All Changes In New World Since Launch

The launch of New World on September 28 was a major gaming event. Many gamers had high expectations for the Amazon Games title, hoping that it would bring back the golden age of MMORPGs. Those hopes were not disappointed in many cases, as the game still enjoys considerable popularity. Nonetheless, as is often the case with such games, New World has been plagued by various bugs, balance problems, and other frustrations at the start. Over the month that passed since the start, the developers have worked hard to improve the experience. Whether you have tried the game before or are just thinking about getting it now, it is worth considering how it has changed in that time.

Server Changes

Server problems were the first and most crucial hurdle that the developers had to overcome. Upon release, the unexpectedly large number of first-day players led to server downtimes, long queues, and overfilled worlds (realms). By now, the problem has been brought under control. The earliest updates have created hundreds of servers, more than doubling their number. The capacity for each individual server has been increased as well, allowing them to support more characters. Stability has greatly increased as a result.

By now, however, New World has come face to face with the opposite concern. After the initial deluge, player numbers have decreased, with certain worlds becoming underpopulated. That is a particular concern for a game that is so focused on community. Without a sufficient number of players on a server, the economy could be sustained, with crafting skills in particular becoming less viable. War between factions like Covenant and Syndicate, a mainstay of PvP content, also demands larger numbers to work. In response, Amazon Games have revealed that they intend to merge some servers in the near future. More populous worlds will absorb the underpopulated ones, and population should stabilize.

Thankfully, players are no longer stuck on crowded or dying worlds. The much-requested character server transfer feature was finally introduced following the 1.0.3 update. It is subject to the following rules and restrictions:

• A player can transfer their character to another server through the in-game store by using a character transfer token;
• To do so, the player would first need to log in as the character, cancel their Company membership and any outstanding trading orders, and reach a safe place (like one of the settlements or outposts);
• All personal character progression carries over, including the character level, weapon mastery, items, housing, currencies, and quest progress;
• Transfers can only be done to non-full, active worlds in the same geographic region (as in EU, US East, etc.). Also, the prohibition on having more than one character in a world set still applies.
• The lack of ability to move between regions has caused some controversy, as this feature was promised at launch. The developers have apologized and promised to look into enabling transfers between regions at a later date. For now, however, the only solution is to start playing in the region where you intend to stay. Each account has received a transfer token for free, and more may be issued later if necessary to redress population problems. Additional tokens will eventually be made available for purchase in the store, though the price is still unknown. The players’ patience with the feature’s slow roll-out was rewarded with the Stoic title and a free Waiting emote in the store.

Outpost Rush Returns

The 1.0.4 update has re-enabled the endgame PvP Outpost Rush activity. While it was briefly available at launch, its numerous bugs have repeatedly caused it to be removed from play. Although it is more playable now, the mode still suffers from many issues. While there has been some progress in that regard, the bug that prevents combatants from respawning persists. That is unfortunate, as the 20 vs. 20 mode offers a refreshing alternative to Faction-based PvP. Level 60 characters of any allegiance can queue up for the fort-based deathmatch. Rewards include coins, Azoth, and a loot crate. Both sides get rewards, but a further tweak reduced the losers’ rewards to encourage competition.

Gameplay Tweaks

There have been many smaller changes to the gameplay and balance, as well as qualify of life improvements. Here are some of the more prominent ones across all updates:

• In the launch update, PvP damage scaling based on character levels has been reduced, making level advantages less critical than they were in beta;
• The same update added a “streamer mode”, letting any players hide notifications and avoid interactions with other players;
• Patch 1.0.1 improved War performance by making Turret projectiles hitscan instead of acting as physics objects;
• AFK prevention measures were tightened up so that they would disconnect people more quickly and ignore simulated mouse movements;
• Patch 1.0.2 reduced influence gains for attackers and removed gradual influence losses for defenders in connection to faction mission daily quests. The result is that putting territories into a contested state now requires more time and effort;
• Patch 1.0.3 restricted Armor to one skill perk for each item and made it so that dyed items lose the dyes after being purchased;
• Patch 1.0.4 removed Everfall as a starting location, funneling players towards the other three beaches to encourage more early interactions;
• The same patch also raised all Faction token caps. That means players can earn 50% tokens at each reputation rank, making it easier to purchase Faction gear. As a result, improving your standing with Marauders or their competitors should be a smoother and more immediately rewarding experience;
• Patch 1.0.5 introduced numerous balance changes. Respec costs for attribute and weapon mastery have been lowered. Expeditions are now cheaper to access (due to a chisel cost reduction) and more lucrative. Characters could no longer wield weapons of the same type in each hand. The Life Staff has been nerfed, making the Orb of Protection healing effect set off less frequently;
• It also cracked down on coin seller spam, which is widely perceived as both obnoxious and dishonest, being used in exploits. From now on, characters have to exist for at least 72 hours and reach level 10 before they can start trading. The family sharing feature has been temporarily disabled as well. Early coin rewards from quests have been reduced, though later rewards have been increased to compensate;
• As of early November, all trading posts will be linked, making it possible to buy or sell items such as materials produced using refining skills on one market anywhere in the world. Transaction taxes will still depend on the specific post being used. Even so, the virtual removal of travel expenses should make trading much more efficient.

Bugs and Fixes

Outpost Rush is not alone in suffering from serious bugs. In fact, removing bugs has been the main focus of most updates since the start. The following are just the most impactful issues that have been addressed so far:

• The dialogue screen for buying your first house incorrectly claimed that the house will have lower taxes. The message has been corrected and home-owners received 2,000 coins as compensation;
• A bug led companies to lose some of their revenues from controlling several territories and from declaring War on other companies unsuccessfully. They have likewise been reimbursed fully or to their treasury cap after the issue has been addressed;
• Various easy-to-reproduce exploits that made characters invulnerable have been removed;
• Several gold and item duplication exploits have been fixed, though others have been revealed in the meantime;
• The global text chat glitch that let players send images through item links, covering other players’ screens or crashing the game, has been addressed.

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Conclusion

Since its release, New World has lost approximately half of its initial player base. While some of those losses are anticipated and natural, the bugs and various frustrations connected to slow rollouts for promised features had probably contributed as well. Ongoing efforts to fix the game may yet turn its luck around. High-level content is now easier and more profitable to engage with, and the game economy should become more functional. Although many bugs and exploits remain, the developers have made some progress gainst them. If you haven’t played it yet or left already, now may be a good time to return. Our services, which range from leveling to instance completion, will surely help!