New World receives its first expansion “Rise of the Angry Earth” on October 3rd. MeinMMO editor Jasmin Beverungen was allowed to take a sneak peek at the new features and reports to you why the expansion is particularly worthwhile for returning players.
With Season 2 “Blood of the Sands” the development team behind New World temporarily closed off the area “First Light”. The reason given was Artemis and her earth creatures that have overrun the area. With “Rise of the Angry Earth” the gates open again.
And what can I say? The area is barely recognizable!
I was able to explore the new area on my own at a play event in America. On the edge of the area rises an impressive archway that serves as a transition into a completely new world. The new area “Elysian Wilds” looks like I accidentally landed on an alien planet.
Furthermore, I was able to test a long-awaited feature from the community: “Rise of the Angry Earth” finally introduces mountable animals that allow us to move faster through Aeternum.
A mix of coral reef and alien biome
After passing through the gate, I suddenly felt like I was in another world. It was nighttime and suddenly all sorts of crazy plant species were glowing everywhere. The development team explained to me that they equipped the living beings with bioluminescence that shows its effect at night. The plants, fungi, and animals glow by themselves.
I couldn’t get enough of the different plant species, which are said to have been inspired by coral reefs. Everything is colorful, loud, and glowing. I even forgot that I was being attacked by aggressive plants at the gate that almost cost me my life.
But I couldn’t stop staring: there was something new to discover at every corner, and the forests and wooden huts from “First Light” have now been replaced by strange plant formations and ruins. Accordingly, the new area seemed both familiar and strange at the same time.
In the strange area, there were new types of enemies that I observed from afar like in a zoo. mammoths, chameleons, and gorillas roam the land and are equipped with elemental attacks. The animals can attack with fire, ice, earth, or lightning attacks. Which element it is only reveals itself during the attack of the creatures.
The renovation of “First Light” aims to concentrate player numbers in starting areas
The development team revealed to me that they decided to renovate “First Light” for a specific reason. With the expansion, there could have been a new area, but that would have caused players to drift further away from the starting area.
Amazon Games wants to bring players back closer to the starting areas and consequently decided to create a completely new environment from “First Light”.
Moreover, the world as we know it from New World continues to evolve. I really like this in terms of storytelling because it means that a new area is not just tacked onto the next. Rather, the areas that one has long turned their back on receive a new incentive to explore.
Not into PvP? No worries!
If you stopped playing New World out of frustration because you were in a losing faction, I can reassure you. The area is not part of the PvP fighting and cannot be conquered. This way, you can explore the area completely undisturbed.
This way, you can admire the new flora and fauna of the area just like I did.
New expedition with a mammoth that shoots lasers
I encountered the enemies from the “Elysian Wilds” again in the new expedition. The expeditions are the dungeons in New World that can be completed with a group of up to five players. Together with my group members, I dove into the new expedition, which resembled a zoo.
Between the bosses, we fought through hordes of animals made up of the same enemy types as in “Elysian Wilds”. So, we battled fire gorillas and carried large boulders onto their pedestals to open locked doors and continue down the dungeon’s path.
The first boss Kurok was a gorilla with fire, ice, earth, and lightning attacks and has stuck in my memory due to its novel mechanics. I won’t spoil the solution to the enemy for you, as you should try to take on the huge gorilla yourself.
But what I can tell you is: we needed about seven attempts until we, as a united veteran group, defeated the boss! I haven’t had that much fun with New World in a long time.
The second boss Mahantaram, however, was down on the second attempt. I found the boss’s mechanics were not as elaborate as the first, although this one was a mammoth shooting lasers.
The expedition reminded me a bit of the Garden of Origins, which is also an expedition in New World. But with its flashy look and the wandering animals, it offers enough differences to not be considered a doppelgänger.
Amazon Games fulfills players’ great wish for mounts
I explored the new area not on foot, but on a mount. Amazon Games initially explained the absence of mounts with a strange note, but finally, the rideable animals are being introduced to the game.
After about six hours, you should be able to obtain one of the coveted mounts that can be summoned at any time. There are three different animals on which players can ride:
- Horse (available from level 25)
- Wolf (available from level 45)
- Lion (available from level 65)
The animals can be given their own names. There are skins that give the animals a unique appearance. From the pink pony dream to the armored warhorse, everything is included.
During my play session, I could unfortunately only test the horse, but on an external screen, Senior Producer Katy Kaszynski showed me what other colors are available for the animals and how they move. The wolf seemed a bit “clumsier” in its movements than the other two, but that does not affect its running speed.
We receive the mounts through a quest in which we must defeat certain enemies and collect plants. Afterwards, we tame a horse that is ours from then on.
I found summoning the mount extremely pleasant since it appears right beneath me. I can still remember situations in The Witcher 3 where the horse Roach was hanging in the roofs of houses. Such an annoying situation is avoided due to the instant spawn.
In various missions, where I had to race against the clock on my mount on different routes, I was able to get a feel for the new pony. The animals are controlled as I would imagine a real horse: a bit cumbersome, but agile in curves.
The jumping over small edges went quite well, my horse moved fluidly on rocky bridges. If the edges are too big, however, the horse will refuse to jump, and I had to dismount briefly to call it back up onto the elevation with the button press. Additionally, the running speed is slightly reduced on bridges and settlements.
Over time, the mounts can even be leveled up. I noticed a significant difference when I saw a horse sprinting at the maximum level of 50. The level can be increased by feeding the mount special food.
When asked if racing against other players would be possible in the future, the development team had to laugh. At the moment, the developers are focused on optimizing the riding experience as much as possible. But who knows, in the future, it might be possible to hold whole tournaments.
The expansion of New World will bring many players back
“Rise of the Angry Earth” creates many incentives for players who have turned their backs on the MMORPG to return to the game. There is a new “old” area, mounts, and a lot of new content. Those who stopped playing due to being part of a weaker faction are in luck: the new area cannot be conquered and allows you to explore it undisturbed.
For newcomers, the expansion is only worthwhile to a limited extent. The big advantage is that more players are once again present in the starting areas of New World thanks to the revamped area.
However, new players cannot experience the expansion immediately, but must first play the rest of the game to be at the appropriate level.
Additionally, New World attracts not only with the new expansion but with further seasons. I am curious to see what content Amazon Games will come up with for the future. Perhaps next year we can host horse races and swim in large bodies of water.
Jasmin Beverungen
MeinMMO freelancer
