Dev Talk: Dragonfire Introduction
On August 31, a mighty force will be unleashed on the world: ** Dragonfire**. Albion’s next major content update awakens the Dragons of Albion’s ancient past, bringing its most epic battles to date, previously unknown realms to explore, unexpected encounters in the open world, and much more.
To give you a taste of what’s to come, Co-Creative Director Michael Schwahn took the seat for a brand-new Dev Talk.
The Ancient Lands
During the Keeper Uprising, the Ashborn have been constructing strange portals across Albion. These portals lead to a long-forgotten realm: the Ancient Lands.
- There are different-sized portals for different party sizes, including solo players
- Entering a particular portal type will match you with similar-sized parties
The Ancient Lands consist of floating islands, connected by further portals.
- These can be activated by defeating enemies, allowing deeper exploration
- Once activated, a portal is visible to all players within the Ancient Lands
- This allows new routes to be opened, and rival groups’ movements to be followed
The deeper you travel, the more valuable the objectives become. These objectives include:
- Ashborn mobs
- Powerful Drakes
- Valuable treasures
- New Lore Fragments
The Dragon Sanctuary
Within the Ancient Lands, you can also find tradable maps which lead to the Dragon Sanctuary.
- This is a brand-new Raid Dungeon
- Only one party can enter, and it is entirely PvE
- It contains challenging mobs, requiring powerful equipment and high-level coordination
- This includes a brand-new, highly powerful boss
After defeating this boss, you reach the ultimate goal…
Azaryon, the Fire Dragon
Azaryon, the Fire Dragon brings an epic Dragon fight to Albion for the first time. It is the game’s most ambitious PvE encounter yet, requiring the highest levels of coordination, mastery, and teamwork to overcome it. Should your group manage this, however, there are enormous rewards on offer (more on these below).
Open-World Attacks
Now awakened, Dragons are not staying confined to the Ancient Lands – they’re also attacking Albion itself.
- Dragon attacks can occur on the Royal Continent and in the Outlands
- On the Royal Continent they take place with very little warning
- In the Outlands they are warned of further in advance, allowing guilds to mass their forces
- Anyone nearby can join in a Dragon fight
- Anyone who contributes can earn rewards, so even solo players can take part
Dragon attacks bring exciting new PvE encounters to all types of players in Albion’s open world
New Rewards and Items
Dragonfire brings a wealth of new rewards and items to Albion, including rare, highly-coveted Drake Eggs.
- These can be obtained by defeating Azaryon, the Fire Dragon, in combat
- They can be raised into what may be Albion’s most impressive mount yet: the Fire Drake
- To do so, the Drake Egg must be nourished with other mounts, like horses
In addition, Dragon Bones and Dragon Wings can be crafted into new Armor items with unique abilities, while the Ancient Lands are home to a previously unknown breed of fish, which can be prepared into a food that increases healing. There are also strange new ingredients in the world, from which a potion can be made to revive your allies.
In addition to all of these, the update brings a brand-new vanity set, Avatar, and Avatar Ring to display to allies and foes alike.
On August 31, Dragonfirewill offer Albion’s most epic encounters yet, as the ancient Dragons are unleashed upon the world. Get ready to explore the Ancient Lands, dive into the Dragon Sanctuary, and face off against Azaryon when the update launches. In the meantime, check out the ** official update page**, and stay tuned for more Dev Talks on these massive new features!