A new referral season is here! From now until October 1, refer your friends and claim your very own Snow Leopard mount skin. This skin transforms your Swiftclaw base mount into a sleek and snowy feline companion – and once you've unlocked it, it can be used by all characters on your account.
You can also earn huge amounts of Fame for your third and fifth referrals: three referrals scores you a T7 Pile of Tomes worth 100,000 Fame, and five referrals gets you a T8 Pile of Tomes granting a colossal 200,000 Fame. And as always, your first-ever referral grants an additional T8 Pile of Tomes along with the mount skin.
The current referral season lasts until maintenance on October 1, so you've got until then to refer your friends and claim your rewards. Note: starting with this referral season, mount skin referral rewards will not be tradable until 15 days after the referral season ends.
How to Earn Seasonal Referral Rewards
The Divine Challenge Returns
Summer is in full swing, and the Divine Challenge is back! For the entire month of August, earn points for open-world activities, unlock chests to get valuable loot, and claim your very own Divine Owl.
Simply Divine
DIVINE OWL: This month's Challenge brings back the Divine Owl, a ghostly white flying mount with a brisk base move speed. This mount has a special ability, Foresight, which creates a shield that gives a temporary speed boost when broken. (Note: like all mounts, the Divine Owl can only move in navigable ground areas and cannot fly over obstacles.)
AVATAR RING: Adventurers who rack up enough total Challenge Points will also earn the Divine Challenge avatar ring, which will frame your chosen avatar in a heavenly golden aura. This non-tradable item permanently unlocks this avatar border for one character, or can be traded to the Vanity Merchant for one Vanity Token.
SEASONAL SPECIALS: All month long, reach weekly goals to unlock Divine Challenge chests. In addition to valuable rewards like Adventurer's Tomes and Silver, you'll also have a chance to unlock mystical furniture items like the Mage Statue, Magic Rune Circle, and Glass Sphere.
As always, you can earn Challenge Points by gathering, fishing, farming, and killing monsters. Points count simultaneously toward a daily bonus, a weekly unlockable chest, and the monthly mount / avatar ring reward. So log in, head out into the open world, gather points, and claim these rewards while you can!
Call to Arms Patch 9, AKA the Season 13 Balance Patch, is now live! This patch brings updates to Corrupted Dungeons as well as combat balance changes and quality-of-life improvements galore. Read on for more...
Corrupted Dungeon Changes
To keep combat between different playstyles fair while discouraging endless cooldown resets, several changes have been made to Corrupted Dungeons:
Combat Balance Changes
This patch includes changes to numerous weapon and armor lines, which are intended to bring some lesser-used items and abilities back into the spotlight and keep combat exciting and fair across a diverse array of builds. Here are just a few of the changes:
Hideout, Zone Skipping, and Quality of Life Improvements
As always, you can read the complete list of changes in the official patchnotes.
Fourth Anniversary Events and Fame Boost
It's been four years since Albion Online's official launch... and while anniversaries are a great time to take a look back at what happened over the past year, they're also cause for celebration! Log in now and enjoy a nine-day Fame Boost, free fireworks, and the return of a classic dungeon from Albion's beta.
The Mists of Albion Are Back
What better way to celebrate another year in the world of Albion than a Fame Boost? Between now and maintenance on July 26, get 25% additional Fame for all ingame activities.
Take advantage of this nine-day Fame Boost to level up your combat, crafting, and gathering!
A Classic Returns
From now until July 31, you'll have a chance to revisit the Defenders of the Past dungeon, a classic Keeper dungeon from Albion's beta. This dungeon keeps its classic terrain and enemy layout, updated with current shrines, loot, and rewards. In addition, those who complete this dungeon will have a chance to score the brand-new Blue Anniversary Banner.
This limited-time dungeon will only be playable until July 31 at 10:00 UTC, so head out into the open world and revisit a unique piece of Albion's past!
Celebrate in Style
Albion's cities have been decked out with special anniversary decorations – and to help celebrate, we've sent Anniversary Fireworks to all players. Just log in between now and July 31 at 10:00 UTC to receive an in-game mail with your rewards. (Note: the mail will only be sent to characters created before July 17.)
Remember, the Fame Boost ends on July 26 and the classic dungeon and free fireworks end on July 31, so log in today and join the celebration!
Albion Online Celebrates Four Years
Four incredible years have passed since Albion Online's official launch on July 17, 2017. Since then, the game and community have grown in ways that we never could have imagined. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we've got some special ingame events including a Fame Boost and a limited-time classic Keeper dungeon - check out this article for all the details.
Join us as we look back at the major happenings of the past year – Albion's biggest and most successful yet!
Rise of Avalon
On August 12, 2020, the Rise of Avalon update went live. This update brought two massive new features to the world of Albion, the Roads of Avalon and Corrupted Dungeons, as well as new Avalonian Weapons and numerous other changes and quality-of-life improvements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psUwESfA6yc The Roads of Avalon and Corrupted Dungeons received further content with the Brimstone and Mist Midseason Update. This mini-update brought new enemies and traps to Corrupted Dungeons, increased fishing opportunities and new fish in the Roads of Avalon, new recipes, crafting and butchery improvements, and much more.
The Crystal League Championship and New Guild Content
Albion's first-ever Crystal League Championship (which at the time was called the "Offseason Crystal Tournament") took place August 22-23, 2020. Taking place between Albion's Guild Seasons, this championship pits Albion's top 5v5 teams against each other in the Crystal Realm, with massive rewards going to the winners.
The final match came down to the last few seconds, where June Esports, after mounting an incredible comeback from a 17-70 deficit, pulled out an amazing win:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ81SchJaaU Alongside the Crystal League Championship, guild warfare in Albion received numerous updates and improvements over the past year, as well as a unique battle mount for each season:
There was plenty of non-guild-related Seasonal Content throughout the year as well, including the monthly Adventurer's Challenge, bi-monthly Referral Seasons, and holiday events for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter.
An Ever-Growing Community
In September 2020, Albion's population reached a new record of 125,000 Daily Average Users, buoyed by both the Rise of Avalon update and the introduction of two new ingame languages: Chinese and Korean. The trend continued throughout 2020 and into 2021, with a new peak of 140,000 players in March, and has continued since then, with player numbers exploding in recent months to nearly double the previous record (read on for more about that!).
Call to Arms
On March 17, 2021, the Call to Arms update went live, bringing a complete ground-up rework of Faction Warfare. Caerleon joined the fight as a sixth playable Faction with its own unique rules and playstyle, and valuable rewards including Elite Faction Mounts became available to those who pledged their loyalty to a single city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54OBbmUfBP4 Call to Arms also brought major changes to Hellgates, with 10 all-new maps featuring diverse enemies and layouts, an updated open-world spawn system, and all new 10v10 Hellgates for spontaneous midsize PvP. The update was rounded out with major quality-of-life improvements, particularly Loadouts, which allowed players to quickly regear based on easily adjustable presets.
A Promise Fulfilled: Albion Goes Mobile
On June 9, 2021, Albion Online reached the final major milestone in its quest to become a truly cross-platform Sandbox MMORPG: the official mobile launch. As a core goal since the earliest days of development nearly a decade ago, the worldwide launch on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store was the next massive step in opening up the world of Albion to countless new players, as well as allowing longtime players to play Albion Online whenever and wherever they wanted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MEvv81i3ek The worldwide launch, coupled with an exclusive cross-play reward for playing on both desktop and mobile, brought unprecedented player numbers to the game. In the week following the launch, Albion shattered its all-time record with an incredible 270,000 daily active players, nearly doubling the previous record.
Looking to the Future
With the mobile launch complete, it was time to look to the future. In late June, Game Director Robin Henkys released a Dev Talk summing up the launch and discussing the big changes and improvements coming to the game with the next major update (watch until the end for a quick teaser of further changes as well):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcJcUMVVZyw The energy and dedication of the Albion community continues to be an inspiration to us as we work toward making the world of Albion better and better. So as we celebrate another incredible year of Albion Online, we want to give our most heartfelt thanks to you, the Albion Online community, for your support. We can't wait to see how the game and its community reach new levels over the coming year (and beyond), and we hope you're as excited as we are for Albion's future.
The Mistbison is Here!
The brand-new Mistbison skin is now available in the ingame store! This premiere mount skin transforms your Transport Ox base mount into an ancient, mystical beast from the age of Avalon.
With its ability to transport heavy goods and resources across large distances, the Transport Ox is an essential part of Albion's economic game. The Mistbison adds further options for those looking to upgrade their ox's appearance, and joins a growing collection of skins for this popular mount.
Like all mount skins, once the Mistbison is unlocked it can be used by all characters on your account. Pick one up today and travel, transport and trade in style!
Hellgates Video Guide
With the ever-increasing population of Albion Online, we have noticed a demand for information on game mechanics presented in a concise and detailed manner. This is why we have teamed up with AO FAQ to bring you a series of video guides published on our official Albion Online YouTube channel.
The latest video covers everything you need to know about Hellgates:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtDtW6w8fsk Leave us a comment on YouTube and let us know what you think of the new Albion Online Guide series and which topics you would like us to cover next. And don't forget to subscribe to our channel as we have more content coming your way!
The Undead Challenge Returns
The dead just won't stay buried! For the entire month of July, take the Undead Challenge to unlock fantastic rewards. Earn points for open-world activities, unlock chests to get valuable loot, and claim your very own Spectral Direboar.
Live Your Best Afterlife
SPECTRAL DIREBOAR: This month's Challenge brings back the popular Spectral Direboar, a ghostly mount with a unique spell, Glimpse of the Other Side, which renders you temporarily invisible. Use it to evade your enemies... or to launch a sneak attack!
AVATAR RING: Adventurers who rack up enough total Challenge Points will also earn the Undead Challenge avatar ring, featuring a spooky skull-themed design that will strike fear into the hearts of your foes. This non-tradable item permanently unlocks this avatar border for one character, or can be traded to the Vanity Merchant for one Vanity Token.
SEASONAL SPECIALS: All month long, reach weekly goals to unlock Undead Challenge chests. In addition to valuable rewards like Adventurer's Tomes and Silver, you'll also have a chance to unlock spooky furniture items like the Candelabra, Lantern, and Memorial of the Fallen, as well as rare and valuable Undead Vanity Skins.
As always, you can earn Challenge Points by gathering, fishing, farming, and killing monsters. Points count simultaneously toward a daily bonus, a weekly unlockable chest, and the monthly mount / avatar ring reward. So log in, head out into the open world, gather points, and claim these rewards while you can!
Call to Arms Patch 8 is Here
Call to Arms Patch 8 is here, bringing a range of improvements and fixes. First up, though, there's a new face in Conquerors' Hall...
New Winner Statue: SUN
Congratulations to SUN, winners of Guild Season 12! Check out their brand-new statue at the entrance to Conquerors' Hall in the Royal Cities. The statue also includes guild logos of the second and third place winners, MudHouse and MAHARLIKA. While you're there, be sure to pay your respects to past winners on multiple floors, and click on their statues to read their stories.
Lethal Hellgate Rewards Increased
The Call to Arms update brought new depth and complexity to PvE in Hellgates. To make the PvE experience in higher-risk Lethal Hellgates more worthwhile, the overall value of chest loot in these Hellgates has been boosted:
Condensed Marketplace Notifications
To reduce the number of Marketplace notifications and make them more meaningful, notifications are now only sent when a Buy or Sell Order is completely fulfilled or expires. These mails contain a summary of all relevant transactions in one easily-readable message, letting you check the status of orders on the go without excessive clicks.
It's been an exciting few weeks for Albion Online: after years of anticipation, the game has officially launched worldwide on the App and Play Stores. In our newest Dev Talk, Game Director Robin Henkys takes a look back at the mobile launch and gives a preview of some of the big changes coming to Albion with the next major content update.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcJcUMVVZyw Prefer a written summary? Then read on...
Fulfilling the Cross-Play Promise: Albion Goes Mobile
Albion Online's mobile version officially launched June 9, bringing hundreds of thousands of new players to the game. Albion's player population shattered its previous record this month, and tens of thousands of new players continue to discover the game daily. For those who have not yet tried the mobile version, the Chimera Mount Skin Cross-Play Reward remains available for logging into desktop and mobile with the same account.
Guild Season 13 is also now underway, bringing various balance changes and improvements and giving veteran players the chance to show the newcomers how it's done.
Roadmap: The Next Content Update
The next major content update for 2021 has the major overarching theme of bringing open-world gameplay back to Albion. Note that all features discussed here are still in development, and may change greatly over the coming months.
Updating Albion's Look and Feel
New and Upgraded Activities
Improvements for Veteran Players
New Open-World Objective: Power Vortices
That's all for today, but there’s much more coming, which we'll cover as development continues.
