New World: Aeternum News

Greetings, Adventurers!

Get ready for new PvP activities, narratives, and a massive sandwurm when Season 2 - Blood of the Sands releases on July 6. Want an early taste of what to expect? Join the next PTR on May 25. Blood of the Sands will feature Transmog, Elite Trials, and a new 3v3 Arenas map, plus Cross World Outpost Rush, the First Light Retraction, and new rewards.

Join the Development Team for an in-depth breakdown of Season 2:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Major Updates[/h2]
[h3]New Season Story[/h3]

One of the most enduring mysteries of Brimstone Sands is the massive creature known as the Devourer. An ancient group calling themselves the Blood of the Sands, and their leader Malek, have emerged from the shadows to seek help in finding the eggs of these beasts. Join the Silver Crows and Rima the bard to uncover the secrets of the order and their history with the creature they call Shah Neshen.

[h3]New Season Pass[/h3]

Blood of the Sands introduces a new Season Journey, new Activity Card, new Challenges, and new rewards including cosmetics and consumables like Transmog Tokens.

[h3]Transmog[/h3]

Further customize your character when Transmog comes to New World during a mid-season 2 update. Use consumable Transmog tokens to capture the appearance of any gear collected in the world and then transform it into a usable skin for your cosmetic collection.

[h3]Elite Trial: Arena of Shah Neshen, the Devourer[/h3]

Enter the Arena of Shah Neshen, the Devourer, and defeat the massive sandwurm for elite rewards in a challenging new PvE game mode for 20 max-level players.

[h3]Seasonal Trial: The Hatchery[/h3]

Fight through waves of enemies to progress the Season Pass and earn unique rewards in a new weekly activity for 10+ max-level players. Players can earn the maximum amount of rewards 7 times a week and will then receive smaller rewards for subsequent runs.

[h3]Raid Groups[/h3]
Create a raid group of up to 20 players to communicate, coordinate, and share spoils across large-scale, open-world activities.

[h3]Cross World Outpost Rush
[/h3]

Outpost Rush will soon be playable across any world within the same region. Gain control of fortifications and resources in this 20v20 game mode for max-level players.

[h3]Outpost Rush Adjustments[/h3]

Alongside cross world functionality, Outpost Rush will also receive adjustments to make gameplay even more engaging. Updates include reduced wait times, an increased focus on objectives, and increased damage from siege weapons. Look forward to the full list of changes during our next PTR.

[h3]First Light Retraction[/h3]
First Light has fallen to the might of Artemis and her Angry Earth horde! The Settlement, Fort, and Trading Post in First Light are now closed. A wall of thorns has erupted along the border, barring all access into the territory until further notice.

• All Housing related items will return to Storage and can be found under the “Old First Light” tab in any Storage shed.
  
• All Trading Post orders in First Light will eventually expire, but no new orders can be made in the territory.
  
• Companies controlling First Light at the time of Retraction will be refunded for their losses.
  
• First Light’s Faction Control Point (FCP) buff has been moved to Weaver’s Fen, and Weaver’s FCP buff has been discontinued for now.
  

We have big plans for the territory. This is only the first step. Stay tuned for more news about the future of “Old First Light.”

[h3]New 3v3 Arenas Map[/h3]

Battle other players in an all-new Gladiator style 3v3 Arenas map.

[h3]New Heartrune Ability: The Devourer[/h3]

Summon a sandwurm to burst from the ground and damage anything within its path.
[h2]
Seasonal Events[/h2]
[h3]Summer Medleyfaire[/h3]


Commemorate the warm summer months with music and the Aeternum Sturgeon—a rare and highly sought after fish prized by both anglers and cooks alike!

Players can purchase the new music track 'YAAHH' from the Medley Faire Maestro. Performing this song 3 times a day at any Medley Faire village will grant you Premium Medley Faire tokens. Complete a 4 star playthrough on expert mode to receive the "Guitar Hero" title!

[h3]Siege of Sulfur[/h3]

10+ max-level players can team up in a new group activity to defend sandwurm eggs from waves of Sulfur Elementals seeks to destroy them. Defend the eggs to earn rewards that will help you take on Shah Neshen, and for a chance at the Mini-Devourer hat skin and housing item.

[h2]PTR[/h2]
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 is now open! 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:

• Summer Medleyfaire Event
  
• New 3v3 Arenas map
  
• First Light Retraction
  
• Season 2 Narrative
  
• Seasonal Trial: The Hatchery
  
• Season 2 Rewards Track
  
• Outpost Rush Adjustments
  
• Siege of Sulfur
  
• Raid Groups
  
• Elite Trial: Arena of Shah Neshen
  

These features will be tested in rolling waves. Stay tuned to Steam and Discord for the full schedule.

[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 ON 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.

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

Greetings, Adventurers!

Since November 2022, Fresh Start worlds have allowed adventures to relive the excitement of conquering unexplored territory, amass vast wealth, and forge new reputations throughout Aeternum. While these worlds share the same game version as our other servers, they function as separate entities, safeguarded against external influences like character transfers. However, not all worlds can maintain a sufficiently active population to support New World's large-scale game modes and other content areas. In accordance with our initial promise when Fresh Start worlds were introduced, we will refrain from merging a single remaining Fresh Start world in a region if its population falls below a healthy threshold. Nonetheless, abandoning a world is not an option, so in an effort to sustain and grow community numbers for eligible worlds, we will remove the "Fresh Start" designation and provide the impacted community with time to recover and restructure before considering further remedies.

Keeping this in mind, we are delighted to announce that Sutekh, located in our Asia Pacific region, will be the first world to undergo this transition. As a result, users will now have the freedom to interact and transfer between Sutekh and Delos, fostering a dynamic and sustainable player-base for Sutekh.

We understand that this solution may not be ideal for everyone, but we strongly believe it offers the best way forward for regions that are too small to support both Standard and Fresh Start world sets.

[h2]DETAILS[/h2]
On May 24 at 10 AM PDT, the world Sutekh will transition to a Standard world.

• The Fresh Start World indicator will be removed.
  
• Character transfer restrictions will be lifted for both “In Transfers” and “Out Transfers”.
  
• Note that the standard 30-day transfer waiting period will remain in effect without change.
  
• Characters will remain on this world and will not be forced to move or merge to another world.
  

No downtime will be required to make these adjustments.

Fresh Start worlds in other regions will remain unchanged. If players would like to remain within a Fresh Start world ecosystem, these alternative worlds will continue to be available for new characters.

[h2]BONUS EVENT[/h2]
To facilitate a smoother transition and promote the forging of new friendships, Sutekh will host an exclusive bonus XP event called the "Welcome Party." This event will last for 14 days, starting from 10 AM PDT on 5/24 and concluding on 6/7. During this event, Character XP will be boosted to a 2x bonus rate, and the Gathering, Refinement, and Fishing Trade Skills will also receive enhanced benefits.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we implement these changes. We are committed to providing the best possible gaming experience for all our players and believe that this transition will contribute to achieving that goal.

Greetings, Adventurers!

Minor Updates, Major Releases, and Fast Patches continue to make Aeternum even more immersive. Minor Updates include quality of life fixes, while Major Updates feature new content. Check out the video below for a full comparison between the two. But what about Fast Patches? Read on to learn how they work.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]WHAT IS A FAST PATCH?[/h2]
Live Operations Lead Producer Derek Hernandez went on to explain the Fast Patch process for New World:

“When a significant issue emerges, it undergoes a series of triage steps, starting with the initial investigation and reproduction by the QA team, and then progresses through Production and Feature Leads,” said Derek. “Most bugs are assigned to an upcoming Major game update, which we strive to release quarterly.”

“To address time sensitive situations, we have a couple of options: Minor Patches and Fast Patches. While we discussed Majors and Minors in the above video, we also occasionally utilize Fast Patches, or hotfixes. Major Updates adhere to a quarterly schedule, with Minor Updates filling in the gaps approximately every other week. However, if a critical issue arises that cannot wait 1 to 2 weeks to be resolved, we deploy Fast Patches—unscheduled builds. This internal pipeline enables us to swiftly implement fixes while other patches are still being finalized, either in active development or testing. For these Fast Patches, we only include 1 to 2 critical fixes that significantly impact the game. This allows us to move fast! Once the patch is successfully built and tested (a multi-hour process), it is promptly deployed to the live environment.“



“As a recent example, on April 25, we released a new Minor Update to activate the Springtide Bloom event. Unfortunately, this patch introduced a new bug to the leaderboard system, causing players with certain character data to receive reward notifications repeatedly whenever they teleported. While we were eventually able to disable the system (and the spam) through special backend technology, each week that the feature failed to process rewards resulted in a growing list of affected players who would eventually qualify for a leaderboard reward but wouldn't receive one.”

“Instead of waiting for the next scheduled patch in 2 weeks or shipping the in-progress patch ahead of schedule with limited testing, we decided to integrate the fix into our Fast Patch pipeline once it had been tested and verified by QA. We created a new build, subjected the patch to our release test passes, and then rolled out the fix to players on May 4, while still allowing us to finalize and ship our intended patch on schedule for May 9. This approach enabled us to reactivate the feature and reduce the number of potentially delayed rewards by 50%!"

What minor update do you need in your life to be more agile? Let us know on Discord, Reddit, or the YouTube comments section. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

The Earth has been restless since the Ennead awoke. Empower your weapons, confront Dryads, and save Aeternum from the Fury of the Spriggan. Courageous players can join 20+ Adventurers in open world encounters from May 24 to June 13 for daily, event-specific rewards.

Dryad Shamans have been spotted throughout Brightwood, Ebonscale Reach, Edengrove, Mourningdale, and Brimstone Sands. Construct Flame Braziers to strengthen your weapons before these deadly foes overrun Aeternum.

[h2]LORE[/h2]


An aching moan of wood echoes through the forest. Though the air is still, the leaves quiver rhythmically with the lumbering plod of a great force of nature. The towering silhouette casts long shadows across the ancient treetops and yet it brings the wood no harm – not so much as a twig is snapped or a bramble trampled. This giant is kin of the flora, the Spriggan, and it has embarked on a righteous path to strike down with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy all that which is natural and pure.

The Earth has been uneasy since the re-awakening of the Ennead and the time to take action is now. Dryads have converged to summon a mighty Spriggan and combat that which threatens the natural order – be it Ancient, Corrupted, or Human. All shall know the fury of the Earth.

[h2]REWARDS[/h2]



[h3]COMPLETION REWARDS[/h3]
Each victory over the Spriggan nets players one of the following rewards:

• A 50% chance of rolling a level-appropriate procedural weapon or armor piece
  
• Guaranteed to be Rare or above.
  
• A 30% chance of rolling an item from the Global Named List.
  
• A 20% chance of rolling an item from the Spriggan Arena Named List.
  

Additional guaranteed spoils include:

• A roll for various container resources.
  
• A roll of level-appropriate consumables (health, mana, etc.).
  
• 1 Obsidian Gypsum (standard 3x loot limit still applies).
  

[h3]DAILY BONUS REWARDS[/h3]


Players can topple the Spriggan multiple times throughout the same day, but will only receive a maximum of 3 daily bonus rewards. These reset at 5 AM local time. For example, if a player grabs their third Cache at 4:58 AM, they’ll be able to earn another at 5:01 AM.

Defeat the Spriggan to earn a special Cache (up to 3 daily) containing event-specific loot:

• 1 event-only Mossborne Weapon:
  
• Guaranteed to have Weapon Appropriate Attribute + Empty Gem Slot + Angry Earth Bane Perk.
  
• 1 event-only Mossborne Armor Piece:
  
• Guaranteed to have Armor Weight Appropriate Attribute + Empty Gem Slot + Angry Earth Ward Perk.
  
• 250 Umbral Shards.
  
• 3 to 5 Flame Cores.
  

Triumphant players also get:
A roll with -

• A 33% chance of rolling 1 of 12 selected perk resources.
  
• A 25% chance of rolling 1 of 6 exclusive Named items.
  
• A 5% chance of rolling a Timeless Shard.
  

A roll with a 2% chance of Spriggan Flame Brazier housing item:

• This percentage chance increases slightly after each roll.
  

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

Greetings, Adventurers!

Becoming more powerful through higher stats and more effective abilities should always feel satisfying. However, there must be a balance. Fast progression can lack a steady sense of growth, while slower progression can feel like a grind. Learn more about how the team balances Crafting progression in the video below.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]PROGRESSION BALANCE[/h2]
Senior Systems Designer Tony Morton walked us through their experience striving to make impactful progression changes:

“One of the most interesting things about working on Crafting and progression is how excited we get but then how hard we are hit when slapped with reality. I remember chatting with Phil about increasing the first time craft bonus. We went back and forth about really making it impactful and both started with a super ambitious boost to 5X or even 10X from the previous 2X. We were both like, this will be awesome! Then I set it up and within about 5 minutes of testing I quickly realized that 10X would pretty much break any sense of a leveling curve. It was sooooo fast."

“I turned it down to 5X but still had the same problem. I was ZOOOOMING through leveling for some of the professions. Phil and I were both a little defeated because we really wanted to say ‘LOOK AT THIS HUGE CHANGE,’ but only moved it up by 1 from 2X to 3X, haha.”

“All that said, we’re happy with where it’s at right now and leveling crafting is so much smoother than it was when we originally launched.”

What progression changes would you like to see? Let us know on Discord, Reddit, or the YouTube comments section. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.