The highly anticipated expansion for New World, “Rise of the Angry Earth,” is now live, introducing a plethora of new features to this MMORPG. Among the notable additions are mounts, the introduction of a new weapon known as the Flail, the replacement of the First Light zone with the Elysian Wilds, and the inclusion of the Savage Divide Expedition. The update also brings forth a fresh main story quest line, overhauls to Edengrove and Great Cleave quests, the integration of Artifacts, adjustments to weapons and perks, the addition of the Primal Fury Heartrune, trade skill and gear score modifications, the concept of an Influence Race, and a revamped Season 3 Rewards Track – New World Gold and Gears.
Amazon Games has also incorporated numerous quality-of-life improvements into the game, resulting in New World feeling like a substantial upgrade, akin to New World 2.0.
As for my personal experience, I’m Matt, and I’m currently at Level 50. I first delved into this game the moment it officially launched two years ago, but despite investing around a hundred hours into New World, I only managed to reach Level 40. My initial motivation waned due to the questing process feeling like a tedious chore, with countless back-and-forth treks required for quest turn-ins. About a year ago, Fresh Start Servers were introduced, which led me to give New World another shot. I once again reached Level 40 with a different character but eventually quit again. Although it took fewer hours the second time around, the game still felt like a grind.
When New World announced the addition of mounts earlier this year, my excitement was palpable. Yesterday, that excitement finally came to fruition. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. Riding on a horse is both enjoyable and practical, a feature long established in other MMOs since around 2004. The ability to summon your trusty steed, which boasts speed and a dash ability, at will is a game-changing addition. Additionally, you can auto-run on paths and roads for an extra speed boost, making travel considerably more efficient. With my loyal mount by my side, the previously tedious main story quest line no longer felt like a chore, though it wasn’t necessarily enjoyable—just more tolerable.
Now, you might wonder if introducing mounts could genuinely mitigate all of New World’s shortcomings. The answer is no, of course not. I still find the combat system to be clunky, and I’m frustrated by the limited number of skills and the absence of additional types of attacks beyond light and heavy. Why not include a jump attack or a running one? Furthermore, I wish there were no restrictions on weapon combinations. Why can’t I use a Greatsword with an Ice Gauntlet? While I understand the need for a class-based system with Attributes and Damage Scaling, I believe the game could function well by allowing players to pair any two weapons without sacrificing power.
These aren’t the only problems either. Waiting in one, two, or three-hour long queues to play a game you’ve paid $30 for is far from ideal. The same server issues that plagued the game’s launch were experienced once again during the expansion’s release. Why doesn’t New World adopt the concept of megaservers? Another concern that deterred me from playing the game was the fear of my server losing its population. Why not have one server for US West, US East, SA East, EU Central, and AP Southeast? The current player cap, estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 players, makes servers feel well-populated, but the concern is that the hype will wane, as it often does, within a month or so. What will happen then?
The list of New World’s imperfections goes on, and I haven’t even reached the endgame yet. I’m currently enjoying the vast, captivating world the game offers, but I’ve heard that things tend to get stagnant once you reach the maximum level, which is now 65. It’s a source of worry, but I’m also excited to discover what awaits me when I get there. What I do know is that New World seems to be the perfect MMO for casual players like myself. Whether before or now, New World doesn’t induce the gut-wrenching “fear of missing out” (FOMO) that many other MMOs do, even the most popular ones. For this reason, I’m all in, and I’m here for the long haul. (Nonetheless, my skepticism remains, so stay tuned for my next column in a week when I reassess my perspective!)
