” quest, including fixing typos, improving journal entries, improving quest logic, and adding added compass markers.
  • Ardoris, Central Brittany, Owl’s Head: Made Town Crier discoverable spawn locations in preparation for POT teleporter changes.
  • Guestbooks: Added generic guestbooks to locations in Aerie, Ardoris, Tanglemire, Jaanaford, Resolute, and Central Brittany. Only one book will appear in each location, and that book is randomized among 6 possible books.
  • Twitter: The Catnip Games Twitter feed now displays on the main website.
  • Novia, Hidden Vale, Mistrendur: Butterflies in these scenes may now switch to fireflies at night, and back to butterflies in the day.
  • Ardoris: Added discovery compass marker for Peladjar Inn.
  • Lord British’s Castle: Players now get a journal entry when they first acquire a vault key. Also, the journal entry about the “flash” in the vault should auto-archive itself.
  • North Quel Way: All human, satyr, and faun survivors now have dialogue for players who want to talk to them.

Crafting, Items & Economy Changes

These changes to the player economy, in-game items, or crafting patched in during R82, will go live with R83, or will go live shortly after R83:

  • Crafting/Gathering Time Reductions: Many crafting/gathering times have been reduced allowing for future additions of higher tier items.
  • Podiums: These decoration items can now be placed on top of other items such as blocks and tables.
  • Conversationalists: Improved tooltips to explain functionality of Conversationalists.
  • Daemon Tea Buffs: Daemon Tea now only takes 1 food channel.
  • Scorched Dunkleosteus: This food item buff now has improved stats.
  • Elixir Extension: Food has been added to the “Consumables” list so that the Elixir Extension skill will affect food durations.
  • Pumpkin Contest Trophies: 4 trophy variations have been created for upcoming developer sponsored pumpkin growing contests.
  • Tilapia: Added tilapia as a valid ingredient for Fish Stew and Fishy Nibblers.
  • Candles: Various candles with identical names now have different names…
    • Candle in Bulb Base
    • Tabletop Candelabra
    • Chamberstick Candle
  • Stances: Stances now stack and receive charging bonuses.

Updated Player Owned Towns

These updates affected Player Owned Towns which patched in during R82, will go live with R83, or will go live shortly after R83:

  • A’doe Trunalor: Upgraded to Gigalopolis.
  • Arlia: Upgraded to Crossroads Village.
  • Beran’s Reach: Upgraded to Gigalopolis.
  • Bodega of Blood: Updated interconnections.
  • Brittany Fort: Updated interconnections.
  • Dogopolis: Added new Municipality to Novia, east of Ardoris.
  • Ironhall: Changed owner. Upgraded to Crossroads Village.
  • Lained: Added new Holdfast to Novia, west of Skrekk.
  • Norstead: Updated interconnections.
  • Rajazel: Upgraded to Crossroads Village.
  • Salem: Upgraded to Crossroads Village, added interconnections.
  • Valor: Updated interconnections.
  • Wakoku: Upgraded to Village.

Bug Fixes

Albeit many bug fixes patched in during R82, will go live with R83, or will go live shortly after R83. Here are some of the highlights!

  • The hanging torture cage once again properly hangs from the ceiling.
  • Collision issues were fixed in Celestis.
  • Fixed issue with agriculture preventing some players from farming.
  • The hedge shack at Lord British’s Castle now opens when completing wave 20.
  • Fixed the Marisha quest in Lord British’s Castle.
  • Fixed collision issues in Lord British’s Castle.
  • Players can no longer bypass certain encounters in Lord British’s Castle.
  • Captain Marisha’s Encoded Safe quest now properly recognizes Encoded Cards when in a player’s inventory.
  • Captain Marisha now properly accepts vault keys from players.
  • Several trees which overlapped player houses in Central Brittany have been removed.
  • Fixed a non-functional ladder in Kas Ruins.
  • The Tavern of the South Wind in Ardoris now properly displays its name.
  • Various creatures to include Cabalists are once again willing to slay you.
  • Conversationalists can now be renamed.
  • The Lich Fighter Spawner Statue can now only be placed in dungeons as intended.
  • Fixed a spawn location issue with the POT Island template.
  • Many connectivity issues resolved.
  • Fixed an issue where speaking with Khasi in Ardoris would sometimes not advance a quest stage.
  • Fixed issue with Lord British Plate Leggings where the Avatar’s legs would clip through in combat mode.
  • All lot markers are now placed a consistent distance outside of their respective lots in Desolis.
  • The ranged weapon trainer in Soltown will now stand in a tight area and not wander near the training targets.
  • Expanded exit volumes in Necropolis Barrens to block blink attempts.
  • The cypress tree icon now has a transparent background.
  • A floating fern has been removed from Kas Ruins.
  • Air Warding now correctly refers to Air Magic in the skill description.
  • In Ardoris, turning in Stanley’s report to Captain Cugel *after* completing the path of love storyline will no longer prompt him to send you to talk to Siranto and Khasi.
  • Updated the quest logic which displays compass markers to meet with Khasi and Siranto after delivering the letter from Stanley to Captain Cugel.
  • Updated the “Meet with Charon” task in Spite to clear only after you advance the quest with Charon. Also, Yama is more clear about finding Charon and what to say to him.
  • Corrected the labels for the exit to Midras Ruins from within the Necropolis.
  • Harald Bachman the Baker in Brittany Wharfs now properly sells his goods.
  • Removed a redundant/bad “fallback” hello response from Avitas in Etceter.
  • Fixed a bug with the “looking glasses” in Highvale Outskirts. Now they all require the player to have first brought a Frostgeist skull to Esmeralda to use them.
  • Crafting a Wall Torch no longer consumes a torch as fuel.
  • Crafting a Trophy Pumpkin no longer consumers the pumpkin as fuel.
  • The resources in Shandy Chapman’s scenario version of the Forest Road Encounter no longer have a fast-respawn time.
  • Removed the Obsidian Crown merchant compass marker in Desolis (because there is no such merchant).
  • Stuck spots has been removed from Lord British’s Castle, Tenebris Harbor, and Tanglemire.
  • Fixed an issue where a spider was spawning outside the playable area in Blood River Forest.
  • In Solace Bridge, the letter “From Hobart to Zorabeth” can no longer be collected when players already have it or have turned it in. Also, improved compass marker logic, and the turn-in logic with the turn-in NPC.
  • Improved how Private Garridon or Solace Bridge Outskirts stays in his starting location.
  • Improved the logic whereby players “memorize” Stanley’s name in Soltown.
  • The castle gate guards of Ardoris no longer mention the gate is locked.
  • Fixed typos in Bramble for the responses and doctrine of the cataclysm.
  • Blocked a location where players could view the area outside the playspace in Crypt of the Avatar.
  • Moved floating garlic node in Nightshade Pass to the ground.
  • Leaderboards are once again functional.
  • Fixed an issue where the Obsidian Trials Trader wasn’t properly offering emotes for sale.
  • Fixed an issue with resizing of the chat window.
  • Updated the quest data for Robert Villines in Blood River so that a compass marker will stop pointing to him after you start the Path of Truth storyline.
  • Set the correct exit coordinates for all difficulty levels of Lamech’s Bazaar.
  • When investigating the black arrow murders in Ardoris, the compass markers that point to Tanya now all have the correct messages.
  • Fixed an issue in Soltown where Abigil’s special “barks” were happening according to the wrong flag state.
  • Gabrielle Townsend in Aerie will now remember the player’s name when told.
  • The Troll’s Bridge is now set as a teleport scroll destination.

Recent Shroud of the Avatar Livestreams

Atos and other members of the Shroud of the Avatar development team go live very frequently on our TWO Twitch Channels: twitch.tv/shroudoftheavatar and twitch.tv/communityoftheavatar — be sure to get these channels on follow and get the latest information right as we go live! Also, if you’ve missed our latest streams, check out our archive of content at our YouTube Channel (complete with “Mojito the dog” cam). Like! Follow! Subscribe! Prizes!!!




Don’t forget to also join the Shroud of the Avatar team and community over at our other social media venues:

Are You a Livestreamer?

Soon, the Streaming Reward Program will be returning. As the details are getting reworked, we’ll reveal more information. Traditional streaming rewards included an exclusive in-game Streamer Camera for being a veteran of our Streaming Program! Expect the camera reward to return! More goodies will come to your way as the program fully develops. Thank you for streaming Shroud of the Avatar!

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:

  1. Antennae Head Gear and Forum Title 1: “Bug Hunter”
  2. Single Ant Cloak
  3. Lady Bug Backpack
  4. Bug Painting A and In-Game Title 2: “Associate of Aphids”
  5. Ant Farm
  6. Insect Leg Table
  7. Many Ants Cloak and In-Game Title 3: “Bachelor of Beetles”
  8. Bug Painting B
  9. Bug Sprayer
  10. Bug Painting C and In-Game Title 4: “Master of Moths”
  11. Butterfly Chair
  12. Corpion Chair (Pictured Below)
  13. Yellow Fireflies VFX and In-Game Title 5: “Doctor of Dragonflies”
  14. Hacked Oracle Flyer
  15. Giant Blue Butterfly Pet
  16. Butterfly Mask
  17. Dragonfly pet
  18. Fairy Wings
  19. Monarch Butterfly Pet
  20. Dragonfly Wings
  21. Hacked Oracle Crawler
  22. Blue Butterfly VFX
  23. Orange Fireflies VFX
  24. 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.

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 Lord British’s property, and dinner with the game leaders including Lord British himself! Only 24 of these unique bundles will be sold!

Complete List of Rewards:

  • 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
  • Unique Lord of the Isle Home (pictured above)
  • NEW – Lord of the Isle Fishing Expedition (This scene version will work like a large instanced property such as a basement and will feature decoration surfaces to further beautify the scene.)
  • Town Size Upgrade (if a town is not owned by the LOTI supporter, they may gift this size upgrade to another town owner. Maximum possible town sizes will be taken into account, but the Teralopolis size just became available!)
  • Choice of 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)
  • Unique Lord of the Isle Dungeon Room (To be revealed later)
  • 140,000 Crowns
  • 1000 Bank Slots
  • Pick 12 Prosperity Tools
  • Lord of the Isle Crown (In-Game Wearable Item)
  • Unique In-Game Emote (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 Lord British’s property
  • Fine dinner and drinks with Lord British, Darkstarr, and 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, 2019). Other items will be delivered at a future date TBD.

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

Upcoming Events Calendar

Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events page for spotlighted events plus links to various areas to post or find events on our forums:

2020 Release Schedule:

  • Release 83 – Oct 29
  • Release 84 – Nov 19
  • Release 85 – Dec 17

Community Event: Catnip Games Weekly Fishing Tourney

Greetings Anglers! The weekly Catnip Games Fishing Tourney is live! These contests run for 1 week intervals, Friday Noon to Friday Noon CT.  We’ll announce the winners every Friday during the livestream.

Town Registration: Each week, the contest takes place in 3 Player Owned Towns, 1 Random PvP location and 1 Random Lava or NPC Town Location. Please register your Player Owned Town of choice in a reply to this thread, 1 entry per player, and these entries will be added into the town registry. The contest will cycle through the towns in the sequence they entered the town registry, then loop back again to the beginning. The town registry will be reset/wiped for new entries periodically to ensure only active/interested towns are within the registry.

Fishing Prizes & Objectives: All prizes will be no-trade. Players may donate additional prizes in the name of their guilds or towns to sweeten the pot. This event timeframe is Friday the 30th at Noon CT to Friday the 6th at Noon CT, and these are the prizes and goals for the indicated week:

  • Largest FRESHWATER Fish (Town):
    • Rules: Must be caught from one of these towns. Governs can request loaner water conversion statues.
    • Prizes: Player Owned Town Row Lot Deed, Large Gold Fishing Trophy
  • Largest Fish (PvP):
    • Rules: Must be caught in Dysborg Ruins
    • Prizes: 2 Chained Obsidian Shard 3-Packs, Large Silver Fishing Trophy
  • Largest Lava Fish:
    • Rules: Must be caught in K’rul
    • Prizes: Fishing Rod of Prosperity, Large Bronze Fishing Trophy
  • Participation Prizes:
    • Rules: Everyone who caught at least 1 trophy fish in this week’s locations
    • Prizes: Small Silver Fishing Trophy

Cross-Over Events: Prizes provided by the Community Manager will be available for participants and winners of the Fishing event, but governors, guild leaders and players are welcome to sweeten the pot by providing additional prizes based on objective criteria entirely of their own design. In fact, please consider planning events to overlap the duration and chosen weekly locations of the PvP and Fishing developer events. Please post these events in the in-game events forums and the Community Manager will promote accordingly. Please submit links to event threads which take place in the spotlighted towns, PvP zone or PvE zone.

  • Current Crossovers:
    • No crossover events announced.

How to Participate: To participate, players need merely catch trophy fish in the 5 locations indicated above. The locations will change every week at Noon CT on Friday, so be sure to pay attention to the announcements for new locations each week! Please do not send your fish to Elgarion via the in-game mail system. Through data logging, he’ll be able to determine the winners. SO please hold on to your fish, and feel free to use them in any fashion after the catch.

Head on over to the Fishing Event Forum Thread for more information. Happy adventures, Avatars!

Community Event: VulcanJedi’s Extra Life Charity Event

Greetings Avatars! Some players may have heard VulcanJedi talk about Extra Life, a charity that supports the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in North America. VulcanJedi is including some amazing Shroud of the Avatar gear and decoration items as donation incentives for this years charity event! In an additional show of support, players can also give VulcanJedi’s Twitch Channel a visit and a follow. For more information about this charity event or how you can become involved, be sure to check out the main forum post on this topic on the official forums.

Community Event: Browncoat’s Extra Life Charity Event

We gamers have a chance to help sick kids on Saturday, November 7, by doing what we do best: playing games! Extra Life is a 24-hour video game marathon to raise money to help kids at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. All the money raised for Extra Life will go directly to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital of your choice. Browncoat Jayson is playing for the Dell Children’s Medical Center, located in Austin Texas (the home of our SotA developers). This year, Jayson will be streaming Shroud of the Avatar live for 24-hours over on his Twitch.tv channel. For more information about this charity event or how you can become involved, be sure to check out the main forum post on this topic on the official forums.

Community Event: Inky Script Training

Greetings, Avatars! Do you have a Conversationalist NPC but aren’t certain how to program their dialogue? If so, you are in luck! Jarvi Mystara will be giving Inky Script Lessons on her upcoming Twitch Stream! Please join us on Twitch for the training session!

For more information about this event, please visit the main forum thread on this topic on the official forums. Hope to see you all there!

Community Event: Halloween in Immortal City

Join Alleine Dragonfyre and the Virtue/Avatars Radio Team for Halloween in Immortal City! There’ll be amazing music, a livestreamer marathon, a Halloween ball as well as a costume contest!

  • Where: Immortal City and Twitch.TV
  • Livestreams: Saturday, October 31st, Noon to 4AM
  • Ball & Costume Contest: Saturday, October 31st, 8PM to Midnight

Don’t miss out! So many fantastic activities and streamers for some great Halloween fun! And remember… Don’t travel alone in Immortal City! For more information about this event, please contact Alleine Dragonfyre on the forums.

Community Event: SotA Tales Episode 1

A player-made interactive quest has been created by Tristano Sforza, and is available to players of Shroud of the Avatar! Explore New Britannia, solve puzzles, gather resources, catch special fish, craft and use new powerful artifacts, kill mobs and more… but most importantly save new Britannia!

This quest is enhanced by a LUA application, and is intended for medium to high level players. Please be sure to provide Tristano Sforza feedback about this interactive quest, and encourage him to make more! For more information about this event, please see the main forum post on the official forums.

Community Event: BMC Fangtastic Halloween Deco Contest

Pull out your pumpkins, spiders, and skeletons, Avatars! Its that time of year again! Decorate your home or shop, take some screenshots, and have a chance to win some great prizes! There’s also some fantastic prizes available for those wishing to participate in a Trivia Contest!

  • Entry Deadline: October 31st, 11:59PM CT

For more information about this event, please see the main forum post on the official forums.

Community Event: Haunted Inn and Dungeon Adventure

Join the Haunted Inn Adventure, Avatars! Falling Waters Fortress features a fantastically decorated haunted house with a player-made spooky adventure! Featuring Conversationalist/Inky generated quests and some “Fight or Flight Dungeon Monster Encounters”, you just may find your heart pounding in anticipation of what lurks around the next corner… Be sure to investigate every nook and cranny!

  • When: Friday, October 30th to Sunday, November 8th
  • Where: Falling Waters Fortress

From the entrance to Falling Waters Fortress, take the Town Signpost to the Cemetery. This is the first year for this quest, using both the new Conversationalist System and the Player-Made Dungeons with monster spawns. Be sure to get out there and give this quest maker some love, Avatars! For more information about this player-made quest and haunted house, please see the main forum thread on this topic on the official forums.

Community Event: TheAvatar.Express Needs You!

If you’re looking for a great way to get involved in the Shroud of the Avatar community, then look no further! The fine folks at TheAvatar.Express are looking for some new reporters. Avatars wishing to help with the following are highly desired:

  • Developer Stream Summaries
  • Twitter Reposting
  • In-Game Event Coverage
  • Events Calendar Management
  • New Features/Changes Tutorials
  • Interviews
  • Editorials
  • Any other game stuff you want to cover!

Also, the Avatar Express is going to be visiting POTs and writing one or two articles highlighting Shroud of the Avatar’s great community! If you are interested in having your town featured, please reply to this thread with your town’s name. You will be contacted to answer a few questions about the town and will be notified when the article is to be published!

To sign up as a reporter, visit https://theavatar.express/be-a-reporter. If you have any questions, feel free to start a private conversation with that_shawn_guy on the forums or shawnbutts #4362 on Discord. For more information, please also visit the main forum thread on this topic on the official forums.

Community Event: Crafters Town Shopping Spree

Greetings Avatars! Starting this month, a new Shopping Spree contest will be running in Crafters Town! Lots of prizes are available, including Crowns of the Obsidian!

  • Where: Crafters Town
  • When: October 1st to October 31st

For more information about contest guidelines and prizes, please see the main forum thread on this topic in the official forums. Happy sales hunting, shoppers!

Community Event: Beran’s Reach Auction

Ladies and gentlemen! The Citizens of Beran’s Reach welcome you the weekly auctions! The auctions are about bringing together people from all corners of the community, with the Beran’s Reach market being the perfect place to do so!

  • When: Sundays, 2PM CT
  • Where: Beran’s Reach

For more information about the auction house event, see the main thread on this topic on the official forums. Happy bidding, Avatars!

Community Event: The Poets’ Circle Returns

Kailef of the Poets’ Circle is back in action, and he’s ready to assist Avatars through the process of custom music review for possible inclusion into the game. Every Player-Owned Town has a customizable soundtrack available to it, and adding one’s own music to that soundtrack most certainly adds a personal flair to one’s governing endeavors. If you’re interested in requesting the assistance of Kailef or simply learning more about this process, please visit the main forum thread on this topic in the official forums.

Project to Support: Shard RPG

Shard Studios invites you to enter the fantastic world Dárdünah, the vast shard of a shattered realm, as presented in the colorful pages of the SHARD RPG! Many years in the making, this system allows players to choose from a wide variety of animal people who are the main cast of the many adventures this otherworldly setting offers. Skyships glide through shimmering clouds past majestic crystal peaks. Giant insects prowl alien jungles or lurk in the sparkling emerald seas. Warriors with blades of diamond and amber duel across crimson sands. And mystics chant in shadowy chambers as their spirits wander abroad.

  • Intro Sheet: For a quick glimpse into the world of Dárdünah, be sure to download the intro pdf! It’s packed with great information and features beautiful artwork, not unlike the artwork found throughout the many pages of this gaming system’s gorgeously designed manuals.
  • Core System Manuals: It’s easier than ever to delve into Dárdünah, World of the False Dawn, with the Core Books Bundle! If you’ve never had the opportunity to experience this unique gaming system and setting, now’s your chance! This bundle includes two beautifully illustrated, full-color, hardcover books: the original Basic Compendium and the Magic and Martial Arts book! They contain everything you need to begin your adventures, and include instructions for the ritual magic and martial arts combat systems. These manuals also include 90 new Animal Templates upon which to base your character!
  • Other Shard RPG Products: So many more manuals and gaming materials are available! Everything an avid tabletop role-player and game master needs to delve into the world of Dárdünah!

So if you’re ready to experience a gaming world like no other, check out what Shard Studios has created for tabletop role-players on the Shard RPG official website! You’ll most certainly be immersed and amazed by the offerings of the Shard RPG!

Project to Support: Shadow of Valhalla

Shadow of Valhalla is a visceral physics-based VR combat game with dynamic RPG elements, set within an ancient realm of Viking lore and mystic powers! Early Access beta includes “endless horde mode” featuring a variety of enemies with progressive difficulty. Also, players can discover many magic spells to unlock! So much more is coming!

Finn Staber with Chicken Waffle, will join the Shroud of the Avatar team on Twitch during their Friday the 28th livestream to showoff this new Early Access game! Also, here is a teaser video on YouTube:


The development team is working hard to create additional environments and new quests! Shadow of Valhalla is available on Steam as Early Access. Additional features coming to the game:

  • More Enemies!
  • More Environments!
  • More Magic Spells!
  • RPG Quests!
  • Weapon Forging and Crafting!
  • Much, much more!

If you would like to learn more about Shadow of Valhalla, be sure to stop by the main webpage for the game as more news becomes available!

Project to Support: Jar Wars


While you are delving into Virtual Reality (VR), be sure to check out this exciting and hilarious new game, Jar Wars! Our very own Darkstarr has been busy on some side projects, one of which is Jar Wars, a slapstick multiplayer game made just for VR enthusiasts. Battle your friends with wacky weapons and intriguing gadgets for total domination of the Moon! Available for free on Steam!

Project to Support: Dragon Fight

Darkstarr has also been hard at work with the team for Dragon Fight VR which recently went live on Steam! Dragon Fight VR is an internal experiment to capture the “essence” of a dragon fight, the classic penultimate experience of every fantasy story. We wanted to create a short visceral, realistic experience stripped of user interface, lobbies, scores, levels, and other visual intrusions that might distract. There were some key elements of fighting a dragon that we wanted to capture and we felt VR was uniquely qualified to convey:

  • Face to face with a large scale hostile creature trying to kill you
  • Using a sword and a shield
  • Fire!
  • Nowhere to run!

This started out as an internal experiment to learn some things about VR’s capabilities, be reductionist in our designs, etc. We felt that the experiment was successful enough to release as a free experience to share. Enjoy! Available for free on Steam!

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: Avatar Express

[Forum post by Vladamir Begemot]

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

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.



1 Comment


  1. Sean SilverfootSean Silverfoot

    Great release, finally introducing mounts, an exchange program for Foals, and being able to tame your own mount. More great tools for POT’s. Still very excited to be part of SOTA and enjoying the roller coaster ride.
    Thanks, Dev team for your hard work and dedication. #Everforward

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