The latest Albion Online dev talk features game director Robin Henkys discussing the Into The Fray update, Crystal Arena, access, new features like Portal Towns, and more that will be arriving in the June 8th update.
When it comes to the update, some of the other features are designed to support various playstyles. This includes how much players want to do in a particular session, and the time they have available. Portal Towns are one of the new additions that will work to address this, along with the new Journey Back option for mounts, and the new Non-Lethal Crystal League.
Portal Towns will offer consolidated access to the bank and marketplace connected to a Royal city, and several exits into the Outlands. Their placement aims to replace the existing portal regions in the Outlands and give players convenient access to the bank and the marketplace without having to consistently go back and forth to the city. It's one of the team's efforts to encourage players to explore.
Another one is the new Journey Back ability, which applies to all mounts except for battle mounts and when used, transports a player back to the city they last visited or a hideout. There is a fee to use this, determined in silver, and based on factors like how far you're traveling and what you're carrying. There are situations in which this can't be used, but it should make things more convenient for everyday journeying.
While the new competitive season begins on June 11th, making its debut with Into the Fray is a new Non-Lethal Crystal League. This will follow the same experience without the nearly full loot kills. The mode also comes with its own, somewhat different, rewards and offers another potential path to the Crystal League Championship. It can also serve as good practice to figure out your strategies for moving up to the competitive leagues if you want.
You can read the recap over at Albion Online.
