In Amazon’s new MMO New World, players are wondering what the online game will offer in PvE. We at MeinMMO interviewed two of the lead designers of the MMO, who spoke about areas structured like dungeons, and opponent families.
Where do the information come from? We at MeinMMO had the opportunity to speak with the leading minds behind New World in Irvine, California. Our editor Leya Jankowski was on-site.
She spoke there, among others, to Mike Willette, the “Head of World Experience,” and David Verfaille, the “Head of Player Experience” of New World.
One of the topics was the PvE in New World, the fight against monsters and other AI opponents. This area is the focus of the MMO after a shift away from “Open PvP”.
It gets increasingly dangerous in the center – like in a dungeon
This is the idea of the zones: Michael Willette explained that many “Points of Interests” in New World are designed to have different layers, like an onion. Essentially, these points are structured like “Open World Dungeons.”
“The deeper you go into the center, the harder it gets. There you will encounter pairs and groups that are difficult to combat as a solo player. You will encounter more named boss opponents that you might prefer to fight with a group.”
Michael Willette, Head of World Experience
The advantage of the system in New World is that groups can form organically. Rewards are shared, and the loot is instantiated. Even if you are not in a group, you can easily join players you see. You just can’t be at war with them.
Different enemy types: From the cook to the champion
What about the bosses and tougher opponents? David Verfaillie explains how it looks with enemies. All four enemy groups in New World, that you encounter are divided into differently difficult opponent types. As an example, he mentions the “Corrupted.”
At the lowest level are the “Villagers,” who are former farmers, workers, or cooks. They carry simple weapons and are easy to defeat. But the further you progress, the more numerous and stronger the opponents become.
Among the soldiers of the Corrupted, warriors with sword and shield appear or those who carry a pistol. That would be the next level of opponents.
Even more advanced Corrupted carry a spear.
Among the bosses (Lead Character) of the Corrupted, there is a corrupted bear: a gigantic creature that you would prefer to attack in a group.
Above it is an “oversized Corrupted Champion” carrying a flaming sword, or a “Corrupted Priest” who can summon more Corrupted.
Thus, each group of opponents has an internal hierarchy with increasingly difficult enemies ranging from simple mobs to stronger soldiers and boss enemies.
Combat and world apparently focus on the PvE of New World
This is behind it: New World will orient itself more towards sandbox MMOs like RuneScape than classic quest MMORPGs like WoW.
A central element of New World should be the combat system, which relies on positioning and action . The combat system is often compared to Dark Souls.
The world of New World is apparently designed so that players encounter demanding battles, which they are supposed to experience solo or together to enjoy PvE content.
