New Player FAQ

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Contents

About

On this page you will find a collection of frequently asked questions by new players.

The idea is to collect a bunch of questions from the 'albion-questions' channel on Discord, from the Beginner's Questions Forum or any other source and answer them here.

This is a work in progress. Any help is appreciated.

If you have a different opinion on how a question or answer should be phrased - either change it if it is clearly wrong or put it up for discussion on the Discussion page.

(editors note: Please try to limit the scope of the questions to new players who just started playing Albion Online. Depending on how many questions we can collect, we will just expand this page to a general FAQ. But for now the focus is on new players.)

A word of caution

The answers to these questions are likely partially subjective and various opinions on how to answer each question will exist, based on how different players like to approach Albion.

So take these questions and answers with a grain of salt.

Q: How do I use this list?

A: Press ctrl+F or the search function and see if its been answered ;)

Q: What kind of official websites and channels exist?

A: Below you find a partial list of some of the official Albion Online channels and resources.

Official Sources & Websites

Other Official Sources

Q: Where can I get help or ask for information about things I don't know?

A: In-game, there is the "help" channel in your chat box. Out of game, there are the various resources mentioned above where you can ask questions. The beginner question's section on the forums or the #albion-questions channel on the official discord are a great place to start. Don't be afraid to ask the players in the main cities, you might even make a friend.

Q: After my free premium is over, do I need to buy more premium to keep playing?

A: No, Albion's premium subscription is not required to play the game after purchase, though most players will suggest you have premium at all times. It is very achievable to buy Premium with in game currency, you just need to make it your main priority for the first few months of play. Afterwards, the silver cost becomes very manageable.

Q: What is fame?

A: you gain fame while doing most activities in Albion. Similar to other games experience points, fame is applied to the items you are wearing as well as to your character's overall fame total. For example, if you kill a mob, you gain Reaver fame, Adventurer fame, and fame towards the mastery and specialization of every item you are wearing. The more fame you earn while using your Broadsword and Shield, the more proficient you become with those items. Fame can be tracked via the destiny board.

Q: What is the Destiny Board?

A: The destiny board shows your character progress in every aspect of the game, and can be opened by pressing "B" by default. Using the destiny board , you can spend your Learning Points or move around weapon and armor fame through re-specialization, commonly referred to as "re-specing".

Q: How many different types weapons can I use?

A: Currently, there are 84 different weapons in the game, and 18 different off-hands.

There are 14 weapon branches in the destiny tree, which are: Arcanist, Axe Fighter, Bow Fighter, Crossbow Fighter, Warlock, Dagger Fighter, Pyromancer, Frost Mage, Hammer Fighter, Priest, Mace Fighter, Nature Staff Fighter, Quarterstaff Fighter, Spear Fighter, Sword Fighter. Each weapon branch has 6 unique weapons.

There are 3 off-hand branches in the destiny tree, which are: Shield Fighter, Torch Fighter, Tome Fighter. Each off-hand branch has 6 unique off-hands.

Q: How many different types of armor can I use?

A: Currently, there are 72 different pieces of combat armor in the game (24 unique items per equippable slot), as well as 9 different equippable cape slot items with combat abilities.

There are 3 main branches of armor in the destiny board , which are: Cloth Armor Fighter, Leather Armor Fighter and Plate Armor Fighter. Each of these branches has 3 slots: head, chest, and feet. Each of those slots has 6 unique items per armor type.

The capes are a recent addition from Merlyn and Nimue patches. They each having a very powerful ability that is triggered by using a specific armor or weapon slot ability or reaching a specific state. For example the faction cape from Fort Sterling will automatically remove a crowd control effect and make you immune to crowd control effects for a very short time.

There are also special armor sets for each of the six gathering professions: Lumberjack (chopping wood), Gamekeeper (skinning hides), Prospector (mining ore), Cropper (harvesting fiber), Quarrier (gathering stone), and Fisherman (fishing for fish and other miscellaneous items). Each gathering set contains a head, chest, and feet slot item as well as a backpack (taking up the cape slot). These gathering gear sets offer bonuses to resources gathered while wearing them and also have a number of unique abilities to help you survive while out gathering.

Q: Where do I find monsters to kill?

A: There are monsters everywhere in Albion, with the exception of cities and towns. Simply press M (map shortcut by default) and locate a nearby zone that is close to the tier of armor you are wearing. Once you have some fame under your belt, consider trying to join a group for dungeons, expeditions, or hardcore expeditions.

Q: What kind of activities can I do besides PvE in the game?

A: In Albion, you don't necessarily need to engage in PvE. You can be a craftsman, gatherer, or farmer. Some players even spend their time making money solely from the marketplace. There is also a wide range of various PvP activities, such as arenas, hellgates, GvG's (guild versus guild), ZvZ (zerg versus zerg), and open world roaming. Ganking is also a very popular open world PvP activity.

Q: Where can I buy/sell stuff?

A: You can buy and sell items in the trade channel or through the marketplace.

Q: What are Masteries and Specializations?

A: Mastery levels describe your progression relative to your main equipment branches (e.g.: Mace Fighter level) on the destiny board, while the specializations are relative to the actual gear you are wearing (e.g.: Heavy Mace Fighter level). As you progress your mastery, you unlock higher tier items in that branch. The higher your specialization, the better your stats will be while using that item. In the case of crafting/farming, specialization lowers your focus requirement and gives you a better chance for higher quality crafted items.

Q: What's the difference between Blue Zones, Yellow Zones, Red Zones and Black Zones?

A: There are two major differences between these zones: the item power cap and the PvP rule set.

Blue Zones are starter zones, Royal cities, and expedition instances, where you cannot be killed by players (unless you are faction flagged). They contain lower tier resources and lower tier monsters and dungeons.

Yellow Zones are tier 5 zones that connect blue zones to red zones. Here you cannot be killed by another player (unless you are faction flagged), but you can get attacked and knocked out for 3 minutes. You may also lose 10% of gathered items and consumables if you are knocked out in this way. They contain mid tier resources and mid level mobs.

Red zones are tier 6+ full loot PvP zones, where you can get killed by players, but they have to be hard flagged (you can see that by their red name). You can see the total of flagged players in your current zone on the minimap. If a player who is flagged kills another player, they will lose reputation if the player they killed is not flagged for PvP (see reputation mechanics). Red Zones contain mid tier resources and decent solo and group dungeons.

Black zones are where the most experienced players are, as it is considered by most to be the "end game". This type of zone has no IP cap whatsoever (in Open World). You can kill and get killed by any player outside your party, guild or alliance. There is no loss in reputation for killing other players in black zones. The Black Zone provides a PvE fame bonus and is the primary source of resources above tier 5.

Q: Can I play Albion via Steam?

A: Yes, Albion is available through the Steam store. You can also create an account via the Albion website directly and link the account to Steam but you will only earn steam rewards if you downloaded the account originally through Steam.

It should be noted that you cannot use the native Albion launcher (downloaded from the website) to log in with your steam account and vice versa.

Q: Are there ever any server wipes or resets?

A: No. Albion does not currently have any server wipes or resets planned, and it is unlikely that they would be introduced in the future. This is not to be confused with monthly territory invasions where ownership of watchtower territories resets periodically through each three month long GvG season.

Q: Is this game worth it?

A: Yes. Albion Online has something for everyone, from gathering to farming to crafting, there's plenty to do. It has small and large scale PvP content, solo and group dungeons, world bosses, and guild/alliance politics. Check the Albion subreddit for multiple threads on this topic where the general consensus is, yes it is worth it (if a full loot, PvP focused MMORPG with MOBA style combat mechanics is your style).

Q: Is it too late to start? Will I always be behind?

A: No. While there is certainly a grind aspect to Albion Online since it is an MMORPG, there are multiple mechanics in place which are intended to help new players catch up. For example, learning points can be used to skip up to 80% of the fame required for each mastery or specialization level of a skill.

Q: How do I get to Black Zones?

A: In Caerleon, go through the nearest North West gate, which brings you to the Caerleon Realmgate map. From the big blue portal you may select a destination in the Black Zones.

Q: Is it worth crafting in the city or should I create my own crafting station on my island ?

A: You can find below many reasons why it's best to craft in the cities.

  • In the cities, there is a big resource return rate (15%) when you craft. Meanwhile on an island the resource return rate is 0%. (This 15% return rate is in the five major royal cities and in the black zone town plots).

Generally, it isn't worth to craft on your own island, but if the tax on the building is higher than what the 15% would give you back it's maybe worth to create your own station but this is very unlikely. There is one exception to this, and that is Butchering Stations. They do not provide a refinement bonus anywhere, so it's fine to butcher your animals on your own island, as it saves a trip to the city.

e.g : you are crafting a hood (8 leather) you will get 1 leather in return in a city. Let's say that this leather is worth X silver. If the taxe is higher than X silver it isn't worth to craft in this station.

  • Some cities are specialized in some kind of crafting (e.g : Frost staff in Martlock / Cloth in Lymhurst / etc.) making the return rate even higher. You can't find this kind of bonuses on personal islands.
  • If you use focus when crafting in a city you can get up to 48% return rate. On your island it's only 35%. One more reason to craft in the cities.
  • Creating your own crafting station isn't worth: you have to put food in the buildings, you have to buy or gather the stone. It's very expensive.

This is why you should always craft in the cities.

Q: What are these different points above my head when I do stuff?

A: The red stamp is fame, the golden key is challenge points, the colored banner is faction points, the crown is premium bonus, and the silver coin is silver.

Q: Should I leave the starter area as soon as I can?

A: You should probably finish the quest-line you see on the top right of your screen and unlock a few Tier 3, maybe even Tier 4 unlocks before you completely re-locate to one of the royal cities.

Q: How can I improve my skills?

A: By doing stuff and earning fame for a specific Destiny Board Node. Try out different armors and weapons to get a feel for what kind of gear suits your playstyle.

Q: What are Learning Points and how to I get them?

A: You generate 20 Learning Points passively per day if your character has premium status. They are used to complete a mastery or specialization level once you've reached 20% of the required Fame for that level. It is often a good idea to save these for the much higher tiers, as you get more Fame per learning point. Check learning points.

Q: What is Gold and what is it used for?

A: Gold is a currency in Albion that lets you buy premium status for your character. It is also used to purchase certain vanity items. Gold can be exchanged to Silver on the Gold market or bought on the official Shop for real money. The value of gold fluctuates based on the current economy and supply/demand.

Q: What does "study an item" mean?

A: You can destroy items in order to get crafting fame at their respective crafting station. Though you lose the items and some silver in the process, this is a quick and easy way to gain fame to improve your specialization or mastery in specific branches.

Q: What does <some abbreviation of XYZ> mean?

Here is a list of abbreviations, acronyms and short forms.

Q: What is focus?

A: Focus Points are part of premium, you get 10,000 per day. These points can be used while crafting and refining to save on resources. It can also be used to water crops or nurture animals so they have a higher chance to give you a seed back or produce offspring.

Q: Why am I paying taxes for picking up silver off the ground?

A: Your guild has a tax rate in place that takes a portion of all silver earned by the guild members and stores it in the guild's bank. This tax rate and the silver earned from it is stored on a tab in the guild pane that any member can see.

Q: Where should I build my island? Should I do it <anywhere except Caerleon>?

A: Most people advise that you should make it in Caerleon, because a lot of players tend to use Caerleon as their main play-hub, as it is currently the only access point for the Black Zones. If you have already constructed your island and would like to move it to Caerleon (or out a Royal city), it's simple: clear off the island of all items, buildings, and farm plots. Speak with the island manager at your current location to abandon your island. Then, head to the new city and locate the island manager. Here, you can reconstruct your island at the same tier it was previously for a small silver cost.

Ultimately, you should construct your island in the location you find yourself playing the most.

Q: What should I do first?

A: Albion Online is a sandbox MMO. Once you've completed the tutorial and have yourself some tools and armor, it's truly up to you!

With that being said, try different things. Decide if you like gathering, if you want to craft. Determine which weapons and armor you like by trying them out. Speak with other players in game, consider looking for a guild to join. Just explore the game.

Q: Do I need to unlock everything?

A: No. The game is designed around specializing in one thing and then using this specialization to generate silver, which in turn is used in trading with other players for the thing they specialize in. That said, most players start specializing at T5 and above. Reaching T4 in multiple things is a good way to try things before you commit.

Q: What is a Laborer?

A: Laborers are NPCs that you can hire if you have a house or guild hall on your private island or on your guild island. Laborers take full journals and go on adventures for you. These take 20 hours to process (much like crops) and they bring back resources, depending on what kind of journal you gave them. Every gathering and crafting profession has their own journal. To hire a laborer you need to click on the scroll that that is next to the door of a house.

Q: What is a Journal?

A: A journal is a book that fills up when you have it in your inventory while gaining fame during various activities in the world of Albion. Specifically gathering, killing monsters and crafting items. Full journals can be exchanged through laborers for silver, raw resources or refined resources. If you have the right journal in your inventory while doing activities, you are filling a portable bonus book. This bonus varies a lot depending on what you do - but it can translate to anywhere from 3% to 20% more silver, more gathered resources or more materials returned from crafting.

Q: How do I know where I am?

A: There is always a zone map (default key: N) and the world map (default key: M). Check out the icons on the bottom right to open the maps. If you are on the world map you can also click on zones to see the zone map.

Q: Should I always gather the highest possible resource tier I can?

A: No. Not always. Especially when you are in a zone where you can find a lot of nodes within short distance of each other. It takes a certain amount of time per node to gather it and in many cases the fame per hour can be better, if you harvest resources that are equal to your tool level or one below your it. Try to compare the fame amounts per hit and the time it takes to get the node. The most efficient way to level your tools is by gathering resources one or two levels below your current tool unlock.

Q: What is a 'Reaver Level'?

A: Your Reaver level is an indicator of how much damage and defense you have against certain tier mobs and part of your PvE progression. If you click on the destiny board, just left of the center you will see your Reaver tree. Higher level PvE content usually requires you to have a higher unlock to be able to properly do the content. You can increase your Reaver level by killing mobs and gaining fame.

Q: Is the Black Market the same as the Market Place?

A: No. Albion Online has a market place where players can buy and sell items with each other. The market place also has an additional feature that allows players to place orders for other players to meet. Theblack market purchases items from players and redistributes them to the various mobs, factions and chests of Albion. They, in return, drop them to players in the open world.

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