| “ | "Saying goodbye to Novigrad as we know it." | ” |
—TraumaticWheel bids farewell to Novigrad
| ||
Novigrad was a region of Halfast settled during the 11th Era.
The province was home to cherry groves, sprawling mangrove swamps, and ancient subterranean cities. Though the border was initially seven kilometers out, Novigrad later expanded to eight kilometers and eventually reached a final size of twelve kilometers for a total area of 576km2.
History[]
| "A Blood Moon has risen in Novigrad." | ||
—The moon rises red above Novigrad
| ||
Kingkauw angers an enderman while exploring a warped forest
HyperSilence welcomed travelers old and new to the land of Novigrad on 11E:1. The first person to step foot on its soil was Jrod. Though FlyingPokemon was the initial casualty of the Eleventh Era, he also excavated a diamond before all others.
When night fell on the first day, the moon rose red in the sky and ushered in a Bloodmoon that spawned hellish monsters under a veil of darkness. Every moonrise thereafter had a chance to be a Bloodmoon.
On 11E:2, adventurers from the Knights of Ishtar defeated the ender dragon Orochi and KingOfDaWild collected its precious egg as a battle trophy. Seven days later he became the first mortal on Halfast to die during a Blood Moon.
MonsterKay became "The Watcher" on 11E:14, an all-seeing eye who broadcast everything she saw across the universe.
On 11E:36, the Novigrad Nest became accessible in The End, offering all residents the chance at defeating unique ender dragons and obtaining valuable loot.
With no organized factions present to challenge or counter their ascendancy, the Knights of Ishtar quickly became the most influential presence in Novigrad. After being the first to construct a beacon and bring it to full power, they invited a confederacy of allies to settle on the islands of their Archipelago. On 11E:40, they risked open war by trying to assassinate Gabault, who narrowly survived the attempt.
Gabault became the first person to visit all 52 biomes in Novigrad during his mapping expedition of the entire region.
Bassilith, Lord of Ice attacks KingOfDaWild in the Novigrad Nest
On 11E:46, the Novigrad Market greatly expanded and the Novigrad Black Market opened for business, offering a number of items in exchange for ethereum.
FlyingPokemon became the era's first "Top Survivor" on 11E:48 after winning the opening month of Novigrad Survivor.
On 11E:52, HyperSilence announced that three new ranks—Warrior, Knight, and Sorcerer—were available for purchase in order to support Halfast. Sharkberries was the first to do so.
After winning the second month of Novigrad Survivor, Gabault was the first Top Survivor to enter Top Survivor Hall and use a Top Survivor Key to purchase prize rewards. He went on to repeat his victory back-to-back in the third month.
On 11E:75, the outer borders of Novigrad grew by one kilometer to a total of 8k, expanding the province a total area of 256 kilometers2.
Jrod, FlyingPokemon, and Gabault ring in the New year with fireworks at Skyloft Palace
As the Knights of Isthar aggressively spread their faith across the land through a combination of philanthrophy and power, they clashed with those who vehemently rejected their beliefs and saw them as little more than a cult of zealots. A wave of temple desecrations and attacks on Ishtar worshippers led to violent reprisals, eventually leading to open war. This Ishtari Conflict was characterized by a series of military stalemates and proxy struggles over Novigrad Survivor and loot left by dragons from the Novigrad Nest.
On 11E:137, Gildor Inglorion emerged victorious as the Top Survivor of the fourth month of Novigrad Survivor, the first person in history to win such a competition in the same month they joined the community.
HyperSilence re-opened the Dueling Arenas, making two available to the public on 11E:142. Asphodel Arena was for serious competitive battles, where death resulted in a lost inventory and an end to one's Top Survivor streak. In contrast, Elysium Arena allowed casual low-stakes duels where inventories and XP were kept upon death and Top Survivor streaks were unaffected.
Jrod was named Top Survivor of the fifth month of Novigrad Survivor on 11E:169.
Sleekit was crowned "Top Survivor" four times during the Novigrad Survivor event, giving him more total wins all-time than anyone in history
The war between the Knights of Ishtar and their enemies from the Unbroken Chain heated up when Jrod executed a nighttime aerial raid on their headquarters and killed both FlyingPokemon and KingOfDaWild during the Second Battle of the Sapphire Spires. However, they had their revenge on 11E:195 when Kingkauw trapped Jrod at the Emmey Cube and blew him up with TNT. This paved the way for Kingkauw to be named Top Survivor of the sixth month of Novigrad Survivor four days later.
KushBandit was named Top Survivor of the seventh month of Novigrad Survivor on 11E:230.
On 11E:257, the Novigrad border expanded by four kilometers to 12k, giving the province a total area of 576 kilometers2. Cherry blossoms, sniffers, trail ruins, and other curiosities were found in this untapped wilderness. To celebrate the occasion, HyperSilence remodeled parts of Skyloft Palace and made the Update 1-20 Kit available.
DaVinci was named Top Survivor of the eighth month of Novigrad Survivor on 11E:261. After a long absence, the Arbiter Sleekit returned to be crowned the ninth Top Survivor of Novigrad Survivor, a feat he twice repeated in the tenth and eleventh months. Newcomer Dunjelo broke his streak by winning the 12th contest, but Sleekit again emerged victorious for the 13th contest to become the all-time winningest victor of Top Survivor in history.
TraumaticWheel and Henry pose in front of Ilium
An upswell of activity occured late in the era. Ishtar worshippers built, restored, and improved their temples, while another mysterious organization began raising crosses across the land. Elsewhere, the expansion and renovation of Ilium saw its population grow through the efforts of new mayor TraumaticWheel, surpassing Iceland as the region's most inhabited town.
After HyperSilence announced that Novigrad would be abandoned and extinguished the Eternal Fire, lawless anarchy broke out across the land as bandits looted freely and dark sorcery became commonplace.
Points of Interest[]
| Picture | Place | Architect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Skyloft Palace | Krevelir, HyperSilence | Gateway to and capital of Novigrad |
|
Novigrad Market | HyperSilence | A collection of ethereum-based shops |
|
Top Survivor Hall | HyperSilence | A prize shop and victory shrine for Novigrad Survivor |
|
Halfast Hall of Fame | HyperSilence | A statistical leaderboard for Halfast's greatest |
|
Gate Ships | HyperSilence | Vessels bearing warp gates to Skyloft Palace |
|
Nether Hub | SeanBit, HyperSilence | Gateway to the Nether |
|
Dueling Arenas | Sharkberries, HyperSilence | A series of combat arenas |
|
Wan Shi Tong's Library | SmoofLord, Wan Shi Tong, HyperSilence | The largest library in the universe |
|
Gaia | Sharkberries | An enchanted mushroom rainbow |
|
Archipelago | Many | An populous island chain |
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Arborio | Boiled Rice | An underground ancient city |
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Satori | Zen | A home in the hills overlooking a badland mesa |
|
Aukstoja | Gabault | A terraformed mushroom isle and manmade mountain |
|
Diggy Diggy Hole | Ben | A big giant hole |
|
Unbroken Chain | Many | A group of isles opposed to Ishtar |
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Sapphire Spires of Sagacity | Knights of Isthar | The sacred home of the Knights of Ishtar |
|
Oryza | Boiled Rice | A deepslate citadel |
|
Villamanin | Keepers of the Cross | A village sanctuary below a massive cross |
|
Sculk Tower | Gabault | A tower on the highest peak in Novigrad |
|
LaBook | LaplaceCircus | Towering over an open book |
|
Korner | KushBandit, Jrod | An island base along the edge of Novigrad |
|
Hill Valley | Stridey | A repurposed village |
|
Beithir | Sleekit | A spiky, venemous dragon |
|
2G Hotspot | 2G3TH3R | An open-air dome (formerly) at land's end |
|
Emmey Cube | Kingkauw | An emerald monolith megastructure |
|
Ilium | Many | A town built upon its own bones |
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Nexus | Jrod | A lil' shroom isle |
|
Hyper's Home | HyperSilence | Jungle joint of the boss man |
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FernGully | Zerg | An idyllic valley fueling industrial greed |
|
Temples of Ishtar | Many | Religious structures dedicated to Ishtar |
|
YMCA | Y | it's fun to stay at the YMCA! |
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Citadel of the Peasantry | Kill Jester | A monument to the pilgrims |
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Black Forest Temple | Grinsepaule | A gargantuan step pyramid |
|
Iceland | Many | The largest town in Novigrad |
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The Stump | Stumpjumper | A fine country house in the Archipelago |
|
Nightwraith Island | Land of the midnight demons | |
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Tower of Nineveh | FlyingPokemon | A watchtower overlooking the Archipelago's seas |
|
Chill | KushBandit | A frosty fortress |
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Vinci | DaVinci, sneakyeric | A wooded islet |
|
East Ridge | Many | A mountain community |
|
Cairnholy | Sleekit | A monument to the old gods |
|
Ridic | Absurd | A cottage and mid-century modern summer house |
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Blackstone Pyramid | Shendell | no creepy sacrifices going on here no sir |
|
Axon | Kingkauw | A dwarven city beneath the mountains |
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South Shores | Yuni_oo2 | A barn-style beach house |
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Tox's Cabin | Tox | The teleporting home of Tox |
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Landmarks | The_Sharp_Fox | A collection of scale models |
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Zolo Vale | Dadinzolo | A river valley estate |
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Amanita Rock | Tox | A rocky mushroom island |
Behind the Scenes[]
The following is out-of-universe information about real-world Halfast.
| Y: wait why is the new map named Novigrad? Tox: If I had to guess it's because Hyper is a Witcher 3 fan and needed a quick name HyperSilence: Indeed |
||
—The inspiration behind Novigrad
| ||
HyperSilence works on the Novigrad Market
Novigrad was Halfast's fourth map, hosted from October 14, 2022 to September 5, 2024, a period known as "Season 4".
The map initially ran on Java Edition 1.19.2 and was upgraded several times through Java Edition 1.20.5, though a plugin allowed Java players to join with clients as old as Java Edition 1.12 as well as crossplay with Bedrock Edition.
The name Novigrad was a reference to the 2015 video game Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, with Novigrad being one of three primary settings.
At launch Novigrad had a 7k world border. This was extended to 8k for the Java Edition 1.19.3 update. A further expansion to 12k occured during the update to Java Edition 1.20, and map chunks were reset at every cherry grove biome, ancient city, desert temple, woodland mansion, end city, and bastion remnant that did not have a player home or a player in them for more than 60 minutes.
On August 31, 2024, in preparation for the coming map reset, all claims were disabled, Halfast became more frequent
| Regions of Halfast | |
|---|---|
| Asgarth • Asphodel • Majora • Midgard • Novigrad | |