After two delays and much anticipation, Amazon’s New World has finally gone live. First announced back in 2016 at TwitchCon, New World is Amazon’s first proper foray into the PC gaming market. Promising a deep MMORPG experience, it could be Amazon Games’ first runaway success. But what exactly is it and should you give it a try?
What is New World?
New World is an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), developed by Amazon Games, and set in the seventeenth century. As the title suggests, it takes inspiration from the real-world colonisation of the Americas. In the game, players colonise a fictional legendary island called Aeternum Island. The island is a fantastical place of magic and war.
In New World, players take control of their destiny on Aeternum. The game allows players to join one of three guilds (or factions), play with up to five others in groups, battle for settlements, complete quests, explore, craft, fight other players in PvP, or monsters in PvE.
What is Aeternum in New World?
Aeternum is an awe-inspiring island full of magic and monsters. Players find themselves there after becoming ship wrecked and must scavenge and fight to survive.
To give players a flavour of what to expect in Aeternum, Amazon Games‘ have explained, “It brings life: miraculous healing, reanimation of the dead, and strange flora with magical properties. And it brings horror: the power to cause untold destruction and the slow wasting of the soul through countless cycles of death and resurrection.”
New World Guilds & Factions
The three guilds (factions) in Amazon’s New World and their official descriptions are:
- The Marauders
- “Living examples of the credo “might makes right,” the Marauders are a ruthless military force bent on establishing a free nation where anyone with the strength and determination to stake a claim can do so.”
- The Syndicate
- “Working in the shadows and dealing with secrets, members of the Syndicate use their boundless guile and intellect in pursuit of forbidden knowledge.“
- The Covenant
- “Divine champions who are driven by conviction and their faith in the light of the Spark, the Covenant fights with righteousness and justice for the struggling souls of all living things.“
New World offers players the chance to join one of these three guilds. Each are unique and you’ll fight for territory and settlements alongside your faction brothers & sisters. From this, you’ll gain benefits as your faction gains in strength and power.
How does combat work in New World?
New World offers players a range of choices when it comes to combat. Not only can you participate in PvP combat but PvE is also possible. In the game, you will come up against “once-human creature”, the Lost, the Corrupted and the Ancient – as well as the Angry Earth.
Weapons
Players can use a range of weapons – such as, swords, spears, muskets, bows, and staffs – as well as magic in combat. As you use each weapon type, you’ll slowly learn to master them through New World‘s weapon mastery system. The system is split into two mastery trees that allow you to tailor the use of the weapon to your play style.
Attributes
To further tailor your experience, New World‘s combat system is based around your character’s specific attributes. These attributes are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Focus.
Each attribute affects your character’s strengths and weaknesses but luckily your attribute points can be redistributed at will. This means you can find the perfect mix to suit your character and play style.
Group Combat
In New World, players can participate in group combat in a variety of different and exciting ways. These are: Expeditions, War, Outpost Rush, and Invasions.
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We’re looking forward to getting stuck into New World and this preview only scratches the surface of what it has to offer. The coming weeks and months will be crucial for the fledgling game as it finds its feet. But we hope it lives up to its big promises.
Are you going to be giving Amazon’s New World a try? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
