I would be grateful if other people skimmed through the list and made sure it covers all important stuff that a returning player should learn about.
Let's start with clearing some things about the game
ATFAQBTAA (answers to frequently asked questions before they are asked)
- No world reset is planned. If you want a fresh start then expeditions are just that - a brand new world that will last for less than a year.
- The game is not pay 2 win. Silver is not a premium currency and is easily accessible in game. There are some tools and other goodies in the cash shop which cannot be crafted in game (but can still be bought from other players), and they make certain aspects of the game easier or faster. But not to the point where a person without those would be no longer competitive.
- Main town is no longer safe. There are various ways other players may hurt you there (witches cursing, diseases etc.). Don't AFK in town
- The wiki is located here: http://salemwiki.info/index.php/Main_Page. It also contains more detailed list of changes here: http://salemwiki.info/index.php/Recent_Updates
- There are many mysteries still hidden in the game - things that players have either not discovered yet, or simply want to keep their knowledge secret. There is more in the game than you can see in the wiki or forums
- Devs' stance on account sharing - if an account owner complains about someone else accessing his account devs will ban anyone accessing this account in the recent weeks. Know the risks before you decide to use account that someone, seemingly in good will, shared with you. Don't share your account recklessly - if something bad happens then complaining about it may mean getting your friends banned, if they had used the account too.
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And the list of changes:
1. Witchcraft
- Players may turn their characters into witches, provided that another witch is willing to teach them.
- Witches do not suffer darkness drain and some darkness monsters are not hostile to them.
- Witches gain access to a whole new range of skills and items allowing them to prey on the pious pilgrims.
- Not much is known about their abilities, as witches themselves are not willing to share their secrets and there are still many things undiscovered
- Witches may summon a blood moon, which will, during its duration, cause every pilgrim who gets knocked out outside to permanently die
2. New animals and monsters
- Cougar - now who's the prey and who's the hunter?
- Rats and bats - devilish vermin making our lives harder. Like, really.
- Whishpoosh, furfur, hydrukey, serpent - darkness versions of beaver, deer, turkey and timber rattler
- Lumberlord - forest guardian which comes to life (or rather - to kill) when pilgrims attempt to chop trees in the darkness
- Squonks, turtles and salamanders - little creatures which are useful and harmless (I think).
3. Overhauled purity system (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10832)
- Only 1 of alchemical components (aether) determines purity of the item. Purity matters only for food and materials / tools used to craft it (no effect on inspirationals).
- Remaining 3 alchemical elements will have their uses later, probably pvp.
- 100% purity means 2x more humour points gained from food (down from 10x)
- Fields and gardening pots now have purity which increases slowly as pilgrims use them to grow plants
- Purity of produce is determined by purity of the seed, purity of field / pot and humus in case of potables
- Purity of food is determined only by the main ingredient from food's category. For example purity of corn in case of corn foods or purity of cabbage in case of vegetable foods.
4. Overhauled crime, raiding and combat (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11742)
- Introduction of "trial by combat" structure which allows to summon a criminal from a distance if the trial is not destroyed in time
- Combat moves reworked (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10393)
- Town infrastructure harder to destroy, requires arson and time to be burnt down. Defenders may extinguish the fire
- New wall type - brickwall. Walls are harder to destroy and much harder to repair.
- Braziers can be stacked again and may have their purity increased to deal more damage
- Braziers can be instantly put out with water
- Ability to put criminals in stockades using scents left by them
5. Overhauled mining and smelting system (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12311)
- Mines with multiple levels
- Each mine contains all kinds of metals. Just gotta find them.
- Purity of ore increases the deeper and further away from the entrance you are
- Rubble obtained in mining may be sifted for a chance to find gold flakes and gems (gems can be slotted into the gear for various bonuses)
- New type of ore, silver, which can be smelted and used to create coins
- Players mining on level 8 risk digging too deep and entering dreamworld which supposedly is a common level for all mines. Not much is known as only a handful people have reached it yet.
- Instead of standard iron we now have pig iron, which can be processed further into wrought iron, and then into steel
6. Alt vaulting and storage
- Alt vaulting is gone - offline player's inventory can be accessed through its leanto. Players without leantos will persist in the world after you log out.
- Storing materials in construction signs is gone - materials placed in construction sign and not built into it, will slowly disappear every hour
- New storage bins holding up to 1000 of one of the following materials: bricks, granite, rubble, boards, lime, coal (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13234)
- Mannequins to help you quickly switch between clothing sets
7. Encumbrance based inventory (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12311)
- Max weight that a pilgrim can carry depends on his yellow bile and skills
- Backpacks decrease weight of items kept inside them
- Inventory window automatically scales to fit all the items carried
- Pockets now allow players to keep items in them and still be able to teleport with them
8. New trees, crops and potables
- Fruit trees, walnut and chestnut trees
- Ability to plant fruit bushes and acorn bushes
- 4 kinds of potatoes to harvest from fields
- Parsley, carrots, radishes, onions, tomatoes and various flowers plantable in pots
9. Burial system and inheritance (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11310 and viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12311)
- Players may, for a price in silver, plan their estate which will allow their descendant recover 30% of humours and proficiencies (of their values recorded during estate planning) when inheriting
- Witches can do bad things with the bodies of dead players. Bodies can be put in a coffin and buried or placed in a crypt to protect them from witches
- Players may put flowers on the grave of a buried pilgrim to honor him/her. This will give a slight boost to proficiencies when inheriting from the honored pilgrim.
10. Travelling and meeting
- Landmarks have been added all around the world along with the ways to instantly travel between them, for a price in silver (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12662)
- Players may now perform new world survey which will show them where on the world map they are, as well as create a map to that spot
- Each character may use a map created with the new world survey to teleport to the place marked on the map. This can be done only once per character. Great way to join your friends.
- Horses may be rented in the main city, as well as in landmark camps, as a mean of travelling long distances quickly
11. Other new stuffs
- Diseases, fractured bones, bleeding
- Beekeeping
- Various new clothing artifacts and new civilian stats: feasting, alloying, rummaging, mining.
- Seasons: everbloom and coldsnap
- Top 10 towns with most auhority gain a cut from stall taxes. This comes with the ability to build a "challenge authority" structure on the border of enemy town to reduce its authority. Poop claim wars (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11013)
- Drinks granting temporary bonuses
- New passive effects for some proficiencies
- All foods and most inspirationals rebalanced. Dozens of new foods and inspirationals
12. Game client updates
- many new sounds and music
- New player animations
- New graphics for many items
- Skybox
- Various features of custom clients - leveling tool, new camera options, resizable minimap
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If someone prefers to read the raw patch notes:
July 2014 patch: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9971
August 2014 patch: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10393
September 2014 patch: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10832
October 2014 patch: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11013
November 2014 patch: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11310
December 2014 patch: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11742
February patch: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12311
feasting patch: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12495
March patch: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13045