The day is here! The much anticipated tradeskill split is upon us! This is the largest single code update we've ever done; introducing several new class skills, a slew of new trade skills, updates to weapons and armour, and much more.

Here's the list of major changes:

- Class-based tradeskills are now available for all players! This adds another massive area of character customisation, allowing you to be an Apostate who concocts venomous toxins, or a Bard who harvests primes and minerals. See HELP TRADESKILLS for more information

- Knight classes have had their forging skill replaced with a new skill, Weaponmastery! This is a new specialisation based skill that allows four unique fighting styles! Check out HELP WEAPONMASTERY for all of the details. Your skill level in forging has been directly transferred to the new skill. If you were a journeyman, your chivalry skill level has been translated across to Weaponmastery.

- We've opened up free Weaponmastery respecialisation for two weeks, and during this time, there is no need for weapon proficiencies.

- Alchemists have had the Transmutation skill replaced with Formulation! This skill provides Alchemists the ability to formulate new gasses and liquids (usable only by the creator) that can turn the tide of any battle. See HELP FORMULATION for further information.

- Magi have had their enchanting skill replaced with Artificing, a new skill in which they create and control a large crystalline golem! HELP ARTIFICING!

- All lessons invested in previous tradeskills (Cooking, Gathering, Inkmilling, Jewellery, Tailoring) have been refunded. Any previous permits have been converted back into "a bronze trade seal", this item can be used in place of the 200cr fee for re-obtaining any tradeskill permit (Cooking, Jewellery, Tailoring). These seals can be traded in for 200cr, should their owner no longer want them.

- Crafters who previously had Cooking, Jewellery, and Tailoring have been gifted with a special item that will allow them to continue to cook/sew/craft all of their previous designs without learning the skill again. Naturally, they're free to re-learn the tradeskill to continue designing new items.

- The rapier weapon proficiency has been removed, all adventurers with this proficiency have been gifted "a worn whetstone", which can be used to learn a new weapon proficiency at no cost.

- Forging has been overhauled! The random element of forging is gone, meaning that if you're after a longsword or a scimitar, you do not need to spend days or weeks at the forge trying to find that perfect weapon or armour. See HELP FORGING for more details. All existing weapons and armour have be normalised to their new stats.

- Artefact weapon statistics have been adjusted; they will always be upgrades compared to the new standardised forged values.

- All artefact knight weapons have been given a one-off switch to another knight weapon of the same level. This is a ***ONE-TIME ONLY SWITCH***, so be especially sure of your choice, as we will not change it after it is done. To do this, simply EXCHANGE <weapon#> FOR <new weapon type>. e.g. EXCHANGE RAPIER1234 FOR BROADSWORD. If the weapon was customised, you'll receive a figurine to be used for a future customisation. Weapons with the ASP addon will transfer across, assuming the other weapon can support it. In the event you're swapping an ASP'ed sword for a blunt weapon, the ASP fee will be refunded.

- Abilities that are affected by weapon stats have been rebalanced to factor in the new values.

- Class-based armour and shield restrictions still exist, but anyone with the Armoursmithing ability will be able to forge and sell any armour; fullplate is no longer bound to the forger who made it!

- Armoursmiths and weaponsmiths can modify their forged goods with a variety of descriptors (e.g. "elegant" or "serrated" can be specified to make "an elegant rapier" or "a serrated broadsword"). As you forge more items, you will unlock more exclusive descriptors to set your wares apart.

- The way armour and shield resistances are displayed has been modified to be more accurate. Rather than an arbitrary value, it will show a percentage that is more in-line with the reduction for most attacks. A 100/100 fullplate doesn't really block 100% of damage, for example. Nothing else has changed with armour, just the way it's displayed.

- Class-only benefits associated with tradeskills (like Concoctions' sip bonus, Enchanting's necklace of purity, and Transmutations's potash bonus) will not be present in the new tradeskills. They will stay in place for the relevant classes until they receive their overhaul (i.e. sentinels will still receive the sip bonus until their replacement skill is implemented).

- Transmutation tonics and balms, and concoctions elixirs and salves have been combined into a new trade skill: Remedies, and have been standardised to the original concoctions names. We've converted all of the vials and tuns of the transmutation cures over for you, and the server-side curing system has been updated to use these, even with mineral/transmutation cures enabled.

- All adventurers have been given a trait reset, if they did not have one already!

- The Hammer of Forging artefact has been removed from the game, as it offers no benefit to the new way of forging. We've given a full refund to anyone who had a hammer at this time.

- Any tradeskill-related artefact purchased within the past 6 months (since June 31, 2014) is eligible for a 100% trade-in. Please email artefacts@achaea.com to arrange this. Artefacts purchased before this will carry their usual 66% value. All of the artefacts will continue to work with the new tradeskills.

- To go alongside these, we've also implemented some other relevant changes to classes and combat, which will be coming in a follow up post in the next few minutes.

As mentioned in the opening, this is the single largest code change in Achaea's history! With this many changes, there's bound to be some quirks! If you encounter anything that seems off, please file a BUG with as much information as possible!

Penned by My hand on the 12th of Aeguary, in the year 673 AF.