With the announcement of Aeternum, the developers of Amazon Games have given their New World the new label of an “action RPG.” After two beta tests, it is now clear that you can still expect an MMORPG that should also provide some fun on consoles.
What were those beta tests? Starting from September 13, 2024, everyone interested can try out the new Aeternum version of New World on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S as part of an open beta for a few days.
Before that, there was early access for selected media representatives (unfortunately only with newly created characters), along with impressions from the closed beta which ran from July 25 to 31, 2024 (and during which there was also an endgame test). Below, MeinMMO summarizes what you can likely expect from New World Aeternum.
Here you can see the trailer for the open beta of New World Aeternum:
New World Aeternum remains an MMORPG
How does New World play differently with the Aeternum update? Not different enough to justify the switch from an MMORPG to an action RPG. On the one hand, because you still meet many other players in the game world, the economy is heavily player-driven, and it still contains all the content from New World that requires fellow players or human opponents.
On the other hand, because the innovations for camera, combat system, and presentation are nowadays not uncommon for the MMORPG genre. Various online role-playing games now rely on a cinematic presentation of the story, action-packed battles that can be easily managed with the controller, and the option to master many content solo.
Anyone who wants to experience the full New World experience must still team up or engage with other players. However, the MMORPG from Amazon Games is now increasingly opening up to console players, controller enthusiasts, lone wolves, and story connoisseurs.
This is what the community thinks about the open beta of New World:
The strengths of New World Aeternum
What makes New World Aeternum good?
- The performance on consoles is really good in the beta. In the PS5 test, there were no noticeable stutters or drops in frames per second. You can choose between graphics and performance mode. With the latter option, New World consistently reaches 60 FPS in the beta. This could of course change when significantly more players rush onto the servers at launch.
- New World controls wonderfully with the console controllers. The small number of skills combined with the action-rich approach is made for the analog sticks and action buttons.
- For experienced Aeternum heroes, the new archetypes bring no change. Beginners can, however, look forward to additional assistance when choosing their playstyle. For those who just want to quickly select something and start playing, the archetypes are a great addition.
- Compared to the launch, the current leveling phase – as far as played so far – is much more enjoyable. This is not only due to the Aeternum adjustments but also to all the improvements that have been implemented over the years.
- That swimming is now possible may seem trivial, but it noticeably positively affects how you move through the world.
- Anyone who has played New World for a long time will discover many small improvements, such as in the animations of certain actions, in the user interface, or in the models of NPCs.
The weaknesses of New World Aeternum
What does New World Aeternum not do well?
- New World does not achieve the graphic quality on consoles that a strong PC offers. The draw distance is noticeably lower, and the image looks quite blurry, as if the game is downscaling the resolution to achieve the desired FPS values.
- At times, the loading times on consoles were unusually long.
- The attempt to switch targets using the analog stick occasionally did not work. Instead, the target simply became unselected. In chaotic combat situations, this can be quite annoying.
One concern remains
What is the preliminary conclusion? Anyone who wants to start New World with Aeternum on consoles or PC can likely expect the best version of the MMORPG to date (albeit with minor technical imperfections on consoles).
There are many improvements that positively impact the player experience, more options than ever before, and a whole bunch of content to keep you busy for months.
But what about the PC players who have already spent a lot of time in Aeternum and are looking forward to new content after a long drought? Well, hopefully, you’re in the mood for PvP because in that case, you can expect a whole zone where you can fight against other players.
Aside from that, not much new has been announced aimed at veterans who are not interested in leveling another character: a 10-player raid as well as endgame solo challenges. That might be too little to lure high-level heroes back to Aeternum for the long term. What do you think? All information about the launch of New World Aeternum on console (PS5 and XBOX) – release, map, new content, PC version, price
