Being a member of a guild is one of the most rewarding parts of Albion Online. Grouping up, engaging in warfare, and conquering your own piece of Albion is all a part of the rich tapestry of the game. In this video, we'll cover all the basics of Guild Seasons, or you can read on for a summary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LKXoCgPxOY
The Basics
In Albion, warfare between guilds takes place during Guild Seasons. While a season is active, guilds can earn points to compete on the season leaderboard, allowing them to measure themselves against other guilds and compete for a variety of different rewards. These rewards range from basic avatars and avatar rings all the way to Crystal Battle Mounts, 90-day Fame buffs, and even a statue honoring your guild in town!
The ranking tiers are as follows:
There are set rewards for each rank, as well as special rewards for the top 5 guilds of the season. (You can check out the specific rewards here).
Note: In order to receive the rewards a guild has earned in a season, you must be a member of the guild for 75% of the season and also have Premium active when the season ends.
Season Structure
Seasons consist of three sections, starting with and separated by Invasion Days. On Invasion Days, all Outlands territories lose their owners and are available to claim at one of two times based on their primetimes:
There are two further Invasion Days each season, and the final portion of the season rewards double points for all open world activities (territories, castles, etc).
Earning Points For Your Guild
Solo Players
Even alone, you can help your guild progress in the rankings. As you earn keys towards your Adventurer’s Challenge, these will also credit your Guild Challenge (excluding the 50,000 point daily bonus). Guild Challenges have 100 increasingly difficult levels with each one awarding Season Points.
Small Groups
Large Groups
Territories and Season Points
Outlands territories have a number of mechanics to generate season points for both the guild holding them and hostile forces:
Crystal League Matches and Season Points
Guilds can earn Season Points via 5v5 or 20v20 Crystal League Battles. The higher the match level, the more points it gives. The total available points are split between the winners and losers based on final score, with the winning team receiving all points if they win by a large enough margin.
The following points are available per player, per match for Crystal League matches:
5v5 Matches:
20v20 Matches:
Because the points are on a per-player basis, a team does not need to consist of one guild's members. Mixed teams can score points for their individual guilds, but uniting under one banner can generate a lot of points for that guild. To prevent guilds from simply amassing Crystal League teams and ignoring open-world content, there is a maximum limit to the Crystal League points a guild can earn in a day (for both 5v5 and 20v20).
Alliances and Season Points
Being allied with other guilds can bring additional strength and support but comes with some downsides.
Hopefully this guide has given you a solid overview of the mechanics of guild seasons, and some ideas as to how you can score points for your guild. Thanks for watching!
Dev Talk: Loadouts
The Call to Arms update arrives March 17, and in addition to major reworks of Faction Warfare and Hellgates, also brings big quality-of-life improvements. Foremost among these is the new Loadouts system. In our newest Dev Talk, UI Designer Moritz Bokelmann gives further details of this feature. (If you missed our earlier overview of the update, you can watch it here).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn-feOUbBug Prefer a written summary? Then read on...
Albion's “You are what you wear” system gives incredible freedom but also comes with some drawbacks. Getting killed and having to run back to a bank or chest to regear is time-consuming and keeps you out of the action, and even if you’re not into PvP, switching gear for different activities can be a hassle. To address this, we've introduced Loadouts.
The Basics
Creating Loadouts
The Loadout window also provides a preview of the stats and estimated market cost in the small flyout on the right side of the UI.
Setting Rules and Equipping
Once you are happy with the Loadout, you can set rules for how flexible the system can be when choosing which items to equip. You have three options:
Sharing Loadouts
Loadouts can be shared via chat or ingame mail:
Guild Loadouts
Guilds also have access to dedicated Guild Loadouts, which are similar to personal Loadouts with a few differences:
Use Cases
Case 1: High-level PvP (ZvZs, Crystal League, etc.)
You can create a Loadout with the absolute best items in the game via filtering the item list. Simply set everything to the highest available tier, enchantment level and quality, and potentially add Siphoned Energy for overcharging. You can then set all rules to “Same or lower”, effectively creating a master-class set and telling the system to choose the closest possible items.
Case 2: Lower-level PvP/PvE (Arena, Expeditions, etc.) You could build these sets to match the required item power and set all rules to “Same or higher”, which would do the exact opposite of Case 1 above: guarantee that you equip the most basic set of items that still meets the minimum requirements.
Case 3: Hybrid / item-centered
Perhaps you want a cheap tier 4 set, but with a tier 6 weapon to access all available spells. This is possible by simply experimenting and finding the correct Loadout setup for your needs.
Case 4: Non-combat activities (crafting, farming, etc.) A perfect example of this is a crafter setup that only contains a mount, bag, and lots of salads. Then just all the materials you need for your daily crafting activities into the Loadout inventory.
These are just a few examples of things you can do with Loadouts, and we are very curious to see what other ideas you come up with.
Additional Features: Coming Soon
We are working hard to add Loadouts to the Marketplace, so you can directly purchase full sets, and hope to add this feature soon after the launch of Call to Arms. We are also looking into adapting the Character Builder on the Albion website to make global sharing of Loadouts much easier. And of course we are very interested in the ideas that you, the players, have for this feature, so feel free to reach out and share your thoughts.
Thanks for watching!
Artwork Showcase: Caerleon Faction
The Call to Arms update arrives March 17, bringing a completely reworked Faction Warfare system with a new playable Caerleon Faction. In our newest art showcase, Marcus Koch, Art Director of Albion Online, describes the process of creating new NPCs, enemies, and Outposts based on the Caerleon mythos, and shows off some of the concepts that defined this new "outlaw Faction".
What was the main style / aesthetic you were trying to convey with the design of the Caerleon faction?
As the Caerleon Faction differs from the other Factions where no PvP between members is allowed, we wanted to present this Faction in a darker and more twisted way. We took inspiration from the real-life Thirty Years' War, an age where soldiers fought amongst themselves in loose bands and many things had to be improvised.
Does this improvised, patchwork aesthetic extend to the updated Caerleon visuals as well?
Caerleon's wealthy past has given way to a fallen present, and the city is a mix of ancient ruins and newer structures, cut through with crooked alleys. It's a place where riches can be earned quickly and lost even quicker, so everyone keeps one hand on their weapon at all times, and one eye over their shoulder.
Any hints of details players should look out for?
If you just walk the side alleys you might encounter some little shadows scurrying around… and you might be surprised who is visiting the tavern and lurking around for a drink or two.
How did the design of the "Stabbed Mug" tavern come to be?
We wanted this Faction Base to look less “official”. Here you get your contract in a less formal way, and a dirty medieval tavern just felt like the right place in a rough town such as Caerleon. If you enlist here, you're doing it to line your own pocket instead of someone else's. As long as you can keep it :)
From concept to modeling to animation to audio, it takes a whole team to create Albion's world. Kudos to the Art Team for bringing this new Faction to life!
The wait is almost over: the Season 11 Crystal League Championship is this weekend! Starting Saturday at 17:00 UTC, tune in to AlbionTV to watch all the action live. Winners will receive huge Gold rewards and rare mounts, with the first-place team walking away with the brand-new, ultra-rare Saber Tiger Rex Swiftclaw Skin.
Join hosts Shozen, Lewpac, and Tazzik as they bring you live coverage and commentary on these high-action fights. Here's the weekend's schedule:
(Note: the above end times are approximate, depending on how long matches run.)
For team breakdowns, full rules, and the final schedule, keep an eye on this forum post.
The Season 12 Patch is Here
Guild Season 12 kicks off on Saturday, March 13. In anticipation of this, Rise of Avalon Patch 15, AKA the Season 12 Patch, brings changes to make ownership of territories more significant and create incentives for more Outlands activities outside of large-scale battles. It also brings improvements to the new 20v20 Crystal League alongside other improvements and fixes.
Here's a rundown of what's new:
Season Point Changes
World Boss and Static Dungeon Changes
The PvE Fame buff in these locations now comes primarily from Elite mobs instead of the bosses themselves, and stacks incrementally with each mob killed. By repeatedly defeating mobs in the area, players in a party can stack the buff up to +50% bonus Fame while remaining in the zone.
Other Changes
For the full list of fixes, changes, and improvements, check out the official Patchnotes.
Spring is back, and the Keepers of Albion are beginning to awaken... and for the entire month of March, you can take the Keeper Challenge to collect fantastic rewards! Earn points for open-world activities, unlock chests to get valuable loot, and claim your very own Grizzly Bear mount.
GRIZZLY BEAR: This month's Challenge brings back the popular Grizzly Bear, a huge, intimidating mount with an arsenal of powerful spells. In addition to its Intimidating Aura toggle spell, it also gains a temporary speed boost when attacked, giving its rider an edge when enemies are in pursuit.
AVATAR RING: Reach your goals to unlock the Keeper Challenge avatar ring, which gives your chosen avatar the stone-and-leather look of Albion's true guardians. This non-tradable item permanently unlocks this avatar border for one character, or can be traded for one Adventurer's Token at the Vanity Merchant.
SEASONAL SPECIALS: All month, reach weekly goals to unlock Keeper Challenge chests. In addition to valuable rewards like Adventurer's Tomes, Silver bags, and rare resources, this month's chests contain various Keeper-themed furniture and capes.
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. So log in, head out into the open world, gather points, and claim your rewards!
