The first alpha phase of New World ended on June 3rd. Now the servers are offline for an indefinite period. The players have mixed feelings.
What is New World? New World is a sandbox MMO from Amazon that includes survival elements, but primarily focuses on cooperative play within a guild. Players can build, defend, and conquer fortresses.
The game does without typical RPG content such as classes, dungeons, or quests, but has recently added an intro, character creation, and a kind of tutorial. The focus is on combat against other players and guilds.
Why do we hear so little about New World? Amazon’s first MMO was first presented at Gamescom in 2018 and opened the gates to the first alpha in September.
However, despite the fact that the press was already allowed to show gameplay, as we reported from the event in Berlin, there is still a confidentiality agreement regarding the alpha itself. The end of the testing phase has not changed this.
Statistics regarding the first alpha
What do the developers say about the alpha? The developers of New World released statistics at the end of the alpha that contain information on player deaths caused by NPCs or through PvP. Many other figures were also included in this statistic.
However, it reveals nothing about the actual player numbers of the alpha or how the MMO was received by the players. But exactly such information leaks out repeatedly, even though the test was subject to confidentiality.
How many players participated in the New World test? According to the user Preacher802 on the website MMORPG, around 200 players were typically active on the New World alpha servers, with even more during prime time. After the last wave of invites, there were apparently around 1,200 players at peak.
This is where New World struggles
What is the combat system like? According to comments on Reddit or under our posts, the combat system is particularly seen as needing improvement. Reddit user Quesa-dilla writes:
Hopefully they use the time to rethink the mechanics and the combat system.
Many users agree or highlight the issues surrounding the combat itself. MMORPG user FlyByKnight describes the battles as not even close to being dynamic or enjoyable.
Large guilds for success? There is also discussion about the guild system itself. New World shares a similar problem with Atlas. Only with fellow players and large guilds can much be achieved.
Since the focus of New World is on PvP, these two criticisms carry a lot of weight. Perhaps this is what will be worked on during the game’s offline period.
This is what the MMO already does well
Solid foundations: New World is especially praised for its graphics and the idea of the MMO. MMORPG user Raapnapp states that the game has excellent foundations and all systems function properly. It just lacks additional content and especially goals in the game.
Willingness to accept criticism: The acceptance of feedback has also been highlighted positively. There are already several features that have been adopted at the request and pressure of the community.
Good performance: A major plus is likely the server structure of Amazon. This keeps the performance of the game stable, even during large-scale battles.
The future of New World
What’s next for New World? After the closure of the alpha servers on June 3rd, players must now be patient. There is no information on when the servers will be brought back online.
However, the developers are under no pressure. In an interview with MeinMMO, they revealed that they can plan for 10 years in advance, thanks to Amazon. A release in the near future is therefore unlikely.
Our author Alexander Leitsch has already taken a look at New World and created a conclusion:
