As some of you may have noticed already, the European version will go live after other regions worldwide. As we are all players in the end, the most obvious question is: ‘Why the pain of the wait? Can’t Europe just go live on the same date as others do?’ These are indeed valid questions and I would like to address them for you.
Polishing the game The official release is a very important moment in the life of a game. That is why we did not want to patch the version and do the final polishing once it is live. Instead, we decided to polish the game to the best of our abilities before the release so that new players and our existing community would have a clean game. This process covers several different areas.
Game Translations It is a familiar territory, and while we have a stellar translation team, the sheer volume of words makes it a very time-consuming process. We have been working for weeks on the translations of this version so far. The English, French and German versions are being refined and perfected daily. This isn’t just a matter of translating the new content, which is a big task in itself, but of reviewing all the content previously released in Allods Online, including the descriptions of spells, talents and rubies. While we recognise it may not be feasible to have all descriptions flawless before the launch, we are striving to have a translation that is as perfect as possible.
Game mechanics Some key and important game mechanics are being modified and adjusted, while others are being completely overhauled. We are thoroughly evaluating and testing them all in order to understand each mechanic and the impact they have on the game and on you, the players, as good as we can. Our goals are to communicate those changes to you as clearly as possible, and to be able to answer any questions or concerns that may arise from these changes on 11.5.11 and after the release.
We do not want a second Gipat incident, you deserve better. The game deserves better. So we need time to fully understand and master these systems as good as we can before the official launch.
Adjustments for the European Market We want Allods Online to suit our European players, and we are still in discussions with the developers to ensure that Allods Online is adapted correctly for this region.
This includes many different points, not all of which can be revealed at the moment.
I can however, give you some examples of what we are working on:
• Phylacteries of Passage: They will remain free in the Boutique. We made sure that this will not change. No more curse upon death in Europe!• The marriage system: Europe celebrates diversity and equality. Europeans expect no less from the game they play and enjoy. We are currently discussing with the developers to adjust the marriage system to allow same-gender marriage, to better reflect the ideals of the EU.
• Launch Event: The official release of Allods Online wouldn’t be complete without a release celebration! We are working carefully with Astrum Nival to bring some fantastic celebrations to Sarnaut, complete with unique costumes, dancing, fireworks, and more. Once the details are finalised, we will reveal more about the event, so stay tuned!
• Incense: The mechanic of the incense has indeed changed from this version on. Incenses will not be needed to increase your output dps and healing, nor to activate your martyr’s blessing, nor for the stat point’s bonus. However, as this mechanic has changed, we are carefully and deeply analysing it and discussing with the developers to make sure it will fit the European market. Once we have a better understanding of all the variables, I will communicate them fully and directly to you.
For all of these reasons, we have decided to launch the game at a different time than other regions worldwide. I hope you understand that it is not to make you wait longer, but to enable us to ensure that we have the best game we can for the Official Release of Allods Online in Europe.
Also, as we have stated earlier, we are working with the developers in order to drastically increase the speed of releases in Europe. Our ultimate goal is to have more regular updates and reduce the gap with the Russian version of the game.
Free daily Incense
We will keep the daily quest that provides you the free incense in Europe giving you the choice to either:• Complete the daily quest for 1 Small Cone of Incense, which lasts 24 hours or
• Visit the Boutique and acquire either a Small Cone of Incense (24 hours) or a Large Cone of Incense (21 days).
We will also most likely keep the free daily Double XP Scroll offered with this quest. Once we are 100% certain, I will update you on this, probably within the next few days.
Free daily elixir buff
Those who do not wish to complete the incense daily quest can receive 4 hours of their martyr’s blessing by talking to the NPCs Marianne de Ardeur (League) or Elizaveta Rysina (Empire).If the incense is already activated you will receive two 4 hour elixir buffs instead, depending on the class of your character. This quest will also remain in the version for the Official Release.
Free daily PoPs
We have no need for this quest in the European version, as they are and will stay free in the Boutique.