Glory to thee, adventurer.
With the introduction of the last major update, we saw Clans vie for supremacy in Accursed Towers, adventurers race through a mangled ship in the Dread Reaver dungeon, and heroes protect the mystic arts in the Astral Bloom Elite Quest. This content update introduces a new Battle Pass, two new events, and a variety of feature updates.
As with previous updates, there will be server maintenance starting on April 11, from 5 p.m.–7 p.m. PDT for Oceania, China, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe Servers, and on April 12, from 1 a.m.–3 a.m. PDT for servers in the Americas. After the maintenance has concluded, all items mentioned below will be live—specific dates for any content going live afterward are provided below.
CODEX
Shady Stock Limited-Time Event
Season 12 Battle Pass: Heroes of Unification
Into the Dark Wood Limited-Time Event
FEATURE UPDATES
Battleground Queue Cancelation Penalty
When a player has been chosen for a Battleground match and repeatedly cancels at the Match Found screen, they will receive the following warning:
- Due to frequent cancelations, if you cancel again, you will be unable to participate in Battleground for 5 minutes. Do you still want to cancel?
Developer’s Note: To address player feedback noting that their Battleground experience is often ruined by queue dodgers and players actively attempting to troll others by continuously canceling at the Match Found screen, we have instituted the 5-minute penalty as a preventative measure. We will continue to monitor Battleground in all aspects and make further changes that help to improve the experience for all players.
Battleground Matchmaking Optimization
Battleground matchmaking has been further optimized to create evenly matched teams more consistently.
Developer’s Note: As we continue to identify ways to improve the Battleground experience, we focused this update around improving match finding. With the addition of queue dodging penalties and better matchmaking, we believe that players should experience higher quality Battleground matches going forward. We will, of course, continue to review and pursue future changes that help to improve Battleground as well.
Paragon Updates
The 7-day cooldown to reset all Paragon Point allocations has been removed. Additionally, all Paragon selections can now be saved as part of a loadout in the Armory.
Developer’s Note: Initially, we believed how often a player could fully reset their Paragon point allocations needed a time gate to balance it, hence the inclusion of the 7-day cooldown. After analyzing player behavior, and given our desire to equip players with increased flexibility in how they play their character, we concluded that letting players reallocate their points at will proves to be more fun while still retaining balance.
Accursed Towers
If a Clan owns 2 towers and attempts to challenge a third tower, they must choose one of their current towers to give up if they win ownership of the third tower via a PvP match. If the challenging Clan loses the PvP match, they will retain their original 2 towers.
Leaving Clan Cooldown
If a player leaves a Clan, they:
- Will be unable to participate in Accursed Towers PvP matches, Challenge of the Immortal, Rite of Exile, and Shadow War for the remainder of that activity’s weekly cycle.
- Can still receive their personal rewards from participating in Accursed Towers PvE matches with their new Clan but will not contribute to that Clan’s Cursed Shard total.
- Cannot be appointed as a Clan Leader for the remainder of the current week’s cycle.
These changes will not apply to players who swap Clans before this change goes into effect.
Purification Shards
- The daily amount of Purification Shards received from the Rewards Chest has been increased.
- Purification Shards have been added to the Hilts Vendor’s inventory.
Reforge Stones
Hydras summoned by the Wildfire Set have increased target detection.
Empowered and Collector’s Battle Pass Rewards Increase
The rewards received from the Empowered Battle Pass are changing to provide players with increased earnings and choice. We’ve adjusted what’s provided for several Battle Pass Ranks.
- Ranks 5 and 35 will now reward 3 Normal Gems each.
- The Seled’s Awakening One-Star Legendary Gem has been removed from Ranks 5, 20, and 35, and has been replaced by a Fervent Fang Two-Star Legendary Gem at Rank 20.
Owners of the Collector’s Empowered Battle Pass will now begin to earn Battle Archive Coins as they rank up each season. 100 Coins can be earned at Ranks 1, 10, 20, 30, and 40—these can be exchanged for Legendary Gems, Armor Cosmetics, Portal Cosmetics, and more from previous Battle Pass Seasons in the new Battle Archive Shop. After Rank 40 is reached and the Season Cosmetic has been claimed, players will have the opportunity to use Battle Archive Coins to purchase the Season Cosmetic for other Classes.
The items in the Battle Archive Shop will rotate each season, so be sure to check back often. Battle Archive Tokens do not expire and can be exchanged during any Battle Pass Season. Players can upgrade from the Empowered Battle Pass to the Collector’s Empowered Battle Pass at any time. If they do, any newly unlocked Rank rewards from the Collector’s Empowered Battle Pass will be automatically rewarded to the player.
Upon purchase of the Collector’s Empowered Battle Pass, all characters on a player’s account in the same server will receive a Portrait Frame, Portal Cosmetic and 10 Battle Pass Ranks for that respective Battle Pass.
Activity Calendar and Scheduler
We are introducing another round of quality-of-life improvements that will make using the Activities Calendar and Scheduler more convenient.
- Player-made activities will be automatically removed from the Activity Calendar 2 hours after they have begun.
- The organizer of Custom Player Activities is more readily displayed in the Activity Details menu.
- Activities listed in the Today section of the Activity Calendar now have a reward preview.
Barbarian Dauntless Temper Pants
The screen shake associated with using this Legendary Item has been greatly reduced to alleviate discomfort and nausea that some players were experiencing because of the original visual effects.
SHADY STOCK LIMITED-TIME EVENT
“Yakin: If you’ve got the tok…erhm…gold, I’ve got the goods.
Yakin: Ok, you’ve caught me. But you seem to be the trustworthy sort—come back with Shady Tokens and I’ll let you browse the advanced wares reserved for “special” patrons.”
Yakin has come into possession of some liberated merchandise, likely plucked from a northern excavation. To gain access to his Shady Stock, players must run Daily Tasks for Yakin, such as clearing specific dungeons, identifying gear, and purchasing items from his standard inventory. This will earn you Shady Tokens, which can be exchanged for random Legendary Items. If you’re cunning enough to exchange three Shady Tokens for Legendary Items, Yakin will reward you with one of his most rarefied trinkets, a random Set Item.
Better make haste, adventurer. Yakin’s Shady Stock is in high demand and will be available to peruse from April 12, 3 a.m.–April 19, 3 a.m. server time, or until Westmarch’s guards raid his supply.
SEASON 12 BATTLE PASS: HEROES OF UNIFICATION
Come together to recognize the heralded Heroes of Unification, a new Battle Pass devoted to the Great Families of Xiansai. The Season 12 Battle Pass emerges on April 13, at 3:00 a.m. server time. This Battle Pass hosts 40 ranks worth of challenges and rewards, such as Legendary Gems, Crests, Hilts, and more.
This Battle Pass will be reclaimed by the Great Families on May 11, at 2:59 a.m. server time—begin slaying demons and climbing your way through the ranks today!
INTO THE DARK WOOD LIMITED-TIME EVENT
In Sanctuary, few are capable enough to stand against the darkness and wager their life for the defenseless. But you, adventurer, have consigned your days to thinning out the ranks of the Burning Hells, ushering in safety where all hope was once lost. The downtrodden look up to you, and to continue serving them, you must travel into the unknown, Into the Dark Wood.
From April 19, 3 a.m.–April 27 at 3 a.m. server time, completing daily Into the Dark Wood tasks will unlock various milestone rewards for your heroics, such as:
- Complete 3 tasks: 1 random Legendary Item
- Complete 5 tasks: 3 Rare Crests
- Complete 8 tasks: 1 Telluric Pearl
- Complete 10 tasks: 1 Legendary Crest
