New World: Aeternum News

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[/p][p][/p][p]Nighthaven, long since whispered to exist, reveals itself like a full moon beyond a pale night cloud. I’ll tell you the tale of Nighthaven, as my Baba once told me every night before I lay my head to sleep.[/p][p][/p][p]The land is ruled by its domineering King with an ill-tempered fist. The populace and peasantry serve the Crown, gutted by both the unfair taxation and the horrors of the dimly lit woods which engulf it. Nighthaven’s currency is not just gold and wheat by the barrel, but nightmares and dreams and memories that fade to wisps. Charms, totems, and talismans guard the doorframes of every villager, patient for the relieving chime of a bell’s new day. For there are secrets, darker than the imagination, that lurk behind the corner of your eye.[/p][p][/p][p]The traveling troupe of the Grand Carnival leads a rebellion, stashed away in the deep recesses of the territory. Hidden from the aggressions of the ruling House and its lower court: House Varlaam, House Bathory, House Carmilla. These few oligarchs who command the rabble are just as vicious in their rage as they are in their gluttonous everyday excess. Servants of the castle-rich speak in hushed tones beyond cold steel gates and dark dungeons, willing to look past the atrocities committed in the dead of night for a few more coins, or a few more days of sanity, whichever is most needed at the time.[/p][p][/p][p]The capital of the realm, the King’s own castle, expands on the horizon as if a great wailing behemoth. Impossibly immense—a man-made mountain that grips the mind in its lavishness and enormity. A castle keep that swallows the horizon like the whale swallowed Jonah, but without the promise of God’s return or saving. Once the Castle has claimed you in its bowels, you are nothing more than another fixture, another book of memories lodged on a dusty shelf to never be remembered again. The King’s Castle is a fortress that is said to be as wide as it is tall, and burrows just as deep as its towers graze the moon.[/p][p][/p][p]And standing in it all, the great reminder: the Clocktower, a looming and ever-present monument to the truest of secrets, that eternity is not forever. Death comes for us all. Even in Aeternum.[/p][p][/p][p]Baba said there once was the promise of a nation now steeped in misery, and none can look further than the abandoned villages, farmyards, and animal pens of the smallfolk in the Manorlands. Their daily toil and the sweat of their brow feed this nation—yet the pigs, chickens, and cows are not the true livestock.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Deep in the Hinterland, a bounty amasses of perfect pumpkins and golden apple orchards. Left untended, these wild sprouts give way to wild things. The forests run red with persistent fall colors to the north, to Highmarch, and these perfectly splendid colors soon fade along the borders of cursed woods and tumbling sorrowthorn briars, thick enough to strangle the reindeer that still call this land their home. Wild and dangerous, the cursed woods are home to apocryphal beasts that walk on two legs like man, but are urged by a mammalian instinct of true predation.[/p][p][/p][p]Nighthaven is full of secrets, Baba says. So many secrets hidden beneath the surface like flesh-eating ticks hiding underneath your skin. For all its liminal shades, the crust of Nighthaven and the overworld are but fleeting, like ghostly dancers still stepping to music unheard.[/p][p][/p][p]But Baba said, Nighthaven is a carcass. And the worms and maggots below are the real Nighthaven. Endless miles of catacombs, caverns, caves, and crevasses are the permanent home of so many fresh and unsightly horrors. To step into the Underworld below Nighthaven is stepping into your own doom. If the risen dead, or the madness of ghosts, cannot claim you, then the eight-legged children of Uttu certainly shall.[/p][p][/p][p]But what saving grace is there to run from these terrors? These soul-wracking phobias? Baba says there is hope, if you cling to the Towers that dot the land. Rising above the darkness, as if built as a means to escape the thickness of dread below, you’ll spot dozens of safe places above the treeline. Like the jagged teeth of a rabid beast, the Towers of Nighthaven promise sanctuary if you can decipher their runed, magicked stones. These places are infused with the magic of the old ways, but they can betray you if you do not master your own mind and memory. Shadows of the past will rob you of your senses if you cannot withstand the torment of your own mind.[/p][p][/p][p]Baba also says there was once a group of people who tried, and failed, to cut and burn back the horrors of Nighthaven. Their shrill cries and religious texts and fervent dedication to their church were their sword, their shield, and their sanity. But after marinating in so much hatred and rage, they lost the latter, and became just as mindless and corrupt as the terrible things they swore would be eradicated. And now their story is just another red brushstroke on the canvas of Nighthaven, their angels fallen and their priests inflamed with an unconscious need to destroy.[/p][p][/p][p]Like all things, Baba says, all things in Nighthaven are to be feared. Fear is what keeps us alive. Fear is what keeps us moored to our own minds and not lost in the ocean of darkness, the moon our only loose connection to what is real and what is not. In Nighthaven, you cannot trust your own eyes or your own thoughts, but you can trust your own fear.[/p][p]Share[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Every corner of Aeternum holds echoes of stories untold, moments of triumph, grief, mystery, and wonder. Season 10 brings those echoes to life through the original Nighthaven soundtrack composed by Brandon Campbell, Keegan Musser, Michael Finley, and Kyle Bailey.[/p][p]The music of Nighthaven shapes our experience when we set foot on haunted roads, and when we find ourselves surrounded by light after a long night of shadows. With each track, the composers invite us into the heart of Nighthaven, allowing its spirit to speak in melody. Listen to the full soundtrack now.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Start: Sep 23, 2025[/p][p]End: Sep 30, 2025[/p][p]High above the mists of Aeternum, a looming monument of stone, steel, and sorcery rises. Known as The Tower of Calomel, this gothic fortress fuses ancient magic with engineering brilliance. Once a seat of power and sanctuary, it now stands as a battlefield where 20 warriors on each side clash for dominance.[/p][h3]A Fortress of Height and Depth[/h3][p]The Tower of Calomel delivers a three-layered battlefield that rewards mastery of vertical combat. From sweeping outer battlements to the shadowed depths of the undercroft, each level demands unique tactics. Elevated positions provide commanding views but leave defenders vulnerable, while the lower passages conceal twisting mines, corrupted arenas, and deadly surprises.[/p][p]
[/p][h3]The Flow of Battle[/h3][p]Combat surges across interconnected spaces, each offering distinct challenges:[/p]

• [p]Outer Battlements – Long sightlines give ranged fighters dominance, but exposed walls leave them open to coordinated pushes and flanking fire.[/p]
• [p]The Inner Bailey – The heart of the battlefield, where elevation shifts and choke points turn every mid-range clash into a brawl for control.[/p]
• [p]The Undercroft – A labyrinth of tunnels hiding twin mines, resource nodes, a corrupted portal, and the fearsome Baroness—a high-risk, high-reward objective.[/p]

[p]At the center rises the Central Keep, a towering capture point that anchors the fight, while fortified gatehouses on either flank test the coordination of attackers and defenders alike.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Risk, Reward, and Resources[/h3][p]Strategic movement defines The Tower of Calomel. Resource nodes and mines fuel upgrades and summon opportunities, drawing players into constant conflict. Securing the undercroft’s twin mines can tip the balance, while timing a successful Baroness takedown or activating the corrupted portal can deliver game-changing advantages. Every decision matters: whether to hold the heights, harvest from below, or commit to a risky push into enemy defenses.[/p][h3]Balance Considerations[/h3][p]While height provides powerful oversight, no position is impregnable. Exposed battlements make defenders vulnerable to coordinated assaults, and multiple approach routes keep combat fluid. Resources are distributed to encourage movement between levels, ensuring the battle never stalls.[/p][h3]Strategic Depth[/h3][p]Victory belongs to those who balance control of the high ground with presence in the resource-rich depths. Coordinated assaults across multiple levels, timed boss engagements, and clever use of underground flanking routes create endless possibilities for dynamic play.[/p][p][/p][p]The Tower of Calomel brings verticality, corruption, and relentless conflict to Outpost Rush. Whether commanding from the battlements or carving through the shadowed tunnels, only those who master both the heights and the depths will claim victory.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]With Season 10: Nighthaven, explore a realm hidden from Aeternum for generations. Uncover the fate of the Tear of Gaea, navigate treacherous alliances, and face threats born from darkness itself. Between a mysterious new zone, evolving endgame systems, and a 10-player raid, this season reshapes how you journey and endure.[/p][p]The Nighthaven update will release on Monday, October 13 and will be free for all New World: Aeternum owners.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Zone: Nighthaven[/h3][p]An ancient land rich with history, Nighthaven was largely cut off from the rest of Aeternum for lifetimes under the direction of its powerful king. Those few who did visit the haunting woods and mighty castles tell stories of mysterious figures, tall and lithe, engaged both in the politics of the court and in the dark hallways of the land’s many ruins. These inhabitants can be both charming and welcoming, or vicious and fearsome, depending on how they view those that they interact with. They rule at the behest of their king, carving out pieces of the land that they oversee on his behalf.[/p][p]There are also stories of monstrous creatures that seem to exhibit the qualities of both man and beast. Although they have largely been known to stalk the dark forests and hills of Nighthaven, they haven recently become bolder, becoming a more ever-present threat.[/p][p]Nighthaven is a land shrouded in mystery, where the dark holds sway over the light. Power lies deep in the catacombs and ruins of this land to those who are bold and brave enough to venture there. Discover the secrets hidden in the shadows of these ancient halls, and use them to confront the threats endangering not only the people of Nighthaven, but the whole of Aeternum as well.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Story: The Tear of Gaea[/h3][p]After the events of Elysian Wilds, Morgaine left with the Tear of Gaea to sequester it somewhere safe, away from ambitious intent. However, it seems that her journey was met with ill fortune, and the Tear has gone missing. She is once more turning to the Soulwarden in an attempt to recover the Tear and keep the world safe from whatever nefarious intent may be planned for it.[/p][p]Travel within the newly discovered land of Nighthaven, and engage the enigmatic and mysterious figures that call it home as you search for the divine artifact. Search through ageless ruins and the facades of opulence as you work to uncover the truth of what is happening in this isolated and reclusive land. But be wary, as trust is a commodity in short supply throughout Nighthaven.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Game Mode: Catacombs[/h3][p]Catacombs is a new game mode in which up to three players explore the depths of a procedurally generated dungeon, battling a wide variety of enemies and bosses, gaining unique mode-specific powerups, collecting cursed resources and currency, and racing to successfully exit and cleanse their treasures before time runs out.[/p][p]While the difficulty of Catacombs is moderate at the start of a session, the challenge (and reward) is increased significantly each time a boss is defeated. To counter this, players are able to acquire in-mode power-ups that enhance their stats and abilities. With each boss defeated, players must decide between pushing further into the Catacombs for even greater rewards or safely making their exit before time run out. Failure to make a safe exit results in loss of the vast majority of the treasures collected, but only one player needs to safely exit to avoid this.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Raid: Isle of Night[/h3][p]Isle of Night is a new 10-person endgame raid. The raid is set in a once magnificent kingdom whose inhabitants have now fallen Lost. Similar in length and format to Hive of Gorgons, this raid features three new bosses and multiple new enemy types, light puzzles, and set piece encounters. This raid will be some of the hardest content in the Season 10, demanding players gear-up and coordinate to succeed.[/p][h3]Overhauled Endgame Progression[/h3][p]Nighthaven brings with it numerous game-wide changes to systems, progression, gearing, and rewards. Our goal with these changes is to form a connective tissue that motivates a variety of play in endgame activities, and enables players to customize their loadouts in ways they never could before to discover unique and powerful combinations of equipment.[/p][p]Level Cap to 70, Gear Score Max To 800[/p][p]Along with a level cap increase, gear score is raising from 725 to 800. PvP Modes which currently scale gear to 700, will now scale to 775.[/p][p]New Gear Modding System - “Perk Charms”[/p][p]Instead of 1 customizable gem socket, gear can now have up to four empty sockets into which players can install new perk modifiers called "charms." Charm sockets and charms themselves have three types: Defensive, Offensive, and Skill. These charms can be picked up fully refined, but more commonly will need to be crafted with rare materials which drop from endgame content.[/p][p]Set Bonuses[/p][p]We are introducing set bonuses into New World: Aeternum for the first time. These ultra rare sets of gear will be earned from pinnacle endgame content: Isle of Night Raid, Catacombs, and the PvP Track. We want to encourage players to mix and match these sets to achieve their desired build type, so they aren’t all-or-nothing.[/p][p]Set bonuses come in two types: some bonuses activate at two equipped pieces and then get better at four equipped pieces (2/4), and some only activate at three pieces and then get better at five pieces (3/5). This means there are seven possible combinations of set bonus configurations: 2,2,2,2,2; 4,4,2; 5,5; 5,3,2; 4,3,3; 4,2,2,2,2; and 3,3,2,2. It’s up to you to decide the best combination of effects that best suits your unique playstyle.[/p][p]Umbrals[/p][p]To round out the long-term chase, we've ushered in a new generation of Umbral Shards. This means that all gear in the new paradigm stays viable, and upgradable with umbrals rather than the clunky system at the gypsum kiln. Any gear with Gear Score of at least 700 can be upgraded with Umbrals. The system now works slightly differently than umbrals in the past, as it is now a currency with a wallet cap of 1,000 and a weekly rate limit to earn. This will keep Umbral's value from deteriorating over time, which was a problem we saw with the previous version of this system.[/p][p]Infix Perks[/p][p]There will still be unique gear pieces with powerful and rare perks called "infixes." These will function similarly to how the unique perk on artifacts work.[/p][p]Attribute Changes[/p][p]There are no longer any perks, which increase attributes. We felt these perks didn’t really result in a meaningful choice between two good alternatives, so we’ve decided to reclaim that slot for more interesting perks. All of the attribute points that used to come from these perks has been instead added into the native attribute point pool granted by normal leveling—and to make sure this is easier to manage, we’ve made Gear Set Storage loadouts now also save your current Attribute loadout. The attribute perks on existing gear have been replaced with other perks of relatively low power, since players will keep the power the attribute perks used to yield.[/p][p]Perk Design[/p][p]We’ve done a complete sweep through our collection of perks and made some structural changes. Our goal is to make perk selection conditional and thoughtful, and to eliminate "must have" perks that simply raise the critical combat numbers like damage, stamina, and cooldown reduction without some kind of meaningful drawback.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New OPR Map: The Tower[/h3][p]"The Tower" rises above the mists, a gothic fortress fusing ancient magic and engineering brilliance atop a mountain peak. Battle across three vertical layers of dark grandeur, from the commanding castle heights to the corrupted depths below. Jump pads and strategic pathways create constant warfare, while three capture points drive the action. Underground passages hide valuable mines and fearsome arenas, providing tactical options and game-changing resources. In this 20v20 battlefield, victory belongs to those who can master both the heights and depths of combat.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Keep on the Lookout[/h3]

• [p]Get a sneak peek at Season 10 with the OPR map preview scheduled Sep 23 - Sep 30[/p]
• [p]Don’t miss the Developer Video going in depth on Season 10 coming in early October[/p]

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[p][/p][p][/p][p]From the depths of Aeternum’s darkest crypts rises a new collection for those who embrace the power of Necromancy. The Walking Tomb Bundle binds adventurers in bone and blackest magick, transforming them into a vessel of dread whose presence chills even the bravest foes.[/p][p]Bundle Contents[/p]

• [p]The Undying Helm Bound with bone and unholy sorcery, this helm draws protection from the brave soul entombed within.[/p]
• [p]Grim’s Cuirass Forged from the remains of forgotten champions, this cuirass is a testament to the strength of the dead and the cruelty of those who command them.[/p]
• [p]Twice-Worn Greaves Once donned by the living, now reforged for the unliving. Each step echoes with the burden of a soul bound to darkness.[/p]
• [p]Graveborn Gauntlets Shackles of magick and marrow, transfiguring mortal hands into claws of the crypt.[/p]
• [p]Pale-Heeled Boots Their tread is silence itself, the whisper of tomb-dust scattering across stone floors.[/p]

[p]Weapons of the Necromancer[/p]

• [p]Shadow Gauntlet (Void Gauntlet Skin) Reforged in necromantic fire by artisans whose gaze lingers on darker worlds than our own. A weapon that channels the void itself.[/p]
• [p]Soul-Strung Bow (Bow Skin) Each string plucked hums with the cries of souls unwillingly bound, loosing arrows guided by death’s whisper.[/p]

[p]Claim the Power of the Grave Cloaked in death’s embrace, you will stride into battle as both warrior and warden of the fallen, an unholy force reshaped by necromantic flame.[/p]