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Everything we know about New World, Amazon Games’ first MMORPG

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Amazon Games is jumping into the world of MMORPGs with New World — an ambitious title that sees you exploring the supernatural island of Aeternum alongside thousands of other adventurers. Announced several years ago, there’s little we don’t already know about New World despite it not launching until later this year.

Crucible may have given Amazon Games a rough time, but the studio seems to be hitting all the right notes with its upcoming project. From questing and crafting to PvE and PvP, here’s everything you need to know about New World.

Further reading

Release date

New World player attacking a bear.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

New World has already been delayed a few times. Following a round of beta testing that ended in August, the team has decided to delay the title once again — this time until September 28. According to the dev team, pushing the launch date back will give them time to implement feedback received during the closed beta.

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It’s unclear if new features will be added as part of the delay, but Amazon Games did say players can expect improved stability, performance, and polish as a result of the new release date.

Platforms

According to Amazon Games, New World is launching exclusively on PC. Of course, that could all change depending on its popularity — but we wouldn’t get our hopes up. For the foreseeable future, expect the developer to focus on perfecting the game before even considering a port to PlayStation or Xbox.

Trailers

There’s no shortage of New World trailers and gameplay footage floating around the web. However, if you’re looking to get caught up without spending hours watching clips on YouTube, we’d recommend checking out the official trailer from 2019, the closed beta trailer from earlier this year, and the This Is Aeternum trailer, which takes a closer look at the world you’ll be exploring in September.

Official trailer

Closed beta trailer

This Is Aeternum trailer

If you need to make the wait until September 28 easier, you can check out the official Play New World YouTube account for a wealth of additional trailers and behind-the-scenes content.

Gameplay

Like any MMORPG worthy of your time, New World features a wide variety of crafting, questing, PvE, and PvP content. Before you dive into any of that, however, you’ll need to create a character and pick which of the three factions — Marauders, Syndicate, or Covenant — you’d like to side with. You’ll want to pay close attention to which one you pick, as you’ll be fighting against the other two during much of New World‘s PvP.

New World PvP content

As for PvP, the aptly titled “War” will become your main source of competitive multiplayer. Pitting 50-player teams of Attackers and Defenders against each other, these battles will determine which faction controls certain territory. Controlling territory will then grant that faction a variety of benefits based on its specific location.

You’ll also be taking part in Outpost Rush, which is a unique combination of PvE and PvP for endgame players. These will pit teams of 20 against each other in a battle for resources, outposts, and various objectives.

Beyond these two game modes, you’ll find forts scattered throughout Aeternum that can be controlled by any of the three factions. These aren’t instanced like Wars and Outpost Rush matches, meaning it’s easy to stumble into some tense PvP without much planning.

New World PvE content

If Outpost Rush features too much PvP for your liking, New World has you covered with a variety of PvE content.

Expeditions will be the most familiar to MMO veterans. These are instanced dungeons that see you and four teammates diving into mysterious locations below Aeternum to “face deadly foes and uncover truths about the island.” All Expeditions will feature their own narrative and come with exclusive gear and rewards you won’t find anywhere else. So far, we only know about two Expeditions, but that number is expected to balloon in the weeks and months following its launch.

Invasions are another form of PvE, tasking you and a group of 49 other players with holding off hordes of monsters assaulting territory controlled by your faction. Win the battle, and you’ll maintain normal control of the location. Lose the battle, and a few of the items in the territory will be downgraded. Invasions are currently set to happen around every four days — so you’ll need to prep with your team in advance to make sure your territory is well-protected.

Unique Action Combat system

New World players engaged in combat.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Whether you’re running around in PvE or PvP, you’ll be using New World‘s innovative Action Combat system. Often described as a mix between The Elder Scrolls Online and Guild Wars 2, New World forgoes the tab-targeting system used in most games of the genre in favor of a more action-packed system.

Amazon Games says it wants to “emphasize positioning, timing, and aiming,” and — based on the early gameplay previews — it seems to be on the right track. Throughout your journey, you’ll level up skills, unlock powerful new abilities, and have the option to switch up your playstyle simply by changing out which equipment you’re bringing into battle.

Crafting, questing, and more

While PvE and PvP might be the most exciting part of New World, that’s not all Amazon Games is bringing to the table. Crafting, furnishing your home, selling items at Trading Posts, and going on narrative-driven quests round out the New World experience.

DLC

DLC plans are currently unknown, although New World is all but guaranteed to see post-launch support and expansions in the coming months. As players quickly work through the base content and reach the endgame, they’ll need new quests, PvP, and PvE missions to keep them enticed and coming back for more. Expect to hear Amazon Games detail DLC plans in the weeks following launch.

Pre-order

New World player using a bow and arrow.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Two editions of New World are available for pre-order. The Standard Edition includes a few pre-order bonuses, while the Deluxe Edition includes a variety of exclusive in-game content.

New World Standard Edition — $39.99

  • Isabelle’s amulet
  • Unique Expedition One title
  • Fist Bump emote
  • Guild crest set

New World Deluxe Edition — $49.99

  • Woodsman armor set
  • Woodsman hatchet skin
  • Mastiff house pet
  • Rock/paper/scissors emote set
  • New World digital artbook
  • Isabelle’s amulet
  • Unique Expedition One title
  • Fist Bump emote
  • Guild crest set

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Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…
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