New World has released a new update in alpha named “The Empress of Ebonscale Reach.” It includes previously announced features such as the first dungeon and the PvP mode, but also several other adjustments.
What are the highlights of the update? The patch notes for the new alpha update in March contain over 7,000 words and cover basically every aspect of the game:
- A new area called Ebonscale Reach.
- The Garden of Genesis is the first dungeon in New World. Details and images have now been published.
- There are new quests for levels 1 to 40, for armors, weapons, and fishing.
- Experience points have been noticeably adjusted.
- There were further adjustments to crafting that started back in January 2021.
- The UI has been adjusted, especially for the inventory.
- There have been several balance adjustments.
The complete overview of the update can be found on the official New World page. We at MeinMMO will explain the new features and why they are important.
New content in New World has Asian influences
What is Ebonscale Reach? The newest area in New World is aimed at players level 51 or higher and is located north of Monarch’s Bluffs. The zone is named after a black mushroom that grows abundantly there.
Visually, it has some Asian influences, and you will encounter a fallen empress haunting the ruins of the city. She commands an army of corrupted beings against which you must fight in the area.
What kind of dungeon is this? The Garden of Genesis is officially described as a “5-player expedition.” However, it features two boss fights, which are briefly introduced in the overview:
- The Guardian: Beware in the murky waters of the realm of this once-gentle giant.
- The Rotting Gardener: This soul afflicted by rot watches over the heart of the Garden of Genesis.
The entrance to the expedition is located in the northwest of the crater in Edenheim. Additionally, two prequests must be completed before one can enter the dungeon. You should be able to find equipment items marked as loot there.
Dungeons and general endgame content were a point of criticism in the first tests of New World. Previously, there was only an arena with a boss enemy in it. Now, two new areas and the Garden of Genesis have been introduced, which are important steps for long-term engagement.
New PvP area: Already during the postponement of the release date of New World, a new 20v20 PvP mode was announced. The Outpost Rush is now also in the game. Further information will be released in the future.
Here too, Amazon is directly addressing a point of criticism from the tests. The PvP in the open world was deemed unimportant, while the interesting fort battles only occur at fixed times. With the outposts, there is now new content for PvP fans.
New images from New World: With this update, several images of new contents have been shown. It is currently unclear whether these belong to the new dungeon, the PvP mode, or the area Ebonscale Reach:
New World revises quest and leveling experience
What is new with the quests? Quests were perhaps the biggest point of criticism during the open test in August 2020. They were very monotonous and uninteresting.
According to the update, all quests in the main storyline up to level 40 have been revised. An English voiceover has also been added for the initial quests.
At the same time, Amazon has created 5 new armor quests and 3 weapon quests. The equipment is aimed at players at least level 40, but is not meant to compete with endgame gear. A positive aspect is that you do not need to farm materials but only need to complete the quests.
New quests have also been added for fishing. Additionally, there are new fishing gear and special fishing rods.
What is new about the EXP?
- The required experience points from level 8 to 60 have been reduced by 10%
- The experience points from PvP missions have been reduced by 5 to 18%
- There are now 40% less EXP for monsters that are 10 to 19 levels below the player.
What changes are being made to the loot in New World? In general, the loot in the MMO is to become “more logical” and “relevant”. Chests will now always drop between 2 and 3 equipment items. Additionally, there should be more equipment from quest rewards.
At the same time, the equipment has been adjusted to bind to the player upon pickup or at the latest when equipping it. This is intended to keep the economy in the game intact.
The new inventory interface: The inventory has been visually revised and also adjusted content-wise:
- You can now better view your equipped gear
- Better drag-and-drop has been implemented so that you no longer accidentally throw away items
- Values for equipment weight have been added to better perceive the limits
Adjustments to the combat system, attributes, and balance
What else has changed?
- As in previous alpha updates, New World has continued to adjust the enemy AI. These should now provide a better player experience.
- The equipment weight now has new influences on your playstyle, bringing a damage bonus with light and medium load but a longer stun when wearing heavy gear.
- Additionally, the attributes have been revised to now have a greater influence on the weapons. In return, the base damage of the weapons has been reduced.
- Basically, every armor type and every weapon has received new balance adjustments with the patch. Assessing how they impact the game is difficult due to the NDA.
What do you think about the current changes in New World? Is there something that particularly appeals to you or do you miss a revision?
The many adjustments in the alpha show that New World is still missing several contents. Therefore, the postponement was a good decision, as I explained in this column: New World has been postponed again and that was sorely needed.
