Albion Online adds hideouts and new Outlands map with Queen update

The Albion Online Queen update has released today, changing the sandbox MMORPG in several ways. The previous coverage revealed an enthusiastic community reception to this update, and it's well deserved, with some changes that were requested by the community, while others clearly improve the game.

Here are the main features coming with this update:

• Hideouts: Guilds can now build underground bases anywhere in open-world black zones, allowing them to live and thrive in the Outlands. These Hideouts include a guild bank and building spaces and can eventually be upgraded to include a Marketplace, an Artifact Forge and a Guild Hall.
• New Outlands: Albion’s PvP-focused Outlands continent has been entirely reworked. The new Outlands have lower-tier zones at the outer edge, with tiers increasing towards the center, resulting in new challenges and opportunities for local and regional control.
• Avalonians and Elite Dungeons: Players can now face off against the Avalonians, a new faction, in randomized Elite Dungeons that offer the game's most challenging PvE content to date. These dungeons spawn in all T6 to T8 Outlands zones and offer high-level challenges for groups of 15 to 20 players. In addition to week-long fame buffs, these dungeons offer a chance to obtain Avalonian Shards which can be crafted into the game's most powerful Artifact Armors.
• Crystal League: The new Crystal League System allows players of all levels to compete in 5v5 battles and win extensive rewards including Silver, Fame and Season Points for their guilds. When the Crystal League is accessed via a guild's territory, victory brings a tower level upgrade, and a long winning streak even offers the chance of a Tower Chariot, a Colossus Beetle or a Battle Eagle.
• Territory Battles: Territories are now claimed via open-world battles. Additionally, territories can be challenged by multiple guilds, leading to more complexity and strategy in territory ownership. This new system is complemented by the new zerg debuff which promotes a “quality over quantity” approach, and a new Smart Cluster Queue acts as a filter for overcrowded clusters, requiring strategic decisions based on army size and individuals skills.
• New Wardrobe Skin System: The new Wardrobe Skin system allows players to use costume items without giving up combat readiness. In addition to numerous costume items that have been converted to skins, a variety of new costume sets are also available.
• Additional New Features and Improvements:
  • Enchanted stone with improved refining efficiency, offering stone gatherers new economic opportunities
  • New cursor icons and color options for improved readability
  • Streamlined Item Power progression
  • Updated World Boss icons
  • …and much more