A new update for Albion Online: Into the Fray was released recently. Patch 3 implements under-the-hood changes to improve some aspects of the Crystal Arena.
The developers made improvements to the rank point calculations in Crystal Arena. The goal is to help you get into the right bracket to best reflect your skill level. If the system detects that you’re too far ahead of the curve, you’re granted more rank points per win regardless of the opposing team’s strength. However, if you’re not successful enough in your bracket, you’ll lose rank points faster than before. This is to avoid the issue where you have more rank points than what your true skill level shows.
In addition, matchmaking in Crystal Arena is improved. Now, you’re more than likely going to be matched against players with the same rank as you.
Patch 3 for Albion Online: Into the Fray brought other changes as well. For instance, Training Dummies now present you with more information, including total damage and total amount healed.
The other interesting changes in Patch 3 are:
- Reduced Adventurer's Challenge Points gained from Arena losses by roughly 25% (rounded in steps of 50, so actual number may be somewhat higher or lower). This ensures that the Adventurer's Challenge Daily Bonus cannot be completed by only losing one Arena match.
- Match rewards are now displayed at the end of both Arena and Crystal Arena matches
- Reduced restriction on Access Rights after a Headquarters Hideout has been undeclared to 7 days (previously 14).
- Two major changes have been made to the Journey Back ability's cost calculation:
- It now uses the average zone modifier for the zones you would have traveled through (previously only took into account the zone you were standing in)
- It now uses the cheapest route instead of the shortest
- Because this would overall lead to a decrease in Journey Back costs, it has been counteracted as follows:
- Increased impact of all zone types (so the average zone modifier is now significantly higher)
- Increased impact of item value
- Decreased impact of distance
- Fixed an issue where the last hit of the Purifying Combination (Fists of Avalon) could hit the same target twice
- Fixed an issue where Guild Warhorses could not use the Journey Back ability
- The "OK" button at the end of an Arena match can now be clicked directly in the open "Arena Stats" window
- Gathering Masteries now include the intended Gathering Speed modifier reward
- Rare Castle and Castle Outpost chests will no longer reroll their rarity and simply be Rare as intended
Albion Online: Into the Fray Patch 3 is available on PC.
