Avatar’s Update #414: Happy New Year, Avatars! New Store Additions! New Vault Round!

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

As many within community and the development team take a break during the holidays, we wish everyone a happy, safe, and restful time! 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

Happy New Year, Avatars!

Happy New Year, Avatars! While the development team continues to spend some extra time with loved ones, we hope the new year brings everyone much happiness. The team is anxious to dive back to regular hours on Monday morning fully charged to bring you all great content and improvements for 2021! We’ll be back on track to provide weekly development updates starting next Friday as well.

We hope everyone stays healthy and safe during their celebrations, and for those that don’t have balmy winters, stay warm! Happy Holidays, Avatars!

NOTE: We mistakenly only submitted sale prices to 80 of the store homes. As a result, we’ll be submitting a patch shortly to add the discounts to the remaining 40 or so homes that got missed, AND we’ll be extending the home sales an additional week as a result.

UPDATE, LORD OF THE ISLE (LOTI) BUNDLES (9-16): Don’t miss out if you were on the fence about becoming a LOTI supporter — LOTI bundles 9-16 are on sale for 25% Off!

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

In celebration of the holidays, various sales will extend from December 17th to January 4th. The following sales will be available:

To upgrade a deed, place the deed into your inventory, then right-click the deed to reveal upgrade options. And be sure to watch your clocks, Avatars! A new batch of 9 sale items will rotate into the in-game Crown Store every 2 hours! Happy shopping, Avatars!

NOTE: We mistakenly only submitted sale prices to 80 of the store homes. As a result, we’ll be submitting a patch shortly to add the discounts to the remaining 40 or so homes that got missed, AND we’ll be extending the home sales an additional week as a result. 

New Store Addition: Skull Pile, Conversationalists & Statues!

This week, a Skull Pile decoration has been added to the Crown Store!

Last week, 4 amazing new store items became available. A new Programmable Teletype Conversationalist! New decorative swordsman statues of different sizes and colors! (Also, be on the lookout for a new recipe to craft an Avatar sized swordsman statue which is available on the in-game merchant on the second floor of the bank in Aerie.)

  • Conversationalist, Programmable Teletype
  • Giant Golden Swordsman Statue
  • Giant Swordsman Statue
  • Tabletop Swordsman Statue

 

Also, the winter store season is here, Avatars! All holiday items will be available either in the Vault or as recurring seasonal items:

  • 2016 Winter Holiday Soundtrack
  • Breathe Blue Fire Emote
  • Breathe Emote 6-Pack
  • Breathe Snow Emote
  • Ceiling Yule Tree
  • Dark Yule Outfit
  • Fountain of Frozen Waters
  • Frozen Bagpipes
  • Giant Haunted Yule Tree
  • 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 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 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
  • 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
  • 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 holidays are here, Avatars! Get your hands on these assorted decoration items and more! The current round of Vault items are available until Thursday, January 7th at 1PM CT. At that time, the next round of 9 items will be available for one week, and then the next, etc.

  • Brass Clockwork Monkey Decoration Pet
  • Airship City Home
  • Hacked Oracle Flyer Pet
  • Shiba Inu Dog Decoration Pet
  • Black & Chrome Ornate Aeronaut Outfit
  • Ornate Viking Short Sword Pattern Pack
  • Kobold Mask
  • Dark Thorn Sword
  • Virtue Clockwork Wings

January Login Reward: Ice Trident!

Don’t miss out! Log in during the month of January, and you’ll receive your very own Ice Trident! The perfect weapon to wield during these icy months of winter!

Release 85 Rewards Program Login Items: Holiday Celebration Theme!

Avatars! Rewards Program login items for Release 85 are holiday themed! Reward Program members must login during Release 85 to receive these login items:

  • Yule Elf Outfit
  • Dyeable Tuxedo
  • Party Blow Horn Emote

 

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

Jenn Gilbert Memorial Fund!

Moving in to the holiday season, now more than ever we need to support our friend Justin, every contribution helps!

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.

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. 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:

Updates to the Streamer Rewards Program!

Several months ago, a program was proposed for the Streamers of Shroud of the Avatar. The ultimate goal being to showcase Shroud of the Avatar while giving SotA streamers a reward for their efforts. The program is currently in Phase I, with Phase II technology currently being discussed and worked internally. So, let’s talk Phase I!

Phase I:
Streamers who wish to be included in the Streamer Program must contact Laney via in-game mail or in a private message on the forums with their Character Name and Twitch Channel information. If you have already signed up for the program in the past, fear not, you’re on the list, and you don’t need to reapply.

  • Streaming Rewards Program participants must adhere to our Terms of Service (TOS) and Community Rules while Streaming Shroud of the Avatar.
  • Streaming Rewards Program participants must stream at least 10 hours of Shroud of the Avatar ACTIVE game play to remain in the program with reward accrual.

Streamers will receive a one-time digital reward of in-game items after meeting the program’s requirements: Streamer’s Cloak, Streamer’s Camera, and a brand-new LIVESTREAMING title. Future incremental rewards will occur at 6-month intervals. (More information to come).

Rules:

  • To qualify for Streamer Rewards, each streamer must continue to meet the minimum requirements for 60 days after application.
  • To accrue additional rewards, Streamers must stream SotA a minimum of 10 hours per month, tallied on the 1st day of each month, to remain in the program.
  • Streamers must be actively playing the game during their streams. Being away from the keyboard (AFK) for short periods is acceptable. If Twitch indicates the streamer is playing SotA but they are streaming other content or a timeout/login screen, they risk being removed from the program.

Items of Note:

  • SotAbot: Streamers in the program will be included in the SotAbot StreamPop function, appearing in the player-streaming channel in Discord.
  • Graphics & Overlays: An optional “Streamers Kit” is available to the participating streamers as well as all players of Shroud of the Avatar, which includes graphics, overlays and other material.

Watch the forums for more information, coming soon, regarding Titles, future rewards and for info on Phase II of the program. We love our Streamers, so get out to Twitch and follow them, watch them, and support them!

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, and Justyn. 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

The following bugs and quality of life improvements are being released to QA in the coming weeks, please keep checking QA, testing and giving feedback on these items:

  • One hit to Zero Durability Root Issue
  • Durability on Crafted Items
  • Potion of Shadow Form Useable on Combat Bar
  • Desolis: Corsten now correctly asks for a taming necklace for a Blanket Horse in exchange for a rideable Blanket Horse
  • Player Owned Town light counts increased by 50%
  • Shard of Night Pattern
  • Daemon Trident Pattern
  • Halberd of the Sun Pattern
  • Xen Penetrator Pattern
  • Ancient Essence Yield: Uncommon and Common yield 1. Rare yields 2. Legendary yields 4. Epic yields 8.
  • Find Out Why Owl’s Nest Has No Ale quest updates
  • Arabella Cloak deco types revised
  • Meticulous Collection while Harvesting to yield XP Rewards in Loot
  • Quiver of Jealousy masterwork and enchant updates
  • Player Instruction Updates
  • And much much more!

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 (9-16) 25% Off!

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!

(THIS WEEK ONLY: Lord of the Isle Bundles (9-16) 25% Off!)

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 Teachable Emote (/radiate)
  • 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:

2020/2021 Release Schedule:

    • Release 86 – Jan 28
    • Release 87 – Feb 25
    • Release 88 – Mar 25
    • Release 89 – Apr 29
    • Release 90 – May 27
    • Release 91 – Jun 24

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 1st at Noon CT to Friday the 8th 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 Paladis Shardfall
    • Prizes: 2 Chained Obsidian Shard 3-Packs, Large Silver Fishing Trophy
  • Largest Lava Fish:
    • Rules: Must be caught in Etceter Crag Mines
    • 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.

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: Yearly Snow Walker Migration

Avatars, just when you thought the holidays were winding down, the annual Snow Walker migration has begun in Jade Valley! Come quickly and meet the Snow Walkers of the Elysium Mountains as they come down from their peaky homes and wander the town, valley, and mountains in Jade Valley on Elysium Island south of Novia.

For more information or if you would like to participate, please visit the main forum post on the official forums.

Community Event: Jade Valley Fishing Contest

Ready to get outside and start working off those holiday pounds? The Jade Dragons invites all anglers, tall and small, to a week of fishing fun in Jade Valley! Come welcome in 2021 and say good riddance to 2020 with some fishing and fun.

  • Where: Jade Valley Player-Owned Town
  • When: Noon Friday, January 1st through Noon Friday, January 8th CT

For more information or if you would like to participate, please visit the main forum post on the official forums.

Community Event: Mysteria Fishing Contest

Pack your best fishing kit, and come on out to join the locals for some magic in Mysteria, with a spin-off contest for this week’s Catnip Weekly Fishing Tournament! The magic is real in Mysteria, so keep your wands at the ready, and your bait box full!

  • Where: Mysteria Player-Owned Town
  • When: Noon Friday, January 1st through Noon Friday, January 8th CT

For more information or if you would like to participate, please visit the main forum post on the official forums.

Community Event: Defectors & Curses Storyline Continues

Role-players of New Britannia, head on over to the forums and participate in an active role-playing storyline created by Arkah EMPstrike!

“Arkah set his last trunk down on the floor in his house. That made 5 large trunks, 4 backpacks, 2 sacks, 3 barrels and 3 crates. “Phew” he wiped his forehead as he stepped outside his door to tie up his horse, Trots McHorsington. “Sorry about all the work buddy!” he apologized and fed McHorsington a carrot. “His name is awful!” said Xalia, who made herself very unhelpful in a armchair by the fireplace. “Well,” Arkah scoffed, “it’s not Your name.” He said while tossing stuff out of a trunk placed on his bed. “You don’t have to introduce him at parties. Besides, we’re so far out in the boonies that no one’s gonna care.” Ever since the gas incident in Caelestis Canton…”

To continue on this adventure, head to the main forum thread on this topic on the official forums.

Community Event: Mingo’s White Raven Inn

Join other role-playing community members in the forum RP thread, “Mingo’s White Raven Inn!”

“Hail and well met old comrades in song! My sojourns have interrupted my story telling I know, but I have survived…somewhat…although with loss of half a leg and an eye. I tried me hand at piracy once again at the behest of an old friend… There was some benefit however. Come ye and see me new Inn, “White Raven” in the newly discovered land of Mistrandur…Mistrendur? whatever….there be a big green island off the main island, and in the middle, towards the southern coast, the town of Meridian. Ye can’t miss me inn, it be 4 stories tall with a statue of a white raven outside ….well actually it is a turkey, but as close as I could find to a raven…”

For more information or if you would like to participate, please visit the main forum post on the official forums.

Community Event: Shroud of the QAvatar

Avatars! Stay tuned for exciting livestream events coming from dedicated community member Violet Ronso (a.k.a. ThatOddFrenchGuy) on Twitch! Violet Ronso plans to test builds live on stream that have been suggested to him by various community members. If you’re interested in watching, commenting, or even suggesting future builds, stay active on the main forum post on this topic on the official forums.

Community Event: New Timeslot for DJ Asclepius

Attention Avatars! DJ Ascelpius has just announced new hours for his weekly radio program, so get your calendars adjusted!

  • When: Mondays, 10PM CT
  • Where: Either utilize your in-game Aether Vibration Devices for Avatar’s/Virtue Radio (radios, clockwork pets, clockwork helms, etc.) or simply point your browser to Avatar’s/Virtue Radio: https://zcu.io/jXP8

The Shroud of the Avatar community is INCREDIBLY creative, and over the last five years, many community members have composed short stories, poems, and other creative works. Asclepius, along with a number of other narrators have had the privilege of rendering them into audio form. There is a huge vault of podcasts on the Caverns site with well over 200 amazing creative contributions.

For more information about these reoccurring broadcasts on Avatar’s/Virtue Radio, please contact Asclepius on his forum post about this topic.

Community Event: Black Rose Chronicles Continues

Role-players and authors of New Britannia! Community member Belladonna Rose has continued the story, “The Black Rose Chronicles!”

“The skies grew dark as the ship headed into rough seas. Salt spray grew with intensity and the sails furled and flapped with every gust. Even for a seasoned crew it was obvious they were a bit more tense than usual. There seemed to be a strange form of energy in the wind and on the sea.”

Be sure to read the latest entry in this immersive storyline. For more information or to express gratitude for all her hard work, please check out the main forum post on the official forums!

Community Event: Islands of Wonders Quest

A player-made interactive quest has been created by Net and is available to players of Shroud of the Avatar! This quest is a mix of treasure hunt and obstacle course, so put on your running shoes, grab your wits and head to the bulletin board in the Islands of Wonders!

  • When: Ongoing!
  • Where: Islands of Wonders

For more information about this event, please see the main forum post 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: December 1st to December 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!

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: 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: 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 commitment once signed up, you can post as much or little as you like.

Writing up your own events has several benefits beyond the immediate 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.