Patch notes: the skill tree, solo raids, new looks and live chat

A big week on the roads of Veyra. Here is everything that changed since the last patch notes.

The skill tree

The Build page is now a skill tree. You earn skill points as you level (one a level from level 2), from the main story and from Ascension, and spend them across four trees: Combat, Gathering, Crafting and Trade, each with its own paths. Every node shows what it changes before you take it, and you can reset a tree when you want to try another build.

Solo raids and mercenaries

Raids are no longer only for full parties. Solo raids are short dungeon runs for levels 5 to 18, and when a group raid has empty slots you can hire mercenaries to fill them. The Raids page has Solo and Group tabs, and you can click any loot to see what it is.

Looks, sets and the Herald's Hall

• Freebooter set: every new Wayfarer earns a full pirate outfit, piece by piece, between levels 1 and 10.
• Founder's Dawn: a founders-only set while the founding window is open.
• Many new outfits in the Cosmetic Store and on the season pass, with matching mount skins. Membership and the Cosmetic Store are now separate pages, and your Glimmers show in the top bar.
• The Herald's Hall, in every city and town: titles, avatar frames and profile banners.
• Four body builds to choose from: Slender, Average, Athletic and Sturdy.

Crafting

Crafting now levels up properly: every craft gives skill XP based on the recipe's level, with a bonus for your first craft of a recipe and your first craft of the day. The recipe ladder has been re-levelled so the first gear is easy to make, and recipe rows show what a commission pays and what the item sells for on the market.

Economy

Jobs are a steady floor, and active play pays better. A few new costs keep marks moving (a market listing stamp, crafting station fees, a rename fee), and quiet markets get help: buy orders for common goods can now be filled by the world's other inhabitants.

Getting around

• The menu is reorganised: the Map is on top, then Adventure, Character, Economy, Society, Season and Help.
• The map overview has tabs for Today, Territory, World events and the World feed, and your "Where I am" card is a small corner chip.
• Pixel-art icons everywhere: menus, cards, tabs, filters and headers.
• The Guide now covers every part of the game.
• A live "● N online" count in the top bar.

Fair play and accounts

• Two-step sign-in (an authenticator app) on the Account page, plus a list of your recent sign-ins.
• Invite friends with your own invite link: they get a welcome pack, and you get a reward once they reach level 10.
• Download your data or delete your account from the Account page.
• Players run by the game itself are clearly marked as NPC wherever they appear.
• No more duels between members of the same faction, and The Ring has unrated sparring for practice.

Fixes from the playtest

• The Combat page works while you are on the road, and the travel bar fills on its own.
• NPCs blink a lot less, and the mission givers now have idle animations.
• Hair stays under hoods, helms and bandanas.
• An always-visible activity indicator shows what you are doing and how long it has left, on every page.
• Chat is live: messages arrive instantly, an open conversation updates as you talk, and unread world, faction and direct messages each have their own badge.

Community

The Shardcrown Discord has a new invite link: it's at the foot of this website. Link your Discord account on the Account page to get the Verified Player role.

Thanks to everyone playtesting: keep the reports coming.