New World, the much maligned MMO from Amazon Games, is about to embark on a brand new chapter with the news that players will soon head into the Brimstone Sands expansion. We got a look ahead at this massive new update ahead of the reveal today, and there’s tons to talk about.
After nearly a year out in the wild and an epic struggle to save the very soul of Aeternum, Amazon’s New World is about to expand. The Brimstone Sands expansion is due to land on PTR servers on 1 September, not long after getting the Medleyfaire event, and will wash players up on an undiscovered shoreline, beginning a brand new chapter that might very well change the fortunes of this controversial online adventure. We got a close look at the upcoming Brimstone Sands and while the fate of this fictional land once again hangs in the balance, so too might the future of New World.
The New Player Experience
Let’s be clear, New World didn’t have the greatest new player experience at launch. The core world seemed almost entirely homogenous, narrative direction was sparse, and even the sprinkling of early level content was interrupted by gaping grinds through rinse and repeat activity. The first, and possibly most significant set of changes due to land when the Brimstone Sands sweep into Aeternum is the new player experience. While the population of New World might be more familiar with an unwaveringly rustic aesthetic, starter zones and local towns might seem almost unrecognizable after this hits servers. Where huts and lowly taverns once stood, you’ll expect to see buildings and homesteads that reflect the diverse nature of the population that inhabit Aeternum. Townhouses, brick roads, and more give the feeling that the world is progressing from the working class dwellings of the 1400s to something a little more baroque. There’s an obvious sense of expansion and even a little opulence, thanks to the success of adventures out in this dangerous land. With a change of fate, the locals have diversified too. One of the major issues we, and much of the player base, had with New World was the incessant monotony. Repeating quest runs to kill the same ten bears and back again isn’t fun, and Amazon are promising a whole variety of new changes to an undeniably sub-par leveling experience. During our glimpse of the sands, Amazon confirmed that:
“Some of the main themes we heard from players about the early leveling experience in new World are that they wanted to see a bigger variety of quests, more variety of AI, more streamlined questlines with less running back and forth, and improved storytelling in their early stages of the game”
It seems that everything coming to the early stages of New World is designed to tackle this, with Amazon promising quest flow through zones being optimized to bring NPCs out into the wild, instead of just waiting back at home. This should, in theory physically help signpost new areas and content, keeping players on a tighter track. It will also create a more natural flow to gameplay, instead of leaving us to wander and get lost. It’s a difficult balance to land, but one that Guild Wars 2 managed with dynamic events, and with the addition of new quest types, like wave events, this feels more like the type of content that New World might have been missing when it was initially shoved out the door shoved out the door in September 2021.
With plenty of new and refreshed experiences in established zones, Amazon is also opening up a brand new story update, unexplored areas, and a dire new threat for Aeternum. With the Isabella defeated, a new threat is brewing in an unexplored region of the island. Arriving as the single biggest add on area that we’ve seen, the lush forests and corrupted landscapes that we’re used to give way to barren sands and an architecture that draws on Egyptian and Roman aesthetics. Inspired by the idea that Aeternum has drawn in explorers from across the ages, we get to see an ancient Empire still at full strength. Amphitheaters, new legions, and mythical beasts all await new adventurers, as well as the last vestiges of a once great army. The deranged remnants of the Roman Empire’s
19th Legion, who came here from Alexandria with Mark Antony and a dying Queen Cleopatra pose an imminent problem now they stand corrupted and ready to tear the rest of this land to ribbons. Now as they besiege the ruins of a mysterious pyramid, it’s up to players to take the legion head on, face powerful guardians inside the pyramid, and uncover a powerful force that might be the ruin of Aeternum. We got a sneak peak of the designs for this unprecedented expansion, and while we can’t reveal too much of what’s to come there’s plenty of hints in the most recent developer update.
New Challenges New Weapons
With the introduction of entirely new zones, and yes new expeditions, new tools are available to take down the impending challenges. Most exciting of these is the Greatsword. This oversized new weapon is unique in New World, not just because it’s a hulking great bladed weapon, but because it comes with two very distinct play styles. While we wouldn’t be surprised if you need to stack strength and dexterity to pick this thing up, players don’t need to swap out to a shield to take a tanking role. This new blade brings two stances. The Onslaught stance provides greater damage and offensive capability but accepts increased damage, while the Defiance stance provides slower attack rates for decreased damage. It’s a different approach that will hopefully provide further flexibility of play style, and less hanging around to at Expedition entrances, unless you’re stuck for heals.
With plenty to offer players going back into New World, the Brimstone Sands update might be the change we all need to see to make this the game we all wanted at launch. With a more fluid set of world events, an epic new storyline, and new land to claim, Amazon will be hoping that this is New World’s own Path of Fire. You can find out mor about New World’s ne Brimstone Sand expansion over on the official website now.
blueturtle
Looks very promising!