Release 97

RELEASE 97, December 16, 2021
The Catnip Games development team now brings the players of Shroud of the Avatar another round of new content and improvements. For Release 97 (R97), players will experience a large variety of changes to the game. First off, large cats (lions and tigers) have been added, most of which can be tamed! Players will find these new creatures scattered through many scenes throughout New Britannia! Also, wyvern eggs have also been added as loot to the game. These eggs can be utilized as decorations or even used in a new cooking recipe! Further uses for these eggs will be added in the future.

Release 97 Patch Notes!
Below is a list of game changes and new content that are live as of Release 97 (R97). This release is a short release due to the holiday season, but we still managed to provide a considerable amount of new items and changes to keep everyone entertained. Additional content, improvements, and bug fixes are inbound for R98 next month. We hope you enjoy the changes that are live today as of Release 97! Happy holidays!

World, Quests, and Miscellaneous Changes:
 * Big cats have finally made their appearance in Novia: Lions and lionesses and tigers, oh my!
 * With the exception of one very rare, very powerful lion, all big cats can be tamed!
 * Lions and lionesses have chances to spawn in these locations:
 * Desert Encounter
 * Plains Encounter
 * Crag Foothills
 * Midras Ruins
 * Sequanna Colossus
 * Oracle Colossus
 * Elysian Ruins
 * Spectral Peaks
 * Tigers have chances to spawn in these locations:
 * Forest Road Encounter
 * Swamp Road Encounter
 * East Veiled Swamp
 * Far Hinterlands
 * East Longfall Wetland
 * Kas Ruins
 * Twins Foothills
 * The Fall


 * Aerie: Improved the logic for “help” responses by both Devotional Caretakers.
 * Ardoris: Improved the logic for archiving the “Meet with Khasi” and “Meet with Siranto” tasks for avatars if Min is defeated before these tasks are completed.
 * Ardoris: Merchant Guildmaster Cai Lau now always has the “Sheng Lau” keyword available to ensure all localized versions have access to that keyword.
 * Blood Bay: Removed the chances that the ebb and flow of lava will block lava fishing at both volcanoes.
 * Blood River Outskirts: The “Ask Phineas for Poison” compass marker should never appear after the Phineas Drumplemouth questline is complete.
 * Castle Atos: The shrine buff will now work correctly when 1-3 players are in scene.
 * Castle Atos: Several stuck spots have been fixed.
 * Castle Atos: Player’s should no longer appear to fall when exiting to Novia.
 * Castle Atos: The scene has received a number of new decorations, to include a piano in the tavern, toilets, and benches.
 * Castle Atos: Now features an interactive well to obtain water.
 * Castle Atos: Now features a seasonal Yule tree in the plaza.
 * Castle Atos: Mage of Mystery Quang has replaced Divum.
 * Castle Atos: Blocked the underside of a staircase from view.
 * Castle Atos: The chef daily quest at Castle Atos now provides more varied and increased rewards, to include the very occasional wyvern egg.
 * Castle Atos: The Shrine will now grant the blessing again if the buff was cancelled and the shrine reentered.
 * Caverns of Skrekk: Added/updated props of some buildings near the palace.
 * Central Brittany: Reactivated the Krampus quest given by Kinga and Ronin.
 * Central Brittany: Updated some parts of Arabella’s trivial responses.
 * Control Points: “Mages of Mystery” in all control points have lowered their teleportation fees. Crossing to the opposite side of the same control point is now 15 gold, while teleporting to a different control point is 50 gold. (Those worthy of being teleported to the Manor of Mystery is still free.)
 * Desert Encounter: The sculptor merchants that sometimes spawn in these scenes will now always be humanoid.
 * Despair: Several visual glitches have been fixed.
 * Estgard: Improved “safety” logic that archives the “Convince Knight in Estgard” tasks when players complete the Path of Courage.
 * Forest Encounters with Unicorns: Fixed an issue that cause the “great threat” message to appear prematurely.
 * Graff Gem Mines: Adjusted the location for a skeleton that was spawning halfway into a wall.
 * Halls of Artifice: The “spike cage” room mechanics have been updated to include a trigger warning and two very visible locks. One of these locks replaces the hidden pressure plate and it’s disastrous results. The avatar can now make a mildly-informed choice as to which lock to use. Also, two children in a cage in a different room have been replaced by two adults.
 * Hills Encounter: Updated the path grid to help stop a certain wolf from leashing sometimes.
 * Hilt Fortress: Fixed a stuck spot in the Obsidian Forge area.
 * Jaanaford: Updated the logic which displays the compass markers related to the Broken Echoes Silver Mine’s foreman.
 * Jotungrund: Assigned lower LOD meshes to rock mesh colliders to allow for easier access to particular resource nodes.
 * Jotungrund: Avatars that were told by Wymond about his bone chips quest but didn’t accept it should now be able to do so.
 * Jotungrund: Several “stuck” spots have been fixed and several floating boulders fixed.
 * K’rul: Fixed a stuck spot in a gazebo.
 * K’rul: Moved large automatons out of small rooms. Added props to an empty shed.
 * Lord British’s Castle: Fixed an issue where a secret door wasn’t opening.
 * Manor of Mystery: Moved floating mandrake roots to the ground, removed candles on the floor near a building entrance, and shifted the pink-purple cloth on the return teleporter disc to purple.
 * Manor of Mystery: Removed redundant mages. Moved floating mandrake to the ground. Avatars with the “incorrect reputation” in the manor may find the mages will notice this and teleport them away.
 * Manor of Mystery: Some mages of mystery referred to the old price of 500 gold for passage. They now know to only ask for 50 gold.
 * Mysterious Swamp: The rare Spawn of Sobek, T15 crocodile is now tameable!
 * Nightshade Pass: Moved a small floating rock to the ground.
 * Oracle Temple: Improved the logic that dismisses the “Find the Cerulean Lens” compass marker.
 * Overworld: The default option for new players will be to show town names in non-runic letters.
 * Player-Run Towns: These towns have received a minimal complement of NPCs and crafting stations near their default entrances, and all Player-Run Towns allow for POT only deeds to be utilized:
 * Aldhaven
 * Estercove
 * Greyacre
 * Highiron
 * Holtrot
 * Kingswood
 * Lochfield
 * Northshire
 * Owl’s Wash
 * Port Mirren
 * Ravensend
 * Redmill
 * Righ Inis
 * Shadowmist
 * The Brave Coast
 * Valemark
 * Westhollow


 * Player Villages: All “player village” scenes have been reclassified as Player-Run Towns which enables placement of POT only deeds within their borders.
 * POT Forest 01b template: Removed anomalous world objects.
 * Serpent’s Spine Foothills: Squirrels now have a chance to spawn instead of rabbits.
 * Shaminian Hills: Adjusted the mechanics of the magical elevator to help ensure the crystal receptacle stays in the proper state. Added a “Reset Platform” button near the top of the elevator for situations where the receptacle might still go out of sync.
 * Skrekk: Added/updated decorations within some buildings.
 * Skrekk: Updated the compass marker for “Caverns of Skrekk” to read as such.
 * Solace Bridge Outskirts: Avatars cannot use the “skip conversation with merchants” option for Ackerley’s until after they finish his quests.
 * Soltown: Stanley now has small quests that point players to Arabella in Soltown and Baozhai the guard in Castle Atos.
 * South Majestic Forest: Fixed typos in CBY-60053’s responses about the virtues.
 * Spite: Fixed the icons for several compass marker discoveries, including the Moratorium.
 * The Outlaws’ Run: Fixed a typo in Miloslava’s “stone” response.
 * The Outlaws’ Run: Moved floating roots to the ground.
 * The Outlaws’ Run: Fixed typos in “Tell Guard About Mlroslava” journal entries.
 * The Rise: Fixed decoration issues in one room.
 * Valhold: New avatars who don’t meet the requirements cannot access the interior of Valhold Palace.
 * Vertas: Improved the response and journal from Kiakis regarding his suggestion of going through Vertas Pass to Jaanaford.
 * Petrified Dragon Eggs on store now come in 3 packs.
 * The Saddle and Bags with Stand decoration item is now called Saddlebags with Stand since there is no saddle present on the item.

Crafting, Decoration, & Inventory Item Changes:
 * Wyvern Eggs and a related food recipe are now available:
 * These eggs have a small chance to drop from wyverns, with higher tier wyverns having greater chances.
 * Elves in Savrenoc Stronghold now have a small chance to drop a Wyvern Egg Salad recipe, which increases a character’s Song Duration by an additional 25% for 2 hours.
 * These eggs can also be placed as decorations.
 * More recipes for these food components are coming soon!
 * Soon, the Castle Atos storehouse containers will accept wyvern eggs as the uncommon crate item, so hold on to your extras!


 * Mimic Pets can now sit and dance!
 * Spider room recipes to include the spawned version are now available.
 * A pedestal to enable spawns has been added to the Hilt Spider Room with Spawns.
 * The Hilt Spider Room Pristine now features improved decoration surfaces.
 * Fixed typos in the Acaran Gauntlet upgrade recipe display names.
 * Celestian Sofa is now dyeable in primary slot.
 * The Bottle of Wine and Elven Bottle of Wine can be rotated on an additional axis.
 * Lava pool decorations will no longer damage players when dragged over a player in decoration placement mode.
 * Mounts that are locked in inventory can once again be used.
 * The Ravensmoor teleporter steps now feature improved collision and no longer require players to jump to ascend the steps.
 * Streamer bundles now have a unique color (purple) compared to other supply bundles when placed as a decoration.
 * The 2021 Extra Live cloak will now correctly salvage to the 2021 pattern instead of the 2017 pattern.
 * The Antique Shop now features improved decoration surfaces.
 * The Labrys Axe pattern now has the proper display name.

Combat & Skill Changes:
 * Ardoris Arena: Ardoris arena now has skill caps, level caps, and a 75% reduction in stats provided by gear.
 * Players who are flagged for open world PvP or in a PvP scene now receive a 5-second resurrection debuff instead of a 15-second debuff.
 * Lightning Storm:
 * Fixed an issue which caused lightning storm to stun excessively by ignoring crowd control resistance effects.
 * Now fizzles as intended.
 * Now applies aggro properly to the caster.
 * Lightning Storm can no longer be parried.
 * Lightning Storm now properly consumes the listed reagents.


 * Cone of Cold will now use fewer reagents.
 * Summoning spells should now level more quickly.
 * The rate at which many mobs parry has been dramatically reduced.
 * A number of potions no longer erroneously expire when a player dies.
 * Summoning spells should now level more quickly.

Player Economy, Rewards, & Loot Changes:
 * Castle Atos now features unique freshwater fishing loot tables! The first unique item, which is a rare drop, is a Floating Barrel (Flotsam). Use this barrel as a water decoration in your Player-Owned Towns or on your water lot properties. Players can also open the barrel (which destroys it) to receive a considerable amount of Elven Brandy, Satyr Spirits, or Kobold Spirits.
 * Mustard seeds are now available on various cooking merchants throughout New Britannia, which is one of the ingredients for Wyvern Egg Salad.
 * Streamer Bundles are available by request for highly active streamers to provide as prizes. The Player Livestreams & Videos forum will be updated soon with a thread to provide qualification information. Streamer bundles now only provide no-trade items.
 * The Delicate Feather of the Phoenix now drops for players without the phoenix feather quest.

User Interface, Lua, & Performance Changes:
 * Player health bars are now MOVEABLE! This option can be enabled in the options menu, which is set to “off” by default.
 * The player dungeon UI has received a significant update. Now, players may select dungeon pieces from their inventory while the dungeon piece selection UI is open.
 * A new option in the options menu has been added which allows players to be mounted automatically upon scene load, which is set to “off” by default.
 * The inventory search bar filter has been improved. Now, search results also consider the original name for a renamed item.
 * Fixed an issue which caused the scene to reload repeatedly, and logging has been improved to help analyze future related bugs.
 * Fixed an issue which caused the Lua object ID to change when a previously created object was destroyed.
 * The Lua function ShroudOnSceneLoaded will now execute only once after all the game objects are fully loaded.
 * Additional Lua changes, fixes, and additions are now live. Documentation with updates can be found here.
 * The chat window no longer changes a private message target when the intended private message target has logged off.

Player-Owned Town Changes:
 * Duanor: Upgraded to Town.
 * Greymorn: Upgraded to Hamlet.
 * Hawker’s Retreat: Added new holdfast to Hidden Vale, northeast of Wynton’s Folly.
 * Jade Mountains: Upgraded to Hamlet.
 * Jade Valley: Upgraded to Megalopolis.
 * Norstead: Moved to Novia, southwest of Estgard.
 * Reverie: Upgraded to Town from Crossroads Village.
 * Wolves Den: Upgraded to Crossroads Village.

Crown Store: New Town-Sized Home, Enchanted Wyvern Eggs & More!
Many new store items are coming your way in the month ahead! Keep an eye out each week as the following items become available in the in-game Crown Store. Available today on December 16th, a new town-sized house! This 5-story home not only features a widow’s walk, but also veranda on the 4th floor.


 * Stone Five-Story w/ Veranda (Town Home)

Becoming available on December 24th, Enchanted Wyvern Eggs! Added this release are 8 smaller versions which drop as loot throughout New Britannia, but players can also acquire these store versions which are larger AND glow in the dark!


 * Enchanted Black Wyvern Egg 3-Pack
 * Enchanted Blue Wyvern Egg 3-Pack
 * Enchanted Green Wyvern Egg 3-Pack
 * Enchanted Orange Wyvern Egg 3-Pack
 * Enchanted Purple Wyvern Egg 3-Pack
 * Enchanted Red Wyvern Egg 3-Pack
 * Enchanted White Wyvern Egg 3-Pack
 * Enchanted Yellow Wyvern Egg 3-Pack

Becoming available on December 31st, a gorgeous semicircle display table! Time to redesign your bar and merchant areas, because this item is a MUST have:


 * Ornate Wooden Semicircle Display Table

Becoming permanent year-round store entries, these 30 prior seasonal items from the winter recurring and vault sections of the store will remain on the store after the winter season ends on February 8th:


 * Breathe Blue Fire Emote
 * Breathe Emote 6-Pack
 * Breathe Snow Emote
 * Fountain of Frozen Waters
 * Frost Pipe
 * Frozen Bagpipes
 * Ice Elemental Statue
 * Ice Hot Tub
 * Ice Nightmare Mask
 * Ice Wings
 * Icy Ancient Stone Cathedral
 * Icy Ancient Stone Room Fishing Grotto
 * Juggle Snowballs Emote
 * Reindeer Decoration Pet
 * Snow Emote
 * Snowflake Pattern Cloak
 * Virtue Ice Crown
 * Virtue Ice Gown Outfit
 * Virtue Ice Shield
 * Virtue Ice Sword
 * Virtue Ice Wand
 * Virtue Icicle Cloak
 * White Raven Decoration Pet
 * White Reindeer Decoration Pet
 * White Rottweiler Decoration Pet
 * White Squirrel Decoration Pet
 * Winter Lynx Decoration Pet
 * Winter Pattern Glass Chandelier 3-Pack
 * Winter Pattern Glass Floor Lamp 3-Pack
 * Winter Pattern Glass Table Lamp 3-Pack

Also, the Winter Seasonal are still available! Here’s a listing of all of these seasonal items. Some will feature only for 1 week in the Vault, but others will remain in the store throughout the holiday season, so don’t miss out! Winter items will be available until February 8th:


 * 2016 Winter Holiday Soundtrack
 * Blank Yule Card 2017 5-Pack
 * Blank Yule Card 2018 5-Pack
 * Blank Yule Card 2020 A 5-Pack
 * Blank Yule Card 2020 B 5-Pack
 * Candy Cane Wand
 * Ceiling Yule Tree
 * Dark Yule Outfit
 * Giant Haunted Yule Tree
 * Giant Yule Tree 2015
 * Giant Yule Tree 2016
 * Giant Yule Tree 2017
 * Giant Yule Tree 2018
 * Haunted Sleigh
 * Haunted Snow Family
 * Haunted Snowman Mask
 * Haunted Yule Tree
 * Holly Wreath with Candles Hat
 * Holly Wreath with Sparklers Hat
 * Krampus Mask
 * Krampus Statue
 * Kwanzaa Table Decorations
 * Large Haunted Yule Tree
 * Large Yule Tree 2016
 * Large Yule Tree 2017
 * Large Yule Tree 2018
 * Menorah 2014
 * Menorah 2015
 * Menorah 2016
 * Menorah 2017
 * Menorah 2018
 * Menorah 2020
 * Menorah 2021
 * Ornate Mantle Garland 2017 12-Pack
 * Ornate Mantle Garland 2018 12-Pack
 * Ornate Replenishing Snowball Box 2014
 * Ornate Replenishing Snowball Box 2015
 * Ornate Replenishing Snowball Box 2016
 * Ornate Sled
 * Ornate Sleigh
 * Ornate Snow Family 2015
 * Ornate Snow Family 2016
 * Ornate Snow Family 2017
 * Ornate Snow Family 2018
 * Ornate Wall Garland 2017 12-Pack
 * Ornate Wall Garland 2018 12-Pack
 * Ornate Yule Music Box
 * Ornate Yule Wreath 2015
 * Ornate Yule Wreath 2016 3-Pack
 * Ornate Yule Wreath 2017 3-Pack
 * Ornate Yule Wreath 2018 3-Pack
 * Red-Nosed Reindeer Mount
 * Small Ornate Wall Garland 2017 12-Pack
 * Small Ornate Wall Garland 2018 12-Pack
 * Snow Globe 2020
 * Snowdragon
 * Snowflake Pattern Cloak
 * Snowman Mask 2015
 * Snowman Mask with Hat & Moustache 2018
 * Snowman Mask with Stovepipe Hat 2016
 * Snowman Mask with Stovepipe Hat 2017
 * Tabletop Elf Statue with Yule Hat
 * Tabletop Haunted Yule Tree
 * Tabletop Yule Tree 2014
 * Tabletop Yule Tree 2015
 * Tabletop Yule Tree 2016
 * Tabletop Yule Tree 2017
 * Tabletop Yule Tree 2018
 * Traditional Yule Hat
 * Yule Elf Outfit
 * Yule Gift Box 2016 3-Pack
 * Yule Gift Box 2017 3-Pack
 * Yule Gift Box 2018 3-Pack
 * Yule Gift Box 2020 3-Pack
 * Yule Gift Box 2021 3-Pack
 * Yule Hat
 * Yule Stockings 2016 3-Pack
 * Yule Stockings 2017 3-Pack
 * Yule Stockings 2018 3-Pack
 * Yule Stockings 2020 3-Pack
 * Yule Stockings 2021 3-Pack
 * Yule Tree 2014
 * Yule Tree 2015
 * Yule Tree 2016
 * Yule Tree 2017
 * Yule Tree 2018
 * Yule Velvet Bodice Ensemble

Don’t forget! Hometown is an amazing resource for players. At Hometown, which is located just east of Soltown, players can examine available houses, Player-Owned Town templates, and even new Crown Store items. Why not be certain you like it before you make a purchase? So head on over to Hometown and check things out! If you have questions about what’s on display in Hometown, please visit this forum thread and post a question.

To see a full listing of all the items which rotate through the Vault, we have prepared a forum post showing all items which could appear throughout the year!

January Login Reward: Caduceus Wand!
Log in during the month of December, and you’ll receive an Ancient Xenossian Caduceus Wand! Show your enemies you mean business by wielding this intricately designed magical item.

Release 97 Subscriber Login Rewards: Caduceus Staff & Lion Cub Decoration Pet!
Avatars! Rewards Program login items for Release 97 are a must have — don’t miss out! This month’s collection adds another item to the Ancient Xenossian set and more! The Ancient Xenossian Caduceus Staff adds yet another style to available staves, and this staff is simply amazing! The intricate metal work along the staff’s head truly draws the eye. For those excited about the new lion and tiger creatures added to the game this release, you’ll be even more excited to hear you’ll be receiving a Lion Cub Decoration Pet as a subscriber login reward. This little fella is a cutie! Subscribers to the Reward Program must login during Release 97 to receive these special login items:


 * Ancient Xenossian Caduceus Staff
 * Lion Cub Decoration Pet

The Shroud of the Avatar Rewards Program lets you earn the best rate on purchasing Crowns, AND receive monthly reward items! For the low price of $9 USD per month you will receive the following:


 * 900 Crowns of the Obsidians every month
 * Monthly Login Reward Items (about 3 per month)
 * Exclusive Title every 3 months
 * 3 Months: Keeper of the Faith
 * 6 Months: Keeper of the Word
 * 9 Months: Keeper of the Vow
 * 12 Months: Keeper of the Flame
 * 15 Months: Keeper of the Oath
 * 18 Months: Keeper of the Pledge
 * 21 Months: Keeper of the Bond
 * 24 Months: Keeper of the Promise
 * 27 Months: Keeper of the Covenant


 * Pick any Dye 12-Pack every 6 months
 * Pick any three of these 7 Obsidian Potions every month:
 * Potion of Capacity: Increases carrying capacity
 * Potion of Conservation: Reduces reagent use chance
 * Potion of Expedience: Swift gathering on all gathering skills
 * Potion of Precision: Increases Meticulous Collection to all gathering skills
 * Potion of Preservation: Reduces armor and weapon damage
 * Potion of Reclamation: Increases Salvage and Repair to all production skills
 * Potion of Stamina: Decreases focus use from sprinting


 * While subscribed to the rewards program, players also receive these special bonuses:
 * Obsidian Potions are significantly more powerful!
 * 24 Additional Deck Slots!

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 2021 Release Schedule is as follows:


 * Release 97 – Dec 16 (Content)
 * Release 98 – Jan 27 (Polish)
 * Release 99 – Feb 24 (Content)
 * Release 100 – Mar 31 (Polish)
 * Release 101 – Apr 28 (Content)

Additional Information

 * Release 97 Instructions
 * Release 97 Known Issues
 * Quick Reference Card