[h2]Hello Paxians,[/h2] We’re happy to announce [b]Pax Dei’s first major content update, Proving Grounds[/b], will be released on [b]November 5 at 11 am UTC[/b]. We already anticipate a 4-hour maintenance for deploying the update. The prominent theme for this first Verse (content update) is [b]enabling players to experience adventure earlier in the game[/b] via a series of connected features & changes: a world revamp bringing enemy camps closer to Home Valleys, reworked enemy factions, gear rebalanced, new spells and equipment... supported by all-around improvements to the combat feel. It’s not all combat, nor new characters: the introduction of the Journal will help navigate crafting recipes; the revamped world map comes with a new biome to explore and a new resources distribution - yes, you will have to re-learn your surroundings. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43726614/2a1560483e37946501e4a315b2f4ac0dee3811ef.jpg[/img] This change in resource distribution is also a necessary step for the future economic system. We’re also making several under-the-hood changes, including upgrading the game to UE 5.3. For a detailed list of the changes coming to the game, we’ll post full release notes as we get closer to the update. As mentioned previously, [url=https://playpaxdei.com/news/game-updates/spotlight-how-the-world-of-pax-dei-is-changing]the geography of Pax Dei is changing[/url] with this update, making a world wipe necessary. All details on the wipe and answers to your most pressing questions are in the [url=https://support.playpaxdei.com/hc/articles/22192916482589]dedicated FAQ[/url]. That’s a lot of reading, so here is a quick summary. [h2]TL; DR:[/h2] [list] [*] [b]Proving Grounds[/b] will be deployed on Nov 5, introducing a revamped world map. [*] All current shards will be deleted. A new set of shards will be available after the update. [*] Existing plots will be removed, but we’re keeping their content for you. You’ll get all your materials back in a special inventory called the Redeeming queue. [*] Clans are wiped and will have to be created again after the update. [*] Your characters are untouched. You’ll need to select a new shard to play in (along with a new name if yours is already taken). [/list] Check the [url=https://support.playpaxdei.com/hc/articles/22192916482589]dedicated FAQ[/url] for more information. After the wipe, we’ll open a fresh set of shards (list below). We highly recommend that you liaise with your friends and clan members to decide in advance where you want to go. You can already access the dedicated Discord channels and roles for these shards. New shards: [table] [tr] [th]EU[/th] [th]NA[/th] [th]SEA[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td]Mimir[/td] [td]Apollo[/td] [td]Nuadu[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Artemis - RP[/td] [td]Nyx - RP[/td] [td][/td] [/tr] [/table] If you want to know more about what our team is working on, we’ve recently published a series of articles: on [url=https://playpaxdei.com/news/game-updates/upcoming-combat-changes]combat[/url], the introduction of [url=https://playpaxdei.com/news/game-updates/spotlight-the-journal-and-bonus-info]the Journal[/url], or the [url=https://playpaxdei.com/news/game-updates/spotlight-how-the-world-of-pax-dei-is-changing]changes coming to the world[/url]. We will publish more details on the upcoming changes in the following days. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43726614/6a77536151a44534e53ad47156aee89906f874ee.jpg[/img] This is just the start - we’re already working on the next updates to the game. We’ll have more news for you shortly after the deployment of [b]Proving Grounds[/b]. Stay tuned! Pax vobiscum, The Mainframe Team