The first part of the fresh start’s next phase is coming, complete with playable Warborn and Dwarves.
Phase 4: Reign
This next phase is the first part of two releases. It's so jam-packed it had to be split up! Read on for an overview of what this phase contains. The level cap is moving up to 55 and Delphinad is now available. Look out for our Friday livestreams for a deeper dive into these updates.
Dwarves & Warborn Arrive in FS
Short of both stature and temper, most Dwarves have little time to waste on niceties. Industry is the watchword of their people, and, as a result, they have managed to become Erenor’s technological powerhouse thanks to the might of their deadly war machines. As master artificers, the Dwarves possess an enhanced machinery crafting speed. In addition, they are able to call forth their mechanized battlesuits – the Juggernaut – and increase their combat abilities. With the Dwarves comes the Airain Rock and Aubre Cradle zones - housing and all!
Once the mindless servants of Orchidna, the Warborn were unleashed upon the world as bloodthirsty beasts. Beneath the rage and fury, however, lurked captured souls, wielded like weapons against their will. Now they seek to redeem the sins of their past. Hale and hearty, the Warborn move faster while carrying a trade pack. In addition, by calling on their tainted blood, they are able to improve their combat abilities by transforming into a monstrous Ravager. Swing by Sunbite Wilds and consider owning some of this newly available property!
Mistsong Becomes Available
Don't be fooled by the beauty of this place - it is absolutely the hardest dungeon in ArcheAge. You'll fight mean Oni, and collect Porcelain Jars filled with Jade Shards. Combine 12 of these into a Jade Orb, which can contain useful drops. If you can make it past the Oni prepare yourself for difficult boss battles against Aria, Sojung, and Dochul. This dungeon is also famous for the gear, which may help you become as formidable as the beasts that protect it!
Vehicles on Fresh Start
There are more ways to get you and your packs from place to place now that T2 cars and the Farm Freighters (8 slot) are available. The release of Fishing Boats opens up another way to enjoy ArcheAge - Sport Fishing. (You can read about the fishing rework below.)
Trade Pack System Updates
Trade packs have been divided into 4 economic categories, which affect how much they are worth the moment they're crafted, and how fast their value decays the longer they go undelivered. Depending on where they are crafted, they will be given a different category.
- Luxury - Solzreed Peninsula, Two Crowns, Cinderstone Moor, Solis Headlands, Villanelle
- Fine - Dewstone Plains, Lilyut Hills, Marianople, Mahadevi, Tigerspine Mountains, Falcorth Plains
- Commercial - Gweonid, Aubre Cradle, White Arden, Airain Rock, Karkasse Ridgelands, Arcum Iris, Ynystere, Silent Forest, Sunbite Wilds
- Preserved - Halcyona, Sanddeep, Hellswamp, Ahnimar, Windscour Savannah, Rookborne Basin, Perinoor Ruins, Rokhala Mountains, Hasla
In general, the further a zone is from a trade outlet, the more time a player has to turn the pack in.
The material investment for each pack has been updated as well - Raw materials have been reduced, while processed materials have been increased slightly.
Multipurpose Aging Larders have also been adjusted and now require more stone bricks and iron ingots to be created.
Ocean Activities
ArcheAge is known for its sea-life activities - Pirating, raising sunken ships, transporting through dangerous waters, fishing, and massive battles with other ships and powerful creatures.
Fishing Update
Fishing is finally back, and it's been revamped a bit. All of the previous fishing rods have been retired, and a new permanent rod has been introduced! The new basic Fishing Rod can be upcrafted into two different trees - Flexible: reduced bite waiting time, and Sturdy: deals more damage to sport fish.
In order to participate in Sport Fishing you'll need to craft only one type of lure, which will give your rod the ability to Sport Fish for 2 hours.
The rates have also been adjusted, both how often different sizes appear, and how much they are worth. The appearance of smaller fish has slightly increased, but so has the reward for them!
The Fishing Contest on Mirage has also been updated. Only 1 type of rod (obtained via quest "Becoming the Fisher King") can be used, it doesn't consume Lures, and can only be used for 1 hour. Furthermore, participants now can fish during a 12 hour window, allowing everyone to participate when convenient. It's also more likely to hook the highest tier fish!
Delphinad Ghost Ship
DGS is a formidable ocean foe known to be quite lucrative, but now it's changing from packs worth gold to Stone Slabs that can be turned in for Charcoal Stabilizers at a Shadow Merchant! At a 130% sale rate, one Stone Slab will generate 60 Charcoal Stabilizers. Each DGS drops 30 Stone Slabs. With two ships spawning a day, the maximum number of Stone Slabs in the world will be 60. That's about 3,580 Charcoal that can potentially be added to the economy every day!
Sunken Ship Update
The labor and materials required to raise sunken ships has been increased to balance the higher chance to obtain a rare pack.
Gear Updates
Hiram Guardian Gear - T2
Hiram gear came out fairly recently, and now it's time to give players access to the Awakening mechanic! Awakening to Radiant Hiram Gear will set the it back to Rare, but allow it to be upgraded as high as Divine. It still employs a synthesis style upgrade system, using other Hiram gear or the new Hiram Infusion item - available from Enraged Abyssal Legion drops, for gold or credits (limited quantity) in the Marketplace. The bonus stats on this gear can now be rerolled using Serendipity Stones!
To Awaken a celestial Hiram gear you'll need 10 Hiram Awakening Scrolls and 300 Labor. Hiram Awakening Scrolls have a 10% chance of success and can be found from Enraged Abyssal Legion Monsters in Reedwind, Exeloch, and Sungold Fields, or by completing one of the 3 new daily quests offered by the Hiram Heralds.
You may also combine 1 Runscribe Quill, purchased with Prestige or Loyalty, with 50 Hiram Awakening Scrolls to create 1 Sacred Hiram Awakening Scroll, which has a 50% chance of success.
Dungeon Equipment
Dungeon gear is also moving to the Synthesis upgrade system and can be Awakened to a tier 2 state, much like Hiram Gear. It can even drop as tier 2 gear! Don't worry, any prior items that are discontinued can still be upgraded through the Mirage Salvage Forge, if you have the correct mats.
Equipment from Greater dungeons or higher may be used as synthesis mats for dungeon gear.
Greater dungeons an be upgraded as far as Divine, Serpentis & Sea of Drowned Love as far as Epic, and Mistsong as far as Legendary, unless it has been awakened or a Taris piece, then it can go up to Eternal!
(Aria's Autograph has been retired)
Gear Type & Grade Set Bonuses
Having enough armor of the same grade grants the player an Armor Set Buff. (Grand & Rare armor set buffs added) All of these buffs have been reworked to provide health and mana, with specific bonuses to the grade-incremented value depending on armor type - Cloth: Mana, Leather: Skill Damage, Plate: Health. The attack stats have been changed to Skill Damage percent and Healing percent increase.
In order to open up weapon choice options, each weapon will have a different attack speed and attack type combination that may draw different classes to different weapons.
Attack Speed: - The base attack speed for each weapon type.
- 0.8 sec for Dagger
- 1 sec for Katana, Sword
- 1.1 sec for Shortspear, Axe, Nodachi, Greatsword
- 1.2 sec for Club, Scepter, Longspear, Greataxe
- 1.3 sec for Greatclub, Staff
Attack Type: - The type of damage done by each weapon type.
- Piercing (Stronger vs Plate) - Swords, Spears
- Slashing (Stronger vs Leather) - Dagger, Katana/Nodachi
- Crushing (Stronger vs Plate) - Axes, Clubs, Scepter/Staff
Halcy Changes
The Battle of the Golden Plains is a war that breaks out for control of Halcyona between the two major alliances – Nuia and Haranya. Players push one another across the fields towards the other group's base, attempting to break in, destroy the cannons inside, and take down their base's crystal before the same can be done to them. Here are some of the changes:
- Removed the War Golems
- Reduced the duration to 30 minutes
- Added participant count restrictions
On Fresh Start servers the battle can support 150 Nuians and 150 Haranyans (0 Pirate or Player Nation)
Players who are in the zone, or which to participate in the battle will be moved to the Battle Queue, which will immediately grant them access to the event if the faction is below their cap. If the faction is not below their cap, they will be kept in the queue and allowed entry to the fight if other members of their faction leave. Players who have the Queue tag will not be able to enter Mirage Isle or Dungeons.
On Legacy servers the battle will allow as many as the zone can support, including Pirates and Player Nations. Player Nations should be allied with their chosen NPC nation to avoid being attacked by guards.
Kraken Changes
The Kraken is a deadly sea naval boss that spawns on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Fresh Start now has faction restrictions:
- On Tuesdays, only Haranya Alliance members may attempt this raid.
- On Thursdays, only Nuian Alliance members may attempt this raid.
- On Saturdays, any group may attempt this raid.
Planting & Harvesting Changes
Going forward Scented Leaves and Royal Seeds will not drop from single-plant harvesting. However, they will be available as drops from harvesting Bundles!
There will be plenty more details in livestreams, on the forums, and in the patch notes. So stay tuned to be part of the discussion!
- The ArcheAge Team