Happy Holidays!
From the Shroud of the Avatar Team
Updates
Update of the Avatar #104 – 2014.12.19: Play R13 Now to get Yule Hat, Vote for SotA, $5 for $5 Bonus, Earth Elemental, and More!
Greetings Fellow Avatars!
Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:
- Play Release 13 Now and Get Your Grand Tour Yule Hat
- Vote for Shroud of the Avatar as the Most Anticipated MMO of 2015!
- $5 for $5 Holiday Bonus
- SotA Community is Rockin’ It!
- In-game Community Weekend Events
- Steam Access Keys Available for All Backers
- Holiday Specials
- Last Chance Exclusives: Smelting Tongs and Blue Tile Roof Row Houses
- How to Cancel Monthly Payment Plans
- Recruitment Bonus Allocation Expiration
- This Week In the News
- Upcoming Events
Several new creatures made it into the game for the first time in Release 13, including this intimidating Earth Elemental
Help Shroud of the Avatar Become the Most Anticipated MMO of 2015!
Please Vote for Shroud of the Avatar for Massively’s Most Anticipated MMO of 2015!
Massively is running a Reader Poll for the Most Anticipated MMO of 2015, so please click this link to go cast your vote for Shroud of the Avatar!
Servers Going down for maintenance at 9 AM CST (15:00 GMT)
They will be back online by 10:30 AM CST (16:30 GMT). At that time PC and Linux builds will be playable but Mac build will not be until next patch. Our apologies to our Mac users.
Release 13 Instructions
[A SotA Public Forum post by Starr Long]
Greetings Avatars,
Thank you to our loyal backers of Shroud of the Avatar. Release 13 access for all backers at First Responder level and above, as well as winners of the Alienware Arena R13 contest and winners from our Cyber Monday telethon, begins this Thursday, December 18 at 10:30 AM Central Time (16:30 UTC).
Please read this entire message, as well as the linked instructions and known issues.
This far from launch, we are in a constant state of change and we do not yet have in-game systems to inform players of these changes, or to share ways to help them to explore new content and systems. This means we rely entirely on this post/email, and the linked instructions and known issues to convey the current game state. We regularly have to answer questions or filter bug reports because players elect not to read this valuable information. By taking a few moments to read through this information, a great deal of our time and efforts can be redirected to focus on new “unanswered” questions, and addressing critical issues impacting each release. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to review this post, and for all the truly valuable feedback you continue to provide.
When we first released our Q4 2014 schedule over 3 months ago we were quite optimistic about how much we could accomplish in that period of time, while at the same time transitioning to 24/7 uptime with persistence. While we were able to complete as much work as we had planned (and in many cases more) that work ended up being very different than what we first planned. This is what comes out of a very iterative and responsive approach to development. Our velocity is almost exactly what we had hoped but the direction of our efforts varies.
We believe that this approach will result in a much better game than if we simply marched along with a rigid plan that had no room for adaptation. We hope you share that belief and continue to support us on this unique journey.
Release 13 is our first release since launching on Steam Early Access last month and we believe that the changes and additions we have made are making the game both more beautiful and more playable. From the incredible stark beauty of the desert scenes to the rush of flames engulfing your axe, you will find much to enjoy. Of course with new content comes new bugs and balance issues, so help us out by posting bugs and feedback in our official forums.![avatars-circle-logo-concept-7[1]](http://d2sx9mrt4zumaq.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/avatars-circle-logo-concept-71.png){kind=logo}
Also remember while we are providing new content with each release, our community is also working overtime to make new events for you to enjoy so be sure to check out the Community Events Calendar (via in game book or the website).
Please note that December 20 – 28 and January 1 are official company holidays for Portalarium which means there will be no developer presence nor customer support on those dates.
Update of the Avatar #103 – 2014.12.12: Heart of Sorrow, R13 Grand Tour Yule Hat, Ignite Weapons, SotA Swag by Rild, and More!
Greetings Fellow Avatars!
Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:
- The Heart of Sorrow Artifact
- Release 13 Grand Tour Quest
- Ignite Weapons in R13
- SotA Community is Rockin’ It!
- In-game Community Weekend Events
- SotA Merchandise Available at Relics by Rild
- R12 Steam Access Keys Available for All Backers
- Holiday Specials
- Last Chance Exclusives: Brindle Greyhound and Oracle Statue Head
- How to Cancel Monthly Payment Plans
- Recruitment Bonus Allocation Expiration
- This Week In the News
- Upcoming Events
The Heart of Sorrow Artifact
Update of the Avatar #102 – 2014.12.05: SotA Trading Cards, New R13 Desert Scene & Deco Items, Magical Reagents Video, and More!
Greetings Fellow Avatars!
Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:
- SotA Steam Trading Cards
- Release 13 Grand Tour POI: Desert Scene
- R12 Steam Access Keys Available for All Backers
- Hair and Hats Play Nice in R13
- R13 Player Deco Items
- New Mad Hermit Video: How To Find And Identify Magical Reagents
- RECAP: Cyber Monday 12 Hour Telethon
- In-game Community Weekend Events
- Alienware Sponsors 1000 Release 13 Weekend Access Passes
- Holiday Specials
- Last Chance Exclusives: The Hoe of Prosperity and Obsidian Cloak
- How to Cancel Monthly Payment Plans
- Recruitment Bonus Allocation Expiration
- This Week In the News
- Upcoming Events
SotA Steam Trading Cards
We launched the Shroud of the Avatar Steam Trading Cards today, which includes these seven unique cards:
Update of the Avatar #101 – 2014.11.26: Steam Early Access Launch, R12 How-To Video, New R13 Scenes, Cyber Monday Telethon, Final Days of Recruitment Bonus, and More!
Greetings Fellow Avatars!
This week’s update is a couple days early due to the American Thanksgiving holiday. To all who celebrate it, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:
- SotA Successfully Launches on Steam Early Access
- The Mad Hermit’s Video Guide to Release 12
- New Release 13 Scene: Graff Gem Mines
- SotA Community is Rockin’ It!
- Cyber Monday 12 Hour Telethon
- In-game Community Weekend Events
- R12 Steam Access Keys Available for All Backers
- 6 Days Left to Get Your Black Friday 15% Bonus
- Holiday Specials
- Last Chance Exclusives: The Carpentry Hammer and Rustic Village Home
- Recruitment Bonus and Alienware Pledge Upgrade Promotions End
- Upcoming Events
SotA Successfully Launches on Steam Early Access
Cyber Monday 12 Hour Streamathon
Please join us Monday, December 1st at 10:00 AM CST (16:00 GMT) for our Cyber Monday 12 Hour Telethon celebrating our Steam Early Access launch and raising over $5 Million from our amazing backers! Richard, Starr, Chris, and the rest of our team, as well as various community members will be live on air throughout the day , hanging out and answering questions. As usual, I’ll be taking your questions and feedback live in the chat-room and also in advance, right here in the comments section.
Part 1
Part 2
Schedule (tentative): All times and content are subject to change
- 10:00: Welcome, R12 Post Mortem & R13 Preview
- 11:00: Meet the Devs & Office Tour
- 12:00: Community Spot: Music
- 13:00: Deep Dive: Story & Single Player
- 14:00: Deep Dive: Crafting & Economy
- 15:00: Community Spot: In Game Events
- 16:00: Deep Dive: Player Owned Towns Templates
- 17:00: Deep Dive: Combat, PVP, & Death
- 18:00: Dev Team Table Top Gaming Session
- 19:00: Community Spot: Awarding of Orders of New Britannian Empire and Royal Warrants
- 21:00: Community Spot: Hearth of Britannia
Hourly Prizes: If you are registered on our website (no purchase required) you will be eligible to receive one of the many prizes we will be giving away every hour including: 
- Plantronics Headsets / Earbuds (1 per hour, 12 total)
- $100 Store Credits (1 per hour, 12 total)
- Release 13 (December 18) Opening Weekend Access Keys (10 per hour, 120 total)
- Alienware Desktop Grandprize for the the final hour
I’ll have the link to the broadcast posted Monday shortly before we’re set to go live, and a new link every 4 hours when we change the broadcast feed.. 
See you then!
– Lady Firelotus
Update of the Avatar #100 – 2014.11.21: Play R12 Now and get Pilgrim’s Hat, HoBLotH II, Easter Eggs, Cyber Monday Telethon, and More!
Greetings Fellow Avatars!
Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:
- Hearth of Britannia: Legends of the Hearth II
- Play Release 12 Now and Get Your Pilgrim’s Hat
- Release 12 In-game Community Events
- Easter Egg: Sword of Power!
- Lord British Weighs In on Companions, Solo Play and the Development Process
- Community Spotlight: Scholars of Novia’s First Writing Contest Winners
- R12 Steam Access Keys Available for All Backers
- Get Your 15% Bonus
- Cyber Monday All Day Telethon
- Holiday Specials
- Last Chance Exclusives: Cooking Pot of Prosperity and Magic Sigil Cloak
- Monthly Payment Plan Extended Through June 2015
- Alienware Sponsors $20 Pledge Upgrade Coupon
- This Week In The News
- Upcoming Events
Hearth of Britannia: Legends of the Hearth II