New World is already shaping up to be quite the interesting MMO. An interesting story, classless characters, and a dynamic world all bring some new life into the MMORPG genre. Aeternum changes based on actions that you take. Warring factions fight over territories and they must all keep themselves safe from the Corrupted.
A few days ago, I was given the opportunity to take a look at Amazon Games’ new MMO. While the preview was just the Alpha version of New World, I am already impressed. New World breathes life into a land where your choices matter. Player decisions make a big impact on the world and are the heart of the experience. Boasting a classless character system and a dynamic world, New World looks like it will be shaping up to be a whole new experience.
Take a peek at it here:
Characters and Weapon Mastery
New World brings an interesting concept in how it handles character progression. Instead of selecting a class during character creation, New World takes a more open approach. Your abilities with particular weapons correlate to your use of said weapon. The more you use a weapon, the more you master the use of it. The more you master it, the more abilities you will unlock with it. Playing around with weapons is a good way to figure out what you like. Once you do, becoming a master with it will make you quite the opponent.
But New World has not done away with player leveling. Instead, player levels impact your proficiency with a weapon type. You can throw points into Dexterity if you want to focus on weapons like bows or dump them into strength to swing around a great axe. The influence of point systems in games like Dungeons & Dragons is apparent here. However, I do not hate it. I quite like the idea of having player level and weapon mastery separated. Player levels can also be put into Constitution. This is important because it will determine your maximum HP. And remember, good armor can only do so much to protect you.
A Living Landscape
A Living LandscapeAside from interesting character progressions, New World proudly presents us with a dynamic world. Factions control the land of Aeternum. And what those factions do impacts the world. Factions will hold territories, and this impacts how players will go about exploring the world.
However, a faction cannot hold an area forever. These are warring factions, after all. New World has several PVP and PVE events that influence power in Aeternum. The largest and most impressive of which is War. This is a massive 50 v. 50 battle for a territory. Winner gets the territory, naturally. And don’t be worried, you cannot be drafted into these events, as they are opt-in. However, this will certainly prove your loyalty to your faction.
Another interesting-sounding event is the Invasion. This is a late-game PVE event where you must protect your settlement against an onslaught of Corrupted. Losing events such as this can be detrimental. These events are important in keeping your faction safe. They also keep the world feeling alive. The ever-changing landscape of New World will surely set it apart from other MMOs.
Crafting & Gear
One of my favorite things in any game is being able to craft up useful items. New World provides a plethora of options for this. From the get-go, you need to learn to craft basic tools to harvest useful materials from the environment. It isn’t enough to just kill a boar; you also need a knife to skin it. You can’t just pick herbs; you need a sickle to harvest them properly.
One of the most interesting things I noticed about gathering materials in New World is that you can hear others doing it as well. I was in a small party with two others, and I could actually hear them chopping away at the trees in the distance. It is a small detail, but it is certainly one I appreciated. In fact, the sound design of the game is wonderful in general.
Anyway, back to the gear. New World is good about having options, and this is clear when it comes to gear. Not everyone is as into crafting as others. And that is okay. You don’t have to craft gear to get it. Just like other games, you can just get weapon and armor drops from enemies or finding them. So instead of hunting a boar for leather, you can just go out and clear out some baddies for a new piece of gear.
It sounds like the developers of New World have done a good job in following up on feedback from the community. During Thursday’s presentation, they noted that improvements to the crafting system, new weapons, endgame zones, and even just the act of fishing were all added in response to player feedback from throughout the Alpha. And that level of care shows. Though I have had a limited experience with New World, I can already tell I am going to enjoy exploring Aeternum.
I can’t wait to see what New World has in store for us. Unfortunately, I did not have nearly as much time as I would’ve liked to get a feel for New World. But I am looking forward to jumping back into Aeternum and seeing what awaits. Once I get some good hands-on experience, I will be able to give a better look at New World as a whole. So be sure to keep an eye out for that in the future.
New World’s closed beta begins July 20 and the game is slated for a full release on August 31.
