New World: Aeternum News

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Greetings, Adventurers!

Join Michael Lovan, Head of Community Video, for reflections on the series’ inspiration, challenges, and evolution, plus an infographic featuring zany stats. You might already be more familiar with the creator of Forged in Aeternum than you think.

“If you've ever watched one of the Community Q&As, that's my voice you hear,” said Michael. “You can also find me lurking on the New World subreddit, upvoting my favorite transmogs, or spamming LEO's global servers to watch Forged in Aeternum under my new name, ForgedInAeternum.”


[h2]INSPIRATION[/h2]
“If there's a documentary, book, or podcast about game development, I'm probably familiar with it. I'm a video game history nerd, and I think the historical documentation of development is important for future generations to learn from. It is, in my opinion, the most meaningful way of measuring a developer's intent against a game's lasting impact. So when I was brought into Amazon Games to build out the Community Video team, I was eager to share my love of developer insight with the world.”

“When I met Scot (Game Director, New World), I pitched him on doing a weekly show that would allow for me, and the community, to be a fly on the wall and observe discussions that were already happening around the office. Scot rallied the team to help with the show, and collectively they (and the community) have helped continuously shape it.”

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[h2]AN EVER-EVOLVING SERIES[/h2]
“Forged has evolved quite a bit since the beginning, both in terms of process and in terms of what we're trying to do. In the beginning, Scot, Dave (Creative Director), Katy (Senior Producer), and Rob (Narrative Director) helped brainstorm a lot of discussion topics, and I spent a good amount of time asking different devs if they would come on the show.”

“We then schedule shoots. I like to film at least a few episodes at a time. When we shoot far enough in advance, that extra time can help us compile gameplay footage to edit into the episode. Occasionally I shoot the episodes solo, but more often than not I'll get assistance from Chuck and Steven, my video team.”

”Steven or myself put together the edits and then we run the video through internal approvals. Once it's release time, I publish the episode and stare at the comments like a hawk until the knots in my stomach go away.”



“Since the advent of Seasons, we've now got a sweet cycle where we can regularly dive into different features in development. On a live game, there's always something to talk about. Additionally, the various teams I work with - New World devs, Marketing, Community - do a wonderful job proactively proposing subjects, so I'm often flooded with great ideas for the video pipeline.”

“Occasionally there is a gap in the schedule. I try to use those episodes to try different things, like putting together a group of people who don't often interact and seeing what happens when they talk.”

“After the release of the December 2022 Dev Update Roadmap video (and the many community questions it sparked), it was clear that the show needed to quickly evolve into more of an active community conversation. We've since made a commitment to release monthly Community Q&As, Balance of Power episodes, and more recently, regular updates on service improvements and the economy.”

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[h2]COMMUNITY QUESTIONS[/h2]
“Hundreds of questions come in and we aim to answer 10 to 15 of them. What could go wrong?”

“I'd love to cover every question, but the reality is that some aren't ready to be addressed. Whether the devs have an answer but can't yet elaborate meaningfully or they have a meaningful answer but need to hold to align with Marketing, it can quickly get complicated.”

“I want the community to feel heard and truly believe their time with the Community Q&As is time well spent. Though the overall sentiment remains favorable, the criticisms I've read are fair and warrant introspection. I know the Q&As can be even better, so that's what we have to do.”

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“One thing I'd like to try in the next Q&A is to be more prescriptive when asking for questions, so that we can make sure we're only eliciting questions we know we can answer. I'm working with the teams to get a clear vision of what's on the table for discussion further in advance. I'm optimistic, but I'll be on the lookout for feedback as usual. If the next Q&A doesn't land well, the neat thing is that we will always have another shot just a month away.”

[h2]MOST MEMORABLE COMMENT[/h2]
“Out of the thousands of comments, I've screen capped several hundred favorites across YouTube, Reddit, and Discord into a folder on my desktop. Many are jokes, some are constructive suggestions for improving the show, and others are suggestions for game features. But there's one comment I go back to more than others—in the March 2023 Community Q&A, we opened with an apology from Scot about the delay of the Season 1 release.”
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“One of the top comments on YouTube said, 'We understand you guys and your struggles. Maintaining your transparency and honesty is all we ask! Thanks so much.' I thought it was an important moment for the relationship between the New World team and community. I was also moved to see that support in the comments.”

[h2]GREATEST CHALLENGE[/h2]
“I am sensitive to the reality that for many on the New World team, this is the first time they've been on camera and subjected themselves to the internet. It's challenging to ask the team to put themselves out there week over week. Yet one year later, they continue to do so.”


“It's hard to really contextualize how meaningful it is to me, but for any person to go out in front of a global audience weekly takes a lot of guts. We've had 55 guests to date, many of whom have been on the show multiple times. Their grace, humility, and great attitudes inspire me.”

[h2]HARDEST EPISODE[/h2]
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“The April 2023 Community Q&A gradually went off the rails into chaos, with blinding daylight that made Katy as bright as the sun. By the end, Scot's holding up a flag to block light on Katy, Chuck's holding up a ridiculously large canopy umbrella to block light on Scot, and I'm doing my best to get through the questions without laughing. It was ridiculous. We second-guessed ourselves and questioned whether we should re-shoot it. I'm glad we opted not to.”

[h2]FAVORITE EPISODE[/h2]
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“What the community doesn't have the pleasure of seeing is the before and after of every episode, where we oscillate between planning and making jokes. When I look at past episodes, I remember those moments more than the actual filming. I'll never not laugh when I think of Katy scolding Scot and Charles (Art Director) for their lack of remorse killing Stanley in Restless Shore. Scot and Charles seem sweet, but they showed their true cards there.”

[h2]BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORY[/h2]
“I spend way more time with the New World team than they do with me. The nature of making videos is that I get very familiar with the way people talk, their ticks, recognize when people are anxious or have doubt about the words they just used. In a parasocial sense, I feel like I really get to know the people I film and edit, when in reality the hours I've spent with them is significantly more than the time they've spent with me.”



“We were a few months into the series when I ran into Scott (Lead Engineer), Rachel (Game Designer), Dan (Social Features Lead) and Patrick (Lead Seasons Designer) having lunch. I approached them like a group of friends and asked, ‘what's up, nerds?' It wasn't planned. It was just a reflex for when I'm comfortable with friends.”

“While they laughed, I quickly apologized and let them know I was mortified. They took it in good stride. I'm happy they've all appeared on the show numerous times since. I still think of them as my friends even though they probably don't even know my name.” :(

[h2]BEHIND THE CONTROLLER[/h2]

• Favorite Character: In my first playthrough, as soon as I saw him fishing, Yonas was my favorite character. Second playthrough had the revamped MSQ, and I was drawn to Grace O’Malley the whole way through. On this third playthrough (ForgedInAeternum, LEO) I’m in love with my mount.
  
• Favorite Cutscene: Prison Argument!
  
• Favorite Event: Easily Winter Convergence Festival. Nothing beats the experience of gathering Tokens with my daughter so that we could buy our very own ‘Wittl’ Winter Whiskers for the house we built.
  
• Favorite Quest: The entire Season 1 Fellowship & Fire questline. I loved the storytelling of the Silver Crows and enjoyed the sense of belonging to a team.
  
• Favorite Weapon: War Hammer. I know it’s utility but it’s so fun! Right now, I’m leveling the Ice Gauntlet and Fire Staff. The Ice Gauntlet takes some getting used to but I’m enjoying the combination.
  
• Favorite Ability: Path of Destiny
  
• Favorite Faction: Marauders
  
• Favorite Expedition: Empyrean Forge
  
• Favorite Enemy Family: Angry Earth
  
• Favorite Enemy: Siren Queen
  
• Favorite Lore: Artemis and the Angry Earth taking over First Light.
  
• Favorite Territory: Weaver’s Fen
  

[h2]THE FUTURE OF FORGED IN AETERNUM[/h2]


“A new Forged in Aeternum will continue to release every single week (including holidays), and twice a week when it's time for the monthly Q&A and Balance of Power. I am also in the process of developing another New World video series on patch note breakdowns.”

“Please keep the feedback coming and look forward to further refinements as we enter year two. I will continue to read every comment about the show across Reddit, Discord, and YouTube. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.“

Greetings, Adventurers!

The Glacial Tarn is a new Level 65 Expedition set in the Great Cleave. Explore a cavernous frozen complex hidden beyond the Empyrean Forge in pursuit of the Varangian Knight Ser Loth. Locate and harness the primordial magic of the Empyrean Flame to overcome enemies and obstacles imbued with Ice Magic, and destroy Ser Loth before his power consumes all of Aeternum.

Players will need the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion to experience this Expedition.
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[h2]LORE[/h2]
Ser Loth has blocked our path into the depths of the antediluvian complex. Beyond the Empyrean Forge, he harnesses primordial magicks from deep within an ancient pyramid. If left unchecked, his power will grow to unconquerable heights, so you must act quickly to stop his apocalyptic power grab. Thankfully, our friend, Shailyn, has found another path into the complex and back into the forge- but it won't be easy.

A league of ice enchanted ancients stand in our way, and beyond them lie the Varangian horde, empowered by the Glacial Tarn's Ice magic and the Empyrean Forge's primordial flame. Players will have to use these magicks to their own advantage, plowing through ice and snow with the power of fire.

[h2]AUDIO[/h2]

“As the second act of the Empyrean Forge, the Glacial Tarn’s music confronts warmth with coldness,” said Audio Director Jean-Edouard Miclot. “I always enjoy dichotomies that force me to make something completely different and similar at the same time. Contrast can be complimentary so it’s always a great source of inspiration when making sounds, music or any kind of art.”

[h3]THE FROZEN LAKE[/h3]

“I used an Instagram video of a Russian frozen lake cracking under the weight of an ice-skater as a source of inspiration for most of the Eternal Frost aesthetics. The laser-like sounds felt alien but also familiar at the same time, so we didn’t purchase any stock libraries. Because it was a hot summer here in Sunny California, we challenged ourselves on how we could recreate them internally instead.”

[h3]DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS OF COLD INSTRUMENTS[/h3]

“Kyle Bailey, Michael Finley, Tony Martinez and myself all ended up doing slightly different takes as we interpreted the concept differently but it made the palette richer in the end. Some of these sound effects can also be heard in the music; it clicks, it cracks, it creaks and slaps like a drummer playing on a frozen drum set.”

“One of the coldest instrument I made was simply using a bell EQ tracking MIDI notes. It’s like a wind that whistles in tune along other instruments. It felt pretty dark and isolated so I started using it at the beginning to set the tone.”

“When the player falls down in the crevasse of the Expedition, I went completely literal and recorded a glissando effect.”

[h3]SOUNDS FROM THE SINK[/h3]
“The glissando introduces a waterphone-like sound. I don’t personally own this beautiful instrument but I accidentally touched the top of my wine glasses that contained a little bit of soap water while I was washing my dishes. It just sounded like a waterphone to me so I placed 4 of them with different amounts of water, quickly tuned them by ear, and then started recording wild takes with my phone not thinking I’d actually use these sounds.”

[h3]THE EMPYREAN FORGE CONNECTION[/h3]

“To finally connect the Glacial Tarn to the Empyrean Forge, I re-used the same guitar-like instrument when I needed it to feel “badass” during the final payoff of the victory theme that wraps up the Commander Loth storyline. It pays homage to Commander Marius’ defeat and finishes with a sour note of melancholy.“

[h3]EXPERIMENTATION THROUGH DIFFERENT SOUND EXPERIENCES[/h3]

“Overall, I used a fair amount of synthesizers with high resonant filters to recreate the laser sounds that we heard in the frozen lake video and I know it won’t be to everyone’s taste. Looking back, we’ve recorded over 6 hours of live and orchestral music so far for the game and we don’t want to get stuck with a narrow palette of colors and textures. We want to break the mold and thrive as a new MMO to give you an experience that you won’t get anywhere else.”

“Our sound tenet has always been about pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo so I think we’ll continue using instanced content as a playground for experiments. With the help of your feedback, we might back off if you feel we go too far but we’ll also push harder when you stay quiet because there’s nothing that delights us more than reading your positive comments, it's the fuel that will continue to propel our creativity.”

[h2]ART & DESIGN[/h2]

“The Glacial Tarn is another great example of our aesthetic philosophy—visual uniqueness,” said Expedition Art Lead Daehi Kim. “We want players to explore distinct areas of Aeternum and enjoy everything from epic views to every single corner.”

“This Expedition has a strong visual elemental theme like the Empyrean Forge. Last time it was fire, now it's ice. Although both Expeditions have completely different themes, they are physically connected to each other in the same space. You might be able to re-explore places you have already been or visit previously unreachable locations. Look forward to even more exploration in this half. Keep your body warm and see you at the entrance!“

[h2]GOALS[/h2]

The Glacial Tarn is an opportunity to improve upon environmental gameplay that began with the Empyrean Forge. Its natural caverns and ancient complex contain their own unique hazards and mechanics.

Chief among them is the Primordial Ice, ice structures that take minimal damage from all attacks and can more easily be destroyed with the magic found in the Empyrean Forge. The Empyrean Flame allows players to progress rapidly through the Expedition, removing the Ice Armor of enemies and doing more damage to the Ice Walls and Blocks that thwart progress.

[h2]GAMEPLAY FEATURES[/h2]
These three new gameplay mechanics set the Glacial Tarn apart from prior Expeditions.

[h3]EMPYREAN FLAME[/h3]

The core mechanic of this Expedition is known as Empyrean Flame, a buff that players can receive by interacting with Empyrean Furnaces scattered throughout the Expedition.

• This buff allows players to remove Ice Armor from enemies.
  
• The buff will eventually fade if players do not reactivate it by interacting with the Furnace again.
  
• Players will have to manage keeping themselves buffed while also fighting enemies.
  

[h3]FROZEN WIND/ICE VENTS[/h3]
To block passages from players without the Empyrean Flame, there will be walls of powerful icy jets. These vents remove the buff and deal damage.

[h3]ICE ARMORED ENEMIES[/h3]

Ice imbued Varangians and Ancients are strong to all damage types until their armor stacks have been removed. Hit them while buffed from the Empyrean Flame to shatter their armor.

Non-enemy obstacles also need to be destroyed by the buffed player(s). For instance, a switch might be iced over and cannot be activated until the ice has been destroyed.

Let us know which part of the Glacial Tarn you want to experience most when the next Expedition drops alongside Eternal Frost on December 12. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

New World Update 3.0.3 downtime will begin at 11:00PM PT (6:00AM UTC) on November 14 and last approximately 1 hour. Aeternum has survived the hauntings of Nightveil Hallow, but a familiar foe is back for revenge—Turkulon. Check out the full release notes, including new Knightsbane Legion skins and Black Friday bundles, bug fixes, and more.

[h3]KNIGHTSBANE LEGION AND BLACK FRIDAY BUNDLES[/h3]
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The Dark Legion invades the Store this month! Special skins for those who have abandoned the code of chivalry are now available. Smile as your opponents’ blood runs cold at the sight of you. Whatever your style, visit the Store for special promo bundles featuring unvaulted content and brand new skins, including the Gladekeeper Bundle, the Azoth Arcana Bundle, and the Maulers and Brawlers Bundle. Select housing items and tool skins are 50% off for a limited time.

[h3]FIGHT TURKULON FOR THE GRAND GOBBLER[/h3]

Satisfy your hunger for carnage with the succulent Grand Gobbler War Hammer when Turkulon returns on November 15 through 28. Hunt down the Feathered Avenger of Death and his ‘fowl army’ to earn unique, event-specific items. Thanks to player feedback from last year, loot will now drop more frequently. There are also even more desirable rewards, like a giant turkey leg, waiting to be served.

[h2]RELEASE NOTES
[/h2][h3]WORLD EXPERIENCE[/h3]

• Added a tag to the named AI to ignore the spawn scaling effect, lowering the spawn rate at the Dayspring Tree POI.
  
• Adjusted spawns for the Staff of Wizardry encounter to prevent stalls when new enemies appear.
  

[h3]EXPEDITIONS[/h3]

• Fixed an issue that caused gatherables to not appear in Starstone Barrows.
  

[h3]GLOBAL MUTATORS[/h3]

• Fixed an issue with the enemy count in Dynasty Shipyard. It is now 60.
  
• Fixed an issue with Guldar not counting towards the Named Enemy Count in The Depths.
  

[h3]COMBAT CHANGES[/h3]
Artifacts

• Scorpion's Sting - Added trade off to Sting Perk - Increases cooldown by 50% upon use.
  
• Lost Stopwatch - Changed duration from a 100% increase to a flat 1s increase.
  
• Increased damage reduction trade off from 5% to 10%.
  
• Odo - Updated functionality to include that the damage bonus applies to knocked down targets.
  

Disease Status Effects:

• All Player Diseases - Added an outgoing healing penalty to all disease status effects equal to half of the incoming healing reduction. (Plagued Crits, Plagued Strikes, Plagued Splitting Grenade, Infected Throw, Putrefying Scream, PvP Arenas Healing Reduction)
  
• Plagued Crits - Removed health requirement. It can now be refreshed while active.
  
• Plagued Strikes - It can now be refreshed while active.
  

Perks

• Shirking Heals - Increased cooldown from 5s to 10s
  
• Slash/Physical Ward/Absorptions - Updated all physical ward and slash ward Gems and Perks to include bleed damage as a part of slash damage to function similarly to other dots.
  
• Exhaustive Net Shot - Reduced duration from 8s to 4s.
  

Blunderbuss

• Increased base damage by 3.75% in PvE and reduced base damage in PvP by an additional 3.62% to keep PvP Damage the same.
  
• Last Chance Passive - Reduced from 50% to 30% Fortify
  
• On A Roll Passive - Made it so each stack has its own unique duration
  
• Primary Fire - Reduced damage coefficient from 23% per pellet to 21% per pellet
  
• ASB - Reduced damage from 50% per pellet to 45% per pellet.
  

Life Staff

• Splash Of Light - Reduced Radius from 100m to 25m
  

Void Gauntlet

• Void Blade - Removed duration limit of Void blade, now remains active until weapon becomes inactive.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused several staggering attacks to not trigger the increment for the breakout dodge.
  
• Fixed an issue with attacks that didn’t stagger but unintentionally incremented the breakout dodge.
  

[h3]PVP REWARD TRACK NAMED ITEMS[/h3]

• Fixed an issue that prevented certain named PvP item upgrades.
  
• To address, we’ve added new versions of the PvP Reward Track Named Items with a 5th generated Perk. Unlike the originals, these new Named Items can be upgraded at a Gypsum Kiln. To make it easier for Adventurers to distinguish the two, the old PvP Reward Track Named Items no longer have the 'Named' tag.
  

[h3]ECONOMY, PROGRESSION, & GEAR[/h3]

• Disabled the ability to use Secrets of the Spores potions in Arena PvP.
  
• Disabled Artemis Boon status effects when joining Arena PvP instances and non-Savage Divide Expeditions.
  
• Updated the description for the Azoth Inductor for further clarity.
  
• Chromatic Ward: Fixed an issue that prevented this Perk from working properly.
  
• Fixed an issue where if you crafted multiple items, and one became a named item, you would not receive the other items.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused Beast Hoards to drop loot at a lower than intended Gear Score.
  
• Adjusted the Aptitude crates the player can purchase in the Faction shop at Rank 6.
  
• These chests no longer award 2-3 rare Tier 5 materials. They will now offer 60-120 Tier 5 raw materials instead.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused Mythril Rings and Earrings to not function as intended.
  

[h3]GAME MODES[/h3]

• Fixed a rare issue that caused War instances to not start properly.
  
• Simultaneous Influence Races will be enabled on Abaton as part of a test.
  

[h3]UX/UI/SOCIAL[/h3]

• Fixed an issue that caused bundles with items locked to Rise of the Angry Earth to overlap text on top of the bundle cost when viewed in the Store by players that do not own the expansion.
  
• Fixed a rare issue that crashed the game when viewing results for Influence Races that included more than 20 Companies.
  
• The auto-pin toggle for Town Project Missions and Artifact objectives now works properly.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused certain Dye to be unusable.
  
• Fixed Dye issues for the following skins:
  
• Black Spire
  
• Penitent Assassin
  
• Somber Legionnaire
  
• Fixed visual issues with skirts, cloths, and other skin colliders.
  

Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

A Knight of the Round Table has unearthed forbidden knowledge of the Ancients, seeking to subjugate humanity with the power of an eternal winter. Rally your team of Silver Crows, and convince a surly fire mage named Daichi to help track down and vanquish the Knight before he lays waste to Aeternum. Get to know the new characters from Eternal Frost and then continue their story in-game on December 12.

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[h2]NEW COMMANDER OF THE FROSTBOUND (VARANGIANS)[/h2]

[h3]QUOTES:[/h3]

• “Why oh why must I talk to these plebeians.”
  
• “Let all crack and bend before my might!”
  
• “The power I sought was never meant for you, Artorius, it was meant for me.”
  

[h3]BIO[/h3]

• Where to find him: Delving into Ancient ruins in search of powerful artifacts
  
• Cultural background: Celtic
  
• Occupation: World domination
  
• Likes: power, suffering, power that causes suffering
  
• Dislikes: meddling commoners, a.k.a. the Silver Crows, and King Artorius
  
• Little-known facts about him: He’s related to at least two others in the court of King Artorius
  

[h3]ABOUT THE COMMANDER[/h3]
He grew up adoring King Artorius, and later served faithfully as a Knight of the Round Table with the courage and blind passion of youth. He sailed with the rest of the court that made the voyage to Aeternum’s shores. On the island, he had a falling out with Artorius, and was banished during the Wars of Crimson Madness. He was never able to recover from this devastating blow to his entire identity- his meaning in life was ripped away in an instant.

He spent decades as a recluse, clinging to the anchor of vengeance, in the raging sea of his insanity. He is now allied with Ser Loth, a Knight who’s tapped into primordial forces deep under the mountains of Great Cleave. The new commander leads an army of mutated Varangians known as the Frostbound, in search of powerful artifacts to unleash a horror upon Aeternum, and the rest of the world.

[h2]DAICHI SAITO[/h2]

[h3]QUOTES:[/h3]

• “Mm.”
  
• “The lady in the big hat keeps telling me what to do.”
  
• “‘Not bad’ was a compliment.”
  
• “I do not. Feel the urge to hug.”
  

[h3]BIO[/h3]

• Where to find Daichi: Brooding on the edge of any crowd
  
• Cultural background: Japanese
  
• Occupation: Silver Crow
  
• Likes: solitude, a good fight, Dog
  
• Dislikes: crowds of more than one person, those who believe themselves smarter than they really are
  
• Little-known facts about Daichi: His mentor on Aeternum fell Lost. He can’t stand covering his feet when he sleeps.
  

[h3]ABOUT DAICHI
[/h3]Daichi was an excellent warrior in feudal Japan, allowing him to rise quickly through the ranks, but his renegade streak and antagonism to authority grew in proportion to his skill as a samurai. Ultimately he quit his feudal lord in a burst of anger and became ronin, fed up with what he saw as bumbling incompetence.

Hunted for his betrayal, Daichi fled to Aeternum, seeking new fortunes. He found a mentor in Jubei Mori, the master of a Fire Temple on Aeternum, who helped him get his mind right, though Daichi proved to be an exceptionally stubborn case. His master's defeat at the hands of his own students drove Daichi deeper into a distrust of others. He has a chip on his shoulder and can be quick to temper and to judge.

Once onboard with the Crows, Daichi's habits don't get any better. His dislike of authority immediately causes friction with Grace. Personality aside, however, Daichi can be a powerful and loyal ally.

Let us know what you’re looking forward to most about the Eternal Frost narrative. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

Aeternum is an ever-evolving world, and as such, we continue our efforts in providing our players with an assortment of ongoing new features, content, and changes. We are approaching the release of Eternal Frost and would like to once again invite you all to participate in this iteration of our Public Test Realm (PTR)!

Read on for this PTR's features and FAQ. The full list of release notes can be found on our website.

[h3]PTR[/h3]
The Public Test Realm (PTR) is a limited-availability server-set that grants an early look at upcoming features. These preview builds are snapshots of upcoming major releases and are not final versions — you may encounter bugs, crashes, missing text, or other issues. Between our internal testing efforts and your reports, we hope to catch and resolve all serious issues before they reach the live servers. Hundreds of changes have already been made — with more to come — and the full release notes will be shared on release day. However, not every bug or feedback piece will be actioned on before release — some changes need time to be investigated further, and may arrive in a subsequent patch or two.

To help with the feedback process, all newly created PTR characters will have the opportunity to instantly level to select level-ranges outfitted with appropriate gear and items.

The PTR will officially open on November 9. 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 Discord (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 look forward to hearing your playtest feedback on the following changes:

• The Glacial Tarn Mutated Expedition
  
• Season 4 Artifacts
  
• Season 4 Narrative
  
• Season 4 Rewards Track
  
• Weapon Balance updates
  
• Winter Convergence Festival
  
• Legacy of Crassus
  
• Inventory Improvements
  

Check out our official announcement for detailed breakdowns of what to expect.

[h2]Wave 2: November 16[/h2]

• Legacy of Crassus is now available.
  
• The Winter Convergence Festival has been disabled.
  
• The Season 4 Narrative Eternal Frost Soul Trial is now playable.
  
• We've added Chromatic Seals and Dark Matter to playtest backstories that will help test crafting. They are in a container called "Playtester Chromatic Matter Cache" contained within the Customized Loadout Box
  
• Fixes for instability issues reported on the first wave.
  

[h3]PTR CLIENT ACCESS
[/h3]This special preview client will be made available for download through the stand-alone Steam application, “New World Public Test Realm” (which should already be in your Steam library if you own the main game). When the test period is complete and the main New World game is updated with the previewed content, the PTR world will shut down and may be wiped clean. You will continue to see the New World PTR application in your Steam library, but there will not be an active server until the next time we announce a public test.

[h3]PTR BACKSTORY LOADOUTS[/h3]
Upon character creation on the PTR, players will be given multiple caches of special armor and weapons. Each cache has a designation based upon a general build and a main attribute: CON, DEX, INT, FOC, and STR.

To help manage the sudden onset of new items, do not open all provided caches at once, or you’ll risk becoming encumbered! Instead, equip all provided bags and then follow-up with opening each cache deliberately. Any undesired caches can be dropped or deposited into your personal settlement storage.

[h2]PTR FAQ[/h2]
[h3]HOW DO I ACCESS THE NEW PTR?[/h3]
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.

[h3]CAN I PLAY WITH OR TRANSFER MY LIVE CHARACTERS TO THE PTR?[/h3]
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.

[h3]CAN I PROVIDE DESIGN FEEDBACK REGARDING WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE PTR?[/h3]
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.

[h3]I HAVE A PROBLEM; HOW CAN I CONTACT CUSTOMER SUPPORT?[/h3]
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.

[h3]I DON’T WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PTR, CAN I REMOVE THE APP FROM MY LIBRARY?[/h3]
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.

Check out our website for the full list of changes. Thanks for your support and we'll see you in Aeternum!