The Foundations update launches April 15, and promises to reshape warfare in Albion Online. At the heart of this update are three major new features coming to territories: Fortifications, Siege Banners, and Territory Activity Chests. In this Dev Talk ahead of their release, Game Director Robin Henkys sits down to give more information on these features, and what they’ll mean for the game going forward.
Fortification Upgrades
At the beginning of the next Guild Season, all territories will receive an updated layout:
- There are five possible layouts
- These offer different natural obstacles and possibilities for Fortification upgrades
Territories generate Fortification Points:
- This starts at the beginning of each season
- They reset at the end of each season
- The amount generated in a territory depends on its Energy Level
Players with the “Manage Fortifications” guild right can use these to upgrade a territory’s Fortifications. There are three elements which can be upgraded: Guards, Walls, and Gates.
Guards
Clicking a guard opens the Upgrade UI for that group of guards:
- This displays the cost and effects of upgrading
- Once agreed to, the Silver is immediately taken from the guild account
- The guard group then upgrades immediately
- A guard group can only be upgraded once a day
Walls and Gates
Clicking a wall or gate will also display their upgrade group and UI:
- This displays the cost and effects of upgrading
- However, upgrades take effect after the following Prime Time
- This ensures that walls and gates can’t be upgraded in response to a declared attack
During Prime Time, walls and gates prevent enemies from entering your territory:
- Enemies need to break through these defenses with a Siege Hammer
- Defenders can also use Siege Hammers to repair walls and gates
- Upgraded walls and gates have more hit points, buying the defenders more time to repair them
Fortification Gates
Each gate has a crystal embedded in it, which allows defenders to teleport through the gate for a quick retreat:
- Destroying the crystal removes this ability for the rest of the battle
- Once the crystal is destroyed, the gate can take damage
- Gates can be repaired, but crystals cannot
Gates can be opened:
- By defenders with the “Open/Close Fortification Gates” permission
- By attackers who are inside the gates
Defenders will therefore need to be careful when opening gates, as attackers can try to rush inside.
Siege Banners
Territories are shielded from attack by the Territory Crystal for most of the day. During Prime Time, however, this shielding can be weakened with new Siege Banners.
A banner can be raised by a player with a Siege Banner in their inventory, and the “Raise Siege Banner” permission.
- If they do not have a previously declared attack, they will raise a Raid Banner, alerting the defending guild
- If they do have a previously declared attack, they will raise a Conquest Banner
- This must be raised in the first fifteen minutes of Prime Time
- This significantly strengthens the territory’s guards
- Either of these raised banners will degrade the territory’s Force Shield, allowing its walls and gates to take damage
- There is a limit to how many players can attack a certain wall at any one time
Banners significantly change territory battles:
- A raid or attack only ends when
- The banner bearer reaches the territory tower and successfully channels
- The defender kills the banner bearer, and controls the banner until it despawns
- If the banner bearer leaves the proximity of the territory, the banner is dropped
- If the attackers have not succeeded by the end of Prime Time, the defenders are declared victorious
Siege Banners ensure that territory battles actually happen during Prime Time. They also allow defenders to end an attack early, if they control the banner for long enough. And in the case of raids, there is a clear starting point, allowing defenders to rush to the territory.
After a battle, broken walls and gates, and killed guards, respawn. However, if a territory is conquered:
- Its upgrades are destroyed
- The spent Fortification Points are transferred to the new owners
- This allows them to immediately begin upgrading
Fortification upgrades also reset on reset days, and at the end of each season. This facilitates a constant demand for stone in the economy, and means the system can be adjusted between seasons. The cost of upgrades is affected by the region’s quality level.
Territory Activity Chests
New Territory Activity Chests are also coming:
- These are located next to the territory tower
- They are filled each day at the beginning of Prime Time
- PvE activity in the local and connected regions determines what they are filled with
- Killing mobs, gathering, and fishing generate a chance of adding loot to the chest
The owning guild can claim this loot at the end of Prime Time. However, it can be looted by raiders who reach the tower beforehand, offering a further incentive to build strong Fortifications.
Fortifications, then, represent a significant change to territory warfare in Albion:
- Guilds can strategize how to upgrade Fortifications
- Attackers can formulate new tactics and builds to break through
- Territory Activity Chests affect the attractiveness of territories, and how guilds respond to activity in their regions
This update is just the beginning of Fortifications, and opens the door to further development and expansion in the future. We can’t wait to see them begin to rise up at the start of the next season, along with all the other features coming with Foundations on April 15. See you then!