In the Summer Alpha, once a plot of land had been bought by a player, it stayed theirs as long as they paid their upkeep. To make landownership in the game more engaging, we have changed how land is acquired and kept in the world of Albion.

Land Acquisition

Building plots in cities start as „unclaimed“ and can be purchased for a certain silver fee. The plot will then be considered „owned“. The owner then can erect crafting stations and houses on the plot.

Compared to the summer alpha, you will not have to pay upkeep on your owned plots anymore. Instead, all owned plots, come up for auction in fixed intervals.

Auction System

One week before the end of any lease interval, the bidding on the plots will start. The auction will utilize a maximum bid system: you enter the maximum amount of silver you would be willing to invest for a plot. If somebody else also wants to acquire the plot, your own bid is adjusted up until your maximum bid. If you are the current owner of the plot, your bids count double.

Naturally, you can always increase your maximum bid – given you have the silver available. This bidding period will last for six days. On the seventh day, only the current owner of the plot is able to increase his bid to prevent him from being „sniped“ at the last second.

Aftermath

If the current owner wins the auction on the plot, they will get a lease extension for a certain timeframe of four or eight weeks.

If somebody else wins the auction, naturally the plot ownership changes hands – including buildings that have been built there. The previous land owner, who invested in the building, will get a cut of the winning bid as a lump sum as a compensation.

Additionally, if the plot is located in a city owned by a guild, that guild also receives a small cut. The cut for the guild is split into daily payments over the following lease period.

The goal of this new system is to prevent a constant blockade of building plots – and also to give players joining Albion Online later a fair chance at owning a desirable building space. Theoretically, players now can purchase any plot – as long as they are able to outbid the previous owner. With this change, we want to encourage a more fluid market and also bring some additional „economic PvP“ into the game.

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