Greetings Fellow Avatars!

Happy New Years and Cheers from GolemDragon here at Ultima Codex.  I hope you all had a safe New Years Eve and are looking forward to what this new year will bring.  Not much in this Update of the Avatar to highlight, however it shows that the team is working hard on content creation which is greatly needed for as large of a game as they want to have.  Here’s what we have for you in this week’s edition of Update of the Avatar:

• Happy New Year!
• Only 4 Days Remaining Until the Winter Reward & Price Expiration Deadline
• Resolute
• North Varisalla Foothills
• The Making of The City of Aerie – Part 2

As the final hours of 2015 countdown for us here in Austin, Texas, the entire Shroud of the Avatar Development Team wishes you the happiest of New Year’s! All of you have made 2015 an amazing year for us, and we are excited for what the New Year holds for Shroud of the Avatar!

As a special thanks during this holiday season, we are gifting all our current backers, plus any new backers thru January 11, 2016, with the 45-piece Rocket Fireworks Assortment. If you haven’t already received it, you will find it in your inventory when next you log into the game. We hope you have as much fun with them as we have!

~Dallas

Resolute

Andy Cortez is working on the visuals for the new scene, Resolute, for Release 26, launching January 28th. Resolute is the next destination for the new avatar following the Path of Courage. Holding an amulet of testimony from a dying Knight of Norgard, the player finds a fortified town held by his companions in arms and begins to learn about what threatens that noble order, both from within and without. Here are few work-in-progress images from Andy:

North Varisalla Foothills

These foothills were once rich in copper and other ores, but a massive Satyr-run mining operation in the area effectively stripped the land bare over several decades. The miners, primarily Faun slaves, were forced to work daily shifts of 12 hours or more, even after it became apparent that the ore in the area had been over mined. Even after productivity had hit bottom, the Satyrs refused to abandon the mines in the belief that a “motherlode” was still to be found. Over the decades, the entire area became honeycombed with an interconnected network of tunnels. Several years ago, a poorly reinforced mine shaft was constructed very close to an underground lake. The shaft’s wall was breached and the lake water quickly filled it and all connected tunnels. Hundreds of miners and their overseers were killed. The mining operation was finished, but rumors still inspired Kobolds and other scavengers to search the area for the never-found motherlode.

Richard Matey is working on the visuals for North Varisalla Foothills scene, for R26. He shared these work-in-progress images:

The Making of The City of Aerie – Part 2

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar]

Hey guys, once again its SorcerousSteve and I am here to give you an update on the latest version of Aerie!

Last time we covered Castle Aerie and the Northern City Entrance, today we will be discovering other sectors of the city.

The Eastern City Entrance to Aerie, featuring Castle Aerie in the background alongside the many windmills that help power the homes of Aerie, directing your attention to the upper left you can catch a glimpse of the galleons docked at the Port.

The Port of Aerie, a hub for commerce and trade, the largest port this side of the Blackblade Mountains.

The Southern City Entrance, site of another town square surrounded by farms and pastures.

Swamps surrounding Aerie’s outer wall.

The Warehouse District/Slums of Aerie, home to some of the hardworking peasant class some of which can barely afford to put a roof over their heads. The other side of the spectrum compared to Aerie’s most northern and affluent district on the shadows of Castle Aerie.

Layout of Central and Southern Aerie.

Sunset falling on Castle Aerie.

One last shot of Aerie Castle overlooking the ocean.

Interested in NPC Submissions for Aerie? Check out Scott “Lum” Jennings request for NPC submissions post.

Well that’s a wrap, hope you guys are looking forward to setting up home in Aerie and I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Esteben Zaldivar
Level Designer