Chronicle 5: Oath of Blood
Revamped clans and the lands of Schuttgart
Shortly after Chronicle 4, NCSoft announced its next update - Chronicle 5: Oath of Blood. This overview is based on material from a Korean press conference, so location and monster names may differ from those that later appeared on the North American (NA) servers.
Preliminary overview
The Chronicle 5 concept
Easier solo play. In lands intended for solo hunting, monsters will drop instant-effect items: like power-ups in arcade games, they restore HP and MP the moment you pick them up. There will be nine such territories, for players of levels 20-60.
Rewarding clan activity. To strengthen interaction between players, the clan system underwent major changes:
- Clan academies. Clans will be able to found academies that help new players up to level 40 raise their reputation within the clan.
- Clan ranks. A newly created clan has only a leader and ordinary members, but later the clan will be able to assign members to ranks. The highest rank in Chronicle 5 is Marquis; Lord/Lady and King/Queen ranks were planned for later.
- Clan items. Clans will be able to buy clan items with clan reputation points. To use them, a member needs a certain clan reputation and a certain rank.
- Clan skills. Clan skills are organized as a tree: a skill learned by the leader applies to all clan members depending on their rank.
Class balance
- PvP balance. A "rock-paper-scissors" system is meant to eliminate dominant classes: any strong class can be beaten by its counter class.
- Hero skills. Since the Hero rewards do not match the difficulty of earning the status, new skills are being introduced for Heroes. The Grand Olympiad will also be reworked to make competition fairer.
- New skills. To keep players motivated to continue, new skills are being added for characters around level 60. They also play an important role in PvP balance.
Completing the continent
The orc and dwarf lands will be connected to the rest of the mainland by the new lands of Schuttgart. You can now reach any point on the map without teleports (Talking Island by swimming). Schuttgart will have monsters of varying difficulty - the farther from the starting areas, the stronger.
- Schuttgart Castle and town were added, with nine different locations.
- Dungeons for high-level characters were added. The Monastery of Silence and Shrine of the Heretics appear in the Rune region, populated by level 80+ monsters.
Support for new technology
- Dual-core CPUs. Computers with dual-core processors will see a 30% performance increase.
- Vertex shaders. The game starts using vertex shaders.
Other new features
- New items - armor, weapons, accessories and clan items.
- Fishing changes - fishing will depend on in-game events, and Night Fishing will be more difficult.
- New raid boss Frintezza. Defeating it will require a sound-based strategy.
- Interface changes - party matching was reworked so that party leaders can find players more easily. Raid parties can also be formed to prevent loot stealing: for a while, only raid members will be able to pick up a raid boss's drop.
- Cursed weapon - the demonic sword Zariche. It is a one-handed sword that is equipped as soon as it is picked up. A character with Zariche cannot join a party and enters a chaotic state in which they lose no experience on death and drop no items. More cursed weapons were planned for later.
New territories
The lands of Rune, the orcs and the dwarves are connected to the rest of the mainland by the new lands of Schuttgart, which bring new dungeons and hunting grounds.
Rune region
Three new dungeons were added:
| Location | Monster levels | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Shrine of the Heretics | 80-87 | A dungeon near the town of Rune, built by worshippers of the demon Triol in a vast system of underground tunnels. To enter, a player must be a Heretic or agree to become a sacrifice to Triol. One of the hardest dungeons in the game |
| Stakato's Nest | 72-80 | A cave to the right of the Swamp of Screams where Stakato Queens grow up with their armies and elite Stakato warriors train. The monsters use sophisticated combat tactics |
| Monastery of Silence | - | A monastery to the right of the Valley of Saints, built by the Priests of Einhasad as a counterweight to the Shrine of the Heretics |
Schuttgart region
Six new areas were added:
| Location | Monster levels | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Winter's Labyrinth | 53-63 | Southeast of Schuttgart Castle. Winding, fearsome valleys laid out like a maze, but all paths lead to the castle of the Ice Queen. Suits both solo and party hunting |
| Demon's Dwelling | 40-50 | In southern Schuttgart. A dwelling of demons where the Ragna Orcs use magic to control demons and insects. Suits both solo and party hunting |
| Wildlands of Pillage | 30-40 | East of Schuttgart Castle. Once the main transport route, now swarming with bandits after the dwarves' gold |
| Castle of the Ice Queen | 55-60 | Beyond Winter's Labyrinth. A quest item is required to enter. You have only 35 minutes to defeat the raid boss. You cannot restart once inside, and if the server restarts the party has to start over |
| Burial of Disgrace | 25-32 | The southwestern route from the orc village to Schuttgart. Suits both solo and party hunting |
| Pabel Ruins | 25-32 | South of Schuttgart Castle. The ruins of laboratories built by the giant Pabel for his research. They have now been taken over by the mad dwarf scientist Doctor Kaos |
Additional notes
According to l2db.ru:
- Chronicle 5: Oath of Blood was released on September 6, 2006. The full official list of changes and the October 24, 2006 patch are in Chronicle 5: full patch notes, and per-class skill changes are in Chronicle 5: skill changes.
- The maximum character level was raised to 80, and the new castles near Rune and Schuttgart became available for sieges.
- The maximum clan level is 8, and clan size grew from 40 to 140 members. A clan is divided into Royal Guard units, Orders of Knights and an Academy that accepts characters without the second profession.
- Clan reputation points are needed to raise the clan level, learn and activate clan skills and create new sub-units. They are earned by capturing a castle, killing enemies in a clan war and for every Academy graduate.
- Hero skills - Heroic Dread, Heroic Grandeur, Heroic Valor, Heroic Berserker and Heroic Miracle - work only on the main class.
- Defeating raid bosses grants Life Crystals, which can be exchanged at an NPC for special armor.
- Frintezza is a son of the emperor of Elmoreden who made a pact with the devil for eternal life. His lair lies behind a secret door deep in the Imperial Tomb; opening it requires a series of quests.
- In the final version some locations got different names and levels: Shrine of the Heretics became The Pagan Temple, Winter's Labyrinth - The Frozen Labyrinth, Demon's Dwelling - The Den of Evil, Wildlands of Pillage - The Plunderous Plains, Burial of Disgrace - The Crypts of Disgrace, and Pabel Ruins - The Pavel Ruins with level 46-54 monsters.