Phase One of the Chapter III: The Elder Kingdoms update for their free-to-play fantasy MMORPG Runes of Magic. The patch, scheduled for next week, looks to be chock full of new content, and the phased approach is designed to get players to high level and primed for all of the fun coming down the pipe.

Phase One will include a new zone, Thunderhoof Hills, as well as a new Collectible Card System. Slain monsters will drop cards that give character attribute bonuses, offering you another way to build your avatar. Additionally, Phase One is introducing instance difficulty levels which will affect loot drops as well as improved grouping and public encounter interface elements.

Guild castle upgrades are coming with Phase One, as are guild quests and guild castle minigames including Spirit Warrior, Needle Drill, and Call of the Horns. Last but certainly not least, Phase One brings the Spring Festival event as well and the Expedition 60 bonus XP events.