On July 15th, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad will launch its first regular season, 'Northern Banner Selection: Frost and Steel'. The update brings significant changes, including new combat mechanics and fresh dueling content.

Season 1 centers on the three Northern houses vying for honor as they select their banner-men to repel an Ironborn invasion. Players can pledge their allegiance to one of three houses: House Umber for strength, House Hornwood for honor, or House Manderly for tactical guile. This choice is account-bound, and once the Winterfell main quest is cleared, players can access the season lobby to check their house status and weekly flag rankings.

The seasonal ranking system is based on competition among banner-men within the same house. Scoring is achieved in two ways: setting high records in five different dungeons, including the seasonal dungeon, or handing in 'Coastal Watcher's Iron Shards', which are tokens earned through repeated field activities. Each week, players are assigned one of five personal ranks, ranging from 'Chief Banner-man' to 'Apprentice Banner-man', with rewards such as house-exclusive costumes, mount-mounted banners, and a permanent spot in the Hall of Fame available for top performers.

The season introduces a new combat mechanic called 'Fierce Will'. By landing attacks, players build up 'Will' and 'Adrenaline', which can be unleashed for powerful special skills and health recovery. Note that this mechanic is exclusive to specific content, such as 'Beyond the Wall Expedition' and 'Season Worm Road'.

Additionally, on the 22nd, the 'Northern Banner Dueling Festival' will launch. This new mode features 1v1 bouts against rival house NPCs that utilize evasion and parrying tactics similar to human players. It follows a three-round time-attack format, and clearing it provides growth rewards and season tokens.

Finally, to ensure a competitive environment, the 'Banner-men Regroup' initiative will reshuffle ranking groups to keep players of similar skill levels together. Further details on the update can be found in the developer notes on the official Game of Thrones: Kingsroad community site.