1. New World: Aeternum
  2. News

New World: Aeternum News

Arenas Update

New World's Arenas Update downtime will begin for all regions at 5AM PT (12PM UTC) on May 26th. Expected downtime is 2 hours.

Greetings, Adventurers!

New World's Arenas Update downtime will begin for all regions at 5AM PT (12PM UTC) on May 26. Expected downtime is 2 hours. Players can start their personal PvP quest for rewards as part of the May update. Check out our full breakdown of the May release notes for more information on the new Arenas mode, Expedition Mutators, Varangian Knights quest chain, PvP Rewards Track, and a whole host of other updates. Here’s a brief overview for you to learn more about some of the key additions.

[h3]3V3 PLAYER VS PLAYER ARENAS[/h3]


Step into the Arena to test your skills against other combatants! 3v3 Arenas are a new small-scale PvP game mode where teams of 3 can face off for fame, glory, and riches. You might even win a few unique housing items.

Each Arena match is a “Best-of-5” contest. Fight to be the first team to win 3 rounds and secure the match for your team. Rounds are 2 minutes long, but if the battle lingers, a deadly ring of fire will push players to the center of the arena, forcing combatants to engage or die!

Players level 20 and above can queue for 3v3 Arenas by opening the Modes menu, allowing on-demand PvP gameplay from anywhere in Aeternum. If players need a brief introduction to what the Arena is, they can speak to the fight promoter Maximus Marcellus in Everfall.

[h3]NEW EXPEDITION MUTATORS[/h3]


Return to the Depths and face a brand new challenge for end-game rewards! The Depths is now part of the weekly Expedition Mutator rotation. In addition, 3 new mutation types have been added to the pool, for a total of 27 new combinations:
  • Overgrown - Focuses on Nature Damage and Resistance. Overgrown adds effects like Toxic, a pool which tracks down players, and Compost which turns trash into healing areas for their allies.
  • Barbaric - Focuses on Physical Damage. Adds Berserk, an enrage effect, and Shattering which deals Stamina Damage.
  • Fiendish - Curses that focus on the nocturnal. Fiendish adds Weary, which will weaken players with Rend and make them vulnerable with Slow. It also features Blood Offering which stacks damage over time.

[h3]VARANGIAN KNIGHTS - EPISODE 2[/h3]


Continue the story of the the Varangian Knights and their conquest for power. Players will encounter four new Varangian enemies in this episode: the Crusher, Spearman, Hound, and Mage. Find Abigail Rose just outside a new Varangian camp at Sorcerers Delve in Everfall to start the episode 2 quest chain. Recommended for players level 25-30.

PvP enthusiasts can gain more insight into the PvP rewards track below. Players looking for specific balance updates, AI improvements, and bug fixes can instead explore every single release note, including the PvP Rewards Track, on our dedicated release page.

[h3]PVP REWARDS TRACK[/h3]


Whether you strive to standout in Wars, carry your team against the odds in Outpost Rush, or counter nearly every weapon combination in Arenas, our new PvP Rewards Track encourages players to strive for special prizes. New gear, weapons, emotes, and more will serve as motivation for players to boldly tackle all forms of PvP, including open-world centric activities like faction missions, capturing forts, and killing other flagged players.

Each PvP mode will now grant players a new type of XP and a new PvP Currency – Azoth Salt. PvP XP increases your progress on the PvP Rewards track, while Azoth Salt can be exchanged for specific rewards. Every PvP activity will earn you progress, so play your favorite! You’ll also earn a generous Azoth Salt bonus for every 10k Character XP you earn in the open world while flagged (XP earned while in sanctuaries is not included).

How exactly does the new reward system work?

When you hit certain PvP XP thresholds, set at 2000/5000/10000, a notification will inform you that you’ve unlocked checkpoints 1/2/3 respectively. At each checkpoint, three potential rewards will roll, and one can be purchased using Azoth Salt. And this is where the fun starts…



The PvP Rewards Track contains all sorts of dedicated rewards including armor, trinkets, weapons, emotes & perk items that all bind on pick up and are not available anywhere else in the game. There are also other awesome prizes like Gypsum, Umbral Shards, Potion Packs, and Currency Bundles along with some Azoth Salt vials to boost your coffers. If you choose not to purchase any prizes with Azoth Salt you will recieve a small amount of extra Azoth Salt instead. Once a reward in each checkpoint is purchased or Azoth Salt is claimed, your PvP Reward Track will rank up and the checkpoints reset to begin your next rotation.

As your rank increases, more great prizes become available! You can even earn in-game achievements and titles by hitting pre-defined PvP Rank Milestones. These milestones go from Steel (1 rotation), to Bronze (5 rotations), to Silver (20 rotations), to Gold (50 rotations), to Platinum (100 rotations), to Starmetal (200 rotations). Rest assured, if you reach the very top, you can still keep the prizes flowing by cycling through the checkpoints, even once you hit the max level of the PvP Rewards Track.

Typically, you will find the most valuable items on the third checkpoint. However, there are plenty of exceptions. For example, Umbral Shards can roll on any checkpoint, Gypsum Orbs can roll on checkpoint 2 or 3, and Currency Bundles can roll on all notches, although the biggest yields are found on the third checkpoint. Perk/Potion Packs can only roll on checkpoint 1 or 2. In addition, each checkpoint has dedicated types of equipment. For instance, Checkpoint 1 rolls Hand and Feet Armor, Checkpoint 2 rolls Leg Armor, Trinkets and Weapons, and Checkpoint 3 rolls Head and Chest Armor, Weapons, and Emotes.

Rolled prizes will be suitable to where the player is in their level progression. That means the equipment you roll will have gear scores that should be useful to you. The potions offered will be at the appropriate tier for you to use, and currency packs will increase based on your player level as well as your rank. In addition we have added a system where, when a weapon is rolled, there is roughly a 50% chance it will be a type that you actively have equipped (in either slot including shields). At Tier 5, rolls will respect your expertise level and can roll up to 600 Gear Score.

Here are the Equipment Tier rewards by player level:
  • T2-lvl.0-19
  • T3-lvl.20-39
  • T4-lvl.40-59
  • T5-lvl.60

All types of dedicated PvP Weapons and Armor can be rolled right from the start. This gear will roll its perks from custom made ‘perk buckets.’ These buckets have been curated to give more of the desirable perks and stat bonuses including the new PvP perks listed below. After 5 rotations, the Named fixed-stat variants of this equipment unlocks. This equipment has between two to five fixed perks depending on tier and have been crafted to be competitive.

Once you have completed your 20th rotation, the Prestige equipment will become available. These have a mixture of pre-defined and rolled perks. What’s more, the rarer versions of these roll at 600 Gear Score regardless of your Expertise level! You need to be level 60 to qualify, of course.



[h3]NEW PVP PERKS[/h3]
  • Penetrating Backstab
    PvP Only: Backstabs penetrate 10% of a player’s armor.
  • Penetrating Headshot
    PvP Only: Headshots penetrate 7% of a player’s armor.
  • Fractured Rend
    PvP Only: When block breaking a player, inflict rend, reducing damage absorption by 12% for 4s.
  • Purifying Crits
    PvP Only: Critical hits remove 1 buff from a player (Cooldown 10s)
  • Exhausted Exploitation
    PvP Only: Hits against Exhausted targets inflict Slow, reducing movement speed by 15% for 4 seconds (Can not re-trigger on same target)
  • Alacritous Punishment
    PvP Only: Deals 8% additional damage to players with Haste.
  • Sturdy Fortification
    PvP Only: Blocking attacks add a stack of 4% fortify on self for each blocked hit (Max Stack 5)
  • Shirking Heals
    PvP Only: After successfully dodging an attack, heal for 100 health. (Each armor piece with this perk adds a stack)
  • Siege Ward
    PvP Only: Receive 6% less damage from siege weapons.
  • Mortal Empowerment
    PvP Only: Player kills grant a persistent 1% damage bonus that lasts until downed, death, game mode exit. Duration refreshes on re-application. (Stacks up to 30 times, can not be cleansed).
  • Invigorated Punishment
    PvP Only: Ability deal 3% bonus damage per buff on target. (Cap of 8)
  • Shirking Empower
    PvP Only: After successfully dodging an attack, obtain Empower, increasing damage dealt by 4% for 10s, refreshes when new stack is applied. (Stacks 4 times)

If you find your equipment isn’t rolling your favorite PvP perk, don’t worry. Inside each type of potion pack you will find two perk-crafting items which will allow you to craft some bespoke PvP gear just the way you like it.

Go forth, Adventurer! Bring glory to your name!

Behind the Scenes: Arenas

Greetings, Adventurers!

The new PvP Arena requires effective teamwork to quickly defeat the other team, but what about the design details you can’t always slow down to admire mid-fight? New World Gameplay Design Manager David Hall and Game Designer Patrick Smedley joined us for a deeper look at the 3v3 mode’s development, balance philosophy, and announcer. Let’s go behind the scenes for a better sense of how the team strives to immerse players in epic, small-scale battles.

[h2]Development and Design[/h2]



Immersion started well before Arenas came to life in sketches. Aesthetically, Patrick and the Design Team set out to create a battleground that ties into the lore of Aeternum. Corruption looms throughout the outer sections of the Arena, while Adventurers fight around pillars without hazards or other distractions in the ring. This clean design allows players to focus on competitive matches - perfect training conditions for Soulwardens to prepare for their inevitable fight against the Corrupted.

The layout is based less on lore and more around balance. Fundamental questions about player count, match length, and level requirements helped shape a 2D map of the Arena. Next, the Design Team collaborated with artists and engineers to convert it into a playable 3D space.

“Our first pass on the Arena level ended up being way too big and the Arena took quite a long time to run around, which gave ranged players a really heavy edge in matches,” Patrick said.

The Design Team went on to shrink the Arena twice to achieve their goal of a tight, focused mode that gives neither melee nor ranged playstyles an advantage. Following PTR feedback, they also adjusted the pillars’ placement to better block initial lines of sight.

[h2]Balance Philosophy[/h2]



According to Patrick and David, the New World Design Team wanted combat to shine in a small space where players could outsmart and outplay one another without feeling the need to use weapons in the current meta. Early playtests undermined that intention because the Life Staff felt like a competitive requirement. However, the team’s decision to introduce a healing debuff is more than a simple balance solution. This change helps make Arenas all about playing your game, your way.

Let’s breakdown the impact of that Life Staff debuff in more detail. There are 12 weapons in New World. Every player can equip two weapons and each one has two unique skill trees. If at least one player must use the Life Staff to even stand a chance of victory, then your team has drastically less options for different weapon combinations. Strategy and counterplay also suffer because at least one person must know how to use and fight Life Staffs. The Design Team plans to stay on top of weapon balance through player feedback.

“I’ve loved watching New World community personalities check out Arenas on the PTR and I can’t wait to watch strategies evolve once the feature is live,” Patrick said. “I make sure to check the forums almost every day and go through feedback, so the experiences our players have with this feature will really help drive future development on it.”

[h2]Accessibility[/h2]



Community feedback was another major influence for the Design Team to create Arenas and remove big barriers to entry. So, how does the team aim to make Arenas more enjoyable for every type of player? Design choices such as:
  • The 3v3 mode unlocks at level 20 and pairs you with players around the same level. This makes the Arena a perfect training ground for other PvP modes like Outpost Rush (level 60) and War (level 50) that have far higher level requirements.
  • Confident Adventurers can strut into battle with higher level friends for a challenge against more experienced combatants. New World features scaling, which means your damage will increase and you’ll take less damage, but large level differences still translate into big differences in damage. Be prepared for a tough fight.
  • Players can easily queue from any location through the main menu. Head toward your next destination or complete other tasks, so no time is wasted waiting for a match.
  • Players are given the same consumables based on their level upon entering the Arena. Use as many as you need to survive. Any unused items will leave your inventory when you exit the match.

“We didn’t want players to feel like they needed to spend hundreds of coins in order to enjoy the game mode,” Patrick said. Equal consumables and similar levels across teams reward skill, coordination, and communication, but victory isn’t the only intended way to have fun in Arenas.

Patrick and David hope those little moments when players come just one reload short from wiping out the other team, or fail to win with the numbers advantage will be just as memorable as any big win. Win or lose, take advantage of these quick matches to improve your combat skills for all of the different PvP opportunities throughout Aeternum.

[h2]The Announcer[/h2]

One of the stranger challenges the Design Team faced was how to handle the new mode’s announcer. The announcer began as a way to make Arenas more of a spectacle regardless of if you prefer to unsheathe your weapon in the ring or watch your favorite players from the stands of their Twitch channels.

As development continued, the team explored several positions for him like a floating platform that circled the Arena. This was a great spot to hype up the crowd, but similar to announcers at major sporting events, the developers felt he should be inside the stadium on one of the primary platforms. A crowd was then placed around the announcer and up in the rafters. Now it’s hard to imagine any strike or shot without those fanatic cheers.

“We love the precedent that the announcer set, and any future features like this would definitely be up for consideration for an announcer of their own,” said Patrick. “Who knows, maybe you’ll meet the announcer out in the world in Aeternum sometime soon!”

Thanks for supporting your faction in PvP battles throughout Aeternum. The Design Team can’t wait to see how players will interact in the Arena. Look forward to tuning, balance, and maybe even rule updates based on community feedback following the release of Arenas in the next update.

Behind the Scenes: Expedition Mutators

Greetings, Adventurers!

Mutators push players to experiment with different builds, but these augmented Expeditions challenged the New World Development Team well before the community received their first Mutated Expedition Tuning Orb. Like many gameplay mechanics, Mutators were created through a combination of fan feedback, internal tests, and a desire to create something difficult, yet fun. We recently had the chance to chat with New World Level Designer Darren McKinsey and World Experience Lead Michael Willette in anticipation of their upcoming Mutators for more insight into that desire. Explore their inspiration, philosophy, and ambition behind Mutators in the interview below.

[h2]Design and Development[/h2]
The idea for Mutators was born from a mix of internal brainstorms and passion for another genre - roguelike games. Michael said the design team wanted to challenge the community in new ways through tougher Expeditions, similar to how roguelikes often feature powerful enemies that can easily overcome underprepared players. These challenges in New World ultimately took on the form of Mutators.

Darren walked us through the creation of Explosive, one of New World’s first Mutators, to help us understand the team's design process. This Mutator pits players against mob enemies that explode on death.

“We liked playing around Explosive almost immediately since it created an incentive for our internal testing teams to communicate, letting other players know there was about to be an explosion,” Darren said. “It’s tuned just tight enough that knowing when the enemy will die is way more effective than dodging after the effect is in motion.” The team also called this design choice effective because players are forced to face familiar enemies with different techniques.

That fresh through familiar design process rapidly evolved throughout development as a result of internal tests. Each test introduced valuable results for the team to further refine Mutators. Fans might be surprised to learn just how much went into their development. Multiple departments like Visual Effects, User Interface, Character Design, Combat Design, and Expedition Design all played major roles in helping early Mutators fulfill the team’s core philosophy.

[h2]Philosophy[/h2]
The guiding principle behind Mutators according to Darren is to encourage varied counterplay, incentivize teamwork, and foster communication. Alone these goals might create a few fun moments, but together they vastly improve replayability. Each week, players can join a different set of Expeditions with randomly selected Mutators for diverse challenges and gameplay patterns. This variety stems from feedback. The developers noticed players enjoy strategy over pure difficulty tuning and continue to design Mutators around what players can do to outplay every effect.

Censored, Darren’s favorite Mutator, exemplifies their philosophy. To succeed, players must coordinate ability usage and positions to avoid dangerous zones. Just one miscommunication can make it far more difficult for even the most experienced adventurers. Memorable Mutators like Censored not only feature unique scenarios that promote different team dynamics, but also strike a careful balance between difficult, yet compelling challenges.



[h2]Finding the Right Level of Challenge[/h2]
Simply spawning powerful enemies isn’t enough to create a fulfilling challenge. Instead, the team strives to push players in new ways that make Expeditions feel fresh. The community’s enthusiasm inspires Darren and Michael to make on the fly tuning based on player responses. They then review feedback from each new release to help further iterate Mutators through new effects.

So, how do they know when the challenge is just right? Mutator difficulty is like a ladder. Each step up adds extra effects. If players feel a great sense of accomplishment, then that’s a win regardless of their step. The designers are always looking at ways to build these moments up. More importantly, they want players to be able to freely experiment with their favorite roles and find fun, successful tactics for their team.

Thanks for continuing to brave the depths of our weekly Mutator rotation. Look forward to our upcoming batch of challenges:
  • Overgrown - Focuses on Nature Damage and Resistance. Overgrown adds effects like Toxic, a pool which tracks down players, and Compost which turns trash into healing areas for their allies.
  • Barbaric - Focuses on Physical Damage. Adds Berserk, an enrage effect, and Shattering which deals Stamina Damage.
  • Fiendish - Curses that focus on the nocturnal. Fiendish adds Weary, which will weaken players with Rend and make them vulnerable with Slow. It also features Blood Offering which stacks damage over time.

The Design Team has some exciting stuff in the pipeline, including player requests. While Darren and Michael have nothing to reveal yet, they’re thrilled for what the future has in store for Mutators.

Arenas: Devs Vs. Creators Stream

Greetings, Adventurers!

Cheer on some of your favorite New World content creators as they battle our development team in 3v3 Arena matches. Each week different creators and developers will face off in five Arena matches to showcase the new PvP mode. Join any of the participating creators’ Twitch streams for banter with our development team, a Twitch Drop, and strategies to use in your next PvP encounter. Make sure to tune in on May 12th, 19th, and 26th at 11AM PT (6PM UTC) so you don’t miss any of the action.

[h2]Twitch Drop - Combatant’s Supply Chest[/h2]
The Combatant’s Supply Chest Twitch Drop is packed to the brim with level appropriate loot to help improve your performance in PvP battles. This unique Twitch Drop will be available for 96 hours after the end of each event. Viewers will need to watch 2 hours of New World to earn each Drop. Once earned, players can claim their chest(s) through the ‘Item Claim’ tab found within the in-game store after the content update that introduces the 3v3 PvP Arena. Please visit our Twitch Drops page for more details on how to link your accounts and collect them.



You can collect a total of 3 supply chests, 1 per event. Please note that once the Drop collection window has ended, your progress will not carry over to the next Twitch Drop. Each supply chest will have the same contents, listed below. Charge more confidently into the Arena with:
  • 2 Vials each containing 1,000 Azoth Salt – Azoth Salt is our new PvP Currency that allows you to purchase PvP exclusive rewards.
  • 3 random pieces of exclusive PvP focused gear with higher rarities and PvP centric perks.
  • 5 Health Potions – these will instantly restore a portion of your health, so don’t enter the arena without them.
  • 10 Stat Boosting Food – Come hungry, because the chest will reward you with level appropriate specialty food to boost a specific attribute stat (STR, DEX, INT, FOC, CON). You’ll receive 2 Stat Boosting Food per stat for a total of 10 items.
  • 2 Honing Stones – These will boost your weapon damage by a percentage for a period of time to help you dish out major damage.
  • 2 Gemstone Dust - This increases your elemental damage absorption by a percentage for a period of time and is very helpful against the mages of Aeternum.
  • 2 Oakflesh Balms – This will increases absorption of Physical damage types (Slash/Strike/Thrust) by a percentage for a period of time or a total number of hits are received. Like the name implies, this balm will make you sturdy as an oak in close melee encounters.

[h2]Weekly Developer and Creator Participants[/h2]
Different trios of content creators and developers will step into the ring each week. Check out the creators’ Twitch channels to watch the event, hear the developer’s commentary, and witness high-level PvP gameplay. The New World development team has been hard at work to create a new PvP Arena experience, but how will that knowledge translate into skill?

[h3]May 12th at 11AM (6PM UTC)[/h3]
Creators

Developers
  • Mike Willette, World Experience Lead
  • Chris Corey, Designer
  • Patrick Smedley, Game Designer

[h3]May 19th at 11AM (6PM UTC)[/h3]
Creators

Developers
  • Dave Verfaillie, Creative Director
  • Drew Higbee, Senior Product Manager
  • Kevin Mesnard, QA

[h3]May 26th at 11AM (6PM UTC)[/h3]
Creators

Developers
  • Mike Willette, World Experience Lead
  • Dave Hall, Gameplay Design Manager
  • Zach Holm, Level Designer

[h2]Join the PTR for Early Access to New Features[/h2]
The Public Test Realm (PTR) is a server that gives players an early look at upcoming features, like Arenas. These preview builds are snapshots of upcoming major releases and are not final versions. You may encounter bugs, crashes, missing text, or other issues. Work together with the rest of the community and our team to help us catch and resolve all serious issues before they reach live servers, and provide your feedback on features making their way to Aeternum. The current PTR has Arenas, new mutators, and more— learn how you can participate in our PTR details article.

Thanks for your support! We look forward to seeing the unique strategies players create for this new game mode, especially in the Dev Vs. Creator showdowns. See you in the Arena.

New World Update 1.4.5

Greetings, Adventurers!

New World Update 1.4.5 downtime will begin at 11PM PT (6AM UTC) on May 10. This weekly update features general fixes for respawns, log ins, and more. It also includes balance changes to make the Great Axe perk Insatiable Gravity Well less powerful. Find the full list of changes below.

[h2]General Updates & Fixes[/h2]
  • Fixed an issue with healing hotkeys in Group Mode that caused the players assigned to each hotkey to change during combat.
  • Fixed an issue with the Region Transfer button so it displays a more accurate time for when a player can transfer between regions.
  • Fixed an issue where a character could get locked into an error message when attempting to log in.
  • Added a speculative fix for an issue that caused players to sometimes encounter a respawn screen with an infinite timer and no respawn. We will continue to monitor the forums to see if players are still encountering this rare issue.
  • Fixed an issue that allowed some players to instantly respawn and ignore the wave respawn timers during War & Invasion game modes.

[h2]Great Axe Insatiable Gravity Well (Perk)[/h2]
  • Fixed an issue where this perk hit enemies around the player twice (instead of once) on use.
  • Reduced the weapon damage of the secondary burst from 125% to 100%.
  • Reduced block stamina damage of the secondary burst from 150% to 70% of a player’s base stamina damage.
  • Reduced the lifesteal amount based on gear score from an initial range of 20% to 50% down to a range between 15% to 35%.


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