Dear Settlers,

This afternoon, representatives of CipSoft and Ubisoft took the stage at gamescom dev, one of the gaming industry's biggest conferences, to hold a joint talk focusing on the handover of The Settlers Online, diving into its challenges and solutions for the audience.

This presentation not only marked the – albeit indirect – return of TSO to the world's most important video game convention, but also contained some news we would like to share.

The ongoing migration process from Ubisoft Connect to TSO's own account system, which has been running on a voluntary basis since March, will become obligatory over the course of September 2026. Due to Ubisoft Connect being disconnected from TSO in the near future, you will be required to possess an independent TSO account to continue playing the game.

We will post reminders regarding the migration one week and then, finally, 24 hours ahead of the deadline. You can find a guide for the process on the forum.

Additionally, the presentation provided a look at the projects our developers are currently working on. You already know that Comfort Update #1 containing a grouping function for explorers alongside other quality of life improvements is coming to the test server later this week. You are also aware since the beginning of the year that we are working on a renewed homepage for TSO.

However, we also have something in store that you did not know about just yet: We have begun with the preparations for an island expansion, which will be the focus of our efforts following the release of Comfort Update #1. We will once again count on your support and input as we work on that next step. We can not share any more details about this quite yet, but we do hope that you will look towards the horizon with excitement until then and keep having fun playing TSO.

Your CipSoft Team

Dear Settlers,

On Thursday, August 27, the game will be temporarily unavailable due to clean-up work following the Anniversary Event. We will also take the opportunity to implement a few changes.

• Day: Thursday, August 27
• Game Worlds: All game worlds
• Start: ~ 09:00 CEST
• End: ~ 15:00 CEST
• Adventures & Premium: Times will be extended

This update contains the following changes:

• Fixed a bug that enabled players to complete certain quests and achievements for other players by visiting their islands under specific circumstances.
• Metallurgy Knowledge can now only be used on buildings once a quest demands it to prevent players from consuming them prematurely. The items will be greyed out in the star menu until their use is demanded by a quest. You can still trade them at any time.

Your CipSoft Team

Dear Settlers,

The test server reopens its gates this coming Wednesday, August 26, giving you a hands-on opportunity with a package of quality of life improvements that we have been working on. You can find a short preview of the coming features and changes below.

A new grouping function will enable you to create groups of explorers and send them out on missions as units after upgrading the Tavern to level 2. Groups are permanent and can be tailored to fit your needs, so you will save lots of time and clicks when sending out explorers once the initial set-up is completed.

In the same vein, a mass opening feature for loot boxes will make it easier for you to reap the rewards stemming from the efforts of your explorers, generals, and buildings.

Rounding out this improvement package is an adjustment to the Excelsior. Henceforth, you will be able to designate larger amounts of Crystal to be consumed at once, preventing more substantial investments from escalating into click orgies.

We will put out an announcement once the update is live on the test server and you can try out the improvements for yourself. You can find additional details on the forum.

Your CipSoft Team

Dear Settlers,

On Wednesday, August 19, the game will be temporarily unavailable to implement a few small bug fixes.

• Day: Wednesday, August 19
• Game Worlds: All game worlds
• Start: ~ 09:00 CEST
• End: ~ 10:00 CEST
• Adventures & Premium: Times will be extended

This update contains the following fixes:

• Replaced a bugged version of the Exotic Wood Tree Nursery, which was given out via the event calendar, with a version that works as intended.
• Fixed a bug that prevented some players from purchasing the Advanced Toolmaker Tribute and Balanced Geologist from the event merchant.
• Fixed a bug that caused pinning the community goal to prevent the home island from loading properly.
• Fixed a bug that prevented players from rebuilding the Tavern after demolishing it.

Your CipSoft Team

Dear Settlers,

On Wednesday, August 12, the game will be temporarily unavailable to implement a few small bug fixes and stability improvements.

• Day: Wednesday, August 12
• Game Worlds: All game worlds
• Start: ~ 09:00 CEST
• End: ~ 10:00 CEST
• Adventures & Premium: Times will be extended

Among other fixes, this patch will correct the shop limits of a few items, since some players are currently being blocked from purchasing certain offers.

We are also working on correcting a bug that may cause players to be denied access to their island if they have used the pin function on the event's community goal quest. Affected players can regain access to their islands by unpinning the aforementioned quest.

Your CipSoft Team

Dear Settlers,

On Wednesday, August 5, the game will be temporarily unavailable due to the implementation of the Anniversary Event 2026. The event kicks off on August 10.

• Day: Wednesday, August 5
• Game Worlds: All game worlds
• Start: ~ 09:00 CEST
• End: ~ 12:00 CEST
• Adventures & Premium: Times will be extended

We are implementing a few bug fixes along with the event content:

• Fixed a bug that caused adventures to be canceled when using the Dark Ritual: Reckless Speed buff.
• Fixed a bug that caused no graphics to be displayed for the curse Famine.
• Fixed a bug that caused the wrong icon to be displayed for the adventure "Gunpowder" in the Merchant.

The balance changes we announced alongside the Anniversary Event will be live immediately after this update.

Your CipSoft Team

Dear Settlers,

The Anniversary Event 2026 is available on the test server now. You can explore all the new content in the test environment until the event becomes accessible on the live servers on August 10.

As a reminder, here are the dates for the Anniversary Event:

• Event start: August 10, 10:00 CEST
• Removal phase start: August 24, 10:00 CEST
• Deactivation: August 30 26, 22:00 CEST (see this update)

On top of the Anniversary Event, the Shady Dealings function will make its return during this test. An auction will take place from July 27 to 30 to test the feature.

Please note that the test server has been completely reset to squash bugs that appeared during the previous test. Such resets will be executed regularly in the future to ensure the technical integrity of the test environment.

You can leave feedback and questions in regards to the test in the corresponding thread on the forum.

Your CipSoft Team

Dear Settlers,

As mentioned in our Anniversary Event 2026 Preview, we have taken this opportunity to take a closer look at some existing pieces of content that currently do not fulfil their potential and have little impact on your experience.

We have implemented some bug fixes and balance adjustments to make this content more interesting for you. These changes are set to come to the game alongside the event. For this particular balancing pass we have made changes to the Art Museum, Elder Tree Lighthouse, Coffee Shop, Stone Depot, Witch Coven, Retirement Village, Jewel Crafter Workshop, and Outdoor Canteen. You can find the detailed list on the forum.

You will be able to test these adjustments alongside the event on the test server. Feel free to share your feedback with us on the forum. The developers have shared some thoughts behind these changes there as well.

Your CipSoft Team

(Anniversary Event 2026: Preview 2/2)