Ahead of the release of Abyssal Depths on June 30, Co-Creative Director Michael Schwahn is joined by Combat Designer Nick Yaloz and UI Lead Raoul Zander to present the revamped new player experience, UI improvements, and two powerful new Crystal Weapons. From wide-eyed newcomers to battle-hardened brawlers ready to shake up the meta, this update has something for everyone. Let’s take a look:
New Player Experience
A core focus of Abyssal Depths is supporting Albion’s long-term growth by improving the experience for new players just entering the game.
A new First Steps category has been added to the Albion Journal:
- This system offers structured post-tutorial paths for PvE, PvP, and gathering
- Each path gradually introduces core gameplay mechanics, with hints and visual guidance
- The full Journal remains hidden until a path is completed, at which point players unlock:
- A guide on how to use the Journal
- A set of first-step milestones to encourage further exploration
Additional changes aim to expose players to more content earlier:
- Tier 3 Tracking mobs have been added to Blue and Yellow Zones
- A Showroom Island lets players preview island features without purchasing one
- Item Power requirements have been lowered for the Arena and Hunter Corrupted Dungeons
The tutorial itself has been revised to:
- Reduce the focus on gathering and crafting
- Improve pacing by showing less text and information
These onboarding changes are supported by broader changes like improvements to early combat gear and UI refinements.
UI Improvements
Several broad changes are aimed at improving usability and accessibility:
- A complete recategorization of all items in the game:
- Designed to simplify browsing in the Marketplace and other interfaces
- Lets players quickly find and compare specific items via improved category dropdowns
- A new Combined HUD Tracker:
- Merges previously separate trackers into one consistent, unified layout
- Integrates better with the HUD Editor
- Includes a global toggle shortcut for desktop users
- Additional UI improvements:
- The Appearance UI now shows where vanity items come from
- The Artifact Foundry supports bulk crafting
- New Tooltips have been added to buildings and NPCs to help players find relevant tasks
Learning Point Rework
Abyssal Depths brings a rework of the Learning Point system.
- The 20% threshold for Learning Points has been removed
- Instead, they are gradually consumed, multiplying Fame gains by five on active nodes
- The Auto-Learn toggle has been replaced with a Quick Learn toggle
- Players can now clearly see:
- Which nodes are Quick Learn enabled
- An overview of all boosted nodes by category
- When the update goes live:
- Any skill node with 20% or more progress will be automatically completed at no LP cost
- Players may wish to progress to 20% on their nodes before the update launches
New Crystal Weapons
This update also introduces the final additions to the Crystal Weapon lineup:
- Truebolt Hammer
- Hyperstatic opens cracks of magical energy
- Shields nearby allies
- Applies static stacks to enemies
- Hitting enemies affected by static triggers a powerful stun
- Stillgaze Staff
- Transforms the user into a Crystal Cobra
- Grants two active abilities and two passives
- Features Serpent’s Gaze, a channeled spell that petrifies unmounted enemies
- Petrified enemies are stunned and cannot be cleansed, but they gain damage resistance and are immune to forced movement
With Abyssal Depths just around the corner, we’re very close to seeing these features in action. Meanwhile, if you haven’t already seen them, check out our introduction to the update and our deep dive into the Depths. We can’t wait to see how you take on this new content when the update releases, and we’ll see you June 30!