By Valentin Updated Season One season pass Announcement
Season One of Orion Backgammon, The First Crossing, now runs until 1 March 2027 at 00:00 UTC, instead of closing in early December. And the season pass no longer simply stops at its last tier: after tier 35, the road ends in a Bonus Vault. Your first three ranked wins of each day fill it, and opening it pays 1,500 coins, plus 15 gems with the premium pass. The vault is rolling out in version 1.0.4 of the app, on the App Store and Google Play.
Both changes come from the same place: the people who sit down at our tables every day. This note tells you what they told us, what we decided on 11 October 2026, and exactly how it works.
Why does Season One now run until March?
A season in Orion normally runs three months. The First Crossing opened on 1 September 2026, so it was due to close at the start of December. That is a good length for a season that turns. It felt short for the first one, the only season anyone will ever play first, and we decided a first climb deserves more room.
There is a second reason, and you can see it on the calendar. Orion arrived on the App Store for iPhone and iPad on 1 October 2026, a full month into the season. A December close would have given everyone who joined that day barely two months to climb the ten leagues from Driftwood to Orion. Running to March gives them a real season, and gives everyone who has been here since September more road. There will be no Season 2 before March.
The first crossing only happens once. It should not feel rushed.
What changes on the ladder?
Only the date. Trophies still come from ranked wins and from nothing else, every player started this season at zero on the same day, and nothing you can buy moves you up a league. The in-game clock already shows the new end: on 11 October 2026 it read about 140 days left, counting down to 1 March 2027 at 00:00 UTC, which is still 28 February across the Americas.
Why does the pass road need a vault?
Because the season pass is built to be finished. The road has 35 tiers on two lanes, a free lane and a premium lane, and it moves about one tier a day: your first three ranked wins of each day take you to the next tier, and the tiers your player level already holds count too, so the day's tier always lands on top of them. That pace was set for a three-month season, with weeks of margin for anyone who misses a day.
In a season that runs until March, a player who wins their three games every day reaches tier 35 months before the close. Our most regular players told us exactly that: they were reaching the end of the road early, they still played every day, and their wins no longer moved anything on the pass. They wanted the daily three to keep meaning something. We did not want to stack more tiers on a road people had already finished, or sell a second pass on top of the first. So the road gets one last stop, after the tiers rather than on top of them.
How does the Bonus Vault work?
- It unlocks once you reach tier 35, the last tier of the road. Until then, your wins move the road exactly as they always have.
- Your first three ranked wins of each day fill it. Once the road is complete, the three marks for today at the top of the pass count toward the vault.
- A full vault opens for 1,500 coins on the free lane. With the premium pass, every vault adds 15 gems.
- One vault a day. The day turns at midnight UTC, and the app shows how long until the next vault starts.
- A full vault waits for you. It never empties itself, and the next one does not start filling until you open it.
- It belongs to the season. A full vault still unopened when The First Crossing closes does not carry over to the next season.
That is the whole system. There is no streak to protect and nothing that punishes a missed day: a vault you did not fill today simply starts fresh tomorrow. When it is full, the vault catches the light and rattles on the pass screen until you open it, and after that it shows the time until the next one.
When does the Bonus Vault arrive?
With version 1.0.4 of Orion, which is in review with Apple and Google as we write this. Update the app when your store offers it, and the vault appears at the end of the pass road, after tier 35. If you are still on the road, there is no hurry: the season now runs until March, and at one tier a day the road fits with room to spare.
What stays the same?
Everything that makes Orion what it is. The voyage still runs through twelve destinations, from Hassan's cafe in Tangier to the celestial table that gives the game its name, each with its own handmade board, its own light and its own music. The Arenas still put a coin table in every destination, and the winner still takes the pot.
The League is still ten leagues and one ladder, and the Weekend Masters still opens every Friday at 16:00 UTC and runs until Monday 00:00 UTC, with live standings and a guaranteed prize pool in gems. Every one of those tables is a live match against real players.
And the dice are still provably fair. Before every server game we publish a SHA-256 commitment to a secret seed, every roll is derived from that seed, and the seed is revealed when the game ends, so anyone can recompute the rolls at orion.arthea.ai/verify.
Frequently asked questions about Season One and the Bonus Vault
When does Season One end?
On 1 March 2027 at 00:00 UTC. The First Crossing opened on 1 September 2026 and was first planned to run three months. There will be no Season 2 before March.
Do I need the premium pass to get the Bonus Vault?
No. Every player who reaches tier 35 gets the vault, and it pays 1,500 coins on the free lane. The premium pass adds 15 gems to every vault you open.
How many vaults can I open?
One a day. Your first three ranked wins of the day fill it, and a full vault waits until you open it. The next one starts after the day turns at midnight UTC.
Does an unopened vault carry over to the next season?
No. The vault belongs to the season, so open a full vault before The First Crossing closes on 1 March 2027.
Are coins and gems real money?
No. Coins and gems are virtual items with no cash value, and nothing in Orion can be withdrawn, sold back or exchanged for money. Orion is not a gambling app.
See you at the table
Thank you to everyone who wrote to us about the end of the road. You were right, and the vault is the result. The First Crossing runs until 1 March 2027, and Orion is free on iPhone, iPad and Android; the page at orion.arthea.ai/go opens the right store for your device.
Valentin, founder of Orion Backgammon