Hailing from the Middle Kingdom, Li Tian Ning and Commander Zhang of the Dragon's Claw make their prowess known to the Indian Ocean. Their arrival stirs tension between the Rempah and DMC in the East Indies, amidst a new seasonal story, world events and challenges. Face off again a new mysterious beast from the depths, seen by those in the Far East as an omen for the coming chaos. Some have begun to whisper all is not well in the Indian Ocean, and that strange tidings are afoot... [b]Please note Season 3 will launch on Steam at 7PM CEST / (23 AUG) 3AM AET / 10AM PT[/b] Check out the full Season 3 Patch Notes: https://skullandbonesgame.com/y1s3_patch_notes [h1]KEY HIGHLIGHTS[/h1] [h3]NEW SHIP: BATTLE JUNK[/h3][list] [*] Available after 45 Tiers unlocked in the Smuggler Pass. [*] Medium sized, Tank type [*] A resilient juggernaut suited for distracting opponents, withstanding damage, and creating opportunities for allies to engage or escape. [*] Perk: Provoke [*] Weapon-hits within 200m range apply "Taunt" charges. Applying "Taunt" with this ship makes target vulnerable to 50% increased weakpoint damage from all sources. [*] Increases Brace strength by 150% and Brace strength recovery by 25%. [*] Available upgrades: [*] Better navigation [*] More furniture slots [*] Secondary Perk: Endure [*] Receives 2% less damage per attack each time incoming damage is braced. This effect can stack up to 20% and expires if no damage has been braced in the last 12 seconds. [*] Inflicts "Taunt" charges to hostile targets within 125m while bracing against hits. [/list] [h3]DIVINE THUNDER[/h3][list] [*] Epic Long Gun [/list] [h3]IMMORTAL VESSEL ARMOUR[/h3][list] [*] Epic Armour [*] Other available rewards - New Rare Armour: "[b]Volta's Ward[/b]" [/list] [h3]CHARGE STORES[/h3][list] [*] Epic Minor Furniture [/list] [h2]NEW WEAPONS[/h2] [h3]PHOENIX TALONS[/h3][list] [*] A Demi-cannon that packs a punch which you may obtain by defeating Li Tian Ning. It is made to focus the threat of your enemies to you. [/list] [h3]HEAVEN'S MANDATE[/h3][list] [*] This devastatingly powerful cannon has spectacular lightning powers. Defeat the Shadowbeast for a chance to obtain it. [/list] [img]https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/J3yJr34U2pZ2Ieem48Dwy9uqj5PNUQTn/4FHZ9m90Tt54dkjXVyl4pQ/3d6bffc0a6ce0fcd38cd92468b61e206/S3_PTS_weapon_variants.jpg[/img] [h3]IMPERIAL JADE[/h3][list] [*] Season 3 sees the coming of the Dragon's Claw faction to the Indian Ocean, partially to ensure the flow of exotic goods smuggled from the east such as jade remains undisturbed. "Imperial Jade" refers both to a jade of higher grade and quality, associated with the Emperor's court, who would display such pieces in their palace. [*] However, like other precious goods before, pirates and smugglers will attempt to circumvent high taxes and create their own supply chains to meet the demands of their clients... and take a cut of the profit for themselves. [*] Imperial Jade can be obtained from Li Tian Ning and Commander Zhang Boss battles or from Guarded Trade routes (Dragon Claw). These are new trade routes that the Dragon's Claw has set up. [*] This seasonal Helm Ware can be exchanged for Pieces of Eight at the Supply Network and Order Registry, or exchanged for Seasonal equipment from the new vendor, William Blackwood. [/list] [h2]UPDATED CONTROLS: MOUSE & KEYBOARD[/h2] [h3]SELECTION STATES AND BEHAVIOURS[/h3][list] [*] Hovering over an item will no longer select it by default. Mouse-and-keyboard players can now left-click to select the item and scroll tooltip details (without performing a mouse navigation from item grid to tooltip). [*] Removed the concept of switching between inventories in the warehouse. Now, hovering over the item will contextually switch to the active inventory. [*] Interacting with items, such as bringing up the action's menu, can now be done by right-clicking. [*] Double-clicking on a hovered item will perform the first action in the action's menu (such as consume, discard, or transfer an item). [*] Improved overall visuals for clarity. [*] Improved visual clarity for when an element is clickable or not. [*] Improved scroll bar visuals. [*] Reduced opacity of the button prompt in the objective tracker in cases where it cannot be triggered. [/list] [h3]EASE OF USE IN MENUS[/h3][list] [*] Ship loadouts (including Weapons, Armor, Furniture, and Cosmetics) now use horizontal tabs instead of vertical tabs, allowing mouse-and-keyboard players to switch between tabs by simply hovering over the category icon. [*] When an action menu is shown, clicking anywhere outside of the action menu will close it. [/list] [h3]KEY BINDS[/h3][list] [*] Decoupled settlement interaction and disembarking button-remapping options - each of them can now be separately bound. [*] Supported [Hold] options for most [Press] keys that can be rebound. [*] Added a shortcut to directly access Journal [J] by default. [*] Rebound toaster notification keys for [F1] and [F2] by default. [*] Rebound cancellation of rebinding keys to [Hold][Esc] by default. [/list] [h3]MAP NAVIGATION[/h3][list] [*] Zooming in/out on the map will now be based on the mouse cursor location, not the middle of the screen. [*] Zooming in/out of the map with the mouse wheel is now possible when the Journal is open. [*] Dragging the map with a mouse now retains the mouse cursor and follows a 1:1 ratio, allowing the screen distance moved by the map to correspond to the equal amount of screen distance moved by the mouse. [*] While dragging the map with a mouse, the mouse movement is clamped to the edge of the map. [/list] [h3]MOUSE AND KEYBOARD EXCLUSIVE UI[/h3][list] [*] A new horizontal "action bar" is shown instead of the "action wheel" in the HUD when in mouse-and-keyboard control scheme. [*] Switch quickly between three different action bars with the mouse wheel, with a total of 12 quick action slots. Note: players using a controller can also switch the different action wheels by pressing and holding DPAD UP/DOWN buttons. [/list] [h2]THIRD PERSON CAMERA VIEW[/h2][list] [*] A new Third person camera view has been added to the game as an alternative for the already available First-Person camera. [*] The Third person is set as the default camera when setting sail for the first time. [*] A new action wheel button option has been added. This will allow you to toggle between First-Person Camera and Third Person Camera. For new players, this is automatically configured in your action wheel. For existing players, you may add this action wheel option to your action wheel under the "Cosmetics" tab as "Switch Captain Camera". [/list] [h2]ACTION WHEEL[/h2][list] [*] The default action wheel set up has been updated: [*] Wheel 1: Toggle Rear Camera changed to Switch Captain Camera. [*] Wheel 2: Switch Captain Camera changed to Toggle Rear Camera. [*] Wheel 2: Added Toggle Vanity Camera I, II, III, IV. [/list] [h2]INTERFACE PRESETS[/h2][list] [*] Choose between 4 UI presets, each with varying degrees of UI details: [*] Tactical: Full display of gameplay information. [*] Default: Balanced display of gameplay information. [*] Immersive: Minimal display of gameplay information. [*] Off: No gameplay information displayed. [/list] [h2]INCREASED DROP RATES FOR EPIC AND RARE EQUIPMENT FROM BOSS CHESTS[/h2][list] [*] Epic and Rare equipment now have increased drop rates from the following chests: [*] Black Aria Chest [*] White Aria Chest [*] Chorus Fleet Strongbox [*] La Peste's Locker [*] La Peste's Strongbox [*] Boss Chests new to Season 3 will also have improved rates on Epic and Rare equipment. [/list] [h2]ADDED NEW REWARD TO LA PESTE LOCKER & LA PESTE STRONGBOX[/h2][list] [*] New reward available from La Peste Locker & Strongbox, after all vanities are collected - Rare Minor Furniture: "Plaguebringer's Ward". [/list] [h1]SEASONAL CONTENT: INTO THE DRAGON'S WAKE[/h1] [h3]Episode 1: A Brewing Storm, starting Week 1[/h3][list] [*] Reward - Imperial Jade [*] Bounty: "[b]Flames of the Drago[/b]n" [*] First Time rewards: 3 x Upgrade Kits, 1 x Dragon's Claw Chest, 11000 Silver. [*] "[b]Trail of Ashes[/b]" contract reward - Rare Minor Furniture "Braced Gunwales". [*] "[b]Scorched Horizons[/b]" contract reward - Rare Torpedo "[b]Heavenly Lance[/b]". [/list] [h3]Episode 2: The Dragon's Stirs, starting Week 3[/h3][list] [*] Reward - Imperial Jade [*] "[b]Engulfing Flames[/b]" contract reward - Blueprint for Epic Armour "Phoenix Crest". [/list] [h3]Episode 3: Calm Before The Storm, starting Week 5[/h3][list] [*] Reward - Imperial Jade [*] Bounty: "[b]The Serpent's Wrath[/b]" [*] First time rewards: 1 x Commander Zhang's Chest, 10000 x Silver [*] Chance to obtain from Phoenix's Talon Strongbox - Epic Major Furniture "[b]Cannonball Carving Station.[/b]" [*] Bounty: "[b]Flames of the Phoenix[/b]" [*] First Time rewards: 6 x Upgrade Kits, 1 x Phoenix's Talon Chest, 13000 Silver [*] "[b]Flicker of Destiny[/b]" contract reward: Blueprint of Epic Ballista "Bane of Ten Suns". [/list] [h3]Episode 4: Rise Of The Phoenix, starting Week 7[/h3][list] [*] Reward - Imperial Jade [*] Bounty: "[b]The Glorious Phoenix[/b]" [*] First time rewards: 15x Upgrade Kits, Phoenix's Talon Strongbox, 16000 Silver. [*] Chance to obtain from Phoenix's Talon strongbox - Epic Major Furniture: "[b]Bloody Red[/b]". [*] Chance to obtain from Phoenix's Talon Strongbox - Epic Major Furniture "[b]Freeman's Embrace[/b]" [*] "[b]The Phoenix's Apex[/b]" contract reward - an Epic Demi-Cannon "Phoenix Talons". [*] "[b]Raging Inferno[/b]" contract reward - Rare Minor Furniture "[b]Beam supports[/b]".[/list] [h1]NEW THIS SEASON[/h1][list] [*] Smuggler Pass Highlights [*] New ship: Battle Junk [*] Gunnermaster track: Divine Thunder [*] Shipmaster track: Immortal Vessel Armour [*] Quartermaster track: Charge Stores [*] New pet: Lazy Iggy [/list] [h2]TIME-LIMITED EVENTS: MOONCAKE REGATTA[/h2][list] [*] Available from [b]27th August[/b] to [b]17th September[/b]. [/list] [img]https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/J3yJr34U2pZ2Ieem48Dwy9uqj5PNUQTn/4TMwTQEPDbulnZiyk5ag2s/37deac862c0c1c46af9168c6bc788516/S3_MidAutumnFestival_960x540.jpg[/img] [h2]TIME-LIMITED EVENT: REQUIEM OF THE LOST[/h2][list] [*] Available from 22nd October to 19th November. [/list] [h2]SEA DRAGON: SHADOWBEAST AND ELDER SHADOWBEAST BOUNTIES[/h2][list] [*] The bounties "[b]Heir to the Throne[/b]" and "[b]Divine Retribution[/b]" will be first available from 10th to 24th September, subsequently repeated through the seasonal. [/list] [img]https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/J3yJr34U2pZ2Ieem48Dwy9uqj5PNUQTn/53THNtFep3avzjX8pVVMj0/fb785811ded318c01fc1bff15ee5235e/S3_LightningDragon_960x540.jpg[/img] [h2]NEW WORLD EVENTS: UNGWANA MERCHANT CONVOY[/h2][list] [*] The convoy consists of tanky drummer merchants and escort ships. [*] Take down the Merchant Convoy to obtain Pieces of Eight, Silver and Exotic materials, and for a chance to obtain the Epic Furniture "[b]Smoked Cannisters[/b]" and the Epic Armour "[b]Royal Custodian[/b]". [*] Epic Minor Furniture "[b]Smoked Cannisters[/b]". [/list] [h2]NEW ENEMY TYPE[/h2][list] [*] While participating in the Bounty contracts, World events and Mooncake Regatta, you may encounter these enemies: [*] "[b]Impeder[/b]": a lightweight in terms of speed and health. However, when in range they will quickly tear your sails. [*] "[b]Defender[/b]": a heavy tank ship with high armour and high health. They deal low damage and instead contribute by manoeuvring to block your shot. [/list] [h2]BLACKWOOD VENDOR[/h2] [list] [*] Starting Season 3 onward, Blackwood will offer the player Seasonal Equipment for Imperial Jade. [*] New items will be added to his wares every 2 weeks. [*] In addition, he will offer a different selection of legacy smuggler pass equipment and Seasonal Pirate Lord equipment every 2 weeks. [/list] [h2]NEW ITEMS IN THE BLACK MARKET[/h2][list] [*] [b]White Jade[/b] - Epic Repair Culverin [*] [b]Thousand-Year Monsoon[/b] - Epic Bombard [*] [b]Crouching Tiger[/b] - Epic Mortar [*] [b]Celestial Dance[/b] - Epic Armour [*] [b]Spiteful Spikes Station[/b] - Epic Major Furniture [*] [b]Emergency Sails[/b] - Rare Minor Furniture [*] New Seasonal vanities: [*] Ship set: "[b]Ship of Dragons[/b]" [*] Captain set: "[b]Claw Hunter[/b]" [*] Firework: "[b]A higher will compels you[/b]" [*] Emote: "[b]Feline Hunter[/b]" [*] Check out the new type of captain emote that features your beloved animal companion! The "Feline Hunter" emote is now available at the Black Market. [*] Seasonal Captain and Ship vanity: [*] Sovereign equipment from seasons past will be on rotation every 2 weeks in the Black Market. Time-limited items in the Black Market are indicated by the hourglass icons. [*] Improvements to the Legacy Cache - the Cache will now consist exclusively of Epic Sovereign Equipment from past seasons: [*] Buccaneer's Oath [*] Stormwoven Symphony [*] Le Fléau [*] Endless Requiem [*] Tuning Station [*] Dummy Springloader [*] Gunner's Quadrant [*] Rigging Station [*] Wrathful Ward [*] Twin Winch Ballista [*] Dardanelles Gun [*] Faule Ilse [*] The Warhammer [*] Black Prince [/list] [h2]REFINERY: MATERIAL COMBINATION[/h2][list] [*] Players are now able to combine existing materials through the refinery to form other better and newer materials at a silver cost. [*] Here are the types of materials that can be obtained with the new service: [*] Specialized Materials [*] Exotic Materials [*] Please note that Exotic Materials obtained from Seasonal Pirate Lords cannot be Combined. [*] Upgraded Rogue Materials (NEW) [*] Eel Sturdy Ropes [*] Dragon Volatile Napalm [*] Orca Intricate Apparatus [*] Gannet Concentrated Niter [/list] [img]https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/J3yJr34U2pZ2Ieem48Dwy9uqj5PNUQTn/1lKtJ8mVsp4ywGQvTdfrsX/e7a0d67ca7a59cf6ae12d27f070783dd/Crafting_Upgrades_960x540.jpg[/img] [h2]ITEM SALVAGING[/h2][list] [*] Players can now break down equipment such as weapons, armours and furniture to salvage some materials. [*] The number of materials salvaged will be partial to the number of required materials listed in the crafting recipe of the equipment. [*] Rewards obtained from the Smuggler Pass cannot be salvaged. [/list] [h2]NEW JOB BOARD CONTRACTS[/h2][list] [*] 9 New contracts in Sainte-Anne den. [*] 9 new contracts in Telok Penjarah. [/list] [h2]SEASONAL EVENT CALENDAR[/h2][list] [*] For a full overview of events happening this season, view the "Seasonal Calendar" which can be accessed from the following places: [*] Main menu [*] In-game options menu [*] Navigate tab of your captain's journal [/list] [h2]NEW STATUS EFFECTS[/h2][list] [*] Taunt [*] Stormstruck [/list] [h1]GAMEPLAY UPDATES[/h1] [h2]SEASON 2 LEADERBOARD REWARD [/h2][list] [*] Players who have reached the Diamond Tier on the Seasonal leaderboard in Season 2 will receive the "Sovereign" ship nameplate in their inventory at the start Season 3. [/list] [h2]SEASONAL RESET[/h2][list] [*] A soft reset will be applied to all players who accumulated more than 300,000 Pieces of Eight. [*] Helm Empire upgrades will be reset. [*] Owned Manufactories will be reset and based on the number of manufactories that you owned at the end of Season 2; you will be rewarded with a corresponding amount of Upgrade parts [*] Established Territories will be reset, and based on the number of territories that you owned at the end of Season 2, you will be rewarded with a corresponding amount of Helm Leases. [/list] [h2]HELM EMPIRE OVERVIEW SUPPLY NETWORK & ORDER REGISTRY[/h2][list] [*] The Helm has caught wind of the arrival of Imperial Jade in the Indian Ocean, sparking the chase for this lucrative new Helm Ware. The Helm is paying handsomely for whoever gets their hands on them. [/list] [h2]NEW TYPES OF TERRITORIAL BENEFIT[/h2][list] [*] The "[b]Collect All[/b]" benefit allows players to automatically collect all Pieces of Eight from every active manufactory within the territory. Collections fees cost 5% of the total sum of collected Pieces of Eight. [*] Specific Territorial Benefits will be carried over to and stay active in the next season, these Benefits will be indicated in the Helm Empire Management page. [*] "[b]Collect All[/b]" benefit for certain territories [*] "[b]Cost Reduction for Sea People by 10%[/b]" benefit. [/list] [img]https://staticctf.ubisoft.com/J3yJr34U2pZ2Ieem48Dwy9uqj5PNUQTn/27W5jrdCZNJ2UQLukYH5iP/45b387f6c9ec403824e115f0534344e6/Territorial_Benefits_960x540.jpg[/img] [h2]HELM EMPIRE COST REBALANCE[/h2][list] [*] The "[b]Empire Administration[/b]" upgrade will overall require less Pieces of Eight to reach the highest capacity of manufactories players could own.[/list] [h2]REBALANCING ELITES AND MULTIPLAYER SCALING[/h2][list] [*] [b]Multiplayer Scaling[/b] has been adjusted and will start at [b]2 players instead of 3[/b]. Previously we used different scaling values depending on the activity. This has been made into a single universal scaling value for consistency. [*] The scaled values that come from having more players are: [*] Hull Health [*] Weakpoint Health [*] Damage per shot (Depending on ability of the boss) [*] Hard ships have slightly less health and slightly more damage. [*] [b]Merchant Convoys[/b], [b]Elite Ships[/b], and [b]Sea Monsters[/b] have been tuned to become easier to increase accessibility to solo players. Their overall health and damage have been reduced depending on the context. [*] Forts and towers remain unchanged for now with more plans coming for the future. [/list] [h2]FURNITURE UPDATE: WAR DRUMS[/h2][list] [*] [b]Old effect:[/b] "Reduces Crew Stamina Depletion by 50% while trimming in combat" [*] [b]New effect: [/b]"While trimming, reduces Crew Stamina Depletion by 50% and increases armour rating by 200." [/list] [h2]REWARD UPDATE FOR REMPAH MERCHANT CONVOY[/h2][list] [*] New Reward added - Rare Minor Furniture: "[b]Langrage Barrels[/b]" [*] Increases Charge Rate of the Torn Sails status effect on a target by 8%. [*] Increases duration of the Torn Sails status effect on a target by 8%. [/list] [h2]VENDOR UPDATES: RAHMA AND SCURLOCK[/h2][list] [*] New item available from [b]Rahma[/b] - Rare Minor Furniture: "[b]Density Furnace[/b]" [*] Increases Charge Rate of the Flooded status effect on a target by 8% [*] Increases duration of the Flooded status effect on a target by 8% [*] New item available from [b]Scurlock[/b] - Rare Minor Furniture: "[b]Shell Packing Station[/b]" [*] Increase Area-of-effect Radius of Bombard weapons by 7%. [*] Reduce Reload Time of Bombard weapons by 7%. [*] New blueprint of existing equipment will now be available. [/list] [h2]SEA MONSTER CHANGES[/h2] [h3]LESTARI AND MEGA LESTARI[/h3][list] [*] Its attacks now favour targets with high health. [*] Lowered the time it spends circling near the edge of world after phase change from 15 to 10 seconds to reduce the time it spends away from the players. [*] Easier to interrupt the encircle, in order to decrease the time it stays away from the player. [*] Increased the speed it travels underwater while repositioning to cut down the time it's not visible to the player by half. [*] In the last combat phase, it will reposition at normal swim height to make it easier to hit. [*] Last combat phase starts later to allow players to get more comfortable with the fight before the high intensity phase. [/list] [h3]MEGA LESTARI[/h3][list] [*] Reduced number of Ambush attacks in the last combat phase, to increase chance to deal damage to it. [*] In the last phase, increased the number of Bite attacks. [*] Decreased time it spends underwater before an Ambush attack. [*] Overall, the time spent underwater is reduced, making it easier to shoot. [/list] [h2]REDUCE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF HEADWIND[/h2][list] [*] The penalties for headwind will only apply when the ship is trimming at full sails to keep its occurrence more consistent. [*] The speed penalty is reduced from the 5-8 knots range down to 1-2 knots. [*] For the Dhow and small ships, they will experience a speed reduction of 1 knot. [*] For medium ships, they will experience a speed reduction of 2 knots. [*] The navigation widget arrow is updated. When in irons (ship has stopped), the arrow will now show an orange arrow instead of red. [*] The visual effects have been reduced - the player's vision is less obscured now while facing strong winds. [/list] [h2]REMOVAL OF HARVEST MINI-GAME[/h2][list] [*] Players can now harvest resources by holding down the interaction button when the interact prompt appears. Using a higher tier tool will continue to grant additional resources per harvest action. [/list] [h2]RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES[/h2][list] [*] Events that are in the warm-up phase will no longer be included in the Recommendations. [/list] [h2]UPDATE TO ONBOARDING[/h2][list] [*] Updated the onboarding flow, players will no longer play through the Atolls introduction, instead will be transported to start at Sainte-Anne after the introductory sequence. [/list] [h2]DYNAMIC TRADE ROUTES[/h2][list] [*] Trade routes will evolve and change according to active World Events or Seasonal Events. [/list] [h2]SMUGGLER PASS ITEMS[/h2][list] [*] Smuggler Pass exclusive equipment can no longer be traded, sold, salvaged, jettisoned, and lost on death. [/list] [h2]REMOVED STATUS EFFECT IMPACT ON TOWERS[/h2][list] [*] The following status effects can no longer be applied to towers: [*] "[b]Torn Sails[/b]" [*] "[b]Flooded[/b]"[/list] [h2]UPDATES TO CODEX[/h2][list] [*] The codex has been updated to include recent content, including content release of Season 3. [*] Clues are now more specific in mentioning which world event or contract the item OR blueprint can be obtained from. [*] Tracking functionality is currently not available for items like weapon, armour and furniture. However, the clues on how to obtain their blueprints will still be shown. [/list] [b]UI IMPROVEMENTS[/b][list] [*] When vanity items are displayed in contracts information, mailbox, inventory or Smuggler Pass, they will now show a decorative border for ease of identification. [/list] [h2]SHIP PERK UPDATES[/h2][list] [*] General [*] Brig [*] Snow [*] Cutter [*] Barque [*] Bedar [*] Brigintine [*] Hulk [*] Barge [/list] [h1]IMPROVEMENTS & BUG FIXES[/h1] The full list of Bug Fixes is available on the full Patch Notes - https://skullandbonesgame.com/y1s3_patch_notes. For a complete list of existing and reported issues that we are aware of, or if you'd like to report an issue not already present head over to the Skull and Bones Bug Reporter: https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/skull-and-bones/bug-reporter/issues