Amazon is releasing more details about New World, even though the release has been delayed for now. MeinMMO author Alexander Leitsch is very excited about the MMO but also has some concerns.
My Background: MMOs and MMORPGs are my passion. I have spent thousands of hours in games like Guild Wars 2, Wildstar, Black Desert, and Blade & Soul. However, since 2014, the highlights of the genre can be counted on one hand.
This makes my interest in New World even greater. Back in 2018, during my first encounter with the MMO at Gamescom, there were many aspects that piqued my curiosity. Among these were the combat system and PvP sieges.
With the removal of the PvP obligation, Amazon completely convinced me. While I enjoy PvP, I want to have control over when and how it happens. Additionally, I find planned sieges much more exciting than being suddenly ambushed in the open world.
My Concerns: However, there are many uncertainties surrounding New World, and I doubt whether the MMO can meet my expectations. Many statements from supposed alpha testers sound as if New World still needs a lot of work.
Therefore, I have identified 5 things that New World must have to become a good MMO for me. Because my hopes are high despite or precisely because of the release delay.
A truly action-packed combat system
What do we know? New World is said to focus on an action-packed combat system, according to the developers. The elements that are particularly important include:
- Dodging
- Positioning
- Blocking
- Attacking
That sounds very dynamic and looks that way at first glance. The ability to switch weapons in the middle of combat also brings more flexibility.
My Concerns and Hopes: I had the opportunity to play New World back in January 2019 at an event in Berlin. Even then, it was said that the combat system was supposed to be dynamic.
However, many animations seemed clunky, jumping and dodging did not work smoothly, and combat was generally quite slow and thus rather undynamic. Most of the time, I was just standing there, blocking and hitting back after a block.
Although a lot has changed since 2019, and the developers claim to have addressed these criticisms, I am still nervous because the combat system is crucial for me in an MMO. And I hope that the fights in New World have gained proper dynamism.
Not just monotonous quests and grind
What do we know? New World has changed its focus and now slightly prioritizes PvE content. These include quests and tasks in the open world, which are both supposed to be available, and you should also be able to level up and complete tasks for your own settlement.
However, according to the developers, the quests will not be varied. They are generally supposed to consist only of collection or kill tasks. And they currently look very grindy and also unfinished.
My Concerns and Hopes: In a conclusion from the developers on the alpha, it was stated that one player reached level 60 mainly through grinding mobs. Another player reached level 60 after 700 quests. However, if all 700 quests were that monotonous, I find it very exhausting and boring.
The endgame content of an MMO can be great, but if you struggle on the way there, then many players will not get to see it at all. And that could affect New World.
Because I am very much looking forward to the fortress sieges, whether in PvE or PvP. However, I doubt that I will enjoy it without reaching max level.
Therefore, I hope that there is a good middle ground, perhaps through experience points for exploration, crafting, and maybe also suitable quests.
Good and well-thought-out fortress fights
What do we know? Fortresses play a significant role in New World. They can be captured by one of the three factions and then managed and expanded. Battles are fought in a 50v50 setting in a contained area.
Fortress owners can only be attacked at specific times and receive early notification to prepare for the siege. This is intended to maintain balance.
A siege takes place in stages and features control points, siege weapons, and everything necessary for a good battle. And the cool part is: If someone doesn’t like PvP, they can experience the same in a battle against NPCs .
My Concerns and Hopes: So far, we do not know exactly how the declarations of war will proceed and whether there are ways to exploit the system regarding attack times. Problems with population, for instance, spoiled the fun in modes like World vs. World in Guild Wars 2.
We also currently know nothing about the balancing between attackers and defenders and their siege weapons.
Since fortress fights were the core content of the original version of New World, I hope that Amazon has thoroughly examined all cases and delivers truly great battles.
Tough endgame, even in PvE
What do we know? New World offers various content for PvE:
- Quests and crafting
- Sieges for fortresses
- PvE events in the open world
- Points of interest that play like dungeons in the open world
- Instanced boss fights for 5 players
At first glance, this looks like a lot, but the question is whether the content can keep players motivated for a long time.
My Concerns and Hopes: The endgame in PvE hinges on difficulty and scaling:
- Bosses in the open world may be impossible for one person to defeat, but might be too easy for three players at once.
- The PvE sieges can be really tough for 10 players but not so much for 50.
PvE content is complicated when it comes to balancing, especially when it appears in the open world. On the other hand, instanced bosses should certainly offer high difficulty, as you need something to do throughout the game.
Good balancing of weapons, but also expansions
What do we know so far? In terms of balancing, New World has to be careful not just with fortresses or PvE events. While the game does not have classes, it offers different weapons with multiple skills that can be unlocked through usage.
What skills are available and how many each weapon has is not yet known.
My Concerns and Hopes: In my 2019 test, there were only a few skills available per weapon. The screenshot also seems to indicate that players only have access to 3 simultaneous skills, Q, R, and F.
With such a small number of weapons and skills, the game needs to have good balance. At the same time, I hope that updates after the release will implement new weapons or skills.
Because using the same 3 weapons and skills for years could become very monotonous.
New World – Still my highlight of 2020
Even though I have some concerns about New World, it is still my highlight. It is among the 3 MMOs that I believe will launch and succeed in 2020. This is also because Amazon is behind it, and New World doesn’t have pressure and doesn’t need to release unfinished.
Only the MMORPG Ashes of Creation, which is heading in a similar direction concerning sieges in PvP, housing, and PvE, could become similarly exciting. However, it is likely that it will only reach an alpha without NDA this year.
