Play Release 95 Now! Pet Equipment! Platform & Trap Decorations! Scarecrows Attack! Conversationalist & Lua Updates!

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

The Catnip Games development team now brings the players of Shroud of the Avatar another round of new content and improvements. For Release 95 (R95), players will experience a very LARGE variety of changes to the game. Pet equipment has arrived! The first 6 gear items and 6 subcomponents are now available to create at your crafting stations!

A new decoration concept called “platforms” allows players to place decorations on uneven terrain! Lava Pools are the first line of player-placed traps that actually damage players, which can be utilized for concepts like PvP arenas or lava fishing endeavors!

The Conversationalist and Lua systems have been greatly expanded with new functions! SO many changes, so what are you waiting for? Get in there and play Shroud of the Avatar!

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


Release 95 Patch Notes!

Below is a list of game changes and new content that are live as of Release 95 (R95). This release is a content, improvement, and bug fixes month. Polish, additional improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R96 next month. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 95!

Crafting, Decoration, & Inventory Item Changes:

  • 12 crafting recipes for pet gear and their subcomponents have been added to the game. Players can now craft gear items for their pets and place them onto the recently-added examine window for pets!
    • Players must first craft the subcomponents which are needed to craft a Collar, Toy, or Accessory. These subcomponents are called Strips and Rolls. Rolls have effects more related to tank type abilities, and Strips have effects more related to DPS type abilities.
    • The first round of Collar, Toy, and Accessory recipes includes 6 options, and each of these pet equipment slots feature a tank-related and DPS-related item. For instance, the first offering for a DPS accessory is called the Leather Harness of Speed, and the first offering of a tanking accessory is called the Chain Harness of Resistance. DPS-related items allow room for 3 Strips and 1 Roll in the recipe, allowing players to stack more DPS-related subcomponents into the mix, and tank-related items allow room for 3 Rolls and 1 Strip in the recipe, allowing players to stack more tank-related subcomponents.
    • These recipes drop as loot throughout New Britannia, and for those wanting to charge right in and find these items, here are the drop locations:
      • Gem Studded Roll of Leather: Skeletons in Graff Gem Mines.
      • Gold Studded Roll of Leather: Ebon Dawn in South Drachvald Spur.
      • Silver Studded Roll of Leather: Bandits in North Drachvald Spur.
      • Bronze Studded Strip of Leather: Barbarians and the Dragon in Ulfheim.
      • Copper Studded Strip of Leather: Satyr and Fauns in Spectral Peaks.
      • Iron Studded Strip of Leather: Liches and Skeletons in Despair.
      • Leather Harness of Speed: Elves in Shaminian Hills.
      • Chain Harness of Resistance: Invaders and Chests in Lord British’s Castle.
      • Leather Collar of Motivation: Barbarians and the Frost Giant in Jotungrund.
      • Leather Collar of Warding: Kobolds in Norgard Fens.
      • Leather Ball of Haste: Bandits and Druid in Outlaw’s Run.
      • Leather Ball of Dodging: Bandits in Longfall Woods.
    • We hope you enjoy this first round of pet gear which is available to all players as of R95. More pet gear items, subcomponents, and even Ephemeral Relics are coming to the pet gear system, so stay tuned!
  • Platforms! A new decoration type called platforms becomes available for R95 which provides the decorators in New Britannia the ability to enhance the uneven terrain areas of their Player-Owned Towns! Here are some key features of this new decoration type which will greatly expand how and where governors and stewards can decorate their towns:
    • These special decoration items feature special collision which allows them to be placed on uneven surfaces, then players can place other decorations on top of these platforms.
    • They work great as bases for statues, lights, or any decoration which allows itself to be placed on another decoration as a child object.
    • The first round of these items are only available from the in-game Crown Store and and become available on November 12th, but crafted versions will be coming shortly in a more limited fashion.
    • These platforms currently do not allow for any wall decorations to be placed upon them, but taller versions such as the Stone Platform versions will soon feature a small decoration surface for this concept along the top edge of one side primarily for hanging objects like banners or wall lights.
    • Players can expect many decoration changes in the future related to this concept which includes the following:
      • Items such as castle walls and fences will receive updates to allow for better placement on uneven terrain.
      • Items such as statues will also receive updates for uneven terrain placement, but most will also receive settings allowing for placement on other objects which accept child objects (if not already possible.)
      • Foundation Property Markers inbound! Utilizing concepts similar to the new platform decorations, special property markers are being designed which allows players to slightly elevate their property onto a foundation, and these foundation property markers can be placed onto uneven surfaces.
      • Floating Island Property Markers inbound! Although the image provided features a test of concept utilizing a simple giant block, soon players will gain the ability to place special property markers in their Player-Owned Towns which allow for a property to be placed on a floating island similar to the one in Rhun Ruins. Although these islands will be stationary, they will feature signpost technology allowing governors and stewards to provide their guests and residents easy access to each and every floating island within their borders. Initially, these special property markers will only be offered in Row, Village, and Town sizes, but perhaps City, Keep and Castle sizes will join the system at some point in the future. The property stone beneath the floating island which interacts with the island will also be placeable on uneven terrain.
  • Lava Pools! During R95, players will gain the ability to place traps that actually damage other players! The first line of these “traps” are actually raised pools of lava which allow for other decorations to be placed inside of them, and they become available in the Crown Store on November 5th. These decorations are fantastic for player-decorated PvP arenas and any lava fishing endeavors. Many more trap types will be coming in the future, many of which will be crafted, so be on the look out!
  • Spider Essences now drop as loot so players can discover Spider Totem recipes during crafting to enhance their Stone Dungeon Room (Spider Encounter) with spiders! Spider Essences dropping as loot will become available with a patch very shortly after release.
  • Conversationalists now feature improved functionality when the owner is not present, and they also can play many emotes and even save custom variables! Just utilize this syntax in your script to make your Conversationalist perform these new options:
    • Emotes:
      • First place this in the beginning of your Ink script:
        • EXTERNAL playEmote(emoteName)
        • EXTERNAL saveVariable(varName)
        • EXTERNAL loadVariable(varName)
      • Then place this example as code in any line you wish an emote to play:
        • ~ playEmote(“Aeroplane”)
    • Custom User Defined Variables:
      • First define your variables in the beginning of your Ink script:
        • VAR numberOfTimesWeTalked = 0
      • Then place this example as code in any line you wish to increment the count:
        • ~ numberOfTimesWeTalked = numberOfTimesWeTalked +1
      • Through use of custom variables, players can now ensure one Conversationalist will know if a player has spoken to ANOTHER Conversationalist.
    • Other new variables:
      • adventurerLevel
      • producerLevel
      • playTimeNumber (minutes)
      • playTimeString (days, hours, minutes)
      • PVPFlagged (1/0)
      • NBDayOfWeek
      • NBMonth
      • NBSeason
      • NBPeriodOfDay
      • NBPhaseOfMoon
      • NBWeatherName
      • NBWindType
      • VirtueTruth (Returns -1 for < -50, 0 for -50 to 50, and 1 for > 50)
      • VirtueLove (Returns -1 for < -50, 0 for -50 to 50, and 1 for > 50)
      • VirtueCourage (Returns -1 for < -50, 0 for -50 to 50, and 1 for > 50)
  • Pressing the hotkey to display the “unwatered” indicator for planting beds now causes the effect to last 60 seconds instead of requiring the player to hold down the hotkey for a long duration.
  • Animation lengths for sowing seeds, watering plants, and harvesting plants have been reduced so that players utilizing Elven Brandy no longer experience animations delaying their next agriculture skill attempt. Also lock times and cool downs have been reduced to provide a smoother transition from one agriculture skill attempt to another.
  • The “Leather from Scraps” recipe now requires 12 Leather Scrap instead of 6, but also produces 2 Leather instead of 1.
  • Fertilizer options no longer display in the agriculture sow seeds crafting interface.
  • The Rise: Shaft player-made dungeon room now features spawns! Dungeoneers can apply either a Troll or Elf totem to activate the mixed spawns for this room. Also, the white rectangle is no longer visible in either version of the room. This room now also features improved collision and decoration surfaces, as well as improvements to the invisible walkway.
  • The Imbued Jewel of the Ringmaster now provides 8 additional Tame Level instead of 6.
  • 2 varieties of buckets can now be salvaged at a carpentry table.
  • All varieties of Acaran gear are now viable pattern remover targets.
  • These items no longer allow players to apply a dye since they do not feature dye layers:
    • Wealthy Merchant Boots
    • Fancy Merchant Gloves
    • Fancy Merchant Boots
    • Ancient Xenossian Greaves
    • Angled Tabard Gambeson Hood
    • Split Tabard Gambeson Boots
    • Split Tabard Gambeson Gloves
    • Split Tabard Gambeson Hood
  • The variety of fireplace and chimney recipes that were broken for many players should now be fully functional.
  • The Ancient Staff of Death is now invisible during stealth.
  • The effects of the Frogkin Ring and Transformation potions on female avatars now look much more like the male versions of these effects.
  • Glass objects in the Gothic Display Case now render correctly.
  • Female hairstyles no longer poke through the front of Tiki Demon Mask, and hair now fully displays for both males and females when wearing the mask.
  • All variations of the 4 artifact fishing rings now feature improved tooltips to indicate salvage and upgrade information, if applicable.
  • The Obsidian Order Plate Helm can now be hidden on male and female avatars.
  • The Ornate Scarecrow 2016 no longer indicates the year in the display name.
  • Deed, City (PA, Tax Free, Water) can now be upgraded to Deed, Keep (PA, Tax Free, Water), which can in turn be upgraded to Deed, Castle (PA, Tax Free, Water).
  • The Obsidian Streetlamp can now be placed on other decorations which accept child objects such as blocks and walls.
  • The legacy version of the Epic Pax Ring now provides the appropriate jewels upon salvage. Any players who salvaged these items before the fix have already been sent any missing items via in-game mail.
  • The legacy versions of the Epic Warlock’s Chain, Ancient Staff of Death, Ancient Staff of Anarchy, and Troll Belt now provide the appropriate chances to receive components used to craft these items upon salvage. Any players who salvaged these items before the fix have already been sent any missing items via in-game mail.
  • The Warlock’s Chain recipe now only requires a Common Heart of Vrul.

Combat & Skill Changes:

  • Lightning Storm: A new spell has been added to the Air Magic tree which summons a “volatile cloud of highly charged air which rains down lightning bolts on those caught within” the effective radius. Those so unlucky to be caught within this blast area are very likely to be stunned for a short period. This skill will be available on the trainer after the first patch this release.
  • Chaotic Shield has been redesigned. This Chaos Magic spell now creates a field of chaotic energy boosting Confusion Resistance, Chaos Bolt Damage, Torpid Torment’s focus damage rate and range, Tabula Rasa’s range and the chaos mage’s Chaotic Feedback skill. Chaos Specialization increases the duration and power of these effects. This spell is considered a shield spell, and only a single shield spell can be active at any given time.
    • The Tabula Rasa skill has received additional benefits if Chaotic Shield is active, giving it new abilities that are effective versus players and NPC targets. As before, the spell’s abilities cause enemy player targets to instantly discard all glyphs which are then replaced with new glyphs from their deck, and Chaos Specialization adds a chance to apply a draw speed debuff to enemy player targets. Now, Chaos Specialization also adds a damage-over-time and knockdown effect which affects both enemy player and NPC targets, but ONLY if Chaotic Shield is your active shield spell.
  • Elysium Illumination has been redesigned. This Sun Magic spell now provides a Sun Attunement buff and also features improved healing pulses, damage pulses, and duration. All 3 of these values scale slightly with skill level and attunement, but also significantly increase if specialized. The damage pulses affect all enemy targets, with additional damage applied to undead. Elysium Illumination is now considered a shield spell, and only a single shield spell can be active at any given time.
    • Searing Ray now has a 15% chance to apply a small Blind effect on your opponent for 10 seconds if specialized in Sun Magic and Elysian Illumination is your currently active shield spell.
  • Verbiage about shield spell restrictions have been added to all shield spell tooltip descriptions.
  • Design and implementation of new or improved damage effects are underway! Already, players utilizing bludgeon weapons will see improved effects vs. skeletons, with more changes in the pipeline for all creatures to have different resistances and vulnerabilities to bludgeon, piercing, and slashing damage types.
  • Damage math for magic has been adjusted. Throughout the life of the game, player intelligence has increased far more than skill level. With this change, Intelligence will contribute less to magic damage and skill levels will contribute more to magic damage. Overall, almost all players will see a net increase in magic damage.
  • Ring of Fire, an AOE spell in the Fire Magic tree, has been updated. The base tick timer has been increased from 2.00 to 2.25 seconds. The base damage range for each tick has changed from 2-5 to 1-5. This change provides roughly a 20% reduction in the spell’s DPS, but no change was made to the possible max damage per tick.
  • Tamed wyverns should now be more responsive, attack faster, and also have poison that scales in power.
  • Functionality for aggro abilities have been improved.
  • Cone of Cold is now a 4X EXP skill. A player’s level in this skill could be reduced as a result of this change, but the total EXP the player applied to the skill was not changed.
  • NPC spell casters in Superstition Canyon now feature increased damage and improved heal other abilities.
  • Ice Fist no longer indicates that it has an effective radius in the spell’s description, and the description has been improved to indicate all possible effects.
  • Multiple applications of Earth Attunement no longer apply to a character upon each cast of Splintering Strike. This Earth Attunement bonus no longer stacks, but Earth Specialization instead increases the effect’s amount. The skill’s description has been updated to reflect the changes.
  • The tooltip description for Earth’s Embrace no longer indicates a movement speed penalty exists, and a new duration bonus for Earth specialized casters has been added to the spell’s effects and description.
  • The loading tip related to maintained skills no longer indicates decay verbiage.
  • When setting a specialization skill to maintain, the skill’s tooltip no longer indicates decay verbiage in the description and now mentions that only a single specialization skill be be set to train at a time.
  • The tooltip for Anthem of Alacrity now better indicates the durations, and charging the skill now properly applies charged effects.
  • Corpion poison attacks are now labeled as Corpion Spit or Corpion Sting in their tooltip descriptions. Spits no longer remove focus but instead cause a very small Focus Damage Rate debuff of 0.1. Also, the spit poison lasts 10s instead of 20s and only allows 1 stack instead of 3. These poisons can still be purified, and these changes do not affect tamed pet attacks.
  • Players will now be able to move quickly after being attacked while fishing.

Player Economy, Rewards, & Loot Changes:

  • All loot drop iterations of the Uncommon magical attunement rings now drop as a Common at an increased rate. At this point, all attunement ring drops should now be of the Common tier.
  • Player Vendors placed in dungeons and basements will now populate the “Vendor Listings in Zone” window with all vendors currently placed within the dungeon or basement.
  • Troll Heads and Lich Skulls now drop more regularly as loot.
  • Attenuation limits have been increased from 12 million EXP to 15 million EXP.
  • Subscribers to the Reward Program now receive greatly improved results from Obsidian Potions effects!

User Interface, Lua, & Performance Changes:

  • Subscribers to the Reward Program now receive 24 extra deck slots, doubling the amount available.
  • Hotkey assignments are now available for the previously available decks 13-24, but also for the newly created subscriber decks 25-48.
  • Lua functionality has been greatly improved. UI elements function more quickly than before, and MANY new commands, functions, and hooks are now available and listed in this forum thread maintained by DevilCult.
  • South Broken Road now features an in-game map.
  • Both versions of Highvale now feature in-game maps.
  • Going AFK no longer causes your Avatar to sit.
  • Pet follow settings will now be remembered between sessions and scene loads.
  • The Pet examine window now indicates Aggro Power instead of Taunt Power, which now calculates the base pet Aggro Power of the pet, gear items, and buffs.
  • Evictions times have been increased to 60 days to allow players more time to catch up on unpaid rent for their taxed properties. Work is already underway to develop “Non-Destructive Evictions” by programmer extraordinaire Wizardsmoke. This new feature will place decorated property into the Property Manager (Magic Movers) interface rather than disassembling it and dumping individual items into a player’s bank. This feature will become available soon, so stay tuned!

World, Quests, and Miscellaneous Changes:

  • Castle Atos: A new location is coming soon to Novia named Castle Atos! The bustling castle grounds will be a welcoming place for new and veteran players to gather. Special events will be held in and around the castle plaza! Avatars will find quests here as they learn about the castle residents, including the rivalry between royal chefs and a certain game the children play. Other features include crafting stations, merchants of all kinds, trainers, a public vendor, a Mage of Mystery, an Altruist monk, unique adventuring and crafting buffs, and much more! Future features include the entrances to new, unique dungeons of widely ranging difficulty. Come relax in the tavern, or perform for others on the tavern stage! Work on your weapon skills at the training grounds! Host your own wedding reception in the Great Hall! Meet and visit with other adventurers around town!
  • New Scarecrow Enemy: On the edge of the South Quel Woods is a abandoned farm with buildings of rotting wood, overgrown fields, and decaying scarecrows. They say the farm is cursed, and that its fields are haunted by a frightful spirit possessing the form of one of the scarecrows. Many have have gone to the fields and tried burning the scarecrows, only to learn that this is exactly what draws out the fiendish tatterdemalion. Be warned: None of those foolish enough to summon this monstrosity have ever returned! (Will patch in shortly after release).
  • Aether Creatures: Aether creatures will no longer spawn in the world.
  • Desolate Hills, West Vauban Foothills: Fixed a staircase that was missing visible stairs.
  • Jack of Diamonds: Rain should no longer come through the decks of the airship.
  • Jotungrund: The Frost Giant no longer has skewed visuals when dead.
  • Jotungrund: Elementals near the signal towers will now be tier 5 most often, but with a roughly 1 in 12 chance that one tier 14 elemental will spawn, instead.
  • Jotungrund: Updated the compass markers for the signal fire quest to have markers appear more often at the signal towers.
  • Jotungrund: Updated the ground hazard in the frost giant fight to help allow avatars to cast ground-targeting abilities.
  • Jotungrund: Wymond can offer a quest to get a bone chip.
  • Obsidian Panopticon: Added occasional creaks to the heavy chains holding up the prison cell rings.
  • Owl’s Head: Removed a “Myra” keyword from Todd’s responses.
  • Penmawr Island: A puzzle-related treasure chest will now always have some “treasure” when it restocks.
  • Plains Encounter: Adjusted some of the terrain to better hint at the edge of the playspace.
  • Skrekk: Updated the kobold hacker’s responses to be more clear about how he modifies virtue data.
  • Solace Bridge Outskirts: Fixed an issue where Bancroft thought he already met an avatar he was actually meeting for the first time.
  • Soltown: Removed a redundant listing for POT Sirens Cove from the Player-Owned Town teleporter wagon.
  • South Majestic Forest: Fixed typos in CBY-60053’s conversation.
  • Spectral Mines: Fixed an issue where ore nodes weren’t appearing in the scene.
  • Spite: Fixed typos in Snag Baldrake’s conversation.
  • Spite: Removed a “line of sight” restriction on Xia to help keep conversation errors from happening.
  • Spite: Updated conversation references for “Lake Tempest” to “Stormwater Lake.”
  • Tenebris Harbor: Each time Dekker’s treasure chest restocks, it should have at least one item. Also, all overturned chairs should be nonfunctional.
  • The Outlaws’ Run: Improved Milosh and Lucien to help keep them from cutting off their respective conversations in some cases.
  • The Outlaws’ Run: Updated the responses which the guards use to task avatars with finding Miloslava.
  • The Sirens Foothills: Fixed a staircase that was missing visible stairs.
  • The Rise: Reinforcements have arrived! More elven melee and skeleton enemies have been added and several elven archers have been removed.
  • Troll’s Bridge and Random Encounters: In the overworld preview listings, fixed an issue with merchants being listed as within these scenes when they likely weren’t in them. Also, fixed an issue where the sculptor merchants in Desert Encounters weren’t selling anything.
  • Verdantis Mines: Fixed several stuck spots. Split a certain spawner set to help ensure the associated NPCs spawn with a better distribution.
  • The tree curtain visuals on the edge of scenes are no longer quite so dark.
  • Mounted players are no longer dismounted when switching scenes.
  • The Upward Acceleration Potion 3-Pack store entry no longer displays the scene change disclaimer 2 times.
  • The Icy Cave Stone Hallway Set on the Crown Store now features transition pieces to ancient stone.
  • The Snow Paver set is now available year round in the Crown Store.

Player-Owned Town Changes:

  • Ironhall: Upgraded to Teralopolis.
  • Ironhall Highlands: Removed POT.
  • PaxLocus: Upgraded to Town.



Latest News Q&A Friday Livestream!

The weekly Community Livestream is Friday, October 29th 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 “pumpkin spice and everything nice” into any in-game chat channel OR make a purchase on the website Add-On Store.

Please submit questions using in-game universal chat by typing “askadev” before your question. We’ll do our best to answer these questions live on the stream, and we’ll even be periodically posting answers to some unanswered questions in the forums each month. Watch on Twitch, Friday at 4 PM CT!

Atos and other members of the Shroud of the Avatar development team go live very frequently on twitch.tv/shroudoftheavatar — be sure to get the  channel on follow for notifications so you can join us 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 all our social media venues:

Halloween Sales Event!

Happy Halloween! In observance of being generally spooky and mischievous, bonus EXP and various sales have begun:

All these sale items will last until Tuesday, November 2nd at Noon CT, so don’t miss out! Happy shopping, Avatars!

Crown Store: Fall Elm Trees, Cannibal Stew Cauldron, Haunted Dolls & More!

Many new store items are coming your way in the month ahead! Keep an eye out each week as the following items become available in the in-game Crown Store. Available today on October 28th, a Haunted Doll 6-Pack! These creepy dolls each feature a unique animation when activated. For decorators wishing for more tree varieties, the Fall Elm Tree 6-Pack is now available! These trees feature highly forgiving collision, allowing players to nestle them very closely together. There is even an Epic-sized version of this tree now available!

Players wishing to collect additional Celestian furniture pieces, the new Celestian Chandelier 3-Pack is available! These beautiful lights are perfect for lighting up Shogun-styled homes. Also now available, a Bubbling Cauldron of Cannibal Stew! Hungry now?

  • Haunted Doll 6-Pack
  • Fall Elm Tree 6-Pack
  • Epic Fall Elm Tree
  • Celestian Chandelier 3-Pack
  • Bubbling Cauldron of Cannibal Stew

Becoming available on November 5th, lava pools! These scorching hot pools of molten hot magma are the first in a series of upcoming damaging trap decorations becoming available. Players can utilize these lava pools for PvP arena traps/obstacles or the anglers of New Britannia can cast their lines in for some lava fishing. Each lava pool is configured to fit on a particular lot size, so the small version can fit on a row-sized lot, the medium version can fit on a village-sized lot, and the large version can fit on a town-sized lot. All 3 can easily fit on a town-sized lot at the same time. Each pool also comes with stairs that are separate decoration items, and these stairs have also been added separately to the store in case players find other uses for them:

  • Rectangular Stone Lava Pool, Large
  • Rectangular Stone Lava Pool, Medium
  • Rectangular Stone Lava Pool, Small
  • Stone Stairs 5-Pack

Becoming available on November 12th, a new decoration concept called Platforms! Platforms are primarily utilized for providing decoration surfaces on uneven surfaces throughout a Player-Owned Town, but can also be fantastic for simple raised decoration areas in flat areas, transitions between water and ground, and even simply as water decorations. Each pack contains 6 small, 3 medium, 2 large and 1 huge platform:

  • Stone Platform 12-Pack
  • Wide Stone Platform 12-Pack
  • Black Marble Platform 12-Pack
  • Wide Black Marble Platform 12-Pack
  • White Marble Platform 12-Pack
  • Wide White Marble Platform 12-Pack
  • Fallow Granite Platform 12-Pack
  • Wide Fallow Granite Platform 12-Pack
  • Polished Granite Platform 12-Pack
  • Wide Polished Granite Platform 12-Pack
  • Iron Platform 12-Pack
  • Wide Iron Platform 12-Pack

Becoming available on November 19th, 11 former Vault or Harvest/Fall seasonal items have become a regular part of the Crown Store and will always be available:

  • Ornate Scarecrow
  • Scarecrow Mask
  • Giant Scarecrow
  • Brown Pilgrim Bonnet
  • Brown Pilgrim Hat
  • Autumn Leaf Shield
  • Autumn Leaf Trident
  • Autumn Fairy Outfit
  • Autumn Fairy Wings
  • Autumn Leaf Mask
  • Autumn Fairy Crown

Don’t forget! Hometown is an amazing resource for players. At Hometown, which is located just east of Soltown, players can examine available houses, Player-Owned Town templates, and even new Crown Store items. Why not be certain you like it before you make a purchase? So head on over to Hometown and check things out! If you have questions about what’s on display in Hometown, please visit this forum thread and post a question.

To see a full listing of all the items which rotate through the Vault, we have prepared a forum post showing all items which could appear throughout the year!

November Login Reward: 1-Story Fall Elm Tree 3-Pack!

Log in during the month of November, and you’ll receive a 3-pack of small Fall Elm Trees! This new tree style is gorgeous, and if you’d like more, ALL sizes are now available on the Crown Store!

Release 95 Subscriber Login Rewards: Witch Doll, Cauldron, 2-Handed Xiphos Sword!

Avatars! Rewards Program login items for Release 95 are a must have — don’t miss out! This month’s collection is Halloween themed! Subscribers will received the new Haunted Witch Doll if they log in during R95, which is an interactive doll decoration with a unique animation! If you need a bubbling cauldron of stew, look no further! Subscribers will also receive the Bubbling Cauldron decoration featuring effects that can be toggled. Also, an Ancient Xenossian 2-Handed Xiphos Sword will also be delivered to subscribers this release! Subscribers to the Reward Program must login during Release 95 to receive these special login items:

  • Haunted Witch Doll
  • Bubbling Cauldron
  • Ancient Xenossian 2-Handed Xiphos Sword

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 (about 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
    • 21 Months: Keeper of the Bond
    • 24 Months: Keeper of the Promise
    • 27 Months: Keeper of the Covenant
  • Pick any Dye 12-Pack every 6 months
  • Pick any three of these 7 Obsidian Potions every month:
    • 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
    • Potion of Stamina: Decreases focus use from sprinting
  • While subscribed to the rewards program, players also receive these special bonuses:
    • Obsidian Potions are significantly more powerful!
    • 24 Additional Deck Slots!

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.

Every month, a considerable amount of development time will be 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

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.

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!

Upcoming Release Dates

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. The upcoming 2021 Release Schedule is as follows:

  • Release 95 – Oct 28 (Content)
  • Release 96 – Nov 18 (Polish)
  • Release 97 – Dec 16 (Content)
  • Release 98 – Jan 27 (Polish)
  • Release 99 – Feb 24 (Content)
  • Release 100 – Mar 31 (Polish)
  • Release 101 – Apr 28 (Content)

Community Updates & Resources

Greetings event holders and event attendees! So many fun and exciting events are available in the upcoming weeks. Be sure to get out there and participate, make some new friends, perhaps make some great emote, recipe, or gear trades, or get some adventuring and role-playing into your mix! Here are spotlighted events or updated community resources that we’ve noticed popping up lately on the official forums:

Catnip Games Contests:

  • Catnip Games Monthly Fishing Tourney: Greetings Anglers! The monthly Catnip Games Fishing Tourney is live! Join in on the fun! SO many prizes available for the anglers of New Britannia!
  • Catnip Games Monthly Screenshot/Video Contest: Avatars! For those of you skilled with the camera or screenshot key binding, a monthly screenshot and video contest is underway which features a large number of valuable prizes. The focus will be for players to submit creative or informative screenshots and videos of content introduced to the game during the latest 3 monthly releases.
  • Catnip Games Monthly Treasure Hunting Contest: Want to go hunting for rare items? Want to see if you can beat other players in this quest for treasure? Well join in on the monthly treasure hunting contest, Avatars!

Special Announcements:

  • Goodbye Norah East: “I am sorry to inform that Norah East passed away from her battle with cancer. Best archer, best crafter, best friend. We will miss you Norah…”
  • A Final Farewell to a Beloved Player: Posted by Trezir Pyle, “It is always sad to hear about people passing. Its even harder when that person is a valued member of our community, as well as a good friend to each one of us. For the past month, Twistar has been fighting Covid. On Saturday, Oct. 2nd his fight ended. May he finally be at peace and rejoined with family and friends who have passed before him. On Monday Alphaine, Death Herself created a memorial service to honor Twistar. The service was perfect. For those who could not make it, here is the memorial video created by Alphaine.​”

One-Time Events:

  • Proudfoot’s Ironhall Fishing Contest: Proudfoot Underhill got lucky and fished up a second Cloak of the Master Angler! He doesn’t want to be no greedy fisherfling, so he’s giving it to the angler who catches the biggest fish in Ironhall during the contest period. Submit your fishes from October 13th until November the 13th.
  • When Eve Meets All Hallows: In celebration of both R94 and Halloween, Eveara would like you to join her (and my piano) for a musical get-together on M’hul Island on October 30th at 4PM CT. Nothing fancy, nothing formal – just some music, fireworks, and casual socializing. Stop on by!
  • Missing Associate: VulcanJedi and crew have posted an intriguing lead-in to an immersive player quest in the Player-Owned Towns forum. Will you aid in the search for the missing associate, Atton? Atton was last seen in the Extra Life Guild Bunkhouse on the island of Mysteria.
  • Pumpkin Patch Trophy Hunt: Aeolus Adara in Silverdale Market is hosting a Pumpkin Patch Trophy Hunt! Pumpkin Patch man Aeolus Adara was transporting hundreds of pumpkins on his journey to Soltown and the wagons wheel fell right off! Before he knew it. thugs surrounded him and robbed him of all his pumpkins! Recover these Pumpkin trophies for poor ol’ pumpkin man Adara and the largest pumpkin sent receives prizes!

Recurring Events:

  • Trash to Treasure Dropped Items Turn-In: Some unscrupulous fella has been flooding the loot in New Britannia with junk: Feast items such as Brewing Ingredients, Turkeys, and more! It’s time to clean this trash up that’s plaguing the loot tables, so a bounty has been placed on all gear crafted by Coswald Dirthmire that you find in loot. Turn in what you find every contest period! R95’s contest period lasts until November 23rd!
  • Ironhall Tournament & PvP Training: The Player-Owned Town of Ironhall holds weekly player training events every Saturday at 1PM CT. Events are held in the village of Virtus Mons in Ironhall and can be reached easily via use of the fast travel signs.
  • M’Hul Island Monthly Fishing Contest: Join Asmodi M’hul and friends at M’hul Island for their monthly fishing tournament that lasts from Release Day to Release Day! Prizes are available!
  • Lightbringer Isle Fishing Contest: Why not earn some extra prizes each month and participate in Lightbringer Isle’s monthly fishing tourney? Lots of fantastic prizes — don’t miss out!
  • Combat & Crafting Sunday School: Head on over to Immortal City every Sunday from 7PM to 9PM CT to learn the tricks of the trade in combat and crafting!
  • 500 Crown Leisurely Fishing: Sonja Solar and friends are running a continuous fishing contest in Brittany Fort “Now and Forever for All Eternity” which has wonderful prizes and objectives. You can now win 500 Crowns for record fishies caught in Brittany Fort by anybody at any time in history for display in Sonja Solar’s fishy aquarium museum. Be sure to watch the video indicated in the “Brittany Fort” link provided in the first post to see the full explanation of the contest rules.
  • RHEC Traveling Pop Up Fishing Contest: Keep an eye out in universe chat, trade chat, and the forums! Asmodi M’hul will routinely announces at least one pop up fishing contest every week for those anglers out there anxious for extra prizes and fun!
  • PvP Fishing with RHEC: The RHEC anglers of New Britannia will be hosting PvP fishing contests in The Brave Coast! There are 3 tourneys which will take place on July 23rd and July 24th from 7PM to 9PM CT, and July 25th from 5PM to 7PM CT. Hope to see you there!
  • Lightbringer Isle Auction: Ladies and gentlemen! The Citizens of Lightbringer Isle welcome you to the weekly auctions! The auctions are about bringing together people from all corners of the community, with the Lightbringer Isle’s market being the perfect place to do so! Join us every Sunday at 11AM CT!

New Player-Created Resources:

  • Crafting Q&A with Coswald Dirthmire: Recently, streamer extraordinaire Coswald Dirthmire hosted a crafting Q&A session in the town of Haven Ridge. As the 3rd installment of Haven Ridge’s Q&A series, it turned out to be a highly informative event. Please watch the video and see what you missed!
  • 24 Hour CotO Store Sale Thread: Wanna be able to see what’s on sale while not in-game? Tirrag has been taking the time to post a screenshot of the daily sale items to help players find elusive sale items. Check it out!
  • Artifact Survey Tool by Tirrag: Please head on over to this forum thread and check out Tirrag’s new Artifact Survey Tool! What better way to get involved than by contributing to the data which helps players find their most sought after treasures?

New Fan Fiction:

Community Calendars:

  • Avatars-Virtue Radio Calendar: Just when are all those talented DJ’s and streamers broadcasting? Don’t just guess, check out there very helpful calendar! Never again will you wonder when’s the best time to tune in!
  • NBNN Calendar: This calendar provides a great schedule for NBNN and WRFB programing as well as many other community events. If you’re a fan of the Laz & Jack show or even if you’re hoping to catch them in action for the first time, this is the calendar for you!
  • SotA Event Calendar: Event participants, take heed! Thoryk Omara has done a wondrous job creating a community event calendar which is available to all players of Shroud of the Avatar. Please make an effort to support this new calendar. The more resources players have at their disposable for event notifications, the better!

Community Event Resources: Here are some fantastic resources for tracking down community events or posting your own events. Become involved! Create! Explore! Make friends! But most of all, have fun!

  • One-Time Community Events Forum: Sometimes events happen only a single time, so you’ll not want to miss out on these events as they occur. Check out the forums routinely to spot these!
  • Recurring Community Events Forum: Some events occur on weekly or monthly schedules which are a great way to routinely meet up with friends and to make new ones. Be sure to check this forum frequently for new events or time changes to existing ones.
  • Game Master (GM) Potion Request Procedures: Shroud of the Avatar has an amazing in-game consumable for player event holders — the Potion of Temporary GM Powers! Players wishing to enhance their in-game community event by having GM Powers at their disposal need to simply follow the procedures outlined in this forum thread.
  • Player Event Trophies and Special Item Requests: Would you like to request a special trophy or renamed item for a player event you’ve created? Head on over to this thread to see what’s available and to obtain more information about request procedures.
  • Player Radio Station Forum: If you want to check out the latest and greatest from our in-game radio stations, go to the radio stations forum! If you’re a DJ, be sure to advertise your time slot and venue in this forum.
  • Player Livestreams & Videos Forum: If you’re searching for a Shroud Streamer to watch, head on over to the streamer forum! If you are a live streamer for Shroud of the Avatar, be sure to advertise your Shroud stream by posting in this forum.
  • Town Directory Forum: Want to find a town to live in or get your town listed in the directory, head over to the forums and check it out!
  • Guild Directory Forum: Looking for a guild or want to get yours posted in the guild directory? Head on over to the forums and check it out!
  • Fire Lotus Tavern: This wondrous role-playing and story writing forum is the spot to be if you love fan fiction and role-play.
  • Community Resources:  Looking for links to community and official resources for Shroud of the Avatar? Well look no further. On this page you’ll find links to a plethora of helpful resources created by the dev team or the community.

SO many options to stay tuned-in with fellow community members. Please take advantage of all these wonderful options. Happy adventures, Avatars!

Project to Support: Ghostbusters: The Gates of Gozer

Immersive theatre. 3D binaural sound. Real ghostbusting. Get your tickets now!

We are excited to share, Starr “Darkstarr” Long’s (Executive Producer at The Acceleration Agency) latest project: Secret Cinema’s “Ghostbusters: The Gates of Gozer.” Travel back to the ‘80s and experience never-before-seen storylines based on the original film in this live virtual adventure. Get ready for the jaw-dropping detail of any Secret Cinema event, brought to you online and to a whole other level! Team up with the Ghostbusters to investigate paranormal activity, explore the infamous 550 Central Park West and uncover spine-chilling secrets from other dimensions. The world needs saving and you’re the one for the job!

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: 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.



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