New world is gearing up to launch its biggest patch since launch, and members of the press were recently invited to a virtual event to preview the massive fall update. We watched a short video outlining the main elements of the update, then sat down with the devs for a Q&A session on everything that was to come.
The update is scheduled to hit the test domain in September, with a full release in October (no specific date was given). In the meantime, I’m here to provide you with all the juicy details around New worldthe most ambitious patch to date.
sulfur sands
The main feature of this patch is the game’s first new area, Brimstone Sands. Discovered for the first time in datamining before its launch, this new massive desert area will finally be made public.
Brimstone Sands has a mostly Egyptian theme, but with a sort of funky sci-fi vibe. If you’re a fan of the Stargate franchise, this is an area that will have you screaming “Kree!” »
Brimstone Sands is a territory in its own right, with a capital (New Corsica) and new housing for players, and companies will be able to wage war to take control of it. It also comes with a new endgame Expedition, the Ennead.
The main threat in this area is a corrupt legionary force from Ancient Rome. This was actually advertised in-game since launch; a major quest NPC in Everfall is a deserter from this legion. Players will also face aggression from the Angry Earth, but they are not without allies. The story of the area will see us allying with the wizard Imhotep to defend the Sands from these dark forces.
Even though it looks a bit like an overhaul of elements of the secret world The history of Egypt, I appreciate the way New world continues to draw inspiration from all aspects of history and mythology, and I hope that will continue in the future.
It might be a bit off the cuff that the Egyptians who came to Aeternum just happened to be settling in a desert region. In the future, it might be interesting to use Aeternum to put certain historical cultures into new biomes – an African culture in a snowy area, or desert samurai, or tropical Vikings. I guess there’s a bit of that already with Monarch’s Bluffs being a tropical area themed around Arthurian mythology.
The developers have confirmed that Brimstone Sands not come with a level or gear cap increase, but they also said there’s a “safe bet” these things will happen at some point.
New redesigned player experience
The biggest surprise of the preview was the announcement of a huge redesign of New worldthe new player experience and upgrade game. Zones from levels 1 to 25 are going to be totally rebooted with new quests and more diverse art resources in an update similar to World of Warcraftit is Cataclysm.
To improve NOSeems to be the focus here of much-criticized quest experience. The developers talked at length about the new mechanics they’ve introduced to provide more variety to the leveling experience, including NPCs that can walk alongside players, traversal puzzles, dynamic events, and more.
It looks like a promising change, although I find it a bit odd to focus on the 1-25 experience. Yes, that’s what people see first, but the first levels of New world are generally considered the best. While even the first few quests can be repetitive, it’s the areas beyond level 25 that really need help. To be fair, though, the developers said the rest of the upgrade experience could get the same treatment if this update is well received.
The team further stated that the new experience aims to bring people to the main story. I guess this means the upgrade path has become more linear, but maybe I misinterpreted it.
Additionally, we were also told that the leveling speed had been increased “significantly”. It is unclear if this only applies to levels 1-25 or all leveling experience. I would expect the latter, but we’ll have to wait and see.
If you’re a veteran player worried about missing out on this enhanced story, there’s good news: this update will also add a third character slot to all accounts (the one character per server restriction remains, however).
swordfish
The fall update also brings another new weapon: the two-handed sword. As you might expect, it’s a melee weapon that relies on strength and dexterity. Its Onslaught skill tree is dedicated to DPS, while the Defiance tree is more tanky, emphasizing “aggressive defense.”
What makes the sword unique is its stance system. Each skill tree is associated with a stance that provides passive buffs while that stance is active. Using an active skill from one of the skill trees will activate its corresponding stance. The Assault Stance increases your damage dramatically, but it also increases the damage you take. Defiance Stance has the opposite effect, reducing damage dealt and taken.
If you wish, you can use the skills of only one tree and stay in its position indefinitely, but you can also use the skills of both and change your position according to the needs of your current situation.
Other odds and ends
Along with the upgrade overhaul, another surprise announcement was a new late-game progression system that unlocks a fourth ability slot. This slot is tied to Heartgem Soulwarden players acquired during the main story and will feature five unique abilities to choose from.
I was very excited when I heard this as it initially sounded like a great opportunity for friendly horizontal progression, but the devs later clarified that heartgem abilities can only be acquired from ending expeditions portion. I doubt the wisdom of this choice; New world is already a little too focused on instanced group content for its endgame. More variety is needed so that a larger portion of players can end up with meaningful goals to pursue.
I remain hopeful that one day we may have the ability to acquire gem abilities through other means; New world is usually pretty good at turning bad decisions around…eventually.
On the plus side, the team is clearly not done making the group’s content more accessible. During Q&A, the devs confirmed that cross-server grouping for things like dungeons, arenas, etc. is in progress. However, from the way they’ve described it, it looks like it could be a significant technical challenge to implement, so there may still be some time to wait.
The team is also investigating the possibility of adding final versions of low-level dungeons, but this is another case where there is nothing to confirm at this time.
Also on the endgame, the team was asked about the possibility of implementing raids or similar group content on a large scale. Nothing has been confirmed, but they said they were “exploring” the possibility. Personally I am not against New world get raids, but hopefully some more user-friendly endgame options will take priority first. Raids will only appeal to a small portion of players, so it’s not the most efficient use of developer resources.
Overall, my impression of this patch as previewed in press is quite positive. I have a few disappointments, but there are more areas where more could have been done than anything that’s actively bad for a game. It’s a free update that’s easily big enough to have a price tag, and I am excited about a lot of what is to come.
I think I’m going to miss the current version of Everfall City. It’s so comfortable.