New World is currently experiencing a small renaissance on Steam. Over 60,000 players were simultaneously online shortly after the release of the new update. But where does this influx come from? And is it finally worth returning to the MMORPG?
What is the current state of player numbers in New World? After a strong start in September and October 2021, player numbers steadily declined until August 2022, peaking at just under 16,000 simultaneous players. Many had already written off the MMORPG. However, there is a significant trend reversal happening.
On October 18, New World reached a peak of 65,064 simultaneous players, which is nearly three times higher than in August. On October 19 and 20, the 60,000 player mark was also surpassed (via SteamDB).
One reason for this is the new patch, which brought the first new area since release with Brimstone Sands. It also included the new weapon Greatsword, a new dungeon, and a Halloween event. However, it is not just the update that is causing the trend reversal. Even in August, player numbers and, in particular, reviews on Steam saw a noticeable increase.
Is New World finally good?
New World is hardly comparable to the release version and plays much better
What were the major points of criticism? New World had several problems at release. The biggest were:
- A boring leveling phase
- Long travel times and high travel costs
- Unclear item progression
- Lack of endgame content in PvE
- Lack of PvP content outside of wars
- Missing “quality of life” aspects
- Technical problems like bugs, gold duplication, and lags
Now, just over a year later, most of these problems have been addressed. Additionally, many new aspects have been introduced to the game.
Faster leveling and more variety in enemies
What has changed in the leveling process? The first major innovation is present right from the start of the game. You can now find weapons to try out everywhere in the starting area, so you don’t have to start with sword and shield, but can choose your preferred weapon.
Interesting for ranged fighters: You no longer need ammunition, although it gives a slight damage boost.
Additionally, the leveling process from levels 1 to 25 has been significantly revamped. There are fewer travel distances, more quests, and the enemies you encounter have become more diverse. Generally, all quests from level 10 onwards also provide 50% more experience points than at the time of release.
In the mid-levels, the required number of experience points has also been noticeably reduced to allow players to reach level 60 faster. This now happens almost automatically if you just follow the main quest and your faction quests.
What about the long travel times? They still exist to some extent, but they are now less annoying. In February, the costs for fast travel were significantly reduced. Weight is also no longer a factor, and new fast travel points have been introduced, including at every dungeon in the game.
Furthermore, several conveniences have been added to the game: Storage is now cross-town, you run 10% faster on roads, and you can open your inventory while running.
Clear structures in the endgame – for both PvE and PvP
What has changed in the endgame? New World has a clear item progression. This relies on the value of expertise, which you can level up by obtaining good equipment drops or by using the gypsum system.
The gypsum system rewards you with upgrades for your equipment and is linked to the endgame through a type of daily quest list. Gypsum can be earned from dungeons, from portal events in the open world, through crafting, from faction missions, or from PvP. Each player type can therefore specifically improve their equipment.
Furthermore, New World has increased its gear score to 625. However, this new equipment is not dropped; you must upgrade it using shadow shards. Shadow shards, in turn, can also be obtained in the endgame or later through the gypsum system once you have leveled up.
What new PvE content is available? New World has made significant improvements, especially in PvE:
- There are three new dungeons
- There are mutations that introduce 10 new difficulty levels for each dungeon
- A dungeon finder has been implemented which is now widely used. At the same time, the orbs for dungeons have been removed.
- “Treasure goblins” have been implemented, which roam the open world and provide good loot
- The difficulties of enemies in the open world have been adjusted
- With Brimstone Sands, a completely new endgame area has now arrived
- With heart gems, there are 15 new endgame abilities that you can use one of
Additionally, new crafting levels beyond 200 have been implemented that reward you with loot, and fans of musical instruments have also been taken into account since July. At that time, five instruments were implemented that also distribute buffs to players.
What about PvP? The most important change for PvP players was resolving lags in wars. It is still not perfect at 100%, but the wars are currently playable. They are complemented by new 3v3 arenas and the PvP reward track that brings good gold and good equip.
Three new weapons for more variety
What else is new? Those who wished for more variety in weapons at release will not be disappointed. With the corrupting gauntlet (magic), the thunder pistol (firearm) and the greatsword, three new and very different weapons have been added to the game. Each of them feels well thought out and is a lot of fun.
Amazon has also worked on the balance, animations, and the overall fluidity of the combat system. Everything now feels significantly more sensible and fluid than it did at release.
Developers receive praise for communication
Are the new features solely responsible for the turnaround? No. Because while many criticized Amazon for their poor communication at launch, the developer studio has greatly improved since then.
Every month there is a video where the developers report on the current state of the game and explain what changes they are making and why. They also discuss innovations that are still far off, such as mounts and raids, which are planned for the future. Furthermore, much is communicated in forums, and updates are tested on a test server several weeks in advance.
While there have still been some bugs after a new update recently, they have been far less severe. The latest update even came without a major scandal – aside from a taunt bug – even though the patch was quite large.
Streamers and YouTubers are also returning: The positive communication and the overall positive development of the game surprise many and therefore generate praise. On Twitch, on October 19, nearly 1,000 channels were online simultaneously showcasing the game. This was last seen in December 2021.
Among the streamers were bigger names like summit1g, KingGothalion (900,000 followers), and one of the biggest German MMO streamers AresLP.
The well-known YouTuber “TheLazyPeon” praised New World in September:
Newcomers to New World have the best timing in November
Is now the perfect time to start? It depends. If you already have a character at a high level and want to continue playing, then yes. You can enjoy the many new advantages and soon start in the dungeons or PvP.
If you were to start completely new, you might want to wait a few weeks. Because on November 2, new “Fresh Start” servers will be released. There you can only start with new characters and in a completely fresh economy. You will essentially experience a second release of New World.
What do you think about the development of the MMORPG? Does New World appeal to you now, or do you remain skeptical?
