Release 122

RELEASE 122, JANUARY 25, 2024

Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Release 122 goes live January 25th at 10:30 AM CST.

Welcome! The Catnip Games development team marks this monthly release of Shroud of the Avatar with new content and improvements. For Release 122 (R122), we offer a chance to put your best foot forward and a hope that no one heard it.

For those wishing to participate in any community activities, upcoming one-time and recurring community events have been announced! Be sure to also review the Player Guide and Known Issues for additional information on recent changes and upcoming fixes.

Features

See and Don’t Be Seen in Sneak Scene

A sentry with a torch and a candle helmet patrols a darkened room filled with random junk.

Barkeeps in port towns across New Britannia have made their basements available to all sorts of nefarious people who value the ability to come and go without notice. They might have a key, if you ask, to access a place where specialists in skulking hone their craft. Drunken whispers have overshared that those frequenting this ‘sneak scene’ will claim avoiding combat is more important than direct confrontation. Some people might suggest this place is neutral ground, with both assassins and spies putting aside their differences in order to make use of these elaborate training facilities. It might, perhaps, be wise to do any such training before partaking of the barkeeps’ wares, not after.

Find these training grounds under taverns in:

• Blood Bay
• Broochash
• Celestis
• Goti
• Etceter
• Fortus End
• Kingsport

Events

Strut Your Stuff in Mount Midir (Feb 24, 2024 at 2 PM CT)

A set of four tabletop trophies featuring party hats line a dark stone corridor.

Are you the best-dressed Outlander on New Britannia? Catnip Games will be hosting a Shroud of the Avatar fashion event. Show off your best outfit and maybe go home with a trophy! No matter what the outfit is: battle gear, evening wear, seasonal style, or just relaxing, flaunt your best, cleverest custom outfit. There will be three members of the Catnip Games team judging players’ outfits as they demonstrate their style and ingenuity.

The stage is set! Join us in Mount Midir on February 24th at 2pm CT for this very stylish event!

More information will be posted in the forums with signup directions and details.

News

Our Community Made a Difference in 2023

The Shroud of the Avatar ‘Make a Difference’ Store is a curated inventory of in-game items for sale in our Charity Store. 20% of the purchase price of those items is donated to the charity designated in the listing. With especially strong demand for water-themed and pink items, 2023 finishes with a total of $478 in contributions to:

• The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
• Breast Cancer Research Foundation
• Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
• Doctors Without Borders
• Leonardo’s Children’s Museum
• Movember
• The Nature Conservancy
• Water.org
• The World Wildlife Fund

Thank you for supporting Shroud of the Avatar and the various charities!

Latest News and Q&A January Livestream

The post-release Community Livestream is Friday, January 26th at 4PM CT on Twitch! Join Stephen “Ravalox” Reinen and other members of the development team for a 1-hour community livestream!

To enter the prize drawings, type “cold winter, warm heart” into any in-game chat channel OR make a purchase on the website Add-On Store.

• Twitch/shroudoftheavatar
• Add-On Store

Release 122 Patch Notes

Below are a list of the updates that are live as of Release 122 in the game of Shroud of the Avatar! R122 is a content month. Polish, additional improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R123 in the new year. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 122!

Crafting, Decoration, Gear, & Inventory Item Changes:

Four human mages of various factions patrol a rocky river bank while wielding plain wooden staves.

• Low-level human mages who cast with walking sticks will now drop them as loot instead of lesser staves. These can be salvaged for a pattern for those who prefer to display fewer skulls.
• Created tabletop trophies for fashion and related contests.
• Created the R1 10th Anniversary cloak.

A Roman numeral X cleverly disguised as an hourglass adorns a royal blue cloak with elaborate trim. I think it may be glowing.

• Moved the various reveal map recipes from unclassified to the alchemy miscellaneous category of the recipe book.
• Moved a few stray dungeon piece recipes from unclassified into the dungeon category of smelting in the recipe book.
• Moved all versions of Xen Bow construction recipes from unclassified into the weapons category of carpentry in the recipe book.
• Removed two obsolete loading screen tips and updated the text in another.
• Disabled autostart for decorative flame trap VFX to fix Windows clients seeing frozen fire when the deco is placed.
• Added detail to the descriptions of the R101 and R102 Sub Reward Bundles.
• Made an icon for pumpkin pie slice.

User Interface, Store Information, Inky, & Lua Changes:

• Added cat claws, withered baby flesh flayers, and the various baits to the vendor buy order list.
• Adjusted Spooky Blue Flame Urn 2-Pack store listing to actually deliver 2 urns.

World and Quest Changes:

• Hometown: Added annex scenes called “Hometown – Basements” and “Hometown – Legacy Homes” for house and decoration overflow.
• Most housing merchants now offer a one-time teleport to Hometown to help players review a large amount of example homes.
• Housing Merchants: Standardized their titles to be “Housing Merchant” for all.
• Random Encounters: Altruist Pilgrims now have improved responses for Port Harmony, may give a prayer card as part of that response, and will give correct directions to the Altruist Monk in Port Harmony. SOTA-71839
• Siege Encounters: Updated the manner in which scouts ask for arcane catalysts to help avoid confusion on how many is being asked for.
• North Paladis: Added the tabletop snow family recipes to deco recipe merchants. SOTA-71833
• Broken Echoes Silver Mine: Fixed a typo in one of Teris the foreman’s “hello” responses.
• Broochash: Updated Albreda’s response for key/keys. SOTA-71824
• Eastreach Gap: Adjusted control point tornados’ paths. SOTA-71831
• Highiron: Updated this scene’s template so certain trees no longer overhang into some lot areas. SOTA-71823
• Sneak Scene: Updated logic for limiting Sneak Scene Key acquisition to hourly. Enlarged first warehouse room to remove the chance that Sentries will see you before starting the training exercise. Fixed a logic issue that allowed the second room to open its exit door without requiring all of its chests to be looted first. SOTA-71866
• Tutorial Encounter: Added extra logic to help archive the “Unlock Gate” task after completion. SOTA-71867
• Vertas Pass: Added a tornado at the control point that activates when it achieves the repeating wave. SOTA-71832

Player-Owned Town Changes:

• Meadowbrook: Renamed from Le Port-Marly and upgraded to Crossroads Village.
• Shirehall: Added new Holdfast northeast of Kiln.
• Crossroads Alleys: Changed size from Metropolis to Municipality.
• Crossroads Estates: Changed size from Metropolis to City.
• Duanor: Upgraded from City to Metropolis.
• Fidra: Upgraded from Holdfast to Hamlet.
• Lained: Upgraded to Village.
• Wolves Den: Upgraded to Town.

R122 Map of Novia POTs

Sales, Rewards and Crown Store

Sales and Bonus Events

Until end-of-day February 5th:

• Crown Store sales will be 30% off.
• Crowns of the Obsidians will be 20% off.

Release 122 Subscriber Login Rewards

Decorating on a sugar high, no way that will end badly! The Rewards Program login items for Release 122 are a Heart-Themed Tiramisu Cake, a Heart-Themed Cookie Plate, and a set of three Sigil Plaques!

• (See Rewards Program)

A large tiramisu cake and a platter of heart cookies have been left on a table in front of a golden statue of Sequanna. Those are clearly hers; I would not try to sneak one.

Three dark wood plaques with sigils burned upon them grace a pale stone ivy-covered wall.

Subscribers to the Rewards Program must log in during Release 122 to receive these special login items.

February Login Reward

Tempt a beloved or bait a trap: each account that logs in during the month of February will receive a one-time gift of a Square Heart-Themed Box of Chocolates.

A fancily-dressed merchant displays a pair of chocolate boxes on a table in front of a golden statue of Sequanna.

Crown Store Updates

New in the crown store for today’s release:

• Tray of Tantalizing Treats

Two large trays of various baked goods and pink lollipops are displayed on tables in an elven tent.

• Heart-Themed Rectangle Valentine’s Day 2024 Gift Box 3-Pack

Three grey gift boxes with pink ribbons are displayed in front of a floral hedge.

• Heart-Themed Round Valentine’s Day 2024 Gift Box 3-Pack

Three pink gift boxes with white ribbons are displayed in front of a floral hedge.

• Rose-Themed Square Valentine’s Day 2024 Gift Box 3-Pack

Three red gift boxes with white ribbons are displayed in front of a floral hedge.

• Ravalox Darkshire Painting

A painting of Ravalox Darkshire posing with a bow in a forest is on a finely-finished candle-lit wall.

…and an existing home being made re-available:

• Red Barn Two-Story (Village Home)

Two bay horses laze outside a falu-red barn.

…for February 1st:

• Square Heart-Themed Box of Chocolates

A fancily-dressed merchant displays a pair of chocolate boxes on a table in front of a golden statue of Sequanna.

…and for February 9th:

• Heart-Themed Tiramisu Cake

A fancily-dressed merchant displays a pair of tiramisu cakes on a table in front of a golden statue of Sequanna.

• Heart-Themed Cookie Plate

A fancily-dressed merchant displays plates of heart cookies on a table in front of a golden statue of Sequanna.

• Sigil Plaque 3-Pack

Three dark wood plaques with sigils burned upon them grace a pale stone ivy-covered wall.

The Valentine’s Day store items will be available from Friday January 26th through Monday March 4th:

List of Valentine’s Day items:

• 2016 Cupid Ensemble
• 2016 Cupid Heart Cloak
• 2016 Valentine Hearts Cloak
• Blank Valentine’s Day 2016 Card 5-Pack
• Blank Valentine’s Day 2017 Card 5-Pack
• Blank Valentine’s Day 2019 Card 5-Pack
• Breathe Hearts Emote
• Double Smoke Heart Emote
• Heart Hot Tub
• Heart Top Hat
• Heart-Shaped Footstool
• Heart-Shaped Spear
• Smoke Heart Emote
• Triple Smoke Heart Emote
• Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes 2017 3-Pack
• Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes 2018 3-Pack
• Valentine’s Day Gift Boxes 2019 3-Pack

Although there are not currently enough items to make a whole new category for them, a few St. Patrick’s Day items can be found in other categories (Wearables and Outdoor Decorations) from Monday February 12th through Monday May 6th:

List of St. Patrick’s Day items:

• Garden Leprechaun
• Leprechaun Bowler Hat 2-Pack
• Leprechaun Hat
• Pot o’ Gold

To celebrate his birthday, the Darkstarr Rares store items will be available from Friday February 26th through Monday May 27th:

List of Darkstarr items:

• Darkstarr Basement Entrance Eternal Pattern
• Darkstarr Chaos Throne
• Darkstarr Chaos Throne (Reverse Colors)
• Darkstarr Clock Tower
• Darkstarr Clock Tower (Reverse Colors)
• Darkstarr Fur Collared Cloak
• Darkstarr Pavers
• Darkstarr Shield
• Darkstarr Shield Pattern Pack
• Lord British vs Darkstarr Battle Banner
• Mosh Emote

Upcoming Release Dates

Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events page for spotlighted events plus links to various areas to post or find events on our forums. The upcoming 2024 Release Schedule is as follows:

• This Release 122 – January 25 (Content)
• Release 123 – February 29 (Quality of Life)
• Release 124 – March 28 (Quality of Life)
• Release 125 – April 25 (Content)
• Release 126 – May 30 (Quality of Life)
• Release 127 – June 27 (Quality of Life)

Additional Information

• Player Guide
• Known Issues
• Quick Reference Card

See Also

• Release 120
• Release 121
• Release 122
• Release 123
• Release 124
• Release Features: 2022 | 2023 | 2024
• New Britannian Calendar