The streamer DrLupo had the opportunity to talk with a developer of New World and get an explanation of the loot system. There, it is explained exactly how you get items and why the loot sometimes fluctuates.
How does loot work? When looting, New World relies on a special system. Because every armor slot and every weapon slot remembers how good your previous loot was, and based on this, you have a chance for better equipment.
The developer explains the system with the following example:
- If you have an enemy at level 62 who drops a sword with an armor value of 510, then the weapon slot will now know that your maximum armor value there is level 510. However, other slots have a different maximum armor value, depending on the drops.
- However, you do not need to equip or wear the weapon or armor. The system still remembers the value.
- From now on, you have a very low chance for an item with a higher armor value. Whenever you receive a weaker item than level 510, your chance for an item with a higher armor value increases.
- However, there is a cap with the monsters. Enemies of level 61 can drop equipment with a maximum armor value of X, and enemies of level 62 up to value Y.
- Named enemies (elite enemies and bosses) always have a higher chance for stronger equipment.
What does this mean concretely? You can “target” level your armor value over time and eventually have a guaranteed chance for better equipment. However, the system also has a downside.
If you buy good equipment early at the trading post or from the faction vendor, this has NO influence on the item slot. So if you have a weapon with armor value 510 but have only dropped weapons with value 300 so far, you first need to “level up” the armor value until you get better equipment.
So, those who only level through crafting and town quests and defeat few enemies have a weaker loot pool than those who constantly grind mobs and dungeons.
We have embedded the video with the developers’ statements for you:
Legendary equipment also comes from drops
What influence does the system have on legendary items? Anyone who wants to have the strongest equipment in New World will, sooner or later, work on legendary equipment. Here, knowledge of the loot system also plays an important role.
You can obtain the 133 legendary weapons through various means, such as crafting or quests. However, many of them can also be received as drops from mobs or through chests.
So, to increase the chance of obtaining legendary equipment through a drop, you must already have a high dropped armor value. Here, farming enemies at a high level and bosses seems to be the most effective.
What else did the developer reveal? In the video, DrLupo also shows a statement about the Azoth staff. The level 5 of it is supposed to be fixed with the next patch.
What do you think about the loot system in New World? Do you find the approach interesting? Or do you see a problem, especially when you buy better equipment?
