New World: Aeternum News

Greetings, Adventurers!

New World is now on sale for 50% off through Steam and Amazon until 10AM PST on March 23. Start your revamped story experience and get ready for more immersive narratives when Season 1 - Fellowship & Fire kicks off on March 28. Aeternum awaits. Will you cooperate with other Adventurers or strike down anyone in your path? Here are some tips for you to make the most of your journey, learn more about major updates, and see what’s next. We also brought back some discounted fan-favorite store items for a limited-time.

[h2]SALE ITEMS[/h2]
Get more out of spring in Aeternum with discounts on returning store items. Each item listed below is available now until 12AM PST on March 23. To celebrate the season, all players will receive a Black Bear Pelt Rug. Claim it for free through the in-game store.

• Herbalist's Home Camp Skin: (15,000 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Teeming Tetrarch Apparel Skin: (11,250 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Knight of Devotion Apparel Skin: (7500 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Fool For Love Apparel Skin: (7500 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Heartpiercer Weapon Skin: (4250 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Love's Cool Embrace Weapon Skin: (5625 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Glowing Admiration Weapon Skin: (4250 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Piercing Beauty Weapon Skin: (4250 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Labor of Love Toolset: (10,000 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Edifice of Eros Camp Skin: (10,000 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Give Flower Emote: (2500 Marks of Fortune)
  
• Swoon Emote: (2500 Marks of Fortune)
  

[h2]REVAMPED STORY EXPERIENCE[/h2]
New World continues to evolve based on player feedback. As part of the Brimstone Sands Release, the first 25 levels of the game were completely overhauled to include more unique points of interest, a wider variety of objectives, and enhanced storylines. The Season 1 Update will push that overhaul even further. Look forward to more engaging quests and characters throughout the Weaver’s Fen and Brightwood zones.

Watch this video from last fall for a glimpse into how New World continues to improve.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]NEXT MAJOR UPDATE: SEASON 1[/h2]



Enjoy more frequent content like new features, gameplay experiences, and a Season Pass with two reward tracks — free and premium. Each reward track will feature 100 tiers of unlockable rewards for new emotes, skins, gear, and other seasonal loot.

Explore our announcement and FAQ article for more details.

[h2]NEW WAYS TO PLAY: FIRE STORM HEARTRUNE[/h2]



Create a tornado to burn any obstacle in your path with the Fire Storm Heartrune. Each Season will include a new Heartrune — powerful abilities that give you more ways to customize your playstyle. Discover the story behind the Fire Storm Heartrune’s development to make the most of its power.

[h2]NEW PLAYER GUIDE[/h2]



Curious how to navigate your next adventure? Check out our full interview with BDLG and Redbyrd, the creators of Newworldfans.com, for insight into everything new players need to know.

[h2]WHAT’S NEXT: SEASONAL EVENTS[/h2]
New threats, festivities, and more will also come to Aeternum throughout Season 1:

[h3]RABBIT’S REVENGE[/h3]



Corrupted Rabbits have returned to Aeternum. Hunt them down to obtain special event-specific rewards.

[h3]SPRINGTIDE BLOOM[/h3]



The Time of Awakening has arrived! Springtide Bloom calls its children to share an ancient secret capable of granting true freedom. Help the enigmatic Bloom Herald unravel the mysteries of the ethereal Wispybloom and collect Springtide's fertile bounty of limited-time rewards. Harvest with caution, as swarms of vile Wispy Wasps guard the blooms with fury!

[h3]FURY OF THE SPRIGGAN
[/h3]



The Earth has been restless since the Ennead awoke. Cooperate in open world encounters to defeat Dryads and a mighty Spriggan for event-specific, daily rewards.

[h2]STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE TEAM: FORGED IN AETERNUM[/h2]
Join the Development Team for conversations on community-driven topics like QAs, lore, and character design. We also feature companion pieces that delve into other aspects of relevant topics. Here’s a taste of what to expect from our weekly video series:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

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

Greetings Adventurers!

Today we are introducing our new New World specific Discord server! Join your fellow Adventurers, make new friends, and talk all things New World! You'll also find official updates and events hosted by your Community Managers as well as a more centralized location to find groups to complete content to your hearts' desires.

Thanks for your support! We'll see you on Discord: http://discord.gg/playnewworld

Greetings, Adventurers!

Create a tornado to burn any obstacle in your path when the Fire Storm Heartrune arrives alongside Season One - Fellowship & Fire on March 28. We joined Combat Designer Josh Hurley for a glimpse into Fire Storm’s inspiration, design, goals, and challenges. Discover the story behind this ability’s development to make the most of its power.

[h2]INSPIRATION[/h2]
“The inspiration for Fire Storm came from the Empyrean Forge Expedition,” Josh said. “The entire theme of the release is Fellowship & Fire and we definitely wanted to lean into the fire portion of it. We initially started by examining various attacks performed by the enemies within the Expedition to see if any of them would be a good starting point for what we wanted to achieve. For this one though, many of the enemy attacks weren’t exactly what we were going for or felt too similar to attacks or abilities that players could already do, so we leaned into coming up with something a bit more unique while utilizing the theme of fire.“



“During the early prototype phases of its development, we were unsure what we wanted to do with the animation, but after discussions with animators the concept of ‘fire bending’ popped up. We really wanted to lean into something fun and unique to signify the casting animation, and that is when the spin kick was brought up and immediately shined as the perfect way to cast this ability.“

[h2]DESIGN[/h2]
“All of the Heartrunes are themed around some sort of AI boss or event, so the first step is to review the upcoming expedition or events that will be released along with that update to gauge what we want to do to make it feel like obtaining the Heartrune ties into the event that the player is participating in. The first aspect of Heartrune development is figuring out what roles are currently covered with existing Heartrunes, and what sort of gaps or missing functionality could be covered with a new Heartrune, and for this one, which role would fit the theme of fire.”

“Initial iterations of the Heartrune didn’t follow the terrain, and it would function similarly to the Void Gauntlet Orb Of Decay ability where it would just go off in the direction it was cast in until it hit an obstacle then it would stop. However, that didn’t feel great in more cluttered terrain. Even though there were some situations where kicking a tornado of fire into the air was fun, getting more consistent usage out of it was a better design choice.”



“The base movement speed of the Fire Storm is just barely faster than the normal sprint so players can actually follow the Heartrune and move within it, especially when using the Cunning variant with the Accelerating Storm perk.”

“I always thought it would be cool to treat the Fire Storm as a ball of death for players to follow as they charge into a fight. During a War playtest, I saw a Fire Storm immediately cast through broken fort gates. Right as they were destroyed a group of players rushed into the fort while inside the Fire Storm, creating the very fiery ball of death full of players that I envisioned during the early design phases.”

[h2]GOALS[/h2]
“The goal is to give each Heartrune a unique purpose and place. Some may be good for damage, while others may have more utility, creating situations where if you have any sort of gap in your build between your two weapons, that gap can be filled with a Heartrune. Fire Storm was shaped around a close-mid ranged situation with the ability, when using some perks, to potentially aid as somewhat of an engagement tool or casting towards an enemy that could be running away. However, much like a lot of the other Heartrunes, their functionality has variable trade offs depending on the perks.”



“For the power of the Heartrunes, we want them to feel strong, but not overpowered, and since Heartrune power is much more static that a player’s power, the goal is to make them useful, but not so powerful that they can be a make or break a combat situation.”

[h2]CHALLENGES[/h2]
“The greatest challenge was from working around a slower projectile. The Fire Storm Heartrune is by far the slowest projectile that a player can fire, which created a number of issues due to how easy it is to watch the translation of the projectile compared to other ones in a wide variety of combat areas. The slower something moves, the easier it is to keep a closer eye on it, and the easier it is to keep an eye on something, the more issues can be perceived from it.”

“The most obvious way we addressed this was by adding in the ability for the Fire Storm to follow terrain. Prior to that addition it would collide with many objects in the world. If you casted it too high or on a downward slant it would float off into the air, or if you casted it too low or up hill, it would collide with the ground and end early. Getting the ability to allow a projectile to maintain a set distance from the ground was an absolute game changer for the development.”



How will you use the Fire Storm Heartrune? Let us know on the forums. Thanks for your support and we’ll see you in Aeternum!

Greetings, Adventurers!

New World Update 1.8.4 downtime will begin at 11:00 PM PT (7:00AM UTC) on March 7 and marks the end of the Legacy of Crassus event. It also includes fixes to locked items.

[h2]World Experience
[/h2][h3]Faction Missions
[/h3]

• Fixed an issue that allowed players to bypass the PvP Faction Mission requirements and complete Patrol Territory quests.
  

[h2]COMBAT CHANGES
[/h2]
[h3]GENERAL
[/h3]

• Fixed an issue that allowed Abilities to be used multiple times without cooldowns.
  
• Fixed an issue that allowed players to dodge more times than intended without consuming Stamina.
  

[h2]ECONOMY, PROGRESSION, & GEAR[/h2]
[h3]CRAFTING[/h3]

• Fixed an issue that caused Crafting to fail and deliver the message "Crafting attempt failed".
  

[h2]UX/UI/SOCIAL
[/h2]

• Fixed an issue that caused the leave Company pop up to occur every time a player spoke to their Faction representative.
  

[h3]LOCKED ITEMS
[/h3]

• Fixed an issue that caused locked items to display as bound to a player.
  
• Fixed an issue that allowed locked items to be transferred to a bag on the ground if they were equipped.
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented locked items from being deposited to storage. Locked items will still not transfer using the “Transfer All“ button.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused players to receive the wrong message "Cannot drop mission items" when attempting to discard locked item from their inventory. The correct message "Cannot drop locked items" will now appear.
  

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

Greetings, Adventurers!

Get more out of your journey throughout Aeternum when Seasons come to New World. Look forward to more frequent content like new features, gameplay experiences, and a Season Pass with two reward tracks — free and premium. Each reward track will feature 100 tiers of unlockable rewards for new emotes, skins, gear, and other seasonal loot.

Please note:

During our final rounds of testing we uncovered an issue with Seasons - Fellowship & Fire that needs to be resolved before launching, and we must delay the release. Our team is working diligently to address the issue and deliver this anticipated release as soon as possible, at the quality bar it deserves. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and please stay tuned to the official New World forums and our social channels for more updates.

[h2]What is the Season Pass? [/h2]
The Season Pass introduces new ways for players to earn meaningful rewards, just by playing New World. Players will earn Season XP, level up, and unlock rewards as they progress through their seasonal activities. Our goal with seasons is to consistently provide something fresh for every type of player.

[h2]Free Track [/h2]


The Free Track is completely free for all players and grants a variety of helpful rewards like new skins, pets, Marks of Fortune, Boost Tokens, seasonal weapons and armor, Umbral Shards, Gypsum Orbs, and caches of materials.

[h2]Premium Track
[/h2]


Players who have reached Level 25 will also have the option to purchase the Premium Track for additional rewards, such as cosmetics, additional Marks of Fortune, Boost Tokens, and even more seasonal loot. Players can opt-in to the Premium Track at any point during the Season and will retroactively receive all eligible rewards. At the end of the Season any unearned, unique seasonal rewards will be vaulted.

[h2]Season XP[/h2]
The Season Journey, Challenges, and Activity Card all give players Season XP. Season XP can also be gained through other activities: Quests, Faction Missions, Town Projects, Expedition Bosses, Outpost Rush, 3v3 Arenas, and more.

[h2]The Season Journey[/h2]


The Season Journey, available to players at Level 60, is a way of tracking your progress throughout the Season. It is broken down into chapters based on the Season's Story with rewards for completing specific tasks inside each chapter.

[h2]Season Challenges[/h2]
Seasonal Challenges are the most difficult objectives each Season. These may prove more difficult, but their rewards are higher than the Seasonal Journey!

[h2]The Activity Stamp Card
[/h2]


This seasonal mini-game further rewards Adventurers for daily play. Each stamp location features icons that correspond to a specific activity like “Complete a Mutated Expedition.” Complete activities and stamp spaces for Season XP. Players will receive bonus experience as full lines (diagonal, vertical, or horizontal) are completed.

If the activities on your current Stamp Card aren't to your liking, you can re-roll them in exchange for Azoth. Completed Stamps will remain, but all activities (including completed ones) will be replaced with new ones.

[h2]Season 1 - Fellowship & Fire[/h2]
Enjoy new narratives and more as part of our first Season — Fellowship & Fire.

[h3]New Story: The Silver Crows[/h3]


Assemble an elite team of mercenaries called the Silver Crows to help their first client, Skye the Spear-daughter, confront a powerful Warlock and the Varangian horde, and halt their ambitions amidst the flames of a brand new Expedition: Empyrean Forge.

[h3]New Expedition: Empyrean Forge[/h3]


The Empyrean Forge is a new Level 60+ Expedition set in the Great Cleave. Team up with Sir Loth, a knight of Artorius, to stop the flow of mysterious magic deep within a necropolis.

[h3]New Heartrune Ability: Fire Storm[/h3]


Create a tornado that damages targets in its path. You can also craft more powerful versions of the Heartgem to fit your playstyle.

[h3]New Mechanic: Gear Set Storage[/h3]


Need to quickly swap gear for Mutated Expeditions? You’ll now be able to save and switch between your favorite gear sets after reaching level 25. Additional slots can be earned through the Season Pass or purchased with Marks of Fortune.

[h3]Weaver’s Fen and Brightwood Main Storyline Quest Revamp[/h3]
The Weaver’s Fen and Brightwood Main Storyline is getting an overhaul based on player feedback and improvements made to the revamped starting experience. Experience these two familiar territories through a fresh narrative, more quest variety, and a few new surprises.

[h2]Seasonal Events[/h2]
New threats, festivities, and more will also come to Aeternum throughout each season:

[h3]Rabbit’s Revenge[/h3]


Corrupted Rabbits have returned to Aeternum. Hunt them down to obtain special event-specific rewards.

[h3]Springtide Bloom
[/h3]


The Time of Awakening has arrived! Springtide Bloom calls its children to share an ancient secret capable of granting true freedom. Help the enigmatic Bloom Herald unravel the mysteries of the ethereal Wispybloom and collect Springtide's fertile bounty of limited-time rewards. Harvest with caution, as swarms of vile Wispy Wasps guard the blooms with fury!

[h3]Fury of the Spriggan[/h3]


The Earth has been restless since the Ennead awoke. Cooperate in open world encounters to defeat Dryads and a mighty Spriggan for event-specific, daily rewards.

[h2]FAQ[/h2]

[h3]Why are we switching to a seasonal model?[/h3]

• Moving forward, our plan is to update New World on a predictable 3 month cadence. Through seasons we will introduce more content and experiences for all players to enjoy.
  

[h3]What can I expect from future Seasons?[/h3]
Each Season will:

• Last approximately 3 months and introduce new features and gameplay experiences.
  
• Feature a unique Season Pass for players to earn impactful rewards through new Activity Cards, challenges, and more.
  
• Include new limited-time Premium Track rewards like cosmetics.
  

Items acquired from the Season Pass can be upgraded to 600 Gear Score and will gain a 3rd Perk, making them Legendary.
[h3]How much is the Premium Track upgrade and how can I purchase it?[/h3]

• The Premium Track upgrade will cost 20,000 Marks of Fortune. It can be purchased through the Seasons tab (F9) in-game.
  
• There will be 100 levels of both Free and Premium Tracks. Players who purchase the Premium Track will earn rewards across both tracks.
  

[h3]Isn’t this a form of pay-to-win?[/h3]

• All of the non-cosmetic Premium Track rewards can also be earned through the Free Track and normal gameplay.
  
• The Premium Track adds 100 levels of additional rewards, giving players the opportunity to get more in-game items.
  
• The gear rolled from these rewards will not exceed 600 Gear Score and does not include any unique perks that cannot be found in-game.
  
• Premium Track Cosmetics do not provide any additional benefits.
  

[h3]What are Boost Tokens?[/h3]

• Boost Tokens are time-based catch up mechanics that provide temporary quality of life conveniences. They do not affect stats or provide any advantage in combat.
  
• They are designed to help players that want to more quickly level up Weapon Mastery, Gathering Trade Skills, Season progression, and Territory Standing.
  
• Tokens are available to earn in-game through the Free and Premium Track of the Season Pass as well as for purchase through the in-game store.
  
• For example, the Proficiency Boost Token that increases Gathering yield by 10% for 90 minutes provides a longer but lower percent increase than a Powerful Proficiency Booster that can be crafted in-game.
  

[h3]How will the Season Pass work across multiple characters on the same account?[/h3]

• The Season Pass will work across multiple characters in the same World or Region.
  
• Rewards can only be claimed once per Region, but can be claimed on any character that has unlocked the Premium Rewards Track at level 25.
  
• Progress will not transfer if players switch Regions.
  

We’re excited for the future of New World and can’t wait for everyone to experience what’s next. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.