Greetings, Adventurers!
Our goal is to provide you with the best possible experience in Aeternum. That means getting feedback and testing early and often— especially with our players that have provided phenomenal feedback and helped us track down a plethora of issues since launch. We have many new and exciting changes planned for the future of New World, and as part of that preparation, we’d like to introduce a new program: the New World Public Test Realm.
PTR
The Public Test Realm (PTR) is a limited-availability server-set that will give players an early look at upcoming features. These preview builds are snapshots of upcoming major updates and are not final versions— you may encounter bugs, crashes, missing text, or other issues. Between our internal testing efforts and your feedback we hope to catch and resolve all serious issues before they reach the live servers. Hundreds of changes have been made and the full release notes will be shared on release day.
To help with the feedback process, all newly created characters on these worlds will have the opportunity to instantly level to select level-ranges outfitted with appropriate gear and items.
By the end of today, everyone with a copy of New World will find the New World Public Test Realm application in their Steam library. Downloading this stand-alone application allows interested players access to check out the latest preview version and provide feedback. PTR servers will officially open tomorrow, November 10, at 12 PM PT (7PM UTC). Servers are limited — at the start, there will be one world available in US East and one world available in Central Europe.
When the test period is complete and the main New World game is updated with the previewed content, all worlds will shut down and be wiped clean. You will still see the New World PTR application in your Steam library, but there will not be active servers until the next time we announce a test.
If you encounter a bug, exploit, or have suggestions to improve a feature or piece of content, we’d love to hear your feedback on our new PTR sub-forum (you can also utilize our in-game feedback tool). We will do our best to address as much of your feedback as possible before the content update makes its way to our live servers. Your participation will help us to deliver awesome content and updates in the future!
During this iteration of the PTR, we would appreciate feedback on the following subjects:
NEW WEAPON
VOID GAUNTLET
The Void Gauntlet has manifested in Aeternum! Manipulate the powers of the Void to support your allies and debilitate your enemies with this magical DPS/support hybrid. It’s the first weapon to scale on both Intelligence and Focus, making it a great pairing with the Life Staff and other magic weapons. The Annihilation tree focuses on maximizing damage at close-range and revolves around Void Blade, a summoned blade of corrosive void energy. The Decay tree offers ranged healing and debuffs and revolves around Orb of Decay, a dual phase projectile that can debuff enemies and heal allies. With its arsenal of buffs and debuffs, the Void Gauntlet is perfect for group combat and can significantly bolster your allies at the expense of your enemies.
NEW MISSIONS AND MOBS
ENEMY TYPE
New dangers have landed on our southern shores! The Varangian Raiders have sailed down from the north and brutally carved out sections of each territory to establish a base of operations: from war camps on the beaches of First Light and Monarch’s Bluffs to an entire fort they’ve captured in Everfall. Face off against fierce Varangian Hewers, Varangian Scouts, Varangian Knights, and Varangian Archers (level range: 16-20) as you ascertain their true intentions.
ENEMY VARIETY
Reinforcements have arrived! Be on the lookout for new enemies scattered across Aeternum, such as the Withered Swarmancer, Beetle, the Lost Shaman, Pirate Alligator, Ancient Guardian Skeleton Mage, and enhanced Corrupted Laborers! These additions will bring unique combat encounters to our lower-level open world experience.
NEW ENEMY QUESTS
What brings these new and ruthless visitors to our shores? Seek out Abigail Rose in the wilds of Western Everfall to get started on one of two new quests available, which deal with the arrival of the Varangians. While their motives for coming south may remain a mystery, one thing seems clear… this is just an expeditionary force – more will come.
NEW LEGENDARY WEAPON QUESTS
Alongside the release of the Void Gauntlet, we’re also releasing a new Legendary Weapon Quest series. Upon reaching Level 60 and maximum skill level with the Void Gauntlet, players should seek out Antiquarian Abbington in Reekwater to start this epic endeavor. Note that you’ll need to have completed “Magaki’s Strategem” in Shattered Mountain and Legatus Fulvius’s quest series in Reekwater to qualify.
IMPROVED MAIN STORYLINE QUESTS
Quests in the main storyline have been improved with new task types and quest variants, including wave events, destructible objects, and proximity nodes for tracking. You’ll see some of these as you progress through the story, and more improvements are still on the way.
PVP FACTION MISSIONS
Our goals is to add more variety for PVP players and create a balanced experience for players highly engaged with territory control. Three brand new PVP Faction Mission types have been added! In addition, almost all PVP missions now reset on death rather than being forfeited. Note that poach missions have been removed for a better directed set of PVP missions.
Control Points - These missions send you out to capture control of Forts.
Intercept - Defeat enemy faction members and collect their tears!
War Camp loot - Retrieve hidden plans at the enemy war camp.
NEW TRADING POST EXPERIENCE
TRADING POST UPDATE
All Trading Posts have been linked and are now unified! You can buy and sell the same results from any Trading Post in the world. Fees for Buy and Sell Orders are defined by the Settlement that you’re posting from. Additionally, Transaction Taxes on purchases you make are defined by the Settlement in which you are making the purchase. Items listed in Sell Orders that expire return to the Settlement from which they were posted.
We think this is an exciting opportunity to collaborate more closely with you, and we look forward to working with you all on improving New World. Thank you so much for your participation!
PTR FAQ
How do I access the new PTR?
Everyone with a copy of New World will be automatically granted access to the secondary PTR app. The PTR is not compatible with the live game, so you will need to download a separate client (and have the hard drive space required to support it). From there, we will have special worlds available within supported regions. Not all regions will initially be supported. Access is on a first come, first served basis. There may be queues.
Can I play with or transfer my live characters to the PTR?
Unfortunately, no. These are separate ecosystems, so at this time it is not possible. However, to make testing easier, we will occasionally provide our play-testers with special accommodations such as instant levels, special gear, etc.
Can I provide design feedback regarding what’s included on the PTR?
Preview game builds on the PTR are finished with their core development and are in their final phase of testing and bug fixing. Our main focus at this phase is improving quality, although we will appreciate any feedback you have to share.
I have a problem; how can I contact Customer Support?
Our policies and Code of Conduct cover the PTR, and in-game moderation will continue to be supported. Unfortunately, due to the temporary and potentially unstable nature of the PTR, general Customer Service assistance through both Live Chat and through the Support Website will not be available.
I don’t want to participate in the PTR, can I remove the app from my library?
Don’t worry, no offense taken. Players can manage visibility of the New World Public Test Realm Steam Library entry. Opening up the game options (right-click > Manage) offers the “Hide Game” function.
Thanks for your support and participation! We'll see you in Aeternum.