Jump to content

Jack T. Lamplighter

Town Watch
  • Content Count

    15,844
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    12

Posts posted by Jack T. Lamplighter


  1. Greetings Fellow Avatars!

    Release 123 goes live February 29th at 10:30 AM CST.

    Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 123 (R123), we offer a little space and a lot of water.

    For those wishing to participate in any community activities, upcoming one-time and recurring community events have been announced! Be sure...

    Play Release 123!

    View the full article


  2. Greetings Fellow Avatars!

    Release 123 goes live February 29th at 10:30 AM CST.

    Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 123 (R123), we offer a little space and a lot of water.

    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 Player Guide and Known Issues for additional information on recent changes and upcoming fixes.


    News Announcements

    Community Updates

     


    Build a Bazaar With the New Market Lots!

    SS_Market_Entrance_compressed_overlay.pn

    Sometimes you want just small space with no home for an open-air shop. A nice tent, a few stalls… portable and low-maintenence! Our new Market Lots are 10 by 8 meters: the same frontage and just a smidge over half the depth of a Row Lot.

    SS_Market_Lots_with_borders_compressed_o

    Here is a sample market showing a variety of possible uses:

    After a few internal adjustments to some that almost fit, all but the largest tents will fit on a Market Lot, as well as all the craftable stalls and awnings, albeit with some player resizing needed for the larger ones.

    • Tent (Craftable)
    • Welcome Tent
    • Small Canvas Tent (Craftable)
    • Medium Canvas Tent
    • Small Elven Tent (Craftable)
    • Medium Elven Tent
    • Small Knight’s tent
    • Large Knight’s Tent
    • Great Knight’s Tent
    • Triangle Kobold Tent (Craftable)
    • Small Kobold Tent (Craftable)
    • Medium Kobold Tent
    • Virtue Oktoberfest Tent
    • Wide Market Tent
    • Blue Stall Awning (Craftable)
    • Green Stall Awning (Craftable)
    • Red Stall Awning (Craftable)
    • Barn Stall (Craftable)
    • Tall Barn Stall (Craftable)
    • Thin Barn Stall (Craftable)

    …as well as a miscellany of sheds, gazebos, pavilions, wells, and outhouses. Some decorated lot examples are below:

    SS_Market_Lot_Greengrocer_compressed_ove

    SS_Market_Lot_Rummage_Shop_compressed_ov

    SS_Market_Lot_Basket_Shop_compressed_ove

    Expand for more pictures:

    SS_Market_Lot_Plant_Shop_compressed_over

    SS_Market_Lot_Art_Shop_compressed_overla

    SS_Market_Lot_Firework_Shop_compressed_o

    SS_Market_Lot_Glass_Shop_compressed_over

    SS_Market_Lot_Fish_Shop_compressed_overl

    SS_Market_Lot_Cake_Shop_compressed_overl

    SS_Market_Lot_Statue_Shop_compressed_ove

    SS_Market_Lot_Public_Well_compressed_ove

    SS_Market_Lot_Soup_Counter_compressed_ov

    SS_Market_Lot_Butcher_Shop_compressed_ov

    SS_Market_Lots_Books_and_Clothing_compre

    SS_Market_Lot_Unclaimed_Freight_Shop_com

    Market Lot decoration limits are:

    • Exterior Objects: 100
    • Exterior Lights: 4
    • Containers: 20
    • NPCs: 1
    • Basements and Dungeons: None!

    A 10-pack of Market Lot Property Markers is available for Governors and Stewards in the Crown Store.

    As one may always claim a lot with any deed that size or above, and as these lots will be created only by placing Property Markers in Player-Owned Towns, all existing deeds can claim these as they are the new smallest size. However, taxed deeds for Market Lots can be purchased in the Crown Store and upgraded to tax free for Crowns of the Obsidians:

    • Deed, Market (POT, Taxed): 1,100 COTOs
    • Deed, Market (POT, Tax Free): 2,100 COTOs

    We hope you find this new lot size useful and inspiring!

     


    Live Free on the Sea: POT Tax Free Water Deeds

    SotA_Water_Lot_Deed_03_City.jpg

    Village, Town, City, Keep, and Castle POT Tax Free Water Deeds are now available through upgrade of existing non-Founder deeds with Crowns of the Obsidians. You don’t have to be a pirate to hoodwink the tax man, though it helps!

    The upgrade values for these new deeds are:

    Deed, Village (POT, Tax Free, Water)  5,500 COTOs
    Deed, Town (POT, Tax Free, Water) 11,000 COTOs
    Deed, City (POT, Tax Free, Water) 22,000 COTOs
    Deed, Keep (POT, Tax Free, Water) 44,000 COTOs
    Deed, Castle (POT, Tax Free, Water) 88,000 COTOs

    Note that the only Water Keep and Castle Lots currently available in Player Owned Towns are the baked-in ones; placeable Property Markers for these sizes are soon to be created but, unlike the baked-in ones, will not be toggle-able to an island for land home placement.

     


    Release 123 Patch Notes

    Below are a list of the updates that are live as of Release 123 in the game of Shroud of the Avatar! R123 is a polish month. Polish, additional improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R124 next month. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 123!

    Crafting, Decoration, Gear, & Inventory Item Changes:

    • SS_Spite14_Cropped_overlay.jpgThe deco teleporter to the Compendium of Pain and Suffering will no longer interfere with the spawning and navigation of pets, NPCs, or players attempting to use furniture in their vicinity. SOTA-67308
    • Haystacks decorations (both small and large) will no longer interfere with the spawning and navigation of pets, NPCs, or players attempting to use furniture in their vicinity. SOTA-68200
    • Removed mesh collision from Young Mounted Plesiosaurus. The adult may receive similar adjustment after some testing. SOTA-69248
    • Adjusted collision on the Castle Atos Teleporter. SOTA-71921
    • Adjusted the rain collision on the Red Stall Awning to stop errors.
    • Adjusted the Tavern Counter (Flipped) to stop errors. SOTA-70042
    • Hid visible deco surfaces on the Fancy Storage Shed and the Stone Five-Story Wizard’s Tower. SOTA-70740, SOTA-71908
    • Modified the material for the crafted moondial base to display a solid bottom. SOTA-71394
    • Reduced the shininess of the existing Clover Pavers and adjusted the texture to make the clover more recognizable.
    • Made smaller scaling available to a few tents that almost fit on a Market Lot.
    • Made larger scaling available to the crafted Tent and the similar Welcome Tent.
    • Made the Renaissance Bedroom Dresser and Tall Bedroom Dresser resizable. SOTA-71822
    • Added vertical rotation capability to Bandit Spear. SOTA-71812
    • Fixed the appearance of Gentleman’s Riding Leggings when worn by female characters. SOTA-71614
    • Removed extra fingers from male Elven Elite Archer Bracers. I guess they weren’t useful for archery? SOTA-68944
    • Disabled non-functional dye slots on Leather Guard Boots. SOTA-71616
    • Disabled non-functional dye slots on Fortified Cloth Gloves. SOTA-71889
    • Normalized bound health and focus potion and unicorn poison names and fixed a typo in the poison’s description.
    • Normalized Fortified and Epic Cloth Leggings’ and their recipes’ names. SOTA-70771
    • Added a description with useful info on deco placement to Planting Areas.
    • Corrected Bloodstained Map #6 to show its hint in Runic.
    • Made many older, low-durability pieces of crafted clothing masterworkable and enchantable, as the newer high-durability versions are. (They don’t have the durability to do anything significant with it, but they are now consistent.) SOTA-71875
    • The Faerie Belt is no longer enchantable or masterworkable. (It wasn’t before, either, but it was possible to try.) SOTA-70162
    • Enabled salvage of Candelabra like similar looted lighting. SOTA-71879
    • Enabled salvage of Tin Foil Hats. SOTA-71559
    • Enabled salvage of Head Bandages. SOTA-71589
    • Changed the Judgewig to be salvageable at the tailoring table instead of the blacksmithing table. SOTA-71557
    • Created a new recipe book category under smelting for all the artifact combining recipes and moved them into it. SOTA-71807
    • Moved the recipe for the warlock chain into the rings and amulets section of the blacksmithing recipes and the recipes for its components into the components section.
    • Moved the recipe for burial coffin into the decorations section of the carpentry recipes.
    • Made many crafting ingredients (mostly cooking ones) show as valid (white) on their appropriate station(s) and only their appropriate station(s). SOTA-70773
    • Made artifacts that can be combined show as valid (orange) ingredients on smelting tables. SOTA-69780
    • Made unrevealed treasure maps show as valid (white) on alchemy stations only and revealed treasure maps show as valid (white) on no stations at all.

    User Interface and Store Information Changes:

    • The green nameplates of hostiles well below your level will no longer turn cyan when night vision is used. SOTA-71904
    • Added earth specialization effects to the skill description for Torpor. SOTA-70048
    • Added information on pugilism to the descriptions of the skills it affects. SOTA-71877
    • Made all the year-specific cupcakes show on the consumables tab of the inventory. SOTA-70912
    • Changed outdated text in lot stones’ home picker UI that referred to House Deeds.
    • Fixed the icon size for the six creature essences. SOTA-71905
    • Fixed a typo in the Ancient Sextant’s feedback.
    • Updated the description of the existing Property Marker set in the Crown Store to note that Market Property Markers are not included.
    • Updated the store name for Scott Jones Painting to add his alias. SOTA-71917
    • Fixed some blurry and/or misproportioned store images.

    World and Quest Changes:

    eventArchLapin1.jpg

    • Seasonal Monsters: The Envy Angel will go dormant and the Arch Lapin will return on March 16th.
    • The Path of the Oracle: Added extra logic to ensure Speak with the Oracle tasks properly archive when complete. SOTA-71909
    • Multiple Control Points: Corrected a typo in the Mages of Mystery’s cost for crossing to the opposite side of the scene. SOTA-71910
    • Multiple Scenes: Crates you can sit upon now display the name “Upturned Crate.” SOTA-71903
    • Aerie: Fixed a pair of shields in armor shops that were rotated and clipping into counters. SOTA-71892
    • Approach to the Shuttered Eye: Fixed a stuck spot. SOTA-71895
    • Ardoris: Fixed a typo in the help mouseover for the “Defeat all 4 Anti-Love Cabalists” task. SOTA-71888
    • Blood River Outskirts: Updated the logic used to remove the “Collect Scalps for Vigilantes” task from the UI. SOTA-71871
    • Desolis: Samuel Ruf no longer implies he has a quest. SOTA-71923
    • The Epitaph: Removed door functionality from a fallen wooden door. SOTA-71907
    • Ferig’s Battle Camp: Updated the logic used by the guards for when they say ambient barks. SOTA-71880
    • Harvest: Greatly simplified Guard Stella’s responses.
    • Port Harmony: Players saying “name” to Preston the News Hawker will now properly unlock his name. SOTA-71913
    • Port Harmony: The papers on the front desk in the town hall no longer have anti-theft protection. SOTA-71912
    • Port Harmony: Fixed a typo in one of Corbyn Sallow’s “valve” responses. SOTA-71914
    • Solace Bridge Outskirts: Fixed a typo in one of Velma’s “rumors” responses. SOTA-71911
    • Created map for Elysian Ruins.
    • Created map for Elysian Plains.
    • Created map for Naryad Moors.
    • Created map for Norgard Fens. SOTA-59610
    • Created map for Rumor Peaks.
    • Created map for Whispering Woods.

     


    Latest News and Q&A in the First March Livestream

    The post-release Community Livestream is Friday, March 1st at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Stephen “Ravalox” Reinen and other members of the development team for a 1-hour community livestream!

    To enter the prize drawings, type “chaos in the clover” 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. Watch on Twitch, Friday at 4PM CT!

    Members of the Shroud of the Avatar development team stream 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 on
    Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/shroudoftheavatarofficial and on Discord at https://discord.gg/shroudoftheavatar.

     


    Sales and Bonus Events

    From March 15th through end-of-day March 21st:

    • Crown Store sales will be 30% off.
    • Crowns of the Obsidians will be 20% off.
    • Deed Upgrades will be 20% off.

     


    Release 123 Subscriber Login Rewards

    Be cheered by the first sprouts of green after a long winter. The Rewards Program login items for Release 123 are a set of Sparse Blooming Clover Pavers and a pair of Potted Shamrocks!

    SS_Sparse_Blooming_Clover_Pavers_overlay

    SS_Potted_Shamrocks_overlay.png

    Subscribers to the Rewards Program must log in during Release 123 to receive these special login items.

    rewardsprog2.jpgThe 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:

    • port_Gold_CotO_pile-200-150x150.png900 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
      • 30 Months: Keeper of Countless Devotions
      • 33 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Three Corpions
      • 36 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Six Serpents
      • 39 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Nine Tulips
      • 42 Months: Keeper of Forty-Two Roses
      • 45 Months: Keeper of Forty-Five Lilies
      • 48 Months: Keeper of Forty-Eight Daisies
      • 51 Months: Keeper of Fifty-One Staves
      • 54 Months: Keeper of Fifty-Four Daggers
      • 57 Months: Keeper of Fifty-Seven Arrows
      • 60 Months: Keeper of Sixty Swords
      • 63 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Three Coins
      • 66 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Six Gems
      • 69 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Nine Jewels
      • 72 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Two Goblets
      • 75 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Five Rings
      • 78 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Eight Amulets
    • 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!

     


    March Login Reward

    Keep a little green on your desk when you’re trapped inside by a stack of paperwork: each account that logs in during the month of March will receive a one-time gift of a Tabletop Potted Shamrocks.

    SS_Tabletop_Potted_Shamrocks_overlay.png

     


    Crown Store Updates

    New in the crown store for today’s release:

    • Market Property Marker 10-Pack
    • Deed, Market (POT, Taxed)
      SS_Market_Lots_with_borders_compressed_o
    • Blooming Clover Pavers
      SS_Blooming_Clover_Pavers_overlay.png
    • Small Very Sparse Blooming Clover Pavers
      SS_Small_Very_Sparse_Blooming_Clover_Pav
    • Gothic Bookcase Cabinet
      SS_Gothic_Bookcase_Cabinet_overlay.png
    • Dark Gothic Bookcase Cabinet
      SS_Dark_Gothic_Bookcase_Cabinet_overlay.

    The pack of Leprechaun Bowler Hats has been split up:

    • Leprechaun Bowler Hat
      SS_Leprechaun_Bowler_Hat_overlay.png
    • Leprechaun Bowler Hat w/ Shamrock
      item_hat_bowler_.jpg

    …and an addition to go with this month’s bug fixes to the existing haystacks:

    • Medium Haystack
      SS_Medium_Haystack_overlay.png

    …for March 1st:

    • Tabletop Potted Shamrocks 3-Pack
      SS_Tabletop_Potted_Shamrocks_overlay.png

    …and for March 8th:

    • Potted Shamrocks 3-Pack
      SS_Potted_Shamrocks_overlay.png
    • Sparse Blooming Clover Pavers
      SS_Sparse_Blooming_Clover_Pavers_overlay

    The Valentine’s Day store items will be available through Monday March 4th:

    List of Valentine’s Day items:
    • 2016 Cupid Ensemble
    • 2016 Cupid Heart Cloak
    • 2016 Valentine Hearts Cloak
    • Blank Valentine’s Day 2016 Card 5-Pack
    • Blank Valentine’s Day 2017 Card 5-Pack
    • Blank Valentine’s Day 2019 Card 5-Pack
    • Breathe Hearts Emote
    • Double Smoke Heart Emote
    • Heart Hot Tub
    • Heart Top Hat
    • Heart-Shaped Footstool
    • Heart-Shaped Spear
    • Smoke Heart Emote
    • Triple Smoke Heart Emote
    • Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes 2017 3-Pack
    • Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes 2018 3-Pack
    • Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes 2019 3-Pack

    Although there are not currently enough items to make a whole new category for them, a few St. Patrick’s Day items can be found in other categories (Wearables and Outdoor Decorations) through Monday May 6th:

    List of St. Patrick’s Day items:
    • Garden Leprechaun
    • Leprechaun Bowler Hat
    • Leprechaun Bowler Hat with Shamrock
    • Leprechaun Hat
    • Pot o’ Gold

    To celebrate his birthday, the Darkstarr Rares store items will be available through Monday May 27th:

    List of Darkstarr items:
    • Darkstarr Basement Entrance Eternal Pattern
    • Darkstarr Chaos Throne
    • Darkstarr Chaos Throne (Reverse Colors)
    • Darkstarr Clock Tower
    • Darkstarr Clock Tower (Reverse Colors)
    • Darkstarr Fur Collared Cloak
    • Darkstarr Pavers
    • Darkstarr Shield
    • Darkstarr Shield Pattern Pack
    • Lord British vs Darkstarr Battle Banner
    • Mosh Emote

    The Spring Equinox store items will be available from Monday March 25th until Sunday May 5th:

    List of Spring Equinox items:
    • Brown Bunny Ears & Slippers Set
    • Bunny Ears & Slippers Set
    • Decorative Dyeable Egg Pack
    • Flower Crown
    • Lepus Mask 2017
    • Lepus Mask 2018
    • Silver & Gold Lepus Mask
    • White Lepus Mask
    • Rabbit Tailed Bodice Ensemble
    • Replenishing Confetti Eggs Basket 2016
    • Replenishing Confetti Eggs Basket 2017
    • Replenishing Confetti Eggs Basket 2018
    • Replenishing Confetti Eggs Basket 2019
    • Spring Fountain w/ Floating Candles

     


    Bug Brigade & Testing Directives!

    SotA_Insect-Painting-C.jpg

    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 relaunched.

    The Brigade has been up and running and the volunteers (Alley Oop, Echondas, Flair Minamoto, and Justyn) are in 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 clean up 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! Much improvement has been noticed by the development team and we’re so very excited to see the program’s continued success!

    The development team would also like to thank all of those who take time to participate in QA Testing Directives. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, many issues and bugs can be identified and fixed prior to content 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.

    Don’t forget, the Bug Brigade is open to all players in good standing and bug rewards 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:

    • Antennae Head Gear and Forum Title 1: “Bug Hunter”
    • Single Ant Cloak
    • Lady Bug Backpack
    • Bug Painting A and In-Game Title 2: “Associate of Aphids”
    • Ant Farm
    • Insect Leg Table
    • Many Ants Cloak and In-Game Title 3: “Bachelor of Beetles”
    • Bug Painting B
    • Bug Sprayer and /bugspray Emote
    • Bug Painting C and In-Game Title 4: “Master of Moths”
    • Butterfly Chair
    • Corpion Chair (Pictured Below)
    • Yellow Fireflies VFX and In-Game Title 5: “Doctor of Dragonflies”
    • Hacked Oracle Flyer
    • Giant Butterfly Pet (Blue)
    • Butterfly Mask
    • Dragonfly pet
    • Fairy Wings
    • Monarch Butterfly Pet
    • Dragonfly Wings
    • Hacked Oracle Crawler
    • Blue Butterfly VFX
    • Orange Fireflies VFX
    • Orange Butterfly VFX
    • Autumn Fairy Wings
    • Green Fireflies VFX
    • Landing Flies 3-pack
    • Blue Fireflies
    • Mounted Ladybug Specimen
    • Mounted Rhinoceros Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Firebug Specimen
    • Mounted Diving Bug Specimen
    • Mounted Asian Ladybug Specimen
    • Swallowtail Butterfly Pet
    • Mounted Potato Beetle
    • Silver Bug Sprayer
    • Mounted Dung Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Hissing Cockroach Specimen
    • Mounted Maybug Specimen
    • Mounted Stag Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Flower Beetle Specimen

    If you’ve come to think of Shroud of the Avatar as your home, sign up and help make New Britannia a better place to live! To learn more about joining the Bug Brigade, please read the announcement thread by Ravalox in the main Bug/Feedback forums.

    SotA_Corpion-Chair_empty.jpg

     


    Streaming Program
    StreamerCamera-625x331.jpg

    Streamers of Shroud of the Avatar can participate in a program to showcase the game and be rewarded for their efforts. Any Streamer who wishes to be included in the Streaming Program can contact Laney via in-game mail 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 the LIVESTREAMING title.

    Rules:

    • To qualify for Streaming 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.

    Monthly Streaming Bundles:

    On the 1st of each month, qualifying streamers will be eligible to receive 50 Streaming Bundles. Bundles will be sent out to Streamers via in-game mail.

    A few things you need to know:

    • Streaming Bundles are intended to be given away to stream viewers, not consumed by the streamer.
    • Streamers are not allowed to put paywalls in place for the Streaming Bundles. (For example, giving away Streaming Bundles once the stream reaches a certain number of bits, subscriptions, or donations).

    Other Items of Note:

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

     


    Upcoming Release Dates

    DanceParty-625x352.jpg

    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 2023/2024 Release Schedule is as follows:

    • This Release 123 – February 29 (Quality of Life)
    • Release 124 – March 28 (Quality of Life)
    • Release 125 – April 25 (Content)
    • Release 126 – May 30 (Quality of Life)
    • Release 127 – June 27 (Quality of Life)

     


    Community Events & Resources

    news_community-article_notext-625x352.jp

    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.

    Recurring Events:

    • Lightbringer Isle Auction: This newly-resumed auction will be held by Hemnu Lightbringer every Wednesday at 2000 EST / 1900 CST / 0100 BST / 2400 UTC.
    • The Nebula Time Trials are intended as a fun competition amongst players, but also a way for players to compare builds, playstyles, learn from one another and just generally have fun together. Each trial will consist of a challenge along the lines of “kill this mob” or “complete this quest” and while prizes will be awarded based on completion time, everyone who enters will receive something. Check this main post for links to the individual trials as they occur.
    • Monthly Release Fishing Contests: This is a rotating, multi-location contest sponsored and organised by Rajazel, The Town Museum and its Governor Diablotine.
    • Trash to Treasure Dropped Items Turn-In: Introducing Trash to Treasure 2.0! Some unscrupulous fella has been flooding all of New Britannia with junk: Headdresses, Wings, Backpacks, assorted miscellany of every sort. It’s time to clean this trash up and so a bounty has been placed on all gear crafted by Coswald Dirthmire that is turned in each contest period!
    • Mad Splatter Tea Party: One Sunday of each month, Lily Byrd hosts a tea party in her back garden at her home in Jade Valley. There are drinks and eats, there is sometimes music, there are often party games with prizes, and sometimes they just sit and talk about life in Novia. All are welcome to join but this is a role playing event tea party: please come as your avatar!

    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!

    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.
    • 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: Avatar Relics

    avatar-relics.png

    Community member Shawn Butts has opened a Shroud of the Avatar merchandise store with Catnip Games’ approval. Visit for pins, mugs, shirts, posters, and more here.

     


    Project to Support: Shard RPG

    support_shard_rpg_1_1920x1200-625x391.jp

    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 Basic Compendium and the Magic and Martial Arts books! 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!

    support_shard_rpg_2.jpg

     


    Project to Support: Embers Adrift!

    Help support one of our team members’ other projects, Embers Adrift! Check out their official trailer here.

     


    Resources: Players Helping Players

    SotA_NewPlayerWelcome_Forum-300x123.jpg

    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.

    View the full article


  3. If you are reading this, then the routing issue either is not impacting you, or the adjustment we made has corrected your connection.

    What's all this then?:

    Around 2:30PM CT on February 13th, some players reported not being able to access the Shroud of the Avatar website or Forums. We investigated and found that the issue is somewhere in the internet backbone.

    It appears the issue is affecting people in the US, mainly in areas central and west. The East coast appears to not be affected....

    Internet routing Issues affecting access to the SotA Website and Forums

    View the full article


  4. The Plaque seen in the Chicken Room during the event will be delivered to players who logged in during the event. The event lasted from Build 1686 through Build 1688. If you logged in during these builds (while the Chicken Room Portal was present on Novia), then you will receive a plaque (one plaque per account).

    There are a great number of plaques to send out and we are in the process of delivering the plaques to those eligible. Please allow for time to get these out. Due to the method...

    Release 1 - 10th Anniversary Plaque delivery

    View the full article


  5. Laney has been working her fingers to the bone to mail out all of the Anniversary Rewards, Stream Prizes, and other Special items.

    At the time of this writing, the delivery of the Anniversary plaques is almost complete (if not complete). Laney will also be mailing out Streamer Bundle replenishments, Stream Prizes, and the Bonus Anniversary Cloaks from the December 15th Stream COTO purchase offer. All this in addition to other additional special items owed to our ONBE and CNBE players....

    Rewards, Prizes and Other Special Item Mailouts

    View the full article


  6. In January of 2019 a portrait of Scott Jones was delivered to the players as the result of a Kickstarter campaign run by @Sir Frank . At that time two versions of the portrait were released. One added to the Crown Store and the other a version with a special frame given to backers of the Kickstarter campaign who contributed $50 or more. (Note: this was not a Portalarium or Catnip Games project, this was funded through Kickstarter by players in honor of Scottie Jones,...

    Scottie Portrait Kickstarter reward item swap!

    View the full article


  7. Greetings Fellow Avatars!

    Release 122 goes live January 25th at 10:30 AM CST.

    Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 122 (R122), we offer a chance to put your best foot forward and a hope that no one heard it.

    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 Player Guide and Known Issues for additional information on recent changes and upcoming fixes.


    News Announcements

    Community Updates

     


    See and Don’t Be Seen in Sneak Scene

    SS_Sneak_Scene_overlay.png

    Barkeeps in port towns across New Britannia have made their basements available to all sorts of nefarious people who value the ability to come and go without notice. They might have a key, if you ask, to access a place where specialists in skulking hone their craft. Drunken whispers have overshared that those frequenting this ‘sneak scene’ will claim avoiding combat is more important than direct confrontation. Some people might suggest this place is neutral ground, with both assassins and spies putting aside their differences in order to make use of these elaborate training facilities. It might, perhaps, be wise to do any such training before partaking of the barkeeps’ wares, not after.

    Find these training grounds under taverns in:

    • Blood Bay
    • Broochash
    • Celestis
    • Goti
    • Etceter
    • Fortus End
    • Kingsport

     


    Strut Your Stuff in Mount Midir

    SS_Fashion_Tabletop_Trophies_overlay.png

    Are you the best-dressed Outlander on New Britannia? Catnip Games will be hosting a Shroud of the Avatar fashion event. Show off your best outfit and maybe go home with a trophy! No matter what the outfit is: battle gear, evening wear, seasonal style, or just relaxing, flaunt your best, cleverest custom outfit. There will be three members of the Catnip Games team judging players’ outfits as they demonstrate their style and ingenuity.

    The stage is set! Join us in Mount Midir on February 24th at 2pm CT for this very stylish event!

    More information will be posted in the forums with signup directions and details.

     


    Our Community Made a Difference in 2023

    The Shroud of the Avatar ‘Make a Difference’ Store is a curated inventory of in-game items for sale in our Charity Store. 20% of the purchase price of those items is donated to the charity designated in the listing. With especially strong demand for water-themed and pink items, 2023 finishes with a total of $478 in contributions to:

    • The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
    • Breast Cancer Research Foundation
    • Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
    • Doctors Without Borders
    • Leonardo’s Children’s Museum
    • Movember
    • The Nature Conservancy
    • Water.org
    • The World Wildlife Fund

    Thank you for supporting Shroud of the Avatar and the various charities!

     


    Release 122 Patch Notes

    Below are a list of the updates that are live as of Release 122 in the game of Shroud of the Avatar! R122 is a content month. Polish, additional improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R123 in the new year. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 122!

    Crafting, Decoration, Gear, & Inventory Item Changes:

    SS_NPCs_with_Walking_Sticks_overlay.png

    • Low-level human mages who cast with walking sticks will now drop them as loot instead of lesser staves. These can be salvaged for a pattern for those who prefer to display fewer skulls.
    • Created tabletop trophies for fashion and related contests.
    • SS_First_Release_10th_Anniversary_2023_C

    • Created the R1 10th Anniversary cloak.
    • Moved the various reveal map recipes from unclassified to the alchemy miscellaneous category of the recipe book.
    • Moved a few stray dungeon piece recipes from unclassified into the dungeon category of smelting in the recipe book.
    • Moved all versions of Xen Bow construction recipes from unclassified into the weapons category of carpentry in the recipe book.
    • Removed two obsolete loading screen tips and updated the text in another.
    • Disabled autostart for decorative flame trap VFX to fix Windows clients seeing frozen fire when the deco is placed.
    • Added detail to the descriptions of the R101 and R102 Sub Reward Bundles.
    • Made an icon for pumpkin pie slice.

    User Interface, Store Information, Inky, & Lua Changes:

    • Added cat claws, withered baby flesh flayers, and the various baits to the vendor buy order list.
    • Adjusted Spooky Blue Flame Urn 2-Pack store listing to actually deliver 2 urns.

    World and Quest Changes:

    • Hometown: Added annex scenes called “Hometown – Basements” and “Hometown – Legacy Homes” for house and decoration overflow.
    • Most housing merchants now offer a one-time teleport to Hometown to help players review a large amount of example homes.
    • Housing Merchants: Standardized their titles to be “Housing Merchant” for all.
    • Random Encounters: Altruist Pilgrims now have improved responses for Port Harmony, may give a prayer card as part of that response, and will give correct directions to the Altruist Monk in Port Harmony. SOTA-71839
    • Siege Encounters: Updated the manner in which scouts ask for arcane catalysts to help avoid confusion on how many is being asked for.
    • North Paladis: Added the tabletop snow family recipes to deco recipe merchants. SOTA-71833
    • Broken Echoes Silver Mine: Fixed a typo in one of Teris the foreman’s “hello” responses.
    • Broochash: Updated Albreda’s response for key/keys. SOTA-71824
    • Eastreach Gap: Adjusted control point tornados’ paths. SOTA-71831
    • Highiron: Updated this scene’s template so certain trees no longer overhang into some lot areas. SOTA-71823
    • Sneak Scene: Updated logic for limiting Sneak Scene Key acquisition to hourly. Enlarged first warehouse room to remove the chance that Sentries will see you before starting the training exercise. Fixed a logic issue that allowed the second room to open its exit door without requiring all of its chests to be looted first. SOTA-71866
    • Tutorial Encounter: Added extra logic to help archive the “Unlock Gate” task after completion. SOTA-71867
    • Vertas Pass: Added a tornado at the control point that activates when it achieves the repeating wave. SOTA-71832

    Player-Owned Town Changes:

    • Meadowbrook: Renamed from Le Port-Marly and upgraded to Crossroads Village.
    • Shirehall: Added new Holdfast northeast of Kiln.
    • Crossroads Alleys: Changed size from Metropolis to Municipality.
    • Crossroads Estates: Changed size from Metropolis to City.
    • Duanor: Upgraded from City to Metropolis.
    • Fidra: Upgraded from Holdfast to Hamlet.
    • Lained: Upgraded to Village.
    • Wolves Den: Upgraded to Town.

    R122_Map_of_Novia_POT.jpg

     


    Latest News and Q&A January Livestream

    The post-release Community Livestream is Friday, January 26th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Stephen “Ravalox” Reinen and other members of the development team for a 1-hour community livestream!

    To enter the prize drawings, type “cold winter, warm heart” 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. Watch on Twitch, Friday at 4PM CT!

    Members of the Shroud of the Avatar development team stream 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 on
    Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/shroudoftheavatarofficial and on Discord at https://discord.gg/shroudoftheavatar.

     


    Sales and Bonus Events

    Until end-of-day February 5th:

    • Crown Store sales will be 30% off.
    • Crowns of the Obsidians will be 20% off.

     


    Release 122 Subscriber Login Rewards

    Decorating on a sugar high, no way that will end badly! The Rewards Program login items for Release 122 are a Heart-Themed Tiramisu Cake, a Heart-Themed Cookie Plate, and a set of three Sigil Plaques!

    SS_Heart-Themed_Tiramisu_Cake_and_Cookie

    SS_Set_of_Wooden_Sigil_Plaques_overlay.p

    Subscribers to the Rewards Program must log in during Release 122 to receive these special login items.

    rewardsprog2.jpgThe 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:

    • port_Gold_CotO_pile-200-150x150.png900 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
      • 30 Months: Keeper of Countless Devotions
      • 33 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Three Corpions
      • 36 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Six Serpents
      • 39 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Nine Tulips
      • 42 Months: Keeper of Forty-Two Roses
      • 45 Months: Keeper of Forty-Five Lilies
      • 48 Months: Keeper of Forty-Eight Daisies
      • 51 Months: Keeper of Fifty-One Staves
      • 54 Months: Keeper of Fifty-Four Daggers
      • 57 Months: Keeper of Fifty-Seven Arrows
      • 60 Months: Keeper of Sixty Swords
      • 63 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Three Coins
      • 66 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Six Gems
      • 69 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Nine Jewels
      • 72 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Two Goblets
      • 75 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Five Rings
      • 78 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Eight Amulets
    • 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!

     


    February Login Reward

    Tempt a beloved or bait a trap: each account that logs in during the month of February will receive a one-time gift of a Square Heart-Themed Box of Chocolates.

    SS_Square_Heart-Themed_Box_of_Chocolates

     


    Crown Store Updates

    New in the crown store for today’s release:

    • Tray of Tantalizing Treats
      SS_Tray_of_Tantalizing_Treats_overlay.pn
    • Heart-Themed Rectangle Valentine’s Day 2024 Gift Box 3-Pack
      SS_Heart-Themed_Rectangle_Valentines_Day
    • Heart-Themed Round Valentine’s Day 2024 Gift Box 3-Pack
      SS_Heart-Themed_Round_Valentines_Day_202
    • Rose-Themed Square Valentine’s Day 2024 Gift Box 3-Pack
      SS_Rose-Themed_Square_Valentines_Day_202
    • Ravalox Darkshire Painting
      SS_Painting_of_Ravalox_Darkshire_overlay

    …and an existing home being made re-available:

    • Red Barn Two-Story (Village Home)
      SS_Red_Barn_overlay.png

    …for February 1st:

    • Square Heart-Themed Box of Chocolates
      SS_Square_Heart-Themed_Box_of_Chocolates

    …and for February 9th:

    • Heart-Themed Tiramisu Cake
      SS_Heart-Themed_Tiramisu_Cake_overlay.pn
    • Heart-Themed Cookie Plate
      SS_Heart-Themed_Cookie_Plate_overlay.png
    • Sigil Plaque 3-Pack
      SS_Set_of_Wooden_Sigil_Plaques_overlay.p

    The Valentine’s Day store items will be available from Friday January 26th through Monday March 4th:

    List of Valentine’s Day items:
    • 2016 Cupid Ensemble
    • 2016 Cupid Heart Cloak
    • 2016 Valentine Hearts Cloak
    • Blank Valentine’s Day 2016 Card 5-Pack
    • Blank Valentine’s Day 2017 Card 5-Pack
    • Blank Valentine’s Day 2019 Card 5-Pack
    • Breathe Hearts Emote
    • Double Smoke Heart Emote
    • Heart Hot Tub
    • Heart Top Hat
    • Heart-Shaped Footstool
    • Heart-Shaped Spear
    • Smoke Heart Emote
    • Triple Smoke Heart Emote
    • Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes 2017 3-Pack
    • Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes 2018 3-Pack
    • Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes 2019 3-Pack

    Although there are not currently enough items to make a whole new category for them, a few St. Patrick’s Day items can be found in other categories (Wearables and Outdoor Decorations) from Monday February 12th through Monday May 6th:

    List of St. Patrick’s Day items:
    • Garden Leprechaun
    • Leprechaun Bowler Hat 2-Pack
    • Leprechaun Hat
    • Pot o’ Gold

    To celebrate his birthday, the Darkstarr Rares store items will be available from Friday February 26th through Monday May 27th:

    List of Darkstarr items:
    • Darkstarr Basement Entrance Eternal Pattern
    • Darkstarr Chaos Throne
    • Darkstarr Chaos Throne (Reverse Colors)
    • Darkstarr Clock Tower
    • Darkstarr Clock Tower (Reverse Colors)
    • Darkstarr Fur Collared Cloak
    • Darkstarr Pavers
    • Darkstarr Shield
    • Darkstarr Shield Pattern Pack
    • Lord British vs Darkstarr Battle Banner
    • Mosh Emote

     


    Bug Brigade & Testing Directives!

    SotA_Insect-Painting-C.jpg

    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 relaunched.

    The Brigade has been up and running and the volunteers (Alley Oop, Echondas, Flair Minamoto, and Justyn) are in 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 clean up 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! Much improvement has been noticed by the development team and we’re so very excited to see the program’s continued success!

    The development team would also like to thank all of those who take time to participate in QA Testing Directives. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, many issues and bugs can be identified and fixed prior to content 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.

    Don’t forget, the Bug Brigade is open to all players in good standing and bug rewards 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:

    • Antennae Head Gear and Forum Title 1: “Bug Hunter”
    • Single Ant Cloak
    • Lady Bug Backpack
    • Bug Painting A and In-Game Title 2: “Associate of Aphids”
    • Ant Farm
    • Insect Leg Table
    • Many Ants Cloak and In-Game Title 3: “Bachelor of Beetles”
    • Bug Painting B
    • Bug Sprayer and /bugspray Emote
    • Bug Painting C and In-Game Title 4: “Master of Moths”
    • Butterfly Chair
    • Corpion Chair (Pictured Below)
    • Yellow Fireflies VFX and In-Game Title 5: “Doctor of Dragonflies”
    • Hacked Oracle Flyer
    • Giant Butterfly Pet (Blue)
    • Butterfly Mask
    • Dragonfly pet
    • Fairy Wings
    • Monarch Butterfly Pet
    • Dragonfly Wings
    • Hacked Oracle Crawler
    • Blue Butterfly VFX
    • Orange Fireflies VFX
    • Orange Butterfly VFX
    • Autumn Fairy Wings
    • Green Fireflies VFX
    • Landing Flies 3-pack
    • Blue Fireflies
    • Mounted Ladybug Specimen
    • Mounted Rhinoceros Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Firebug Specimen
    • Mounted Diving Bug Specimen
    • Mounted Asian Ladybug Specimen
    • Swallowtail Butterfly Pet
    • Mounted Potato Beetle
    • Silver Bug Sprayer
    • Mounted Dung Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Hissing Cockroach Specimen
    • Mounted Maybug Specimen
    • Mounted Stag Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Flower Beetle Specimen

    If you’ve come to think of Shroud of the Avatar as your home, sign up and help make New Britannia a better place to live! To learn more about joining the Bug Brigade, please read the announcement thread by Ravalox in the main Bug/Feedback forums.

    SotA_Corpion-Chair_empty.jpg

     


    Streaming Program
    StreamerCamera-625x331.jpg

    Streamers of Shroud of the Avatar can participate in a program to showcase the game and be rewarded for their efforts. Any Streamer who wishes to be included in the Streaming Program can contact Laney via in-game mail 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 the LIVESTREAMING title.

    Rules:

    • To qualify for Streaming 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.

    Monthly Streaming Bundles:

    On the 1st of each month, qualifying streamers will be eligible to receive 50 Streaming Bundles. Bundles will be sent out to Streamers via in-game mail.

    A few things you need to know:

    • Streaming Bundles are intended to be given away to stream viewers, not consumed by the streamer.
    • Streamers are not allowed to put paywalls in place for the Streaming Bundles. (For example, giving away Streaming Bundles once the stream reaches a certain number of bits, subscriptions, or donations).

    Other Items of Note:

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

     


    Upcoming Release Dates

    DanceParty-625x352.jpg

    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 2023/2024 Release Schedule is as follows:

    • This Release 122 – January 25 (Content)
    • Release 123 – February 29 (Quality of Life)
    • Release 124 – March 28 (Quality of Life)
    • Release 125 – April 25 (Content)
    • Release 126 – May 30 (Quality of Life)
    • Release 127 – June 27 (Quality of Life)

     


    Community Events & Resources

    news_community-article_notext-625x352.jp

    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.

    Recurring Events:

    • Lightbringer Isle Auction: This newly-resumed auction will be held by Hemnu Lightbringer every Wednesday at 2000 EST / 1900 CST / 0100 BST / 2400 UTC.
    • The Nebula Time Trials are intended as a fun competition amongst players, but also a way for players to compare builds, playstyles, learn from one another and just generally have fun together. Each trial will consist of a challenge along the lines of “kill this mob” or “complete this quest” and while prizes will be awarded based on completion time, everyone who enters will receive something. Check this main post for links to the individual trials as they occur.
    • Monthly Release Fishing Contests: This will be a rotating, multi-location contest sponsored and organised by Rajazel, The Town Museum and its Governor Diablotine.
    • Trash to Treasure Dropped Items Turn-In: Introducing Trash to Treasure 2.0! Some unscrupulous fella has been flooding all of New Britannia with junk: Headdresses, Wings, Backpacks, assorted miscellany of every sort. It’s time to clean this trash up and so a bounty has been placed on all gear crafted by Coswald Dirthmire that is turned in each contest period!
    • Mad Splatter Tea Party: One Sunday of each month, Lily Byrd hosts a tea party in her back garden at her home in Jade Valley. There are drinks and eats, there is sometimes music, there are often party games with prizes, and sometimes they just sit and talk about life in Novia. All are welcome to join but this is a role playing event tea party: please come as your avatar!

    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!

    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.
    • 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: Avatar Relics

    avatar-relics.png

    Community member Shawn Butts has opened a Shroud of the Avatar merchandise store with Catnip Games’ approval. Visit for pins, mugs, shirts, posters, and more here.

     


    Project to Support: Shard RPG

    support_shard_rpg_1_1920x1200-625x391.jp

    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 Basic Compendium and the Magic and Martial Arts books! 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!

    support_shard_rpg_2.jpg

     


    Project to Support: Embers Adrift!

    Help support one of our team members’ other projects, Embers Adrift! Check out their official trailer here.

     


    Project to Support: Avatar Express

     

    AvatarExpress-Logo2.png

    [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-300x123.jpg

    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.

    View the full article


  8. Happy New Year everyone!

    We have published a patch to deploy the January login rewards, and some minor items.

    Patch notes can be found here: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/?page_id=32989


    Next up: the Sales and 2XP will be ending at the end of the 2nd (tomorrow). This also requires a patch, so it will be applied at some point in the wee hours of the 3rd CT.

    View the full article


  9. The server hamsters were asked to stop working for about 45 minutes while we negotiated with the server gerbils when they decided to go on strike. (The server gerbils transport the data updates to the database servers - because everyone knows that gerbils are too small to run the server itself)

    Last week we experienced an issue with the Database backup that locked the DB against writes when the backup process failed to initialize correctly. We were able to clear that issue, restart the...

    Game Server impacted for 30 minutes on December 30th

    View the full article


  10. Starting at midnight last night the server became unresponsive to players. This was due to an issue with the Database backup routine failing at startup, leaving the database locked.

    The outage lasted a total of 1 hour, with no rollbacks or other impact.

    The database is backed up every 8 hours through an automated process. At the start of the process, the primary DB is locked and one of our secondary DB servers takes over. in this case the script failed immediately after locking the...

    Server outage (Dec 24 2023) Root Cause Analysis

    View the full article


  11. ...and so, ten earth years have passed and that lone chicken trapped in the chicken room learned the way of magery, expanded the room and created portals into the realm of New Britannia to seek vengeance.

    The Outlanders rallied, forcing the self appointed Queen of Chickens into submission. Knowing that the battle was lost, her majesty destroyed the link to this world vowing to return again with more power and more chickens.

    We hope you enjoyed the resurrections of the Chicken Room...

    R121 Patch2: Completion of the 10th Anniversary Chicken Room Event

    View the full article


  12. We have published a small patch this morning for R121.

    This patch increases the discount for upgrading deeds in game from 20% off to 30% off. In addition a few minor adjustments have been made. Please check out the patch notes here for more details: https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/?page_id=32989

    2XP continues!
    There will be at least one more patch this release due late on January 2 into January 3rd. That patch will end all sales and 2XP.

    View the full article


  13. Greetings Fellow Avatars!

    Release 121 goes live December 14th at 10:30 AM CST.

    Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 121 (R121), we offer frigid and feathered little ankle-biters.

    For those wishing to participate in any community activities, upcoming one-time and recurring community events have been announced! Be...

    Play Release 121!

    View the full article


  14. Greetings Fellow Avatars!

    Release 121 goes live December 14th at 10:30 AM CST.

    Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 121 (R121), we offer frigid and feathered little ankle-biters.

    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 Player Guide and Known Issues for additional information on recent changes and upcoming fixes.


    News Announcements

    Community Updates

     


    Mysterious Portal Appears in Novia

    SS_Portal_on_Novia_overlay.png

    There have been reports of a portal that has started to appear at random locations all over Novia. We have sent Wladziu, our Senior Field Investigator, to explore and report on what this phenomenon is. Word is that the portals have been seen in every region of Novia, but only in one location at a time. The portal does not seem very stable and we suspect it will not be accessible for long. If any courageous adventurers happen upon this portal, please look for signs of our dear Wladziu and the team; we have not heard back from them since they set out to investigate.

     


    Sneak Scene Preview

    SS_An_Unassuming_Hatch_overlay.png

    In some taverns, rumors are shared of a place where specialists in stealth hone their craft. Drunken whispers have overshared that those frequenting this “sneak scene” will claim avoiding combat is more important than direct confrontation. Some people might suggest this place is neutral ground, with both assassins and spies putting aside their differences in order to make use of these elaborate training facilities, but you didn’t hear it from me!

     


    Release 121 Patch Notes

    Below are a list of the updates that are live as of Release 121 in the game of Shroud of the Avatar! R121 is a polish month. Content, additional improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R122 in the new year. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 121!

    Crafting, Decoration, Gear, & Inventory Item Changes:

    • SS_Pumpkin_Pie_Slice_overlay.pngMade slice of pumpkin pie placeable as deco.
    • Modified the Antique Map of Novia so players can place items on it. SOTA-71794
    • Increased the amount the candy cane wand can be shrunk when placing it as deco.
    • Renamed the digging shovel to rounded shovel to reduce confusion about the right shovel for treasure-hunting.
    • Edited text descriptions for some pet gear. SOTA-71763
    • Corrected spelling in the secret message on Decrepit Treasure Map 2.
    • Changed the text description on the R120 Subscriber Bundle.

    User Interface, Store Information, Inky, & Lua Changes:

    • Added the new clockwork dragon heads to the buy order list.

    World and Quest Changes:

    • It’s snowing! Yay!
    • Mistrendur: Corrected minor issues with some ambient sound effects. SOTA-71785
    • Mistrendur: Fixed a stuck spot. SOTA-71790
    • Snowy Mountains Road Encounter and East Sanctus Forest: Krampus should now show up again. SOTA-71777
    • Snowy Mountains Road Encounter: Updated connections for timed events. SOTA-71777
    • Multiple scenes: Added a small amount of scrap metal to Clockwork Dragons’ loot. SOTA-71791
    • Ardoris and Savrenoc Stronghold: Updated the logic used by Martin and Gina to help ensure you can turn in virtue books to only one or the other. SOTA-71792
    • Ardoris and Savrenoc Stronghold: Added extra logic to Martin and Gina’s responses to help archive lingering virtue book tasks after completed. SOTA-71792
    • Graff Island: Added ladders and stairs to access the castle walls around Graff Estate. SOTA-71674
    • Inventory Tutorial: Improved logic which clears the Take Chest Key and Loot Gate Key tasks when complete.
    • Libris Ruins: Moved spawners away from each other to try to fix the treasure map wave battle not showing correctly. If this doesn’t do it please report again! SOTA-71793
    • Necropolis Barrens: Envy Angel and her devotees return to her cottage on January 16th.
    • Obsidian Panopticon: Updated the cold damage volumes to improve the ability to cast ranged spells nearby. SOTA-69313
    • Owl’s Head: Fixed typos in Colman’s responses. SOTA-71787
    • Port Graff: Moved the town crier bind/spawn target to be near the town crier. SOTA-71789
    • South Broken Road: Swapped wagons for ones without canvas. Removed unused props. Regenerated path grid.
    • Tartarus: Fixed z-fighting on top of a small section of the maze wall. SOTA-71760
    • Valhold Palace: Fixed a bed that blocked usage from the one side. SOTA-70524
    • Valhold Palace: Updated the logic which compels Grannus to sit wearily on his throne. SOTA-69833
    • Vertas: All lot markers now share the same rotation with their paired lots. Some lots were moved to a better height above ground level. (There are more that need to be adjusted, but they are currently occupied.) SOTA-71764
    • Yew: There are no longer two NPCs named Maxliao. The one on an upper platform is now named Jaanrae. SOTA-71761

    Player-Owned Town Changes:

    • AibohphobiA: Added new Holdfast to Novia east of Kiln.
    • Corrected image resolution of Rajazel Loading Screen.

    R121_Map_of_Novia_POT.jpg

    Player-Owned Dungeon and Basement Changes:

    • After discovering that there was a leak between multiverse realities, we closed the hole and the blocked passage in the Pristine Spider Room is once again passable. SOTA-71759
    • Normalized item names regarding the Small Temple dungeon piece. SOTA-71756

     


    Latest News and Q&A December Livestream

    The post-release Community Livestream is Friday, December 15th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Stephen “Ravalox” Reinen and a cavalcade of special guests, including Lord British, DarkStarr, Atos, and more, for a special extended 4-hour community livestream celebrating the 10th anniversary of Release 1! To enter the prize drawings, type “many happy returns” 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. Watch on Twitch, Friday at 4PM CT!

    Members of the Shroud of the Avatar development team stream 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 on
    Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/shroudoftheavatarofficial and on Discord at https://discord.gg/shroudoftheavatar.

     


    Sales and Bonus Events

    A Yule sale will run until end-of-day January 2nd:

    • XP will be doubled.
    • Crown Store sales will be 30% off.
    • Crowns of the Obsidians will be 20% 25% off.
    • Deed Upgrades will be 20% off
    • POT Upgrades via COTOs will be 20% 30% off
      (Contact support to initiate a POT upgrade and pay with COTOs)

     


    Release 121 Subscriber Login Rewards

    If only we had chestnuts… the Rewards Program login items for Release 121 are 2023 variants of a Tabletop Yule Tree, a Snow Globe, and Medium and Large Yule Stockings!

    SS_Tabletop_Yule_Tree_2023_overlay.png

    SS_Snowglobe_2023_overlay.png

    SS_Yule_Stockings_Sub_Reward_2023_overla

    Subscribers to the Rewards Program must log in during Release 121 to receive these special login items.

    rewardsprog2.jpgThe 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:

    • port_Gold_CotO_pile-200-150x150.png900 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
      • 30 Months: Keeper of Countless Devotions
      • 33 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Three Corpions
      • 36 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Six Serpents
      • 39 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Nine Tulips
      • 42 Months: Keeper of Forty-Two Roses
      • 45 Months: Keeper of Forty-Five Lilies
      • 48 Months: Keeper of Forty-Eight Daisies
      • 51 Months: Keeper of Fifty-One Staves
      • 54 Months: Keeper of Fifty-Four Daggers
      • 57 Months: Keeper of Fifty-Seven Arrows
      • 60 Months: Keeper of Sixty Swords
      • 63 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Three Coins
      • 66 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Six Gems
      • 69 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Nine Jewels
      • 72 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Two Goblets
      • 75 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Five Rings
      • 78 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Eight Amulets
    • 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!

     


    January Login Reward

    Each account that logs in during the month of January will receive a one-time gift of a set of four tabletop snowpeople recipes and a bundle of Green/Red/Yellow missile fireworks! Oh, I hope they’re not startled…

    SS_Craftable_Tabletop_Snowpeople_overlay

    SS_Fireworks_Green_Red_Yellow_Missiles_o

     


    Crown Store Updates

    New in the crown store for today’s release:

    • Red Fireflies 3-Pack
      SS_Red_Fireflies_overlay.png
    • Blue Pennant 5-Pack
      SS_Pennant_Five_Pack_Blue_overlay.png
    • Green Pennant 5-Pack
      SS_Pennant_Five_Pack_Green_overlay.png
    • Red Pennant 5-Pack
      SS_Pennant_Five_Pack_Red_overlay.png
    • White Pennant 5-Pack
      SS_Pennant_Five_Pack_White_overlay.png
    • Yellow Pennant 5-Pack
      SS_Pennant_Five_Pack_Yellow_overlay.png
    • Large Blue Pennant 5-Pack
      SS_Large_Pennant_Five_Pack_Blue_overlay.
    • Large Green Pennant 5-Pack
      SS_Large_Pennant_Five_Pack_Green_overlay
    • Large Red Pennant 5-Pack
      SS_Large_Pennant_Five_Pack_Red_overlay.p
    • Large White Pennant 5-Pack
      SS_Large_Pennant_Five_Pack_White_overlay
    • Large Yellow Pennant 5-Pack
      SS_Large_Pennant_Five_Pack_Yellow_overla
    • Elven Row Mixed Alcoves Property Marker 12-Pack
    • Elven Row Mixed Alcoves Property Marker 24-Pack
      SS_Row_Marker_Elven_Left_overlay.png

      SS_Row_Marker_Elven_Right_overlay.png

    • Kobold Row Mixed Alcoves Property Marker 12-Pack
    • Kobold Row Mixed Alcoves Property Marker 24-Pack
      SS_Row_Marker_Kobold_Left_overlay.png

      SS_Row_Marker_Kobold_Right_overlay.png

    • Mature White Oak Fall Tree 3-Pack
      SS_2-Story_Mature_White_Oak_Fall_Tree_ov

      SS_3-Story_Mature_White_Oak_Fall_Tree_ov

      SS_4-Story_Mature_White_Oak_Fall_Tree_ov

    …and for December 22nd:

    • Tabletop Yule Tree 2023
      SS_Tabletop_Yule_Tree_2023_overlay.png
    • Snow Globe 2023
      SS_Snowglobe_2023_overlay.png
    • Yule Stockings 2023 3-Pack
      SS_Yule_Stockings_Set_2023_overlay.png

    The Winter Holidays store items are available until Thursday February 8th:

    List of Winter Holidays items (other than this year’s additions):
    • Blank Yule Card 2017 5-Pack
    • Blank Yule Card 2018 5-Pack
    • Blank Yule Card 2020 A 5-Pack
    • Blank Yule Card 2020 B 5-Pack
    • Candy Cane Wand
    • Ceiling Yule Tree
    • Giant Haunted Yule Tree
    • Giant Yule Tree 2015
    • Giant Yule Tree 2016
    • Giant Yule Tree 2017
    • Giant Yule Tree 2018
    • Giant Yule Tree 2022
    • Haunted Sleigh
    • Haunted Snow Family
    • Haunted Snowman Mask
    • Haunted Yule Tree
    • Krampus Mask
    • Krampus Statue
    • Kwanzaa Table Decorations
    • Large Haunted Yule Tree
    • Large Yule Tree 2016
    • Large Yule Tree 2017
    • Large Yule Tree 2018
    • Large Yule Tree 2022
    • Menorah 2014
    • Menorah 2015
    • Menorah 2016
    • Menorah 2017
    • Menorah 2018
    • Menorah 2020
    • Menorah 2021
    • 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 3-Pack
    • Ornate Yule Wreath 2016 3-Pack
    • Ornate Yule Wreath 2017 3-Pack
    • Ornate Yule Wreath 2018 3-Pack
    • Red-Nosed Reindeer Mount
    • Small Ornate Wall Garland 2017 12-Pack
    • Small Ornate Wall Garland 2018 12-Pack
    • Snow Globe 2020
    • Snow Globe 2022
    • Snowman Mask 2015
    • Snowman Mask with Hat & Moustache 2018
    • Snowman Mask with Stovepipe Hat 2016
    • Snowman Mask with Stovepipe Hat 2017
    • Tabletop Haunted Yule Tree
    • Tabletop Yule Tree 2014
    • Tabletop Yule Tree 2015
    • Tabletop Yule Tree 2016
    • Tabletop Yule Tree 2017
    • Tabletop Yule Tree 2018
    • Tabletop Yule Tree 2022
    • Yule Elf Outfit
    • Yule Gift Box 2016 3-Pack
    • Yule Gift Box 2017 3-Pack
    • Yule Gift Box 2018 3-Pack
    • Yule Gift Box 2020 3-Pack
    • Yule Gift Box 2021 3-Pack
    • Yule Stockings 2016 3-Pack
    • Yule Stockings 2017 3-Pack
    • Yule Stockings 2018 3-Pack
    • Yule Stockings 2020 3-Pack
    • Yule Stockings 2021 3-Pack
    • Yule Stockings 2022 3-Pack
    • Yule Tree 2014
    • Yule Tree 2015
    • Yule Tree 2016
    • Yule Tree 2017
    • Yule Tree 2018
    • Yule Tree 2022

     


    Bug Brigade & Testing Directives!

    SotA_Insect-Painting-C.jpg

    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 relaunched.

    The Brigade has been up and running and the volunteers (Alley Oop, Echondas, Flair Minamoto, and Justyn) are in 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 clean up 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! Much improvement has been noticed by the development team and we’re so very excited to see the program’s continued success!

    The development team would also like to thank all of those who take time to participate in QA Testing Directives. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, many issues and bugs can be identified and fixed prior to content 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.

    Don’t forget, the Bug Brigade is open to all players in good standing and bug rewards 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:

    • Antennae Head Gear and Forum Title 1: “Bug Hunter”
    • Single Ant Cloak
    • Lady Bug Backpack
    • Bug Painting A and In-Game Title 2: “Associate of Aphids”
    • Ant Farm
    • Insect Leg Table
    • Many Ants Cloak and In-Game Title 3: “Bachelor of Beetles”
    • Bug Painting B
    • Bug Sprayer and /bugspray Emote
    • Bug Painting C and In-Game Title 4: “Master of Moths”
    • Butterfly Chair
    • Corpion Chair (Pictured Below)
    • Yellow Fireflies VFX and In-Game Title 5: “Doctor of Dragonflies”
    • Hacked Oracle Flyer
    • Giant Butterfly Pet (Blue)
    • Butterfly Mask
    • Dragonfly pet
    • Fairy Wings
    • Monarch Butterfly Pet
    • Dragonfly Wings
    • Hacked Oracle Crawler
    • Blue Butterfly VFX
    • Orange Fireflies VFX
    • Orange Butterfly VFX
    • Autumn Fairy Wings
    • Green Fireflies VFX
    • Landing Flies 3-pack
    • Blue Fireflies
    • Mounted Ladybug Specimen
    • Mounted Rhinoceros Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Firebug Specimen
    • Mounted Diving Bug Specimen
    • Mounted Asian Ladybug Specimen
    • Swallowtail Butterfly Pet
    • Mounted Potato Beetle
    • Silver Bug Sprayer
    • Mounted Dung Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Hissing Cockroach Specimen
    • Mounted Maybug Specimen
    • Mounted Stag Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Flower Beetle Specimen

    If you’ve come to think of Shroud of the Avatar as your home, sign up and help make New Britannia a better place to live! To learn more about joining the Bug Brigade, please read the announcement thread by Ravalox in the main Bug/Feedback forums.

    SotA_Corpion-Chair_empty.jpg

     


    Streaming Program
    StreamerCamera-625x331.jpg

    Streamers of Shroud of the Avatar can participate in a program to showcase the game and be rewarded for their efforts. Any Streamer who wishes to be included in the Streaming Program can contact Laney via in-game mail 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 the LIVESTREAMING title.

    Rules:

    • To qualify for Streaming 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.

    Monthly Streaming Bundles:

    On the 1st of each month, qualifying streamers will be eligible to receive 50 Streaming Bundles. Bundles will be sent out to Streamers via in-game mail.

    A few things you need to know:

    • Streaming Bundles are intended to be given away to stream viewers, not consumed by the streamer.
    • Streamers are not allowed to put paywalls in place for the Streaming Bundles. (For example, giving away Streaming Bundles once the stream reaches a certain number of bits, subscriptions, or donations).

    Other Items of Note:

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

     


    Upcoming Release Dates

    DanceParty-625x352.jpg

    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 2023/2024 Release Schedule is as follows:

    • This Release 121 – December 14 (Quality of Life)
    • Release 122 – January 25 (Content)
    • Release 123 – February 29 (Quality of Life)

     


    Community Events & Resources

    news_community-article_notext-625x352.jp

    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.

    Recurring Events:

    • Lightbringer Isle Auction: This newly-resumed auction will be held by Hemnu Lightbringer every Wednesday at 2000 EST / 1900 CST / 0100 BST / 2400 UTC.
    • The Nebula Time Trials are intended as a fun competition amongst players, but also a way for players to compare builds, playstyles, learn from one another and just generally have fun together. Each trial will consist of a challenge along the lines of “kill this mob” or “complete this quest” and while prizes will be awarded based on completion time, everyone who enters will receive something. Check this main post for links to the individual trials as they occur.
    • Monthly Release Fishing Contests: This will be a rotating, multi-location contest sponsored and organised by Rajazel, The Town Museum and its Governor Diablotine.
    • Trash to Treasure Dropped Items Turn-In: Introducing Trash to Treasure 2.0! Some unscrupulous fella has been flooding all of New Britannia with junk: Headdresses, Wings, Backpacks, assorted miscellany of every sort. It’s time to clean this trash up and so a bounty has been placed on all gear crafted by Coswald Dirthmire that is turned in each contest period!
    • Mad Splatter Tea Party: One Sunday of each month, Lily Byrd hosts a tea party in her back garden at her home in Jade Valley. There are drinks and eats, there is sometimes music, there are often party games with prizes, and sometimes they just sit and talk about life in Novia. All are welcome to join but this is a role playing event tea party: please come as your avatar!

    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!

    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.
    • 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: Avatar Relics

    avatar-relics.png

    Community member Shawn Butts has opened a Shroud of the Avatar merchandise store with Catnip Games’ approval. Visit for pins, mugs, shirts, posters, and more here.

     


    Project to Support: Shard RPG

    support_shard_rpg_1_1920x1200-625x391.jp

    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 Basic Compendium and the Magic and Martial Arts books! 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!

    support_shard_rpg_2.jpg

     


    Project to Support: Embers Adrift!

    Help support one of our team members’ other projects, Embers Adrift! Check out their official trailer here.

     


    Project to Support: Avatar Express

     

    AvatarExpress-Logo2.png

    [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-300x123.jpg

    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.

    View the full article


  15. This patch turns off the R120 Sales. (was supposed to be done on the 27th, but I delayed the patch to give more sale time).

    Also in this patch is an updated loading screen for the POT Rajazel. Though it is currently blurry (already fixed in the project and will be in the next patch).

    I will be putting together another patch to correct the loading screen and to adjust the pricing of the Fall White Oak Trees. Patch2 is targeted be released sometime over this weekend.

    View the full article


  16. Greetings Fellow Avatars!

    Release 120 goes live November 16th at 10:30 AM CST.

    Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 120 (R120), we offer bronze and golden threats.

    For those wishing to participate in any community activities, upcoming one-time and recurring community events have been announced! Be sure to also...

    Play Release 120!

    View the full article


  17. Greetings Fellow Avatars!

    Release 120 goes live November 16th at 10:30 AM CST.

    Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 120 (R120), we offer bronze and golden threats.

    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 Player Guide and Known Issues for additional information on recent changes and upcoming fixes.


    News Announcements

    Community Updates

     


    Ten Years of Monthly Releases

    We are fast approaching the ten-year anniversary of Release One. December of 2013 marked the appearance of The Chicken Room, the first scene players were able to access while the game was in early development. Last Spring on April Fools’ Day, we resurrected the room for that one day, playing a trick on anyone who logged in during that 24-hour period by redirecting their login choice (no matter what they selected) to go to an updated version of the room. We added a secret door that led down to a door which took the player to wherever they had originally chosen upon login. There were Easter eggs to find, some literal and some not: some came away from the experience with a new pet chicken while others had chicken for dinner that night.

    Next release, we are planning an extended livestream to celebrate the ten years of monthly updates. We hope to have some guests on the stream to share memories and regale us with stories and lore in addition to the usual release update information, special sales, and contests! Word is that the chicken room may make an appearance as well! No, we aren’t going to redirect players into the scene (this time.)

    We look forward to everyone joining us on December 15th for this very special livestream!

     


    Release 120 Patch Notes

    Below are a list of the updates that are live as of Release 120 in the game of Shroud of the Avatar! R120 is a polish month. Polish, additional improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R121 next month. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 120!

    Crafting, Decoration, Gear, & Inventory Item Changes:

    • Updated many descriptions for keys to indicate if they always break, often break, or sometimes break. SOTA-71678
    • Increased the capacity of the large 2023 Halloween giftboxes to 300, as they are large enough to hide bodies.
    • Tweaked the collision on the craftable water platform.
    • Tweaked the collision on the craftable long log bridge.
    • Fixed a mark position on a treasure map. SOTA-71746
    • Set the balcony ceiling of the Kobold Four-Story Great Hall City Home to accept exterior ceiling decorations. SOTA-71732
    • Adjusted some of the floor deco surfaces for plain and golden variants of the Kobold Four-Story Great Hall City Home. SOTA-71732
    • The Black Demon Tiki Mask now displays correctly when placed as deco. SOTA-71748
    • Corrected the name of the eternal pattern for the flaming tiki demon mask.
    • Fixed proportions for the flaming tiki mask icon.
    • Corrected a typo in the 63-month subscriber title. SOTA-71737

    User Interface, Store Information, Inky, & Lua Changes:

    • Fixed a bug with the offline reward panel not showing a login prompt when trying to claim rewards.
    • Added Crown Store images for the fish tank accessories of the accessory prefabs themselves, since they can’t show in the 3D viewer.
    • Fixed four blurry Crown Store images: Rotten Armor, Rotten Cloak, Golden Dragonfly pet, and Skull Candle.
    • Edited 329 more Crown Store descriptions.

    World and Quest Changes:

    SS_Golden_Clockwork_Dragon_in_Breach_ove

    • Seasonal Monsters: Pumpkin Head has packed it in for the year and Krampus has returned to East Sanctus Forest and some Snowy Mountain Road Encounters.
    • Seasonal Monsters: With the departure of the comet, the aether creatures will go into hibernation on November 27th.
    • Swamp Road Encounter: Updated the logic which manages the “great threat” messages to ensure they come at the right times. SOTA-71750
    • Ardoris: Swapped the new painting display stands into the props used at the art gallery building.
    • Blood Bay: The clockwork dragon battle will sometimes spawn a bronze clockwork dragon instead of the usual silver one.
    • The Breach: The location that sometimes spawns a blackened clockwork dragon will less frequently spawn a gold clockwork dragon instead.
    • Castle Atos: Adjusted the interaction distance of some of the new lights at the castle.
    • Crooked Shank: Stan the Shovel Salesman now has a proper response for “shovel.”
    • Eastmarch: Improved accessibility to the battlement walls and defense towers at the Baron’s Keep. The access gate now takes a little longer to close. SOTA-71390
    • Midras Ruins: The kobolds guarding treasure shouldn’t fight the ‘local’ kobolds anymore. SOTA-71741
    • Port Harmony: Fixed a typo in “Unlock and Enter Gate” task title. SOTA-71747
    • Sunless Barrens: Fixed an ankh within a cave.
    • Sunless Barrens: Updated an exit rope within a cave. SOTA-71754
    • Tower of the Shuttered Eye: Added a small chance to get a rare book in a hidden location. SOTA-71753
    • Well of Aldur: Some of the repeat wyverns in the wave battle have had their loot adjusted.
    • Westend: Adjusted placement of some street signs. Regenerated path grid.

     


    Latest News and Q&A November Livestream

    The post-release Community Livestream is Friday, November 17th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Stephen “Ravalox” Reinen and other members of the development team for a 1-hour community livestream!

    To enter the prize drawings, type “pick some apples” 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. Watch on Twitch, Friday at 4PM CT!

    Members of the Shroud of the Avatar development team stream 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 on
    Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/shroudoftheavatarofficial and on Discord at https://discord.gg/shroudoftheavatar.

     


    Sales and Bonus Events

    A harvest sale will run until end-of-day November 27th:

    • Crown Store sales will be 30% off.
    • Deed Upgrades will be 20% off
    • Crowns of the Obsidians will be 20% off.
    • POT Upgrades via COTOs will be 20% off
      (Contact support to initiate a POT upgrade and pay with COTOs)

     


    Release 120 Subscriber Login Rewards

    An eerie light, a tranquil shade, and distractions for the eye: the Rewards Program login items for Release 120 are a 3-Story Mature White Oak Fall Tree, a Large Pennant Pack, and a Glowing Magic Sigil!

    SS_3-Story_Mature_White_Oak_Fall_Tree_ov

    SS_Large_Pennant_Five_Pack_overlay.png

    SS_Glowing_Magic_Sigil_overlay.png

    Subscribers to the Rewards Program must log in during Release 120 to receive these special login items.

    rewardsprog2.jpgThe 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:

    • port_Gold_CotO_pile-200-150x150.png900 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
      • 30 Months: Keeper of Countless Devotions
      • 33 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Three Corpions
      • 36 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Six Serpents
      • 39 Months: Keeper of Thirty-Nine Tulips
      • 42 Months: Keeper of Forty-Two Roses
      • 45 Months: Keeper of Forty-Five Lilies
      • 48 Months: Keeper of Forty-Eight Daisies
      • 51 Months: Keeper of Fifty-One Staves
      • 54 Months: Keeper of Fifty-Four Daggers
      • 57 Months: Keeper of Fifty-Seven Arrows
      • 60 Months: Keeper of Sixty Swords
      • 63 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Three Coins
      • 66 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Six Gems
      • 69 Months: Keeper of Sixty-Nine Jewels
      • 72 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Two Goblets
      • 75 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Five Rings
      • 78 Months: Keeper of Seventy-Eight Amulets
    • 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!

     


    December Login Reward

    For those of you not stolen away by Krampus, each account that logs in during the month of December will receive a one-time gift of a 2023 Yule Tree and a Small 2023 Yule Stocking!

    SS_Yule_Tree_2023_overlay.png

    SS_Small_Yule_Stocking_2023_overlay.png

     


    Crown Store Updates

    New in the crown store for today’s release:

    • White Oak Fall Tree 6-Pack
      SS_White_Oak_Fall_Trees_overlay.png
    • Potted White Oak Fall Tree 3-Pack
      SS_Potted_White_Oak_Fall_Tree_overlay.pn
    • Tabletop White Oak Fall Tree 3-Pack
      SS_Tabletop_White_Oak_Fall_Tree_overlay.
    • 2-Story Mature White Oak Fall Tree
      SS_2-Story_Mature_White_Oak_Fall_Tree_ov
    • 4-Story Mature White Oak Fall Tree
      SS_4-Story_Mature_White_Oak_Fall_Tree_ov
    • Epic Mature White Oak Fall Tree
      SS_Epic_Mature_Fall_White_Oak_Tree_overl
    • Red Autumn Leaf Pavers
      SS_Red_Autumn_Leaves_Pavers_overlay.png
    • Red Autumn Leaf Pile 5-Pack
      SS_Red_Autumn_Leaf_Pile_overlay.png
    • Mixed-Color Pennant Pack
      SS_Pennant_Five_Pack_overlay.png

    …and for December 1st:

    • 3-Story Mature White Oak Fall Tree
      SS_3-Story_Mature_White_Oak_Fall_Tree_ov
    • Mixed-Color Large Pennant Pack
      SS_Large_Pennant_Five_Pack_overlay.png
    • Glowing Magic Sigil
      SS_Glowing_Magic_Sigil_overlay.png
    • Yule Tree 2023
      SS_Yule_Tree_2023_overlay.png

    The Fall Holidays store items are available until Monday December 11th:

    List of Fall Holidays items:
    • Fall Wreath 2017
    • Fall Wreath 2019
    • Ornate Cornucopia 2014
    • Ornate Cornucopia 2015
    • Ornate Cornucopia 2016
    • Ornate Cornucopia 2017
    • Turkey Decoration Pet
    • Banded Turkey Decoration Pet
    • Speckled Turkey Decoration Pet
    • White Turkey Decoration Pet
    • Turkey Statue
    • Turkey Statue (2022)

     


    Bug Brigade & Testing Directives!

    SotA_Insect-Painting-C.jpg

    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 relaunched.

    The Brigade has been up and running and the volunteers (Alley Oop, Echondas, Flair Minamoto, and Justyn) are in 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 clean up 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! Much improvement has been noticed by the development team and we’re so very excited to see the program’s continued success!

    The development team would also like to thank all of those who take time to participate in QA Testing Directives. Thanks to your hard work and dedication, many issues and bugs can be identified and fixed prior to content 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.

    Don’t forget, the Bug Brigade is open to all players in good standing and bug rewards 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:

    • Antennae Head Gear and Forum Title 1: “Bug Hunter”
    • Single Ant Cloak
    • Lady Bug Backpack
    • Bug Painting A and In-Game Title 2: “Associate of Aphids”
    • Ant Farm
    • Insect Leg Table
    • Many Ants Cloak and In-Game Title 3: “Bachelor of Beetles”
    • Bug Painting B
    • Bug Sprayer and /bugspray Emote
    • Bug Painting C and In-Game Title 4: “Master of Moths”
    • Butterfly Chair
    • Corpion Chair (Pictured Below)
    • Yellow Fireflies VFX and In-Game Title 5: “Doctor of Dragonflies”
    • Hacked Oracle Flyer
    • Giant Butterfly Pet (Blue)
    • Butterfly Mask
    • Dragonfly pet
    • Fairy Wings
    • Monarch Butterfly Pet
    • Dragonfly Wings
    • Hacked Oracle Crawler
    • Blue Butterfly VFX
    • Orange Fireflies VFX
    • Orange Butterfly VFX
    • Autumn Fairy Wings
    • Green Fireflies VFX
    • Landing Flies 3-pack
    • Blue Fireflies
    • Mounted Ladybug Specimen
    • Mounted Rhinoceros Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Firebug Specimen
    • Mounted Diving Bug Specimen
    • Mounted Asian Ladybug Specimen
    • Swallowtail Butterfly Pet
    • Mounted Potato Beetle
    • Silver Bug Sprayer
    • Mounted Dung Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Hissing Cockroach Specimen
    • Mounted Maybug Specimen
    • Mounted Stag Beetle Specimen
    • Mounted Flower Beetle Specimen

    If you’ve come to think of Shroud of the Avatar as your home, sign up and help make New Britannia a better place to live! To learn more about joining the Bug Brigade, please read the announcement thread by Ravalox in the main Bug/Feedback forums.

    SotA_Corpion-Chair_empty.jpg

     


    Streaming Program
    StreamerCamera-625x331.jpg

    Streamers of Shroud of the Avatar can participate in a program to showcase the game and be rewarded for their efforts. Any Streamer who wishes to be included in the Streaming Program can contact Laney via in-game mail 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 the LIVESTREAMING title.

    Rules:

    • To qualify for Streaming 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.

    Monthly Streaming Bundles:

    On the 1st of each month, qualifying streamers will be eligible to receive 50 Streaming Bundles. Bundles will be sent out to Streamers via in-game mail.

    A few things you need to know:

    • Streaming Bundles are intended to be given away to stream viewers, not consumed by the streamer.
    • Streamers are not allowed to put paywalls in place for the Streaming Bundles. (For example, giving away Streaming Bundles once the stream reaches a certain number of bits, subscriptions, or donations).

    Other Items of Note:

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

     


    Upcoming Release Dates

    DanceParty-625x352.jpg

    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 2023/2024 Release Schedule is as follows:

    • This Release 120 – November 16 (Polish)
    • Release 121 – December 14 (Polish)
    • Release 122 – January 25 (Content)

     


    Community Events & Resources

    news_community-article_notext-625x352.jp

    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.

    Recurring Events:

    • Lightbringer Isle Auction: This newly-resumed auction will be held by Hemnu Lightbringer every Wednesday at 2000 EST / 1900 CST / 0100 BST / 2400 UTC.
    • The Nebula Time Trials are intended as a fun competition amongst players, but also a way for players to compare builds, playstyles, learn from one another and just generally have fun together. Each trial will consist of a challenge along the lines of “kill this mob” or “complete this quest” and while prizes will be awarded based on completion time, everyone who enters will receive something. Check this main post for links to the individual trials as they occur.
    • Monthly Release Fishing Contests: This will be a rotating, multi-location contest sponsored and organised by Rajazel, The Town Museum and its Governor Diablotine.
    • Trash to Treasure Dropped Items Turn-In: Introducing Trash to Treasure 2.0! Some unscrupulous fella has been flooding all of New Britannia with junk: Headdresses, Wings, Backpacks, assorted miscellany of every sort. It’s time to clean this trash up and so a bounty has been placed on all gear crafted by Coswald Dirthmire that is turned in each contest period!
    • Mad Splatter Tea Party: One Sunday of each month, Lily Byrd hosts a tea party in her back garden at her home in Jade Valley. There are drinks and eats, there is sometimes music, there are often party games with prizes, and sometimes they just sit and talk about life in Novia. All are welcome to join but this is a role playing event tea party: please come as your avatar!

    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!

    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.
    • 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: Avatar Relics

    avatar-relics.png

    Community member Shawn Butts has opened a Shroud of the Avatar merchandise store with Catnip Games’ approval. Visit for pins, mugs, shirts, posters, and more here.

     


    Project to Support: Shard RPG

    support_shard_rpg_1_1920x1200-625x391.jp

    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 Basic Compendium and the Magic and Martial Arts books! 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!

    support_shard_rpg_2.jpg

     


    Project to Support: Embers Adrift!

    Help support one of our team members’ other projects, Embers Adrift! Check out their official trailer here.

     


    Project to Support: Avatar Express

     

    AvatarExpress-Logo2.png

    [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-300x123.jpg

    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.

    View the full article

×