Hello everyone, This is a little bit of a longer text than we usually do. But the team have been working very hard on this new update, and there is so much here that it takes a little bit of explaining :) Today we are launching Empires Apart 2.2.0b in [b]Open Beta[/b]. This version is a little bit different, as, not only does it come with [b]new units[/b] and a host of [b]balance changes[/b]. It will also feature the further rollout of our inventory and customization system, including [b]Emperors' Chests[/b] [b]Gameplay[/b] First let’s talk about the gameplay changes. As mentioned above, the beta above comes with a large amount of balance changes and new additions. Special mention here should go to the newly introduced [b]Scout Units[/b]. Every faction starts with one of these and they have unique stats. They are to provide a more balanced early game. In addition, we have added a Militia unit to the Mongols. Mongol players can convert their villagers into [b]Militia[/b] (permanently), which have a bonus against enemy cavalry. This should shake up the Mongol vs Mongol match-ups and give the Mongols more of a fighting chance against French Cavalry. We have also included some features as requested by the [b]competitive players[/b], these include the option of setting unit as rally point and hotkeys for camera locations. All details can be found in the changelog below. [b]Customization[/b] For the customization options, the big change here is the addition of Emperors' Chests. These are chests that contain a random selection of 4 ingame (cosmetic) items. Note that the first (free) Emperors' Chest drops will start happening for all players, even those who are not subscribed to the [b]Open Beta Branch[/b] (more on that in a bit). However, for those who are not subscribed to the beta, there is no way (yet) to interact with them. The Emperors' Chests will be kept safe in your Steam inventory though, so as soon as we roll out the next official update, you will be able to open them. The Emperors' Chest are filled with all kinds of goodies, giving you more options to customize your profile, villagers, and units of your favourite faction. Note all of these are cosmetic only, none of these will give you a gameplay advantage. A full breakdown of the Emperors' Chests can be found in the changelog below. In addition, through these drops of chests, you will be able to acquire additional factions for FREE. There is a change that your box contains a specific faction fragment. Such as a ‘French Fragment’ or a ‘Chinese Fragment’. If you collect four of these for the same faction, your will be able to trade them in to get [b]permanent[/b] access to civilization in question. All of this will be in beta still and we are very much asking you to try it out and share your thoughts on the forum and discord. The more data we get, the better! Many thanks for your support and input. You can find the full changelog [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/530630/discussions/0/1745605598704928365/]here[/url]. How to activate the open beta? Anyone who wants to help us test the new version before we roll it out in the official branch can activate it in the following way: - Go to your Steam Library - Right click on Empires Apart - Hit Properties - Click the Betas Tab - Select Open Beta from the drop-down menu - Confirm and wait for the download