Why introduce "Seasons" at all? Were other options considered? Were you inspired by other games?

We’ve studied how sandbox games naturally follow a lifespan curve – initial excitement, then a slow decline without fresh incentives. "Seasons" are our way of keeping the experience dynamic and engaging. They offer:

• Structured progression

• Phased unlocks

• Varied goals

• Time-limited competition with real rewards

We didn’t want to just "wipe and restart". Instead, each "Season" is a curated experience, inspired by successful systems in Rust, Albion Online, and Path of Exile.

We still believe in the value of a persistent world, like Goldenland. But we’ve also learned that truly permanent servers often lead to stagnation, imbalance, and burnout – especially once a few groups dominate. "Seasonal" worlds give us space to experiment, reset, and deliver meaningful change without breaking the core of what Life is Feudal stands for.

The dual-world model (persistent PvE and seasonal PvP) gives players a real choice in how they want to experience Arden – and we think that’s the best path forward.

Can you tell us more about the mechanic of gradual unlocking of buildings and recipes that you’ve already announced as a main feature for the first "Season"?

Each “Season” is divided into “Ages,” with each Age lasting around 4 weeks. As the "Season" progresses, new "Ages" unlock more content – including buildings, crafting recipes, gear tiers, and bonuses. This phased progression helps maintain game balance and gives everyone a fair chance to catch up and compete.

Will you release a list of unlocked structures at the beginning of every "Age"?

Yes! You’ll be able to see the list of available and upcoming unlocks directly in the game via the seasonal UI. It will show what’s currently accessible and what’s coming next in each "Age", so you can plan your progression without needing to check outside sources.

Are there any progression bonuses during the "Season"?

Yes, there are stacking progression bonuses as the "Season" unfolds. These include things like:

• Increased wood and crop yields

• Miner’s bonuses and faster blacksmith crafting

• Better animal spawns and breeding rates

• XP boosts to help late joiners catch up

• Increased PvP damage during the final month
  

LiF is designed for a slow-paced progression. What changes will be needed in mechanics to transform the LiF gameplay into “seasonal”?

You're absolutely right – Life is Feudal was originally built around long-term, persistent progression. To adapt it to a seasonal format, we’re rebalancing some crafting requirements and skill dependencies to better match the faster pacing. The idea is to maintain the depth and meaning of progression, without making it feel like a grind that doesn’t pay off in time.

Given a “Season” is only 6 months, will crafting and leveling rates be adjusted accordingly?

Yes. Skill progression – especially offline leveling for higher-tier skills (like T4) – will be adjusted based on when those skills become available in the "Age" system. We don’t want players spending weeks leveling something they can’t even use yet. We've also tuned XP gain to reward consistent, active play, rather than grindy rushes. Additionally, tree growth, wild seed quality, and animal quality have all been improved to help players progress into high-end farming and breeding faster – all in sync with the 6-month "season" structure.

Are “Seasons” changing the core of Life is Feudal?

Not at all. “Seasons” aren’t about turning Life is Feudal into a different game – they’re about offering new ways to enjoy the same game. It’s a more focused, time-limited experience that complements the persistent world. We’re still actively maintaining and improving the core systems for players who prefer that long-term playstyle.

In the original dev blog about “Seasons,” it was mentioned that the world would be wiped after each cycle. This raised concerns, especially among PvE players. Has the team come up with a way to preserve the long-term, persistent nature of Life is Feudal alongside the new seasonal model?

Yes – for the first “Season” we’ve introduced a dual-world structure to support both playstyles.

• Arden ("green zone") will remain a persistent PvE world. All your characters, stats, gear, and private claims will be preserved there, with no "seasonal" wipes. This world is focused on long-term building, crafting, and cooperative gameplay.

• Seasonal Arden ("red zone") is a competitive PvP world with structured seasonal resets and progression phases. It’s designed for those who enjoy fresh starts, competitive goals, and a more intense, time-limited experience.

By running both worlds in parallel, we can tailor mechanics like wipe schedules, durability loss, trading, and progression speed to fit each playstyle – without compromising the core identity of the game.

So does that mean it will be like choosing a world every time we log in – but now with three options: “Newbie Island”, Arden ("green zone"), and Seasonal Arden ("red zone")?

Yes, exactly. With the start of the first "Season" and the "red zone" wipe, all current player characters will be moved to the persistent Arden "green zone" (private claim area). From there, you’ll get to choose one of three transfer options, depending on your playstyle and guild status:

1. Join "guilds green zone": Your character joins a designated guild settlement in the ex red zone Arden that becomes PVE Guild zone, unlocking full guild claim building without JHs.

2. Remain in legacy "green zone": Your character stays on your existing private claim in the classic "green zone".

3. Transfer to Seasonal Arden ("red zone"): Your character moves to the new "seasonal" PvP world, which triggers a full "seasonal" reset.

This transfer process is initiated when you interact with either the “Seasonal Ferryman” (new) or the traditional “Ferryman” (for legacy migration).

While it’s not a 1:1 copy of Avalon and Epleland, this setup is their spiritual successor — providing a clear separation between PvE and PvP worlds, each with its own systems and priorities.

The seasonal "red zone" map intentionally has no "green zone"— it’s focused entirely on competitive, time-limited PvP. A full wipe happens every "Season" in the RedZone, including character data, buildings, terraforming, inventories, guild claims, and even the world generation. The "red zone" also uses the "Age" system for phased unlocks and "seasonal" modifiers, offering a fresh, challenging experience every 6 months.

Do we understand correctly that the current Arden "green zone" will not be wiped – not during the transition to "Seasons", and not in the foreseeable future? And that it’s even expanding into what used to be "red zone" territory?

Yes, that’s correct! The Arden "green zone" for private claims will remain persistent – no wipe during the first "Season" launch or in the foreseeable future. In fact, we’re expanding its territory into areas that were previously part of the "red zone". Actual "red zone" terrains will be wiped to convert into "green zone" for guild claim so PvE-focused groups can enjoy organized group play without being pushed into "seasonal" wipes or siege PvP environments. We do not plan to do wipe on both areas just to wipe them.

Will PvP be completely disabled in Arden "green zone", or will there be exceptions?

That’s still under internal discussion. What we can say for sure is:

• Seasonal Arden ("red zone") will be full PvP with no restrictions.

• Current "green zone" will remain fully PvE.

• "Guild green zone" designed more for long-term guild development and PvE-friendly play without JHs.

Whether or not "guild green zone" will allow some limited or situational open-world PvP is something we’re still considering – and we’d really love to hear what the community thinks about it!

Will it be possible to migrate between the two worlds – "green zone" and Seasonal Arden?

Yes, migration between worlds will be possible. However, transferring from "green zone" (PvE) to Seasonal Arden (PvP) will trigger a reset effect to maintain fairness and competitive balance in the "seasonal" environment.

Here’s how the reset works when moving into Seasonal Arden:

• Stats are capped (35 to 20)

• Combat and crafting skills are scaled down

  • T1 → 60

  • T2 → 30

  • T3–T4 → 0

• Inventory is wiped, except for no-drop (bound) items

This ensures everyone starts the first "Season" on equal footing.

On the flip side, if you transfer a character from PvP back to PvE, your progress will not be reset. That said, we are actively monitoring this system and may introduce cooldowns or tighter restrictions in the future if it’s necessary to prevent any kind of exploitation.

When do you plan the wipe and the launch of the first "Season"?

We’re aiming to launch the first full "seasonal" wipe and first "Season" late summer to early autumn.

The exact timing will depend on final testing and server preparation. We’ll make sure to keep players updated on all key milestones along the way, so you’ll have enough time to plan your gameplay and migration in advance.

If I understand correctly, the next Arden "red zone" wipe will happen about 6 months after the first "Season" starts. Will "Seasons" always last exactly 6 months? Can they be longer? What will the length of a "Season" depend on?

You’re right – the current plan is for each "Season" to last about 6 months. That gives players enough time to build up, engage in PvP, and hit meaningful milestones without rushing.

However, the 6-month cycle isn’t set in stone. "Season" length may change in the future depending on:

• Player feedback

• Activity levels throughout the "Season"

• How quickly players complete "seasonal" content

So yes, some "Seasons" might be a bit shorter or longer – we’ll stay flexible to make sure each one feels fresh and rewarding.

Despite all the new features, Life is Feudal still focuses on guild-vs-guild conflict. With "Seasons", that seems even more important, as guilds will be competing for rankings and rewards. Can you tell us more about how that will work?

Yes – guild competition is at the heart of the "seasonal" experience. Each "Season" will include specific goals and scoring metrics tied to things like war score, territory control, guild wealth, and social influence.

Guilds will earn seasonal points through:

• Winning Instanced Battles (IBs)

• Accumulating wealth and guild rank

• Controlling provinces at the end of the Season

We’re also working on a seasonal leaderboard or achievement board to help players track their progress and compare standings. While we can’t guarantee it’ll be ready in time for first "Season" due to technical factors, it’s definitely something we plan to introduce in future updates.

If one of the "seasonal" objectives is to claim the most provinces, won’t the NA region be at a disadvantage due to having fewer provinces?

Yes, we’re aware of that imbalance. We’re currently reviewing province distribution and how scoring is calculated to ensure that regions like NA aren’t at a structural disadvantage when it comes to territory-based objectives. Fairness across regions is a key focus.

Will the rules for Instanced Battles (IBs) be reworked so only the attacker and defender guild members can participate, without random “free swords”?

We’re actively exploring that. One idea on the table is a sign-up system tied to the guild’s monument or totem, where only members of the attacking and defending guilds (and possibly their formal allies) would be able to join. The goal is to prevent random, unaffiliated players from joining IBs and undermining the structure.

What changes were made to the guild system in preparation for "Seasons"?

Several important updates were introduced:

• Guilds are now limited to 50 unique accounts (100 characters) – this encourages tighter coordination and helps reduce zerging and mega-alliances.

• Friendly/Ally access to guild objects is disabled – guilds can no longer give shared access to buildings and resources.

• Sharing between guilds and personal characters is suspended – this makes it harder to bypass mechanics using alts or “onion-claim” layering.

• Internal ranks and permissions within a single guild still work as before, so structured hierarchies and role management remain fully supported.

How do you plan to balance small and large guilds during "Seasons"?

We want "Seasons" to be rewarding for both large alliances and smaller groups. To support that, we’re introducing age-based progression limits, which prevent large guilds from rushing straight to endgame content early in the "Season".

We’re also considering mentorship and cooperation mechanics in future updates to help smaller groups grow and stay competitive throughout the "seasonal" cycle.

Some players are unhappy with the limits on asset sharing. Why was this decision made, and are there any alternatives being considered?

We totally understand the frustration – it wasn’t an easy call. These restrictions were introduced to curb serious abuse of alliance mechanics, like hidden ownership, tax loopholes, and ways to bypass siege mechanics using alt guilds.

Long-term, we do want to bring back alliance systems, but in a cleaner, more structured form that enables cooperation without allowing exploits. We also want to promote local wars.

If I’m in the same guild as someone, can I still lose alignment for friendly fire?

No – if you and your ally are in the same guild, you won’t lose alignment for accidental hits. Alignment loss applies mainly when you attack innocent or neutral players outside your guild.

Doesn’t this change kill player-led hubs like “Jita City”? Can there be exceptions?

We deeply value community-driven projects like Jita City. While current changes limit asset sharing for balance reasons, we’re actively discussing ways to support trusted public initiatives in the future – possibly through dedicated permissions, shared zones, or special player roles.

That said, in the Arden "green zone" (PvE) – especially in the guild-supporting regions – you’ll still be able to build similar community hubs without the pressure of PvP or "seasonal" resets. It’s a great place for long-term, cooperative projects to thrive freely, outside of the competitive "seasonal" cycle.

Do you plan to add more ways to make money for upkeep? Will upkeep costs be further adjusted? Is the system effective against the “onion” claim strategy?

Yes – we’re planning to introduce more coin generation methods, especially to support smaller or PvE-oriented groups. We’re also open to further tuning upkeep costs based on territory size, claim value, and player activity.

We know that the current system can sometimes punish successful conquest by increasing upkeep on newly claimed outposts – and that it hasn’t fully solved the problem of “onion” claim abuse. These issues are under active review as we tune Season 1, and your feedback is a big part of that process.

Do you have any plans to rebalance PvP, make it smoother?

There are a lot of factors that go into this topic- balancing not only weapons, but armors, desync, lags. In a way, that is a never-ending, perpetual project. Some of the factors are much harder to change than others, but there are definitely plans to rebalance weapons and armors. These changes may not come fast, but the research on how to make the combat better is underway.

Let’s talk about rewards! What can top guilds expect at the end of the Season?

Top-performing guilds will receive unique seasonal titles, like “Royal Guild,” and cosmetic rewards such as customised guild banners.

Looking ahead, we’re planning customizable guild objects – flags, statues, decorative monuments – that give top guilds a lasting, visible presence across "Sseasons". These will serve as both bragging rights and legacy markers in the world.

The "seasonal" model sounds ambitious. Will the dev team really be able to keep up with the pace of updates and new content?

That’s a fair concern, and yes – the goal behind the "seasonal" model is to establish a more sustainable and predictable development cycle. Instead of patching the persistent world indefinitely, "Seasons" give us natural windows to test, refine, and release content in sync with each phase.

This approach helps reduce bugs, improve feature stability, and avoid mid-season disruptions. We're not aiming to deliver everything at once – but seasonal pacing lets us build, ship, and improve in more focused cycles.

"Seasonal" approach also helps us manage the database strain and improve performance, as each "Season" the players will be starting from a clean sheet without the accumulated clutter. We know about the ping problems and packet loss, the team continues to work on them, it is actually one of our top priorities. Although we are constrained with the instruments available, we continue to search for the solutions, and we are determined to succeed.

We also want to specify that the server structure is completely different from what it was, so the current hardware does not act as a limiting factor for performance. We have a very good DevOps team, which experiments with hardware and works towards the best possible state of the game.

Lag compensation system is something we need to reinvent. Unlike Unity of UE5, the current game client does not offer a satisfactory out-of-the-box option. The current LiF version is on the older side. However, we experimented with switching it off, and received feedback from players that the situation got worse. We currently have lag compensation on for arenas and IBs, but for the open world PvP it is off. According to the feedback and to our research, it is as optimal as can be for the current moment.

And no, the bubble does not exist ;)

The model has meshes and collusions. Let’s illustrate it with an example. Sometimes you cannot pass behind the horse as if there was a ghost behind it. It is caused by a desynch. Your client is sending packets to the server, the server is sending packets to your client. If there is too much packets, it creates a bottleneck, so your game might be delayed compared to the server. The horse on your screen may not be in the place where server puts it. We are working on optimization of connection and models to make it smoother. 

Will we see new maps in future "Seasons"? Can each "Season" have a unique world?

Technically, yes – it's possible to introduce new maps with each "Season", and we’re strongly considering it for the future.

However, for first "Season", we’re sticking with the current map. Our immediate priority is stability, core system polish, and balanced gameplay. Once that foundation is in place, we’ll have more room to expand with dynamic terrain layouts and experimental designs.

Of course, the underground resources will be regenerated. We also know about the underground rock problem and will try to address it.

Speaking of that – what’s the future of Godenland? Will it be further optimized, and can it become the main “perpetual” world now that Arden is moving to a seasonal model?

Godenland will continue to serve as our no-wipe, no-season world – it’s the home for players who prefer long-term, persistent progression. While Arden offers a more structured and faster-paced "seasonal" experience, it doesn’t replace Godenland. Instead, both worlds are meant to coexist, each supporting a different playstyle.

With the launch of first "Season", we will have three active worlds:

• Godenland

• Arden ("green zone" private claims and guild claims, PvE)

• Seasonal Arden ("red zone", PvP)

Arden will receive all the same content updates as Seasonal Arden, ensuring feature parity and allowing PvE players to enjoy the same new systems, items, and improvements — just without "seasonal" wipes or PvP pressure.

We also plan to optimize and maintain Godenland, keeping it a viable home for players who value continuity, deep settlement building, and long-term social development. Arden is more condensed and competitive, while Godenland is all about scale and staying power.

So no, Arden won’t "replace" Godenland – it simply offers a different path through the same world.