New World: Aeternum News

A New World minimap is "not a high priority" but you won't get banned for using mods

Players hoping to see a New World minimap like in all of the best MMOs on PC may be in for a long wait, as developer Amazon Game Studios says it's "not a high priority". The good news is that it's not penalising players for using third-party mods - at least, not yet anyway.

When New World launched back in September it received good reviews from critics and players alike, but many were surprised by the reliance on the compass and the larger world map to track quests and other markers rather than the standard minimap used in most MMOs or open-world games.

In the latest developer blog posted earlier today, Amazon says that it "understands the reasons" players want a minimap but is concerned adding one will have "a negative effect on immersion" and that it has "concerns with it meshing with New World's action combat style and world design". The team is also worried a minimap "could change open-world behavior and potentially remove the natural exploration that happens now in the game."

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New World region transfers could be coming after all if players want them

A New World region transfer option could be coming to Amazon's MMO after all, despite multiple back-and-forths and the most recent statement saying this was "not possible". According to Amazon, the team is "gauging interest" in the feature - so if players want region server transfers they need to let the developer know.

The saga of New World's server transfers feature has been almost as epic as the game itself. After the game's servers got clogged by the influx of new players at launch, Amazon Game Studios promised a free server transfer to all players so they could move to a less populated one. After multiple delays, the feature is finally available - but the one thing players can't do is change server regions, despite Amazon previously stating that they'd be able to do so.

Amazon also said that "each region is a separate database and it is not possible" for players to move characters between regions. However, perhaps due to player backlash to this decision, the developer says it is now "gauging interest in cross-region transfers".

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New World gets a PTR to test a new weapon and missions

Amazon Games is releasing a Public Test Realm for New World, giving you the chance to try out new updates and patches before the devs push them live. The developer explains on its blog that the first PTR will be live today (November 10) at 12pm PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT. Servers will be limited at first, with one world being available in the US East region and another in central Europe.

This time around, Amazon is testing a new weapon called the Void Gauntlet. It allows you to support your allies or attack enemies, making it a DPS / support hybrid weapon. "It's the first weapon to scale on both intelligence and focus, making it a great pairing with the Life Staff and other magic weapons," Amazon says. "The Annihilation tree focuses on maximising damage at close range and revolves around Void Blade, a summoned blade of corrosive void energy. The Decay tree offers ranged healing and debuffs and revolves around Orb of Decay, a dual-phase projectile that can debuff enemies and heal allies."

Amazon is also looking to add some enemy variety and a new types of foe. You'll notice a new group in the game called the Varangian Raiders, consisting of hewers, scouts, knights, and archers. Their level ranges from 16 to 20, and they hail from the north. You'll be able to find out more about the Varangian Raiders through a new mission supplied by Abigail Rose in Western Everfall.

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Announcing the Public Test Realm

Greetings, Adventurers!
Our goal is to provide you with the best possible experience in Aeternum. That means getting feedback and testing early and often— especially with our players that have provided phenomenal feedback and helped us track down a plethora of issues since launch. We have many new and exciting changes planned for the future of New World, and as part of that preparation, we’d like to introduce a new program: the New World Public Test Realm.

PTR
The Public Test Realm (PTR) is a limited-availability server-set that will give players an early look at upcoming features. These preview builds are snapshots of upcoming major updates and are not final versions— you may encounter bugs, crashes, missing text, or other issues. Between our internal testing efforts and your feedback we hope to catch and resolve all serious issues before they reach the live servers. Hundreds of changes have been made and the full release notes will be shared on release day.

To help with the feedback process, all newly created characters on these worlds will have the opportunity to instantly level to select level-ranges outfitted with appropriate gear and items.
By the end of today, everyone with a copy of New World will find the New World Public Test Realm application in their Steam library. Downloading this stand-alone application allows interested players access to check out the latest preview version and provide feedback. PTR servers will officially open tomorrow, November 10, at 12 PM PT (7PM UTC). Servers are limited — at the start, there will be one world available in US East and one world available in Central Europe.

When the test period is complete and the main New World game is updated with the previewed content, all worlds will shut down and be wiped clean. You will still see the New World PTR application in your Steam library, but there will not be active servers until the next time we announce a test.
If you encounter a bug, exploit, or have suggestions to improve a feature or piece of content, we’d love to hear your feedback on our new PTR sub-forum (you can also utilize our in-game feedback tool). We will do our best to address as much of your feedback as possible before the content update makes its way to our live servers. Your participation will help us to deliver awesome content and updates in the future!

During this iteration of the PTR, we would appreciate feedback on the following subjects:

NEW WEAPON VOID GAUNTLET

The Void Gauntlet has manifested in Aeternum! Manipulate the powers of the Void to support your allies and debilitate your enemies with this magical DPS/support hybrid. It’s the first weapon to scale on both Intelligence and Focus, making it a great pairing with the Life Staff and other magic weapons. The Annihilation tree focuses on maximizing damage at close-range and revolves around Void Blade, a summoned blade of corrosive void energy. The Decay tree offers ranged healing and debuffs and revolves around Orb of Decay, a dual phase projectile that can debuff enemies and heal allies. With its arsenal of buffs and debuffs, the Void Gauntlet is perfect for group combat and can significantly bolster your allies at the expense of your enemies.

NEW MISSIONS AND MOBS ENEMY TYPE

New dangers have landed on our southern shores! The Varangian Raiders have sailed down from the north and brutally carved out sections of each territory to establish a base of operations: from war camps on the beaches of First Light and Monarch’s Bluffs to an entire fort they’ve captured in Everfall. Face off against fierce Varangian Hewers, Varangian Scouts, Varangian Knights, and Varangian Archers (level range: 16-20) as you ascertain their true intentions.

ENEMY VARIETY
Reinforcements have arrived! Be on the lookout for new enemies scattered across Aeternum, such as the Withered Swarmancer, Beetle, the Lost Shaman, Pirate Alligator, Ancient Guardian Pyromancer, and enhanced Corrupted Laborers! These additions will bring unique combat encounters to our lower-level open world experience.

NEW ENEMY QUESTS
What brings these new and ruthless visitors to our shores? Seek out Abigail Rose in the wilds of Western Everfall to get started on one of two new quests available, which deal with the arrival of the Varangians. While their motives for coming south may remain a mystery, one thing seems clear… this is just an expeditionary force – more will come.

NEW LEGENDARY WEAPON QUESTS
Alongside the release of the Void Gauntlet, we’re also releasing a new Legendary Weapon Quest series. Upon reaching Level 60 and maximum skill level with the Void Gauntlet, players should seek out Antiquarian Abbington in Reekwater to start this epic endeavor. Note that you’ll need to have completed “Magaki’s Strategem” in Shattered Mountain and Legatus Fulvius’s quest series in Reekwater to qualify.

IMPROVED MAIN STORYLINE QUESTS
Quests in the main storyline have been improved with new task types and quest variants, including wave events, destructible objects, and proximity nodes for tracking. You’ll see some of these as you progress through the story, and more improvements are still on the way.

PVP FACTION MISSIONS
Our goals is to add more variety for PVP players and create a balanced experience for players highly engaged with territory control. Three brand new PVP Faction Mission types have been added! In addition, almost all PVP missions now reset on death rather than being forfeited. Note that poach missions have been removed for a better directed set of PVP missions.
Control Points - These missions send you out to capture control of Forts.
Intercept - Defeat enemy faction members and collect their tears!
War Camp loot - Retrieve hidden plans at the enemy war camp.

NEW TRADING POST EXPERIENCE TRADING POST UPDATE
All Trading Posts have been linked and are now unified! You can buy and sell the same results from any Trading Post in the world. Fees for Buy and Sell Orders are defined by the Settlement that you’re posting from. Additionally, Transaction Taxes on purchases you make are defined by the Settlement in which you are making the purchase. Items listed in Sell Orders that expire return to the Settlement from which they were posted.

We think this is an exciting opportunity to collaborate more closely with you, and we look forward to working with you all on improving New World. Thank you so much for your participation!

Submit your feedback on our official forums, with dedicated threads.

PTR FAQ

How do I access the new PTR?
Everyone with a copy of New World will be automatically granted access to the secondary PTR app. The PTR is not compatible with the live game, so you will need to download a separate client (and have the hard drive space required to support it). From there, we will have special worlds available within supported regions. Not all regions will initially be supported. Access is on a first come, first served basis. There may be queues.

Can I play with or transfer my live characters to the PTR?
Unfortunately, no. These are separate ecosystems, so at this time it is not possible. However, to make testing easier, we will occasionally provide our play-testers with special accommodations such as instant levels, special gear, etc.

Can I provide design feedback regarding what’s included on the PTR?
Preview game builds on the PTR are finished with their core development and are in their final phase of testing and bug fixing. Our main focus at this phase is improving quality, although we will appreciate any feedback you have to share.

I have a problem; how can I contact Customer Support?
Our policies and Code of Conduct cover the PTR, and in-game moderation will continue to be supported. Unfortunately, due to the temporary and potentially unstable nature of the PTR, general Customer Service assistance through both Live Chat and through the Support Website will not be available.

I don’t want to participate in the PTR, can I remove the app from my library?
Don’t worry, no offense taken. Players can manage visibility of the New World Public Test Realm Steam Library entry. Opening up the game options (right-click > Manage) offers the “Hide Game” function.

Thanks for your support and participation! We'll see you in Aeternum.

New World's combat is getting some TLC with coming updates

The New World team is "starting on some next steps for combat", one of the MMORPG's devs has revealed on its official forums. Developer DaveNW has given us an idea of the changes the team has in mind, explaining that the devs' "initial focus will be in weapon swapping, dodge cancels, and attack input windows" - and the proposed tweaks sound like they'll make a really helpful difference to battling in Aeternum.

First up, one area the New World devs are currently working on is the responsiveness of swapping weapons and ensuring the consistency of this across all of the game's attacks, as the team wants switching between weapons to be "an integral and fluid part of combat". The dev explains that, currently, players might often end up attacking with the weapon they've currently got equipped having thought they'd swapped weapons - but then that not being the case.

The dev doesn't go into detail on how the team will address this, but does say, "we are working to fix these situations and expand when you are able to swap your weapon".

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