New World
Setting: Fantasy | Developer: Amazon Games | Platform: PC | Release Date: September 28, 2021 | Model: Buy2Play
What makes the combat system so good? New World employs a rather unfamiliar and slow combat system for MMORPGs, making it the stark opposite of Lost Ark. Even the animations of normal attacks or dodge rolls are very extensive and take considerable time.
In addition, New World only offers normal and heavy attacks, as well as three abilities per weapon. Since you can switch between two weapons during combat, you have access to six abilities in total, some of which have long cooldowns.
This trailer introduces you to the Flail weapon from New World:
This requires forethought in planning which attacks and abilities to use and when to block or dodge. This adds a tactical component to the combat system.
Synchronization errors can be annoying, causing weapon switching or ability usage to not function immediately at times. Moreover, the attacks of enemies are very powerful, which regularly causes players to stagger and interrupt their own attacks. This can be overwhelming for beginners, especially in PvP.
New World forgoes a class system and instead relies on a large number of various weapons that you can train and use their abilities as you like.
This video from Broomstick Gaming gives you an insight into the combat system:
What does the game offer besides combat? New World combines MMORPG and survival elements. The survival aspect is apparent when it comes to gathering and crafting. You actually go out into the open world, chop trees and ores, and can set up a tent where you respawn.
The basic atmosphere and the battles for territories also resemble more of a survival game.
On the other hand, there is a main story, side quests, dungeons, and instanced PvP in the form of the Outpost Rush, a 20v20 mode with a queue. These elements clearly remind one of an MMORPG.
New World has faced criticism since its release due to its monotonous leveling phase, significant grind, and various bugs. However, it has also gathered many fans who play it regularly.
Who is New World worth it for? New World is reminiscent of a mix between Conan Exiles and ESO. If you enjoy exploring areas, crafting, and are also keen on hardcore dungeons, you should take a look at this MMORPG. There are also several contents for PvP fans.
However, do not expect a classic theme park game. The story is rather dull, and the grind is very high. But if you embrace this, you can have a lot of fun with New World.
Despite a new expansion last year, Amazon Games has not managed to stabilize player numbers on New World’s servers. In February 2024, New World was struggling with declining player numbers on Steam and set a new negative record
