I was told by EB that not all of their retailers would be participating in this promotion, and that you had to get it online. Is this true? That should not be the case. If you hear from a specific EB store (in the US or Canada) that they will not be participating in the Shroud promotion, send an email to binky@uo.com with the store number (as in EB location #219, etc), store manager's name, and the store phone number. We'll give that particular store a call and try to clear up any issues.
How will I actually get this shroud once I pre-order and get my confirmation code?
Once you have the validation code, you'll go to the web page address listed with the code, where you can either activate a new account or upgrade your existing account to UO:AoS status. After registering for UO:AoS, enter into the game on the specific shard and with the specific character that you wish to receive the shroud. (Note: although you will be able to exchange these shrouds between characters, they cannot be transferred across shards.) Use the Help system to page a Game Master (GM) with the phrase "Hooded Shroud of Shadows Redemption Code." The GM will confirm your code and award you the Hooded Shroud of Shadows.
When do I have to request my Hooded Shroud?
If you have the code to get the Hooded Shroud of Shadows, you must claim your shroud prior to Monday, March 31, at 11:59pm CT, regardless of what shard or region the shroud is being claimed in. After this deadline, all Hooded Shroud of Shadows redemption codes will no longer be valid, and no further shrouds may be claimed.
How many shrouds can I get per account?
Only one shroud will be given per AoS purchase, and only one shroud will be handed out per account (so if you buy two copies of AoS in order to get two shrouds, you'll need to be sure to collect them on two different accounts).
Can I get it on Siege Perilous?
Yes, the Mini Houses, the Bless Deeds, and the Shroud of Shadows will all be available on the Siege Perilous shard.
----EARLY SETTLERS PROGRAM QUESTIONS----
So about that other promotion... the website said we'd get a "Blessed Deed." Is that the same thing as an Item Bless deed?
Yes, these are Item Bless Deeds - although they'll work a little differently than the ones you may have seen in UO in the past. These Bless Deeds will not be transferable, and items will only stay blessed for the original character who got the deed. Once the deed has been used, it will disappear - so use it wisely!
If every character gets an Item Bless Deed, won't that flood the market?
We don't feel that will be the case at all! Since you can't trade these, it won't be possible for anyone to collect and hoard hundreds of them, and since they're only good for the original character who receives it, it won't be advantageous for people to create new characters on shards they don't play to get them. A blessed item can be a fabulous thing on your main character, but it won't do you much good on a character you don't play.
Tell me more about these Mini Houses!
The Miniature House Collectibles will be just what they sound like - little tiny versions of UO houses! They'll appear in the backpacks of all eligible UO:AoS characters. The styles of the Miniature House Collectible are based upon all the current "classic" style of UO houses, and the style each character gets will be random. The Miniature House Collectible is blessed, and may be locked down within one's house or transferred between characters, if desired.
So there will be tons of Mini Houses out there in the game world after Age of Shadows?
Yes, but not all designs will be common! Think of them like trading cards. There are millions of trading cards out there in the world, but very few of the special foil-lined uber cards - and those stay extremely valuable. So while some Mini House designs will appear frequently, others will be much tougher to get. For example, a given single-room mini-house designs may appear more often that the rarer castle mini-house.
If I live in an area outside the US, can I still participate in getting this Bless Deed and the Mini House collectible?
Yes! Be sure to check out the post we posted in FYI on this very issue at uo.com. The time periods will be different on shards in different territories, but you'll be able to claim them on any shard.
Will I get the Mini House and the Bless Deed, or is it one or the other? And is it per character, or per account?
You'll receive one Mini House and one Bless Deed for each character you log into UO during the promotional period.
Does my account or character need to be a certain age before I'm eligible to receive these bonuses?
Nope -- there is no account age or character age limit on these promotions. Whether you buy AoS and start a new account or whether you upgrade your current account, all of your characters, new and old, are eligible to take part in these offers throughout the promotional period.
How long will we have to get the Mini Houses and the Item Bless Deeds?
These items will only be available for a limited time on each shard! The promotional period will start on the day the shard first goes live with the new AoS code, and will continue for 18 days after that.
----RELEASE DATES AND HOUSING OPENING QUESTIONS----
Any news on the exact release dates for different territories?
Our current dates are the following:
US/Canada/Australia February 11th
Japan: Feb. 19th
Europe: Feb. 28th
Please keep in mind throughout this entire document that dates are always subject to change!
For Korea and China, we recommend you check the Korean and Chinese UO sites for the most current information (You can find links to our sister sites here.)
So it ships on the 11th? Is that the day I should take off work, then?
The release date for each territory is the date it leaves the EA warehouse. It's possible that some retailers may have a shipping arrangement that will enable them to get it in on the exact release date, but many retailers will likely get it on the next day. The exact date will depend on the retailer, so you might want to check with your local stores to find out their exact policies.
Will the AoS content be live when I buy the expansion?
Before the new content in Age of Shadows can actually work, we'll need to publish some extra code to the shards. That publish will go onto the shards on the same day as the release date in each territory. In other words, the North American shards, including Siege, will get this publish once Age of Shadows has hit the shelves in the US/Canada/Australia (Feb. 11th). The European shards should get this publish later to coincide with the European AoS release date. The South Asia-Pacific shards will get this publish to coincide with their release dates as well.
Okay, now for the big question - what about housing space in Malas? When will that be opened to new houses?
Be sure to read the question above about the AoS code going live! Part of the publish with Age of Shadows will be to added the ability for AoS users to enter and place a house in Malas. Once the publish is live on your particular shard, houses will be able to be placed in Malas - provided you have an AoS upgraded account. For the US/Canada/Australia, that should be right after regular morning maintenance on February 11th.
So if I pre-order the game and have it shipped to me, does that mean I may not be able to get into Malas and place a house right away?
It's possible, but we really don't think this will be a problem, for several reasons.
One -- There's a LOT of housing space in Malas! Currently, according to Fertbert (one of our esteemed server programmers), Malas can accommodate WELL over 1500 houses (and not just the little ones, and not perfectly placed, either) per shard. It's likely that number may end up closer to 2000 per shard, although right now we're only promising 1500.
Two -- Many people will be pre-ordering (our numbers are skyrocketing already). You will by no means be the only one waiting for a shipment after the first day.
Three - February 11th is the day that it ships from EA, meaning that many retailers won't have it on their shelves until the 12th anyway.
Four -- One house per account means that people won't be snapping up new housing spots unless they’re either homeless or willing to give up a pre-existing house, which means new space will be opening up elsewhere as well.
Five -- Phase 3 of the Housing Decay changes should be active soon, which (in case you haven't read about it) means that houses on inactive accounts will be decaying as well, opening up quite a few housing spots as well in the current lands.
Six -- There's a LOT of housing space in Malas! :)
Lots of housing space? What about keeps and castles?
With the addition of 40000+ new houses we anticipate somewhere near a 75% home ownership rate, which we feel is very close to the percentage of players who both have the desire to own a home, and enough gold to purchase a plot of land. In order to help us achieve this, keeps and castles will not be allowed in the land of Malas.
Why open housing on some shards first thing in the morning on Feb. 11th, instead of waiting for everyone to get their pre-ordered copies?
Several reasons, actually. First, we want everything in Age of Shadows available from the first day it’s released in each territory - no waiting for features to become active once you bring the game home. If we waited for everyone worldwide to get their copies before we opened housing on any shard, we’d be holding off housing for weeks, since release dates in different territories are not the same.
And second, keep in mind that we *can't* let everyone place a house at once. It would literally bring the servers to their knees. No matter what we do, it is imperative that we have some sort of staged housing placement. If we do it by lotto, it'd be random, and lots of people would be left out. If we do it by account age, we'd still get complaints. Newer players (and thus the ones most likely to be homeless) would be upset if they got passed over by people who've already had houses. People with older accounts would be upset if we allowed newer people to place before them. The point is that no matter what method we use to make sure that not everyone places at once, someone will be left out.
Even if we only waited a few days, or even only 4 or 5 hours on that first day, that will still mean a buildup of people waiting to place, with a burst as all of those people try to place simultaneously once the restrictions are lifted.
Will there be any restrictions on account age when placing houses?
No. All accounts will be able to place houses in Malas (of course, the one-house per account rule still applies). This includes both the upgrade code and the new account codes received through Age of Shadows. Housing is for new and veteran players alike!
----CUSTOMIZABLE HOUSE QUESTIONS----
If I place a customizable dirt lot, will I have to build on it immediately? Or can I just hold onto the space until later?
When you buy the customizable lot, you'll basically be buying a house right then and there - it's just not built yet. Once you own that spot, it's yours. No one can build over it, and there's no time limit on how long you can take before building on it yourself.
How much will a customizable house plot cost?
We're still tweaking the exact numbers, but you can currently expect to pay anywhere from around 30K for a small 7x7 foundation to around 180K for an 18x18 (the largest footprint allowed in Malas). There are dozens of plot sizes to choose from... including most sizes between 7x7 and 18x18, so there should be something for most budgets. Remember, though, that these numbers don't include any building that will actually take place on your foundations!
What about the number of lockdowns?
That's still something that's being decided. We'll let you know once we have more info!
Will customizing a house count as a housing upgrade? In other words, can I use it and still keep any grandfathered houses?
Just changing the look of your home will not opt you into the one-house-per-account system as long as your house stays in the same location and retains the same footprint it had before (that's how many actual squares of land your house -- and the yard, if you build one -- covers).
Will it be possible to upgrade a current house to a bigger dirt lot, if room permits and follows the current house placement guideline?
Yes - but it will count as a housing upgrade under the Primary House system! This means that if you only own one house, you're free to pick it up and replace it with a larger dirt lot (provided, of course, that you have the room and the cash). Owners of multiple houses, however, should be warned that if you re-deed a house to place a dirt lot with a different footprint (see the above answer), that will mark that house as a Primary house, and any other houses will decay. NOTE - if your house is improperly placed, there is NO guarantee that you could re-place it in the same spot if you pick it up!
Will the custom housing allow houses to squeeze into places that normally would not allow housing due to obstacles or water?
Alas, the rules for locations haven't changed - you'll still need to find a nice open spot of land for your house. :)
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Updated AoS FAQ - Dates, Promos, & Housing, oh my!