Greetings, Adventurers!
Aeternum has been growing, changing, and adapting ever since the first adventurers washed up on shore after New World's Launch in September 2021. Whether you’re already shipwrecked on the Eternal Isle or interested in taking your first trip, New World now features more game modes, weapons, threats, and Expeditions. That means more ways to carve out your niche across every territory.
Let’s chart a course through some of the biggest changes to New World since launch. Along the way you can also expect quality of life improvements like easier leveling, less bugs, and a decrease in the local bot population. Players who have yet to experience New World can pick up the game for 40% off during the Steam Summer Sale.
New Expedition Storylines
Tempest’s Heart
For players that want more end-game content, get ready to enter the final battle against Isabella. Pursue the Tempest into a corrupted dimension of reality, through the twisted capital city of Myrkgard, then discover the secrets of Isabella’s past as you dive deeper into her corrupted mind. This new Expedition is also the final main story questline. Look forward to future stories as the game continues to grow.
Barnacles & Black Powder
Barnacles & Black Powder is shrouded in mystery, but players can look forward to a unique expedition about pirates when it releases as part of the upcoming Summer Medleyfaire Event update. This update will also give you the ability to play multiple songs through a musical instrument minigame. Watch the June Team Update for a tease of what to expect.
Mutated Expeditions
Mutated Expeditions introduce rewards and replayability to your favorite Expeditions. Mutators augment all enemies. Familiar encounters now require new strategies players may have otherwise never considered in exchange for new bespoke gear and resources. There are 3 types of Mutations:
Elemental mutations infuse enemies in the Expedition with a specific elemental damage type, increasing their resistance to that damage type, converting a large portion of their damage to that type, and giving them powerful elemental-based abilities.
Promotion mutations grant creatures in the Expedition powerful new abilities.
Curse mutations apply dangerous effects to players, forcing them to work together to overcome the curse’s power. At higher difficulties, Curses become Empowered, creating additional tactical challenges.
Each type of Mutation features various modifiers that are randomly selected every single time you enter a Mutated Expedition. This system rotates through a unique combination of Expeditions and Mutations each week, with 10 difficulty levels per Expedition Mutation. Players will be challenged to climb the ladder, with the aim of eventually reaching the max difficulty.
For a deeper dive into Mutated Expeditions, explore our interview with the Development Team.
New Ways to PvP
3v3 PvP Arenas
Win glory, riches, and fame in 3v3 PvP Arena fights. You might even earn a few unique housing items in these “best-of-5” matches. Find the best team weapon combination based on your playstyle to wipe out foes before each 2 minute round ends. A deadly ring of fire will appear when the timer runs low. How will you engage the enemy inside a shrinking battlefield?
Learn more about the mode’s development, including the Announcer, in our behind the scenes interview with the New World Design Team or delve into the sounds of the Arena as part of our conversation with the Audio Team. Players that want to hop into the action must first reach level 20. They can then queue for 3v3 Arenas through the Modes menu, which allows on-demand PvP gameplay from anywhere in Aeternum.
PvP Rewards Track
Do you strive to counter every weapon combination in Arenas? Maybe you prefer to standout in Wars or carry your team against the odds in Outpost Rush. Regardless of your goal, our new PvP Rewards Track encourages players to join all forms of PvP, including open-world activities, for special prizes. Look forward to new gear, weapons, emotes, and more.
Each PvP mode now grants 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. 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).
Check out our in-depth explanation to get more out of the New World PvP experience.
New Weapons
Players can now use two additional weapons for a total of 13 unique options. Equip both at once or mix and match with your favorites for something fresh. You can also customize each weapon’s distinct skill trees to best suit your playstyle.
Void Gauntlet
Players looking for something different should take advantage of this magical damage/support hybrid weapon to support allies and debilitate enemies. The Void Gauntlet is the first weapon to scale on both Intelligence and Focus, which makes it makes it a great match for the Life Staff and other magical weapons. Manipulate Void magic in different ways depending on your skill tree:
The Annihilation tree focuses on maximizing damage at close-range. It revolves around Void Blade, a summoned blade of corrosive void energy.
The Decay tree offers ranged healing and debuffs. It revolves around Orb of Decay, a dual phase projectile that can debuff enemies and heal allies.
A wide arsenal of buffs and debuffs make the Void Gauntlet perfect for players that want to significantly bolster allies at the expense of their enemies in group combat.
Blunderbuss
Prefer guns to physical weapons? The Blunderbuss combines high-mobility with potent short-to-mid range damage. It’s the first weapon to scale on Strength and Intelligence, making it a good companion for bruiser or mage builds.
Adapt either a close range or zoner playstyle based on your chosen weapon mastery tree:
The Containment tree is all about closing the gap and unloading hot lead into your enemy’s face.
The Chaos tree focuses on keeping your distance and bombarding areas with explosive AoE damage.
Players that reach Level 60 and the maximum skill level with this new firearm can seek out Wang Tang Zhi in Ebonscale Reach settlement to start a Legendary Weapon Quest series.
Dive into our Blunderbuss instruction manual for more information on its lore and abilities.
What else is new?
Easier Leveling: It now takes players less time to level up and improve required Trade Skills.
New onboarding/new player experience: We changed where many of the early quests are grouped, so players don’t have to travel as much to complete each one.
New cross-region transfers: More easily play with your friends in the same region/server.
New housing quests: Assist an idealistic architect with a bold mission to build houses out in the wilds for new furniture and decor rewards.
New enemies: Figure out what the Varangian Knights are plotting through new questlines and points of interest like a giant fortress.
New open world activities: Discover updated points of interest, Rafflebones the loot goblin, new roadside encounters, collectible vista paintings scattered throughout the world, and more.
New Expertise System: There’s a new progression system called Expertise to increase your Gear Score over 500 once you reach level 60. The more powerful the creatures you defeat, the more likely your Expertise will increase, which means better item drops.
New end-game loot system: Each activity (open world named bosses, Expedition bosses, Outpost Rush, Arenas, Corrupted Breaches, etc.) now rewards players with a different type of Gypsum. Gypsum can be crafted into a Gypsum Orb, then ultimately a Gypsum Cast of any weapon, armor, or trinket type. Opening a Gypsum Cast will guarantee an expertise bump and gear of that type.
New quality of life improvements:
Storage is now linked across territories.
Taxes have been reduced.
Fast Travel is now extremely low cost, making it easier to move around the world.
You can queue for Outpost Rush and Arenas from anywhere.
Players now have unlimited Tier 1 ammo.
Only one player in a group is needed at an Expedition door to open it.
Inexpensive Respec lets you try out lots of different builds and weapon paths.
There are now global cooldowns for Trade Skills.
Less cheaters: The Development Team issued 85,237 cheating penalties, which covers bots, cheat programs, and players who attempt to exploit in-game bugs like duping.
Less hackers: The team also penalized 1,160 hackers for attempting to change the game’s files and exploit New World.
What’s Next for New World?
The New World Development team has already given the community a glimpse at what’s coming through fall of this year.
New region: Brimstone Sands Territory
New Expedition: The Ennead
New weapon: Greatsword
New features: Expedition Group Finder
New events: Nightveil Hallow Event and Turkulon 2022 Event
Thanks for your support! We’re excited to continue working on the future of Aeternum. All of these changes and the Steam Summer Sale make this the best time to play. We’ll see you in Aeternum.