As 2024 winds down, Albion Online stands stronger than ever. From the launch of Albion Europe to an impressive number of game-changing updates, this year has expanded the boundaries of what's possible in Albion. With a new development cycle delivering focused changes every three months, four major updates have changed the landscape of the game. Let’s relive the biggest moments of 2024!
Re-envisioning Guild Warfare
2024 began with Crystal Raiders, shaking up Guild Seasons and introducing new layers of strategy to warfare in the Outlands.This update introduced Territory Raiding, giving smaller groups fresh tactical opportunities, and revamped the Conqueror’s Challenge, offering more pathways to season rewards for both guilds and solo players.
Crystal Weapons made their debut, adding explosive power and new combat strategies. Nine of these weapons have launched so far, and with more on the way, they will continue to bring further possibilities to the battlefield.
Laying the Groundwork
Building on the vision for guild warfare introduced with Crystal Raiders, the Foundations update took things a step further. With Fortifications allowing guilds to bolster their territory defenses, and Siege Banners providing attackers with new ways to counter them, this update added new tactical dimensions to guild battles.
The update also introduced Territory Activity Chests, from which guilds can earn valuable rewards through their activities. However, rivals can raid them to steal the spoils, adding another layer of depth to territory conflict. Overall, Foundations set the stage for even more strategic and engaging guild warfare for seasons to come.
A Global Expansion
In April, Albion Online launched Albion Europe, a server tailored to players in the Europe and MENA regions. This offered players a fresh start, and brought improved connection speeds and optimized event timings, along with language support for Turkish and Arabic.
The results were staggering: daily active users surpassed 350,000 by May 1, breaking the previous record by over 50,000! With more than 150,000 daily players on Albion Europe alone, this was one of the game’s most momentous expansions.
Writing Your Legend
Following the launch of Albion Europe, Paths to Glory introduced the Albion Journal, a personal log for chronicling player adventures. Divided into categories focused on distinct areas of the game, it provides guidance for new adventurers and challenges veterans with fresh objectives to master. Missions grant themed rewards for each category, including exclusive mount skins and vanity items with dazzling effects to show off your achievements.
Dedicated adventurers are already flaunting these rewards, and new categories will continue to appear in future updates, ensuring challenges remain plentiful for a long time to come.
Transforming the Open World
The year closed with Horizons, which brought tougher PvE challenges and reward scaling to reignite the excitement of battle, and quality-of-life enhancements like the HUD Editor gave players greater control over their gameplay experience.
But at the heart of this transformative update was the revitalization of Albion's open world. Dynamic Encampments, Boss Lairs, and Crystal Creatures brought new opportunities, while S.A.F.E. Portals were added to offer solo players quick access to the deeper reaches of the Outlands. With this, Horizons set the stage for yet more developments coming to the Outlands with our next update...
Looking Ahead to 2025
Phew! That was a busy year! And as we look back at the year that’s passed, we're re-evaluating our development cycle. Beginning with Season 26, Guild Seasons will move to a two-month format, with major updates arriving every four months.
The next update will build on what Horizons started, bringing new objectives and shady trading opportunities to the Outlands, as well as a new Journal category, and much more. Stay tuned for more on that very soon!
In the meantime, let's give a shout out to our incredible community; your passion and dedication have propelled Albion to new heights. Here's to the next chapter!