Rough Direction of PvP Preview

During the last year, many players repeatedly asked us about news concerning Tibia's PvP system, especially on Open PvP game worlds. Today, we would like to give you a rough idea of the direction of the PvP preview on which we are currently working.
As we already explained in our featured article about preview game worlds, we plan to run a longer test of our concept for a new PvP rule set on these worlds in order to better assess long-term effects, and to get feedback at an earlier development stage from players who can try out the new stuff first-hand. This also allows us to tweak features or test different settings to see how they are received by the community before making a final decision about whether or not to implement them for good, and if so in which way.

Our concept for a new PvP rule set evolved internally. It was inspired by the extensive discussions with the PvP focus group, and the general community feedback we collected on PvP.

Goals

• The skull system and its consequences should be reliable, fair and clear both for individual players and for groups (parties, guilds).
• Every player should be able to use all game features, and to correctly estimate and influence the consequences and penalties.
• PvP must still be possible anywhere, anytime and against anyone (with a very few defined exceptions).
• Parties and guilds should be strengthened and thereby become more attractive for players.

Approach

• All actions that can influence other characters negatively or positively, and are thus relevant in PvP, will be classified in a PvP rule set.
• Players will have to decide in what kind of PvP situations they take an active part, and what kind of penalties they accept in return.
• A PvP action that would lead to other penalties than those accepted by the player performing it, will not have any effect on the respective targets.
• Members of a group will be protected from each other's aggressive actions.
• Members of a group will benefit from altered penalties when defending themselves against outsiders.
• The display of all relevant PvP information for players will be revised and completed.

Of course, we are aware that this list only gives a rough idea about the preview. Some of you probably have lots of questions now and are eager to hear more about it. Please understand, though, that it is too early to provide details as the preview is not yet ready to be launched. It will still take some time until we reach this milestone. Nevertheless, we wanted to keep you updated on the direction we are going with the PvP preview.

We hope we have sparked your interest!

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Winners of Chayenne's Farewell Contest

A few weeks ago we run a story writing contest in honour of Chayenne. Numerous players put their heart into the contest and submitted wonderful stories which put a smile on our faces.

Chayenne had a hard time choosing her top 3 as she was deeply touched by all the passionate contributions. She left a personal message for you in the Auditorium to thank you for your efforts and dedication.
So without making you wait any longer, here are the winners. Chayenne's three favourite stories are:

• The Music Box (untitled), submitted by Abiston
• The Last Draconian, submitted by Azurai
• Dragon Race (untitled), submitted by Jinxz

Congratulations to the three winners! Each of them has received one of Chayenne's magical keys and 180 days of premium time as a prize. Also, we would like to thank all players who participated and helped make this contest a success. The Tibia community truly has some very talented writers.

Thank you!

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Making Amends

Last week, we provided an incorrect information about the reward eligibility in the Rise of Devovorga event. Due to an internal misunderstanding, we stated that characters would be able to claim the reward if they dealt damage to one of the incarnations or Devovorga herself, even if they were not online when the boss they attacked was killed.

However, this information was not correct as characters who attacked a boss could only access the reward room if they were online the moment the monster died. Many players relied on the information we provided and followed our advice just to find themselves unable to claim the rewards after their game world had succeeded in the event. We would like to take this opportunity to offer our sincerest apologies for this incident. Of course, we did not hand out incorrect information intentionally. Nevertheless, we still failed you as it is our responsibility to provide you with reliable information and to avoid such internal misunderstandings. We are truly sorry for causing you disappointment during this event.

In order to make amends we checked feasible possibilities to let all players who relied on us and participated in this event enjoy the rewards. Therefore, we decided to extend the reward eligibility to all characters who entered one of the level restricted portals or Devovorga's lair before their game world succeeded in the event. In order to reach the reward room you have to use the portal meant for your level range. Characters with access to Vengoth can also use the portal in Devovorga's lair.

We hope to soothe your disappointment with this solution. Please note, though, that it is an exception that is only available this time. You can claim your rewards until server save on September 30, 2012.

Enjoy!

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The majority, on Tibia!

During the last three months, we community managers have collected quite some feedback from you, concerning what you like in Tibia, and what you dislike.
First of all, we would like to thank everybody who filled in the feedback forms. We were really impressed by the quality of the feedback. Almost all feedback entries were focussed on the topic question. And while we had expected a negative and aggressive tone at least in some feedback entries, especially in the feedback form: "What don't you like about Tibia?", most feedback entries were worded politely and stayed on topic.

As some of you have stated already, it was quite a challenge for you to summarise your opinions and thoughts in such a way to fit them in the limited space given in the feedback form. Please understand that with around 3000 participants per feedback form, we did have to give you limited space, or it would have been impossible for us to read your feedback. Also, having to be concise makes you think about a topic more thoroughly and usually, the quality of feedback is much better if you focus your thoughts on what matters most for you.

Feedback Form: "What do you like about Tibia?"

Reading your statements in the feedback form "What do you like about Tibia?" really was a joy. It gives everybody a good feeling if you hear that something you spend a lot of time with, is appreciated and actually has a meaning for somebody.

We have collected some of those nice and also in a way typical player statements from the feedback form, which we would like to quote for you here anonymously, and let them speak for themselves:

..."The fact that Tibia is a real society, yet containing monsters, wars, swords, magic and so on. Tibia creates friendship, creates enemies, creates excitement and creates roleplaying. This all adds up to the entertainment value of this game. The maps in Tibia are huge and this makes the exploring very exciting. I play this game because it makes me forget the problems in real life and because it gives me the feeling that I mean something. All in all I play this game for fun. The friendship and loyalty in guilds makes this game the most special game around."...

..."Tibia because it was my first game ever which i played on my computer. Back in the days, while there were 56k modems around, it was hell of a fun to hunt giant spiders till someone called your irl and you were kicked out of the internet because the telephone rang. I remember the days, when Knightmare was running through Thais and guarding the dogs. So this was my first RPG attempt. Nowadays, I like the game because its simpleness. It is 'nearly' the same as when Ferumbras was attacking Thais. Only 'some' changes, some good - some bad. Still, it will be the game where I'll return now and then."...

..."I like Tibia I like CipSoft but why? Okey I tell you Tibia for me is my second home and CipSoft is my family and players are my brothers. I like hunting in team with my brothers and friends and CipSoft also takes care of us. They update new hunting area to make us more happy and fix problems for us in order to give us the best game. Exploring a new area in Tibia is such a great adventure I feel like I'm inside the game using my torch and searching for new quests and area, that's not everything. I like to train with friends while chatting, trading and pvp are awesome, I would like to say Tibia is the best home."...

To extract the feedback from the feedback forms, we read and categorised the single statements in your submissions. In the end, we had about 60 different categories of positive things about Tibia that were all mentioned by you, our community, the ones who know the game best. We have prepared a list for you of the top 10 categories. In the table below, you will see the name of the category and some typical example statements that we counted towards that category.

Category	Amount
Community: - meeting friends online - the necessity to cooperate and interact with others in Tibia to be successful - your actions have consequences - the community makes the rules - if you are disrespectful and misbehave, you will feel it - if you are treated badly, you will find allies - making friends or enemies in Tibia is easy - socialising and loyalty are big keywords here.	15.4 %
Team-Hunting / Team-Questing: - teaming up with others to hunt or to do quests.	5.8 %
Unique gameplay: - you have the freedom to do whatever you want: you can go questing, exploring, hunting, chatting - you have many choices - you are not limited - you need skill and knowledge to play - playing Tibia involves tactics and strategies.	5.7 %
Internationality: - making friends all over the world - learn about other customs and languages of other countries.	4.7 %
PvP: - you can kill anyone you like at any time, but you can also be killed at any time, by anyone - it is exciting and gives you an adrenaline rush.	4.6 %
Graphics: - they are easy to look at - you can see enemies approaching from all sides - they are retro-style - they give you enough room for your own imagination and fantasy.	4.2 %
Quests: - many funny and interesting stories - some are complicated and challenging - the quest system in Tibia is unique, it's rpg-style.	3.5 %
Chatting: - the chat system is easy to understand - you can talk to everybody on your server at once - you can chat freely.	3.4 %
Exploring: - huge map - you can always discover something new - entering a new area causes a thrill and an adrenaline rush.	3.1 %
Hunting: - you need to prepare your hunts and plan in advance - you need different tactics for different monsters and different dungeons.	3.1 %

Now this table sums up the distinguishing features of Tibia pretty well, does it not? It also shows that it is mainly the community that makes this game as special as it is. You are all part of its success and without you, Tibia would not be Tibia!

Since it concerns a really interesting and controversal topic, we would also like to present you feedback category number 11 for this feedback form. 2.7 % of all statements named the high death penalty in Tibia as a very important feature. Often, this feature is criticised and you will also see this later on in the presentation of the results of the other feedback form. Statistically speaking, there are about as many players who value the high death penalty as players who really dislike it.
According to supporters of the high death penalty, the fear of death in Tibia is the reason that gives everything in the game a meaning. Hunting becomes a thrill, and just walking to the depot from your house can be dangerous, at least on open and hardcore PvP worlds. As you will see in the result section of the other feedback form, many players even criticised that the death penalty has become too low in the meantime, especially in PvP situations, because other players would not be afraid of death anymore and would simply laugh if they got killed.

It seems that some players really like their adrenaline rush, while others could really do without it. You probably would agree that combining these two groups in order to please everybody is a pretty difficult task.

But now, after all this praise for Tibia, let us also have a closer look at the things that you do not like.

Feedback Form: "What don't you like about Tibia?"

The criticism you voiced in this feedback form was greatly appreciated by us, and unfortunately, most of your feedback did not really come as a surprise either, to be honest. Also, we do agree with you in many points and are of course striving to improve.

In this feedback form, there were well over a hundred different categories after all your statements had been categorised. Let us have a look at your top 10 things that you do not like in Tibia:

Category	Amount
Botter / Cheater: - they always win in Tibia, in all situations - they destroy everything (highscores, economy) - CipSoft's actions are not enough - there are far too many botters - reporting them is invain - a feeling of helplessness.	23.3 %
PvP: - the death penalty is too low, people are not afraid of death anymore - 20 unjusts, swapping and the entire war system are bad - CipSoft takes too much time improving the PvP-system.	7.6 %
Support: - there is hardly any rule enforcement - no ingame support or gamemasters around - the limit for open reports is too strict - the support team is not available around the clock.	4.7 %
Power Abuse: - it is not fair that some players can tell you what to do or hunt you off your home game world.	4.2 %
Vocation Balancing: - comments were related to all vocations, however, there was an accumulation of statements referring to sorcerers being at a disadvantage compared to druids.	3.3 %
Community falling apart: - the community changes - more and more people become disrespectful - previous changes to the game reduce the necessity to communicate (the market, e.g.) - honourable behaviour is not promoted anymore - communiy self-regulation decreases, also because changes to the game make it more difficult for players to take care of problems themselves (PvP changes, e.g.).	3.0 %
Death Penalty is too high: - especially for high levels - when deaths occur because of lags and kicks.	2.3 %
Differences between free account players and premium players are too high: - offline training - hunting grounds - spells.	2.3 %
Lags, kicks and freezes: - the anti-kick system needs to be improved.	2.1 %
Tibia becomes easier and easier: - less skill is required to play.	2.1 %

We have also collected some quotes from this feedback form that represent typical statements, and we would like to quote them here for you, too, since they describe feelings that probably many of you share:

..."In my opinion, botting and power abusing are one of the most serious problems in Tibia. Me and my friends would like to come back to play Tibia, but we just can't because the wars are full of macros, the caves are full of botters... that's very unfair, we study/work so it's impossible to compete with such 'players'. And the power abuse, some worlds you just can't have a mage lvl 45+, because you are 'dangerous'...Worlds where you have to pay to play in peace...So that's what I think that should be changed"...

..."I really only have one problem with Tibia, I like the direction the game is going in, but there is one problem for me. The problem I am talking about is players interacting with each other. A few years ago it was such a friendly game, everybody pretty much knew each other and respected each other, as players. You could open Game-Chat and have an instant friendly conversation, make some new friends, share jokes etc I guess its because of features like the market, people dont need to talk any more. Also I think people are scared to talk at all because of people reporting each other."...

..."As a player who has played the game since 1999 I can say with confidence that the game used to be much harder, and possess much more of a sense of community. Some of the features implemented to limit abuses have reduced the influence that the community can have over itself and damaged the feel of the game. The twist of fate is an example."...

A first reaction to the feedback forms from the product management of Tibia

In an earlier feedback form, you let us CMs know that you would really appreciate more information about what happens with your feedback, how the product management reacts to something like this. So - we have asked one of Tibia's product managers what his first impression is about these two feedback forms and the feedback they brought forward, and he did not want to miss the opportunity to share his initial thoughts. Here is the statement from Craban, after we presented the results of both feedback forms to him:

"Generally speaking, we are very thankful for the valuable feedback that we got through both questionnaires. It is important for us to keep getting this kind of feedback from you so that we know what are the pressing issues, the chances and the problems we need to work on and how to prioritize those.

You have clearly stated in your feedback, that the things that are most important about Tibia are everything that has to do with the interaction with other players and the community as a whole. Right after that ranks the distinctly different gameplay in Tibia with the most important part being PvP. You like that you can play the game the way you like it, with the people you want to play with and that you are able to define your Tibia quite freely with only little restrictions. We are glad to hear that and we are willing to focus on preserving those things about Tibia and where possible to expand on them.

In the other feedback form, you stressed again that the main problem in Tibia is cheating. Right after that you noted more specific problems with parts of the gameplay that you so like, mainly things related to the PvP-System and the balance of the vocations. Additionally, many of you pointed out that we still have a lot of room for improvement in the service we offer you, mainly concerning rule enforcement. We are not happy, of course, about the fact that those still are the main problems, but we are glad that we have all of those on our agenda and are working on more concrete plans to improve things for you in all of these areas."

Now, we CMs are curious to know: Do you agree to the top 10 categories of the feedback forms? What do you think about the fact that the category "community" is among the top 10 in both feedback forms? Do you agree to the wind of change that some players sense? Do you look at the community development with critical eyes, as well? Or would you rather agree to the players who say that Tibia's community is plainly awesome?

We would like to invite you to share your thoughts with everybody and discuss them with other players in the Auditorium!

Keep on giving feedback!

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Flash Client Beta Label Removed and Special Offer

Back in June 2011, we released the Beta Flash client. We aimed to provide a highly customisable client which allows an easier way of logging into Tibia. Of course, we kept on improving the Beta Flash client according to your feedback and wishes, and now it is time for the next step:
We are excited to inform you that we have finally removed the Beta label! The Tibia Flash client is now officially launched and a legit alternative to the stand-alone client. You can use the client of your choice to play Tibia, and we will develop both clients further to enrich your Tibia experience further.

In light of the release of the Tibia Flash client, we have a handy new feature for you. It is now possible to store your VIP list and your Flash client options on our servers. This allows you to play with the same client settings on every computer. The VIP list options of stand-alone client users are also stored on our servers now.
In order to use your settings from before the patch today, you have to migrate them to our servers via the new migration tool. You can find it on your account page. This tool can also be used to migrate your automap from the stand-alone client to the Flash client. Instructions on how to use the migration tool can be found in the manual.

Last but not least, we also have a new special offer for you which is available for a limited time only!

Every warrior needs a noble steed to ride into battle. The fierce look of the armoured war horse will let your enemies tremble in fear and awe.
So how to saddle up? If you buy a unit of 180 or 360 days of Tibia premium time until September 12, 23:59:59 CEST, you will get the armoured war horse mount as a bonus in addition to the premium features. Please note that buying premium scrolls ingame or any combination of smaller units will not get you the mount!

You can find the special offer box on your account page. If you use the Tibia payment system or element 5 to buy premium time, the date that matters for the special offer is the day on which you order the premium time. If you buy premium time via a reseller, the date that matters is the day on which we receive the payment. In case of a game code it is the date on which you redeem your code on the official Tibia website.
You will be able to assign the mount to one of your characters via your account page as soon as we have received your payment.

Please carefully read the FAQ in the Auditorium to avoid any misunderstandings. If you still have any open questions or doubts, feel free to ask!

Ride with pride!

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Rise of Devovorga

Once more, the ultimate weapon of evil, the mighty Devovorga is about to rise to satisfy her hunger for revenge.

On September 1, mysterious portals will appear all over Tibia. Beware of the incarnations of Devovorga's shattered soul if you dare to enter the portals. You can only step through if your character is in the required level range. If you manage all stages, Devovorga herself will await you...

Team up and organise yourselves to prevent the rise of this ultimate and destructive weapon. Please note that just the brave will receive an individual reward this time. This means you have to deal damage to one of the incarnations or Devovorga herself and be online when the creature you attacked is killed in order to be able to claim your reward. In addition, the stone of wisdom can only be traded with Milos or Trimegis once a year from now on. You can trade it with one of these NPCs from September 1 till September 8, server save. If your world succeeds you can trade it until September 30.

If you kill Devovorga until server save September 8, your game world will benefit from +50% health and mana regeneration until the end of September.

Be prepared!

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Content Fixes

With today's server save, a few content fixes were implemented, for example:

• In order to avoid that players can block boss rooms in the challenge dungeons, a private timer of 30 minutes now starts as soon as you enter a boss room there. You will also get a warning message when only 5 minutes remain before you are teleported out of the room.
• The elevator levers around Farmine cannot be trashed anymore.
• We fixed an issue that created too many hive pores in the hive.
• Loria now reacts on the keyword "cure poison".
• We addressed an issue with trickles so that corpses on walkable fields with trickles are not deleted anymore.

Enjoy!

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Beta Flash Client Improvements and Fixes

Today, we have released a bunch of Beta Flash client improvements to enrich your Tibia experience further. For example:

• Most notably, we have added a functionality that will highlight map fields, objects and creatures when you move your mouse cursor over them. This makes it much easier for you to see which object, creature, or field you are about to target with an action. For example, if you move your cursor over a field with a ladder, the ladder will be highlighted. Creatures are also highlighted when you move your mouse cursor over the respective battle list entry. They are no longer marked with a white frame. Please note that you can adjust the opacity of the highlighting in the game options menu.
• You can now hide the menu bar of a side bar. Just click on the larger arrow around the menu bar to show or hide it.
• Your character's level is now displayed next to your progress bar in the status bar widget.
• You can now drop objects anywhere in a container and not only right above a slot.
• If you save a chat channel, the suggested file name now starts with the name of the channel.
• In the character profile window, skill modifiers are now shown more clearly.
• You can now select the colours for text messages via a dropdown list.
• We have narrowed the graphics of the frames around the game window, the chat console, the status widget, and side bars to offer a bit more space for the game window.
• The graphics of buttons in mouse-over and pressed state have been adjusted to add more contrast.

In addition, we fixed a couple of issues with the Beta Flash client. For example: The speed and food timer are now visible again in the character profile window. The "click to activate message" now also appears when using Google Chrome. Furthermore, we fixed a performance issue with the mouse-over effects of buttons.

Enjoy!

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Chayenne's Farewell Contest

Last week, our dear Chayenne said goodbye to the Tibia community and CipSoft. She always enjoyed reading stories written by players so we have decided to run a story writing contest in her honour.

The authors of Chayenne's three favourite stories are going to win one of her precious keys and 180 days of premium time. In order to participate, all you have to do is write a role-play story related to Tibia and include the following 10 words which were selected by Chayenne:

• Shadow
• Dream
• Flame
• Bone
• Song
• Friend
• Pain
• Courage
• Wing
• Tear

Your story may be up to 600 words in length. The contest starts today and you may submit your story in the designated thread in the Auditorium until August 27, 2012, 14:00 CEST. Please make sure to check the contest rules before posting a story.

We are looking forward to reading your stories!

Get creative!

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A New Chapter For Chayenne

She's ready to go, it's the dawn of a new day,
her dragon is waiting to take her away...

After many years of adventuring together, Chayenne, the vivacious lady of Tibia's content team, will leave CipSoft by the end of this month. She has decided to venture out on a new journey and take a new path in her life. In order to say goodbye to you, the Tibia community, Chayenne has written a personal farewell letter to you:

Dear Tibians, it's been a really long time since I first set foot into the Tibian lands as a new player, and I still have a lot of fond memories from back then. Both Tibia and me have come a long way in the past thirteen years - from a teenager who left home to follow her passion for games, I've reached a point where I could actually help shape and create a whole world. I'm grateful for this opportunity and for the direction my life has taken in the past decade. In this light, I'd like to thank the great team developing, managing, maintaining and supporting Tibia for an intense and fun time. Thank you for being loyal colleagues, and in some cases even friends. It's great setting the stage for adventures, but what if no one would play on it? Why write stories if no one listens? Why conjure up monsters if no one fights them? You, our players, have been there to fill these roles from the birth of Tibia on, and I thank you for taking part in this wild journey. I've always loved to hear your stories and admired the eagerness with which you would submit ideas, stories and dreams. I've laughed my head off having fun with you guys on the test servers. Your criticism and resentment were sometimes hard to swallow, but often constructive and helpful. Your encouragement and joy have moved me to tears more than one time. It's not easy for me to move on and leave all of that behind, but life is a journey, and I've always been one to adjust its path to give my dreams a chance and to stay true to myself. I hope that you can do the same. Keep dreaming, loving and playing! See you in Tibia, maybe - but this time around as a humble adventurer, once again. Cheers, Chayenne

Chayenne, we wish you all the best in your future endeavours! Embrace your new dream with this bubbling energy and passion burning inside you. Working with you was a great experience full of memorable moments. We will always remember the love we shared for this gem of a game. Thank you for everything you have done to help make Tibia worthy of the dedication of our players!

Want to bid farewell to Chayenne as well? Feel free to drop her a few lines in the Auditorium. Also, we are going to run a story writing contest in honour of Chayenne next week, with three of her precious keys up for grabs. Time to sharpen your pencils, more information will follow soon!

Stay tuned!

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Small Client Patch

With today's server save, we released a small client patch to address a few issues, for example:

• In warzone 3, lava golems have been replaced by minions of Vesperoth that have no loot and yield less experience points. Vesperoth's experience points have been increased to compensate this.
• All minor and major Gnome task achievements have been adjusted again. The achievement for a task now triggers as intended after having completed the corresponding task once.
• You can now decorate the walls of the Eastern House of Tranquillity and the Old Sanctuary of God King Qjell.
• Coconut shrimp bake and depth galea now work correctly together. After having used the dish, you no longer lose the drowning protection from the depth galea when moving underwater.
• The market flags for all assembling statue objects have been changed from "armor" to "valuable".
• Elgar has resumed his business and is selling parcels and labels again.

We also fixed a couple of issues for the Beta Flash client, and tweaked it further. For example:
In the status bar widget, a skill icon is now displayed next to your progress bar to make it more clear which skill you see there. You can now use your mouse wheel to zoom in and out in the minimap widget. Your character's name and vocation are now displayed in the character profile window. The colours of text messages have been revised to improve the legibility. Also, we have revised the graphics of regular buttons, scroll buttons, and toggle buttons as well as side bars to give them more contrast. Furthermore, we have activated the light effects again.

The patch will download automatically when you log into the game. You can also download the new stand-alone client version 9.61 from our download section.

Enjoy!

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Content Fixes

With today's server save, several issues were addressed, for example:

• The achievements for the Gnome tasks Tinker's Bell, Spore Gathering, and Yet Another Grinding now trigger correctly.
• It is no longer possible to get a white skull without a PZ block. This fake white skull could be used to trick players into getting unjustified kills.
• Red and green crystal fragments are now bought for 800 gold coins by corresponding NPCs.
• Characters can now only collect one sample of the Griffinclaw flower per day.
• Sweet Mangonaise elixir can now be used together with the prismatic ring.
• We addressed an issue that teleported players out of Deathstrike's, Abyssador's, and Gnomevil's bossrooms because of a timer started by a previous group of players.

Enjoy!

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Amaro's Event and Festivity Guide

Amaro De Quester, known for his encyclopedic knowledge about Tibian life and rotworms, compiled and researched interesting bits and pieces about annual events and festivities in Tibia. He will also provide a few personal tips and may even unveil some information previously unknown to the reader.

January

Brewing is an exciting hobby. This traditional craft allows you to push yourself creatively by experimenting with unique blends. The good witches of the Green Claw Swamp are known for having mastered the art of brewing with exotic ingredients. Being able to witness their outstanding skills in January is something you do not want to miss. Every year in January, they are performing an ancient brewing ritual to prevent the invasion of evil spirits called bane bringers. The witches are always looking for brewing apprentices who are willing to contribute some precious ingredients and keep the cauldron boiling. A perfect opportunity to expand your brewing abilities and, at the same time, save Tibia from the wrath of wooden foes.

February

Have you ever sunk your face into the fluffy depths of a delicious cake? Do not miss this experience! In February, the Magic Bakery Alliance is looking for hungry heroes who are willing to help them build a bridge to reach the tasty Cake Keep Isle.

Did you know? A secret source told the inquisitive author about some of Kullu's most astounding creations: bananas that could easily be peeled from both sides, for example, or the amazing coco-fruit, a coconut without a hard shell. Yet, his most praised and profitable inventions were the Destroy Fat rune and the Fat shield, which both absorbed incoming damage by getting thinner.

The great mage and brilliant cook Kullu once retreated to this isle to escape all the fuss people made about his spells and recipes. Due to a planar instability, he was able to keep the isle hidden from the outside world for most of the time. He even cast a mighty spell to shield his haven against intruders. The persistent bakers finally managed to break through, though. Yet, they could not find the mage there, and were soon threatened and chased off by creamy cake golems. However, nature’s interference transformed their escape teleports into a convenient one-way travel route for those tasty beasts which led them right into towns.

Since then, the cake armies invade several Tibian cities through these tunnels whenever the isle manifests itself. But bakers are as clever as they are persistent. They discovered that the creamy golems could supply them with materials to build a weather-, wind- and water-proof cake bridge to Cake Keep Isle. Once there, only one challenge was left in order to unleash Kullu's powerful improved regeneration and experience spell: eating up Kullu's huge cake tower. The hungry author considers this sweet, gigantic treat one of Tibia's not yet acknowledged world-wonders.

During February, it is also recommended to have steady nerves when roaming the streets since the sight of gruesome monsters in the middle of Tibian cities might scare you. No need to worry, though, it is just a masquerade. Many Tibians like to dress up, so when Stan resides in Venore, his great handmade costumes sell like hot cakes.

Valentina, a loving mother and grand-mother from Greenshore, considers the famous Valentine's Day in February the best opportunity to spread the spirit of love, and to make a pretty penny along the way. So if you happen to be in the vicinity of Greenshore on February 14, you may want to buy one of her famous, handmade heart backpacks as a souvenir for your sweetheart. Yet, the humble author would like to point out that the heart backpack is a bit of a rip-off! Trying to haggle about the price is useless. Valentina, the ever business-savvy housewife she is, keeps insisting that she is about to sell you the last backpack in stock which would justify the price. Nevertheless, it is still a worthwhile purchase. Adventurers with a passion for bright colours may also enjoy using the backpack as a pillow on long journeys. It is actually quite soft and comfy.

March

Did you know? This rivalry between the wizards has quite some history. They were friends once, and still are in some way even though they are always arguing and trying to outsmart each other. Yet, there was a time when the three of them worked together on a complex and ambitious experiment: the creation of a source of energy that would never run dry. They combined their enormous talents and started to channel all of their power into this project. However, there were also days of doubt, days of recreation, days of training and full focus. Days when they were weak and felt broken. It was on one of those days when they were first contacted by Carlotta - a sorceress, a woman. Carlotta and a complete set of unique Zaoan jade figures changed everything. The eager author recently got his hands on an old, foreign scroll telling this captivating story, and is currently translating it for a wider audience. So the full story is not to be told here but will most likely hit the Tibian libraries sooner or later.

If dressing up is not enough for you, March gives you the chance to get all coloured. The Tibian lands are cluttered with letters including mysterious powders in red, blue or yellow. They were scattered by the three wizards Furb of Fun, Feiz of Power, and Fern of Nature. The three squabblers compete against each other in a contest then that is all about vanity: they want to see who gets the most followers. So they ask Tibians to mix those powders and join the wizard of their choice.

April

Be on your guard in April! It is the month of pranksters. The witty Hoaxette is selling some devices in Thais to play jokes on unsuspecting people.

Did you know? Undead jesters were entertainers once. More precisely, bad entertainers who left some unfinished business behind: telling a good joke and making people laugh. So their ghosts cling to the gates that separate the realm of the living and the realm of the dead. Their self-pitying lament of the fame they never had is a mere torture for the poor guardians at the gates. In order to get rid of all the whining for some time, the guardians open the gates once a year so the hordes of sobbing undead jesters can roam the Tibian lands. It takes not long, though, until they find themselves at the gates again since people usually do not endure bad AND undead entertainers for too long.

If you still have a bone to pick with some hoaxer, the undead jester raids are an excellent opportunity to take revenge. A city tour in April might put you right in the middle of the action.

Also, it is not only getting warmer outside but also more dangerous to venture into dragon lairs in late April. After studying the breeding behaviour of dragons for several years, the curious author and his singed beard can confirm that dragon eggs are always about to hatch during the second half of April. People who are neither interested in observing swarms of newly born dragon hatchlings nor in trying to curb the booming dragon population by slaying the brood, may want to visit one of Tibia's cities and take part in the annual surprise nest hunting.

May

Did you know? In case you wonder why demon mothers favour the month of May to go on vacation: In May, the weather is usually dry and sunny. There is simply no better time to take a refreshing lava bath and go on a hot date afterwards! In addition, demon spas offer horn-care packages and discounts in May. Since female demons are a bit vain, they prefer to torture their victims and wreak havoc with polished horns and the like.

People who delight in taking care of babies and catering to their every whim and fancy, may want to mark the month of May in their calendar with a big heart. Having to raise thousands of demon babies is a challenging task that would break the mind and soul of every human being. Only the ferocious nature of a female demon is able to withstand such torture. Yet, even a demon mother needs a break sometimes. In early May, you will always find some stressed-out demon mother looking for babysitters who are willing to take care of one of her numerous children. If you think you can handle spoilt brats, just stop by the Jakundaf desert. The veteran author can tell from experience that you are likely to shed some sweat and tears until a demon baby gets all cheery.

June

All the flowers blooming in June are a spectacular sight. Especially Tiquanda's humid climate produces numerous exotic plants that are a feast for the eyes. During this month, the nature-loving dryad Rosemarie resides in a little hut south of Port Hope and exchanges seeds for flower pots with rare seedlings. The impish author would like to point out that Rosemarie literally has a green thumb because she is wearing green gloves, haha.
Even though Rosemarie has a gentile nature, most of her sisters are rather hostile. Therefore, caution is recommended near Ab'Dendriel, Edron and Northport during this time of the year as you may run into a flock of wild dryads. According to some folktales, passionate dryads who have become obsessed with the human threat over time may turn people into trees, or enslave them as servants. The adventurous author cannot confirm yet that these stories hold a grain of truth.

July

Usually, lots of new places, monsters and hunting grounds are discovered in this month. Also, brave heroes and adventurers are often busy with new missions and challenges so there are no special festivities or events during this month.

August

If you are interested in a true gourmet experience and fancy some culinary treats, you should definitely visit Jean Pierre, one of Tibia's most celebrated chefs. Throughout August, he always runs cooking courses and shares his most exciting recipes with aspiring chefs. His food is a feast for the eyes and for the stomach. The wild dance of flavours and aromas will not only nourish your body and soul but also boost your abilities for a short time.
The cooking author strongly recommends to stock up food supplies before approaching Jean Pierre and wielding your cooking spoon. Even though several merchants already tried to negotiate a deal with the eccentric chef, he is still reluctant to their offers of opening a small food store in front of his cooking palace.

September

Even the most skilled and experienced adventurers start to tremble with both excitement and fear when the month of September looms on the horizon. Devovorga is about to rise – the ultimate living weapon once created by the most apt minions of the demon lords. She was an abomination, but still a sentient creature infused with the desire to live and thrive, capable of feeling pain, distress... and hope. Yet, her power posed too great of a threat, and so demons ripped the miserable creature apart, tore her into pieces and hid them away deep down in the bowels of the earth. But her will to survive was strong, it could not be shattered.
Devovorga slumbered in the depths for ages, haunted by dark dreams. Due to a greedy necromancer who unearthed her soul, she eventually awoke from her hibernation. Her agony had slowly changed her desire to live into a burning passion for revenge. Time soon told us that her soul cannot be destroyed completely for aeons of pain have rained down on it, turning it into an indestructible vessel of hate. When she is about to rise, her incarnations are the first emissaries of doom. They have to been slain before the furious creature will show herself in her true form. Only the courage, determination and joined forces of many heroes will be able to stand against Devovorga's fury and hatred. But all we can do is stop her from scorching the Tibian lands with her inner fire and drive her back into the abyss for a year.

Those of you who want to colour up their life a bit after this exhausting battle, may want to help the quarrelsome wizards Furb, Feiz and Fern again in their popularity contest.

October

Did you know? The Mutated Pumpking is a creation of the forces of evil that felt challenged by the new human resolve. From the realm of darkness, a malevolent spirit was sent to take hold of the body and soul of the greatest hero in Tibia. Yet, the cunning lord of rabbits had learned about the plan and warned the humans to prepare a set-up. They built a giant puppet body, set it on a throne, adorned it with an impressive armor and put a pumpkin with a carved face on top of it. Just as they had hoped, the evil spirit fell for it and took possession of the mimic. He struggled at first, but his immense powers made the pumpkin head come to life. The slimy creature began to attack humans only to be smashed by their regained courage. The evil spirit was banished from the world but his thirst for revenge allowed him to regain its strength. After a year, he was strong enough to fight his way back into reality. Much to his anger, though, the only form he could take was that of a giant pumpkin. Again, his rage could not keep brave heroes from turning him into pumpkin soup. The spirit was expelled again, and has returned every year since then.

The golden month of October is that time of year when winterberries are ripe and juicy. The small fruits can be used to refine potions and enhance their magical effects. Yet, they are also quite delicious and nutritious so all kinds of creatures swallow them even though they cannot digest them. Therefore, the Combined Magical Winterberry Society is always looking for volunteers to gather winterberries and help with processing them. The author and his feet can only recommend this relaxing treading procedure. Crushing berries by foot does not only produce the best juice for potions but is also a tasty amusement.

It is certainly a good idea to fortify yourself before October turns to November. It is the creepy time when mysterious shadows whisper from forgotten places. The wicked Halloween Hare is lurking in dark corners to cast a spell on humans. He disguises them as creatures of the night so that they may scare others.
The Halloween Hare was once a mighty warrior of the rabbit race. Following an idea of the lord of rabbits, the gods bestowed magical powers upon the rabbit hero so that he could change the appearance of humans into that of gruesome monsters. All this was done to renew the resolve of humans by teaching them to laugh into the face of evil for they had been subdued by their fear of the dark and unknown over time. That is why nowadays people enjoy encountering the Halloween Hare and are no longer afraid of the sight of monsters.
Also, a giant, mutated pumpkin is striking terror into the hearts of Darashians during these days. People are eager to face and defeat this flickering monster because its death may be quite rewarding.

November

The dreary days of November are quite dangerous since the veil between the worlds is thin. Demons try hardest to break through to our world then, and darkness is upon us. But a little light can go a long way. Every year, Lucius, the Lightbearer, takes up his magical torch and tries his best to keep the demons away. From all across Tibia, heroes unite to help him illuminating the skies by keeping fire basins burning for five days. The hellish creatures shun the sacred light as it weakens their strength until they do not pose a serious threat anymore. At least, for some time. The lightbearing author would like to emphasise not even one light may go out or all efforts were in vain. So it is recommended to give your best to keep the flames blazing if you want to shower yourself with sparkling rewards.

December

Did you know? According to Ruprecht, Santa was a greedy fellow once who would never share anything with others. One time, he even refused to give a thirsty woman a cup of water but this decision changed his life forever. The woman surely had magical powers for she cursed Santa and forced him to share his fortune with everyone he met. Driven by his greed, Santa tried to outsmart her by retreating to a remote place. Nevertheless, even there, adventurers kept finding him and he had to share his wealth. Over time, though, he came to like giving away presents as he was able to put a smile on people's faces. He felt more joy and pleasure than ever before. So once a year, he wraps some of his treasures and hands out presents in Tibian cities.

December! The time to reflect on the year gone by. Also, old and young Tibians are looking out for Santa and his huge sack full of goodies in the hope of getting something nice. The well-behaved author would like to take this opportunity to boast about his secret teddy bear collection. Of course, wherever there are presents, thievish goblins from the Grynch clan are not far away. Ruprecht welcomes every helping hand in his endeavour to retrieve the stolen presents.

After all these activities, the year, and our little event guide, finally come to close then. There is no better way to say goodbye than with some cracking fireworks rockets from Ned Nobel. A new year full of events and festivities awaits you, the cycle continues.

The exhausted author would like to thank the reader for his/her time!
Best regards,

Amaro De Quester

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Content Fixes

With today's server save, several issues were addressed, for example:

• NPC Stone and Gnomeral no longer give out quests prematurely.
• It is no longer possible to get the achievement "Bibby's Bloodbath" prematurely.
• We fixed an issue with NPC Stone that made it possible to accept a mission twice.
• We fixed some spots that allowed players to reach the gnome base Alpha by levitating.
• NPC Gnomeral also hands out minor crystalline tokens as a reward now for successfully completing the "Matchmaker" mission.
• A couple of map bugs and typos were fixed. We also added missing protection zone fields near the magic level training statue in Thais.

If you want to talk about the latest content fixes with other players, you can leave your comments in the thread Player Discussions: Content Fixes.

Enjoy!

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Increased Experience in Party Hunting

Due to a bug, players currently gain a higher experience bonus when hunting in a party with shared experience enabled. Instead of 5% shared experience bonus, party hunts currently yield up to a maximum of twice as much experience points per monster kill depending on the number of players in the party.

This bug will be fixed with tomorrow's server save. Until then, all players are free to hunt in a party and profit from this experience boost.

Happy Hunting!

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Major Game Update 9.6

The waiting is finally over! The Tibia summer update 2012 has just been released. Time to mow down hordes of new monsters and head out on gnomish adventures!

Here is a short summary of the main new content and features that have been added to spice up your Tibia experience:

Amidst crystals and mushrooms, the Gnomes have always led a quiet life in seclusion, suspicious of outsiders, and hesitant to give their trust. Yet now that they are facing a serious threat, they are willing to recruit warriors who proved their worth by passing a sophisticated Gnome test. Once you have successfully joined the Bigfoots, a special auxiliary unit, solving missions for the Gnomes will let you gain reputation and help you to move up in rank.
Explore the new underground area, get your hands on new equipment and items, earn new outfits, mounts and achievements! Achieve the highest Bigfoot rank to get access to the challenge dungeons, a place to show your skills and see what you are made of. So are you in for some tough action and adventure?

With the release of the summer update, premium players can now also enjoy the new offline training feature which allows you to sharpen your skills in a particular field of your choice while you are logged out. Visit one of the training schools which can be found in all major cities and use the training statue of your choice to log out in order to activate offline training for your character.
Offline training allows you to raise your skills more conveniently and without having to use resources such as food. Therefore, it is less effective than training online. Also keep in mind that you can only train offline for up to 12 consecutive hours. Once your offline training pool is empty, you have to replenish it before you can hone you skills offline again.

Further new stuff is waiting for you. Mind your surroundings, fierce orcs may build a war camp near certain cities every once in a while, or you might run into the creepy, crawly Mamma Longlegs on your way to Venore. Moreover, a strange energy portal may open up sometimes. It leads to the Dread Guardian who grants you access to Devovorga's incarnations in exchange for tentacle pieces.
If you are looking for a new home, make sure to visit the ten cool new houses which are available for rent. Inspired by Tibians, made for Tibians!
A few other changes and fixes have been implemented with this update. We have listed them in the Auditorium so make sure to take a look.

Important: Please note that the Tibia stand-alone client will not patch itself after the update this time. Therefore, you have to download the complete stand-alone client from our website again to play Tibia and enjoy the new content and features:

Windows Tibia Client 9.6
Linux Tibia Client 9.6

Now it is your turn to explore and see!

Have fun!

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A Fate Yet Unknown

A Fate Yet Unknown

Part I

Tranquillity and no gravity! A weird feeling of infinity! Hooded view! Strange silhouettes in the dark. Whispering voices out of thin air. A mysterious singsong! What are they saying? What do they want? The voices... louder and faster. It sounds like a name... Is it my name? Looking into the darkness, searching for an explanation of what has happened... a dead and broken body on the floor...the voices again, ascending to an echoing thunder... pulling me towards them. The noise is getting louder and louder... a storm blustering inside my head... calling the name again and again. "Come with us, follow us!", the voices are singing... It feels so seductive...

Suddenly... the mist is gone. I can see clearly. The dead body... it is ME. No... Nooooo. I cannot follow those voices... I am not done here yet. I am NOT DEAD! LEAVE ME ALONE! I WILL NOT FOLLOW YOU! I AM ALIVE!

I feel coldness on my left cheek. I cast up my eyes. Slowly, because the brightness hurts. My tongue feels thick and swollen. I smell the stench of battle, blood and death. By and by, my eyes adapt to the light and I can finally see where I am. A small room, stony ground, burning coal basins in each corner, beds, and a small path in the South. The only way out? Blood is on the floor, a broken sword, a torch, and a ring. Traces of a fight? But where are the enemies? My clothes ooze with blood but I can't find any wounds. I feel exhausted, weak but alive. I can't remember anything. Neither who I am nor what I am doing here. Why did I come here? Shall I take the ring with me? Somehow, I think it belongs to me. Well, speculating won't get me anywhere. Let's get out of here. I will follow the path to the South. What a luck that the torch is not burnt down. The coal basins will help me to light it again.

Dead bodies lying around everywhere. Seems that there really was a battle, or better: a massacre. But who are the dead? Wait, what is that? A weird blue light in the North. It is not a flame! But it pulses like a heart. A cold, blue heart. I have a feeling that I am meant to go inside this shining light. I am afraid but curious as well. What shall I do? Run into the light or explore the dark floors further?

Part II

I have decided to ignore that blue light so far but I am not sure if it was a good idea to stay here and to explore this dark place. Now, I have lost the sense of time. I have no clue how long I have been roaming around in these dark and cold halls. This is a weird and a dangerous place. While I haven't found a way out of here, I've seen odd and strange things. West of the place I woke up there is another room that looks exactly the same. Here and there you see big cut blocks of stone that look rather like sacrificial altars than stones. North of that pulsing, cold blue light I found even more slaughtered bodies, more blood. The air is full of flies and the horrible stench makes me choke all the time. At least, I found some armour between all the carcasses, however, the shield and the blade I've found feel as if they are not made for me. In the North there were some shelves with books and scrolls. I did not understand half of them but I am convinced that something very strange is going on here. I am still with a blank mind, although this ring gives me food for thought. Does it really belong to me? Right now, I'm trying to catch my breath and am sitting next to a wooden door. It seems I am not alone here... I can hear someone pacing behind this door on the other side. Shall I try to talk to that person? Maybe the stranger could shed some light on what happened with me or at least on how to get out of here. Wait! What is this? It sounds like a riot. I can hear people, voices, clang of arms. Are they coming? What shall I do now? Talk to that person behind the door or shall I run into the blue light now in hope that it is an exit...?

Part III

Maybe this person knows a way out of here. I will give it a try...

What a waste of time. That conversation with that strange person did not get me anywhere. I still have no clue why I am here. She is a prisoner here but unlike me she knows how she came here. Well, at least I know now that this place here was meant to become a monument of the victory of good over evil, a cathedral. But due to an earthquake it became a dark stronghold of evil scum. Now a cult is ruling this place, searching for unsatisfied, disgruntled and poor people to use them as thieves, and smuggler and the gods know what else. At least she can take care of herself.

What‘s happening? Damn! The riot is coming closer and closer. I need to get out of here quickly. I can hear them laughing: "Hihihihi!", "Herba budinia ex!" What does it mean? Fire, sulphuric, shadows on the wall. They are coming... coming for me... "Guess who we're hunting, hahaha!" Sabre-rattling! I can see them now. Monks, witches, hunters and others... "Your end has come!" My blood freezes in my veins... I will die here! An assassin...next to me... whispering: "Die!"... I stumble back... I feel the wall behind... Oh gods... did I just escape death to be slaughtered by a bunch of infamous bandits and old hags? I shiver, I close my eyes... I hear their laughter, I can feel their thirst for blood... blood... for a heartbeat... silence... tranquilizing darkness... blood... my blood...
Something is stiring in me! Something old and mighty, something magic. The last feeling before you enter the otherside?... No. The scales are falling from my eyes. Still, I do not know my name... but I do know my profession... and now I am sure it won't be my blood that is going to be spilt. I open my eyes... the assassin is still next to me. The others, only a few steps away, still laughing, pointing at me... Let's see who will have the last laugh. The assassin, how arrogant he looks at me... I smile, he raises an eyebrow..."Exori flam"... an ash heap remains... No more laughter, silence of amazement... I turn towards the others.

"Are you sure you are the ones hunting?"

It begins. I feel the power of magic in my veins, begging me to be unleashed... and I set it free...
It takes not even a minute and all of them are dead. Felled by the power of magic and anger, my anger. Now, that I know what I am, I have no fear anymore. I walk inside the blue light and find myself on another floor. More of this human scum. Good!... and the killing spree goes on.

They do not have a chance to flee or to defend themselves. I cast spell by spell, no resistance, only surprised faces. I am their judge and their executioner. No acquittal, only death... I fight my way out of the building, floor by floor, no one can stop me, who stands in my way dies fast...

Finally, sun light... I remember this place, but what brought me here... I do not know why but I am sure I will not find the answer here. I will leave this place. The quicker the better. I can remember a town. Maybe I can find more about my past there? So, what was the name?

Part IV

Th... Thiso?... Thees?...Ah..Thais! Yes, Thais was the name. If I remember right that town is to the northwest of this cursed place. Let‘s see if I can find the way back home, and if it is really my home...

… I can't believe that I really walked all this way from the cathedral to Thais. That was very exhausting. Especially, the desert where I got lost for some time. That was an interesting place. I should travel there again to explore it further. But that doesn't matter right now. It is really time to unearth the truth about what has happened with me. After some days of traveling I could finally make out the roofs of Thais at a distance. And now, that I pass the gates of this town I know that it was the right decision to go here. I can feel some of my memories coming back. Still, there are gaps in it but at least I remember that I used to live in Thais. Also, the people seem to know me very well. They greet me wherever I go and show me a lot of respect. Even the town watch bowed when I entered the city. It feels like I am a famous person... The town is very busy today... people are running from house to house... even if they seem to be stressed, they look happy... Oh, they are decorating the streets with lampions and coloured ribbons... and everything looks clean as a new pin... this is kinda strange for a such a big town... I am really curious what's going on here... Oh... what a wonderful house... I know this one... I'm curious if I... Indeed, I can open the door... I'll have a look inside... Awesome! That's what I call a library... and all that magical stuff... wands, potions, instruments, runes... wait a minute... could it be, that... yes! Of course, all that belongs to me. This is my residence... This great house, the magic, the respect of the inhabitants... I do remember! I am the town magician of Thais! But why did I leave Thais? What happened at the cathedral... Calm down... one step at a time. First of all, I should take a bath and change the dusty and blood-smeared clothes. And then, I will try to find out what happened...

Ah now, I feel like a new man. Almost forgot about that ring I've found in my pocket. After I cleaned it from dirt I can clearly see that it is a wedding ring. Could it be that I am married? My house does not look like as if someone else is living here as well. Maybe Lynda, the priest of the Great Pantheon can tell me more. Ah, another person I can remember. Lynda! No time to lose! Let's go. Where can I find her? Yes, right. North. Hopefully, she can help me.

“Hear me! Hear me! It is Kingsday, people, let us celebrate and sing! Decorate Thais and let the bells ring! Come to the arena to hear the swords cling! Let us rejoice! Hail to the King!”

Kingsday! Of course! King Tibianus is celebrating his reign! King Tibianus... a royal mission? That rings a bell... shall I pay him a courtesy visit? But what about the ring?

Part V

Well, I am sure the king is quite busy on a day like this. And he might not be amused if it was him who sent me on a mission and I can’t remember... Could be embarrassing... Also, I am sure I will be granted an audience after the spectacle as well. So, now let's bring this ring to Lynda, and hopefully she can enlighten me.

Bleeding hell! She ignores my question about this ring. What's it all about? Instead of telling me the truth she wants to talk about blessings... Like I would need blessings... Well, let's see if she does know anything about my mission... Aha... After all we now have a discussion about the good and evil gods... I am curious... Oh wait... this sounds interesting:

"The Gods we call evil are Zathroth, Fafnar, Brog, Urgith, and the Archdemons!" That sounds familiar... "What about these Archdemons, Lynda?" "The demons are followers of Zathroth. The cruelest are known as the ruthless seven."
… The Ruthless seven... Could it be? A mission against the dark forces...? Let's ask her: "Can you tell me more about the Ruthless seven?" "I don't want to talk about that subject!"

ARGH... STUBBORN PRIEST!!!! I felt so close... ruthless seven... archdemons... Zathroth... damn secrecy... a weird and dangerous place... under the earth... dark thrones... Zathroth... no sunlight... eternal darkness... ruthless seven... reigned by the creatures of the night... pure evil... WHAT WAS MY MISSION...

Part VI - Rise of the Archdemons
written by Dark Spike

I made an attempt to visit the king but to no avail, DAMN IT! If not for this Kingsday I might have been able to speak with him. Maybe I can find some answers back at my house; I must be overlooking something. First I will search my private study in my library. Success! I've come across letters from the king and notes I've taken down, and what's this? An old worn down book, about summoning forces... what is this cold chill running down my spine? As I ponder the secretive shortly written letters, I realize I'm fumbling the wedding ring through my fingers... the ring... yes, I remember now the ring was part of my disguise, I was undercover, acting as one of the cultists to get information for the king about a suspected cult stronghold. I was there with one of the king's Royal Guards; she was playing the role of my wife. I'm still not certain why I was investigating this particular cultist site, or what I learned from being there, but one thing is certain, I must go back. If the cult found out about us she could be in serious trouble. I must hurry!

What an agonizing ride back, I'm saddened that I was the cause for that poor horse's death, but I could not waste any time. I've made my way back into the dark cathedral, this time better prepared, I've suited myself with supplies I found back at my house: robes more fitting than the heavy armors I had to scavenge before, and a proper wand and spell book that feel so much better than that awkward sword and shield. I'm truly ready for anything these foul cultists throw at me. I've made my way back to where it all began, in the room I awoke lost from my memories. I see the blood and broken sword on the floor, and suddenly the room starts to spin... I think I'm going to be sick... all the memories are rushing back to me, I'm so dizzy from the rush of the memories. Avalie was her name, we were found out about by the cult, and were ambushed, Avalie being a wielder of the sword and close combat had taken some severe wounds but continued to fight like a champion as I cast destruction from a distance, we attempted to make a retreat and lost the horde for a brief moment in this room, that's when I suffered a blunt strike to the back of the head, just before I fainted I remember seeing her running out of the room taunting the bastards to lure them to her and away from me...

Even though we were not husband and wife, during our time together in this place we grew fond of each other, that's why she knocked me out, she knew I wouldn't willingly let her be a sacrifice for me, but whatever we found was more important than the love we had begun to share for each other. WHAT WAS IT THAT WAS SO DAMNED IMPORTANT, it's the only missing detail, and the most important.

What was that? A flash of light down the hall… and another, whatever it is, it's getting closer.

"CHAMEK ATH UTHUL ARAK"… it can't be… Demons? Here!? No! It's not just any demon, but one of the Archdemons! What have these idiots done! I must warn the king! If I do not warn him, this could be the end of our world, we must prepare we must… dear spirits, he's found me, we are all doomed.

---The End---

Our story is now finished. You decided about the fate of our hero and we would like to thank all players who took the time to vote in the thread. Special thanks to all of you who participated in our little contest about the end of this tale. You submitted great story closures and we truly appreciate your efforts and dedication. Congratulations to Dark Spike again, we selected your submission as the winner!

The pen is mightier than the sword!

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Action on Testa and Testera

Tibians! Tough warriors and skilled fighters are needed on the test servers! The Tibia team is looking for action so we are going to let some monsters loose on Testa and Testera today! Be prepared to face hordes of fierce enemies...

As there is no time for long-winded explanations, so let us get straight to the facts:

Where and When?

Today on Testa and Testera:
Thais, from 15:00 until 17:00 CEST approximately.

What do you need?

Decent gear, lots of resources, and courage, of course.
Still, you better be ready to die! Or do you have what it takes to defy the odds?

See you on the battlefield!

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New Houses, Mini World Changes, and More

We are getting closer to the release of the summer update, Tibians! Have you already tried out the new content and features on the test server?

Ten new houses will become available for rent with the release of the summer update. The design of these cozy new homes is based on the winning ideas of the dream house contest. Make sure to visit them, especially if your character is looking for a change of surroundings.

Also, three new mini world changes will be added. Gruesome orcs may build a war camp near certain cities so you better be prepared. If spiders give you the creeps, you should be very careful on your way to Venore in the future. Every once in a while, Mamma Longlegs will try to build a nest for her little darlings near the city. Last but not least, if your character's level is too high to earn some of the achievements during the Rise of Devovorga event, you may be interested in Devovorga's Essence. A strange energy portal will appear from time to time which you can enter if you have a tentacle piece with you. The Dread Guardian is waiting for you there and will grant you access to Anmothra, Chikhaton, Irahsae, Phrodomo and Teneshpar in exchange for tentacle pieces. Be warned, though! You will have to face Devovorga's incarnations alone!

The summer update will also bring along a measure to address the trashing of houses through random players. Only the owner of a house, the sub-owners and guests will be able to throw items on a house field.
Furthermore, a whole bunch of new items will be added to the game with the new Gnome area: for example, the gill set and the prismatic set, new ammunition, new wands and rods, as well as new distance and melee weapons. Check our supported and promoted fansites to find numerous screenshots, information, and videos fresh from the summer update test servers. If you are looking for first-hand experience, feel free to jump right in and join the public test!

Get ready!

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Public Test for Premium Players

Are you curious about the forthcoming summer update? Here is your chance to try out the new content and features before the release: We would like to invite premium players to take part in the summer update test!

If you were a premium player on June 20, 10:00 CEST, you will be able to join the test server. All necessary information and instructions can be found on the test website so make sure to have a look. The download links for the stand-alone test server client can be found in the announcement.
Please note that only testers from the private test may post in the forum there. However, all testers are able to send bug reports.

Enjoy!

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Challenge Accepted!

The private test of the upcoming summer update has started so it is high time for the next teaser.

Not long ago, a strange dwarf showed up in Kazordoon. He talked about a yet unknown race, the Gnomes, and about an old alliance. The Gnomes are looking for brave adventurers to assist them in their struggle against perfidious enemies. Yet, Gnomes are a bit wary of outsiders so you have to earn their trust before they will let you join their forces.

Once you have gained the Gnomes' confidence, they will take you deeper into their realm. They will show you the crystal barriers that prevent enemies from overrunning the gnomish forces. If you are still willing to help, the Gnomes will grant you access to the other side of the barriers, the so-called challenge dungeons.

Be warned, though, these places are challenging for a reason. This is your chance to prove your fighting skills, and to test your ability to work in team. We would highly recommend to not enter these dungeons on your own. All in all, there will be three different dungeons you need to master with your courage, fighting skills, the will to survive, and last but not least, luck! Still, fortune favours the bold. Everyone who helps to kill the boss that awaits you at the end of every challenge dungeon will be able to grab a reward.

In order to ensure that everyone who took part and caused damage in the boss fights will be able to take his reward, the killer list will be extended after the summer update. This means:

• everyone who helps to kill a monster will receive experience related to the damage he has caused.
• in PvP fights the 20 highest damage dealers within the last 60 seconds will get an unjustified kill in case of an unjustified murder.
• the list of assisted kills will be extended to include all damage dealers within the last 60 seconds that are not already counted as killers. Please note that an assisted kill does not count towards the skull system but it will help the victim to identify who was responsible for his death.

Are you brave enough to accept this challenge? Will you be able to fight your way through the underground dungeons?

Do you have what it takes to survive?

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Hone Your Skills Offline

Teaser time again! With this year's summer update, we are going to introduce a new premium feature to help you improve your skills in a particular field of your choice while you are logged out: offline training!

Training schools will open up in all major cities in Tibia to give premium players an opportunity to advance the skills of their characters while being offline. You will be able to choose one of the following skill combinations for your training: magic level + shielding, distance fighting + shielding, sword fighting + shielding, axe fighting + shielding, or club fighting + shielding. You simply have to use the corresponding training statue in a training school to log out in order to activate offline training for your character.

Next time you log in, you will be informed about the time period your character has trained offline and about the skill progress it has made during your absence. The skill progress will be determined by certain formulas. Since offline training allows you to sharpen your character's skills more conveniently and without having to use resources such as food, it will be less effective than training skills online. Vocations will influence your offline training progress just like they influence the skill progress when training online.

Here are some further interesting bits and pieces about offline training:

• A character will only start to train skills offline after you have been logged off with this character for 10 minutes at least. While having offline training activated for one or more of your characters, you can still log in and play with a different character.
• You will be able to train skills offline for a limited time only. Each character may train offline up to 12 consecutive hours. The offline training time you have left will be displayed in your character stats like stamina, for example.
• Every second you spend training offline will be deducted from this pool. You will regenerate one second of a character's offline training time for every second you spend online with this character. Additionally, you will regenerate one second for every second you are logged off without using offline training for this character.
• If you train offline and the training time pool reaches 0 while being offline, every second you are logged out without training will also regenerate one second of your character's training pool. However, to be able to use the regenerated offline training time, you will have to log in and use a training statue again. Let us use an example to illustrate it: Your character has 6 hours of training time left and you log out by using a training statue. You stay offline with this character for 10 hours. Upon login you will get the skill gain for 6 hours offline training and your training pool will have 4 hours left.

The introduction of offline training will also bring along a change of one of the rewards for completing the Shadows of Yalahar quest, namely target dummies. Target dummies have been a controversially discussed feature ever since they were implemented. We want to address the feedback we received on this topic by removing target dummies from the game and providing offline training instead, a convenient way to sharpen skills which is available to all premium players.
Consequently, Telas' laboratory will be cleaned of target dummies with the summer update. Players who completed the Shadows of Yalahar quest will then find some gnarling creatures down there, and a special tool to ensure that they leave the room on the back of one of these hairy beasts.

Last but not least, we uploaded some fancy artworks featuring the Gnome theme on our official Tibia Facebook page. Also check our supported and promoted fansites for translations of this teaser.

Sharpen your skills!

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Small but Mighty!

Lately, the ancient walls of Kazordoon are telling stories about a strange dwarf who can be found in the temple district of the old mountain city. Rumour has it that he is searching for brave adventurers and is recruiting heroes to avert a danger. A hard and challenging danger no one has ever faced before, threatening a race no one has ever heard of, at a place no one has ever seen...

Tibians, this summer the dwarfs are going to lift one of the their best-guarded secrets: the secret of a long existing alliance between the dwarfs and another underground dwelling race, the Gnomes.

Hidden under the earth for centuries, no one, except the dwarfs had the slightest idea that Gnomes even exist. But now, after an eternity of isolation and solitude, this small folk is in need of brave heroes like you!

The Gnomes are threatened by a hostile force that bleeds this race to a slow but certain death. Therefore, they asked their dwarven allies for support. That is why the dwarfs are now looking for courageous warriors to join the gnomish troops to assist them in their distress. Are you willing to join the Bigfoots, the gnomish brigade which is fighting against the evil menace?

But be warned, the Gnomes do no trust strangers blindly. You will have to pass a few tasks before this wary folk will be convinced to confide in you and to fight together with you side by side.

Search for a dwarf called Xelvar in Kazordoon and hear more about the long unknown and mysterious Gnomes. Visit the underground home of this mushroom loving race and gaze at an environment you have never seen before. Experience a totally new way of travelling with the gnomish crystal teleporters. Learn to travel through the hub, the gnomish linkage between several already existing Tibian cities. Fight creatures you have never dreamed of.

Your courage and bravery might be rewarded with new outfits and mounts, given by the Gnomes. But what enemy awaits you? What evil force threatens this small race? What foe can be so mighty to menace a whole nation?

More amazing pictures of the gnomish area and new monster cards can be found on our supported and promoted fansites so make sure to pay them a visit.

Are you curious? Stay tuned for more to come!

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