NEW WORLD: The MMORPG in the test

Few games have been expected in 2021 more than New World - the new MMORPG from Amazon Games. After the final betaamases, there was finally no further shift. On September 28, the servers went online \ - and broke under the burden of players almost. In a few hours, the developers foked the hardware solid and the queues were manageable. Is already practical if you have the power of Amazon in the background. But can the new star on the MMO sky also convince playfully? Not only Amazon, but also many players who are increasingly disappointed by competitors such as Wow, put their hope in New World. We fell directly to the release into the world Aeternum and tell you what the MMORPG offers - or whether it will be the next Fiasko from Amazon Games.

Table of contents

1. Aeternum - the praised country

2. Wonderful and harmonious world

3. classless, but not weaponless

4. The right armor makes the fighter

5. A weapon? Only for beginners!

6. Planned chaos in fighting

7. Stone Scissors Paper ...

8. In the group it s more fun

9. Crafting - the Holy Grail

10. An item, many ways - variety of crafts

11. Quest Design - The AchillesFee

12. PVP and fraction wars

13. Back home - Housing in New World

14. Passable beginner friendliness

15. Issue Ingame Shop

16. Our first conclusion

17. How much is it?

Of course, such a comprehensive MMO as New World can not be rated after so short time already in full. Because alone the achievement of the maximum level takes several days pure playing time. Therefore, we make the endgame in our first test outside. Because to really see how the features of the maximum level, for example, high-scale expeditions or the storm on an outpost, prove, not only we need to arrive there, but also a heap of players there. Therefore, we also leave it in our rating only with a coarse tendency.

Aeternum - the praised country

The background history of New World (Buy Now 39,99 €) plays approximately in the 17th century and is quite simple at first glance. In the middle of the Atlantic is the mysterious island of Aerneum, but only rumors exist. Because so far, it has not yet been an adventurer to return living from there. But the rumors also speak of a mighty magical resource called Azoth. She has the power, all things, whether good or bad, to reinforce or to spoil. That s reason enough for you to take the sea voyage to find Aeternum. That s how you can do that, but the journey ends still in a catastrophe. The magical influences are visible everywhere in Aeternum. Source: Buffed As one of the few survivors, she finally finds her that there have been many people on the island before you. But only a small part of it is still what you would consider as human. The majority of the corruption is indignant and strokes as a zombie-like being through the land. So you now make you support the unspoiled survivors and by the way the secrets around the Azoth and the ancestors, a missing civilization that lived long before you lived on Aeternum.

Wonderful and harmonious world

While we make our steps as stranded on the coasts of Aeternum, we notice what countless times confirmed in the course of the game. Amazon Games designers have done a whole job and created a world with Aeternum, which is unknowing. Often we have caught ourselves as we just breathlessly let our eyes through the landscape. Or to consider one of the beautiful sunsets that are watching several times a day thanks to regular day-night change.

No matter if Karge rock landscapes, dense forests or the individual settlements: everything works extremely consistent and very lively. Large trees weigh in the coastal wind, wild animals strip through the bush and corrupt creatures looking for abandoned villages home. As far as the pure appearance and the beauty of the world are concerned, New World may not set new standards, but also needs no one to hide. The great consideration of the settlements increases the immersion drastically. Source: Buffed The real highlight is the soundscape, which the picture does not just round off but still exceeds. Muscetic shots halls through the forest and the beatings of the heartbreaks on ore rocks are still to be heard miles in the mountains. And whom at the first appearance of the corrupted and her scary beautiful brother and yelly does not freeze the blood in the veins, who probably forgot to turn on the sound. Sounddesign belongs to the best thing that could be experienced in games so far. And the developers have thought of little things themselves. With helmet your voice sounds, for example, damped than without and your sword makes different sounds, depending on where your opponent meets.

Classless, but not weaponless

If you want to survive in Aeternum, you have to grab the weapon to defend yourself against wild animals or scouring creatures. In contrast to most other MMORPGs, New World sets a system with less rigid boundaries. For example, there is no traditional class system or strict division into tank, healers and damage distributors. Instead, your game style defines itself about the choice of your weapon. Of these, they have a total of eleven different available, each offering two different talent trees for levels. This again happens automatically if you use the weapons in the fight. The more frequent, for example, uses a bow, the faster you come to the talent points that enhance the sheet in turn with different bonuses or active skills. Both in the PVP and in the PVE struggles from a certain number of participants are chaotic. Source: Buffed The active combat system is quite clearly held, but it does not necessarily make it easy. In addition to a light and heavy attack, your character can avoid attacks at the push of a button and close melee attacks with some weapons. For this purpose, a maximum of three active skills with partially long decay times are joined per weapon. While in other games, perfect rotations are in the foreground, New World Timing and the knowledge are asked for the opponent. For those instead of attacking the attack, while the opponent is just performing his deadly push of death, the strawberries from Aeternum quickly looks at.

The right armor makes the fighter

Even with the armor, there are no rigid limits as in other MMOs. In principle, your hero can carry and use everything from cloth clothes to record tanks, as long as it has reached the required level. But of course, you should adapt your clothes to your requirements. Plate armor, for example, generally offer rather higher arms values, which reduces incoming damage. In return, however, they are much heavier than fabric or leather items. And the weight plays a big role. If you wear extremely light armor, you cause bonus damage and dodge faster, while heavy armor makes it easier for you to block the block and better stun your opponent. The choice of armor thus not only depends on classical values, which there is also in New World. The Interface of New World is based on classic MMOs. Source: buffed

With each level rise, you should distribute multiple attribute points in the five categories. Each attribute scales differently with the different weapons. While strength, for example, improves your handling of heavy two-handed trims, benefit muscularists from skill. For magical weapons like the fire or life rod, however, intelligence or concentration is recommended. Some weapons scales with two different values. As the fifth value, Constitution increases your life points, which is not wrong for no hero. The attributes offer you when you reach certain thresholds but still more and quite suitable bonuses. With a lot of strength, you will do you easier in mining and causes bonus damage with melee weapons, while skill improves your ability to skill animals and dodge their effectively. Incidentally, the value distribution can be changed at any time - against a juicy batient taler.

A weapon? Only for beginners!

The active combat system is relatively manageable complex as described above. The developers have not made a full intention of any different skills available so that the focus is less on the use of decay times and skills, but rather on the actual character whose positioning and reflections. In addition, the three skills per weapon should feel more valiant. The time when and how they are used, namely plays a big role. Because almost all special attacks make more than just causing damage to the opponent. Often there is an overwhelming (anesthetic) or a strengthening or weakening effect. Three skills were the developers then but maybe little. Spear and arch always parat: You can always rely on two different weapons in combat at any time. Source: Buffed because in New World, you basically contribute two weapons in the fight that you can change at the push of a button. This little trick makes the skirmishes twice as funny, because the different weapons differ huge in terms of play style. From extremely slow war hemmers to UltraFlinken and bleed or lens or ranged weapons such as the fire rod or the musket, the full bandwidth is covered. Withdraw from the melee, withdraw briefly, pull it away and creating bow is just as possible to rush out the hard special attacks of the war hammer so as to follow the specials of the strike ax on the opponent. The combat system is then supported by four places for consumables, through which you can supply you during the struggle with impregnations or bonus-bearing foods.

Planted chaos in fighting

As far as the theory. But no one has won his battles yet. The question is, how does the combat system feel and how much fun do the fighting at the end of the day? Here, clear between PVP and PVE must be distinguished. Because the Ki of the scouring mobs is not bad, but predictable. That makes the fighting rather for the tactical matter. On the other hand, it goes to other players on the collar, especially the reactive skills and good dodge count. In the PVE, however, it is missing after a few hundred fighting in variety, which can be defused by choosing another weapon. In the PVP, however, the variety comes from all the way.

What looks about the first and many players on the second and third views of a total chaos, follows a plan. You look at your opponent s movements when this will start what attack and react accordingly. Small attacks are blocked, larger ones are dodged and in the small breaks between the powers of the enemy you squeezes well quilted your own attacks. A duel is not like a well-used dance for free. Against several opponents, it becomes even more chaotic and thus considerably heavier. Both in the PVP and in the PVE struggles from a certain number of participants are chaotic. Source: Buffed your martial arts are limited in addition to the decay times of special attacks but also of Mana and stamina. The former needs to use magical special skills available to you when using the life and fire rods. By contrast, endurance is consumed during blocking or dodging. Both invites slowly back.

Stone Scissors Paper ...

... is the motto of most fights in New World. This is especially true when choosing the weapons. Each of the combat devices has some enormous strengths and weaknesses. If the bow carrier is first in close combat, he has no chance against a quick rapier. And even with the enemy creatures, this system applies. Some opponents are resitent against magical damage, other taking stitches or cuts hardly damages, but are stepped out of life from nature damage in record time.

And here again comes the possibility for quick weapon change in the game. This ensures that you always make the paper for the enemy stone. For the choice of the right weapon combination, not only the appropriate value distribution is relevant, but also the kind of opponents you lean with you. Remarkably a lot of playing depth for a system in which you actually have only three skills.

In the group it s more fun

An MMO would not live up to his name, you would be alone all the time. Expeditions, the Dungeons of New World, are only playable in a group and also in the PVP one is alone against enemy companies on lost posts. The larger the groups, the greater the chaos you might mean. And would be perfectly correct. Already in five-man expedition groups one recognizes the disadvantages of the combat system - including colliery query with the players. Try to put all the enemy with melee weapons to live, then many attacks go to the emptiness because they do not get to the opponent. Also, the dodge is difficult when consecrated by monsters and players. There is often chaos in the expeditions - fun doing. Source: Buffed Although there is no classic role system, you should not necessarily do without the Holy Trinity. Sure, even expeditions can be concluded with five coarse-sludged sugar - lighter but it will be with a tank and a healer. Or in New World speak: with a sword-and-shield defender and a life rack. Although the threat system is not that clear how to have it, however, does its purpose. Especially the relevant weapon talent trees suggested by Amazon for tanks have skills that increase the threat or trigger provocation - which forces opponents to attack them. But even with tank, the fighting is hardly static. Opponents push the steadfast wind wine with their fierce attacks despite blocks through the area and barely staying two seconds in a stain. Who makes everything too hectic, he gets a problem. Who stands for a quick action, has fun.

Table of contents

1. Aeternum - the praised country

2. Wonderful and harmonious world

3. classless, but not weaponless

4. The right armor makes the fighter

5. A weapon? Only for beginners!

6. Planned chaos in fighting

7. Stone Scissors Paper ...

8. In the group it s more fun

9. Crafting - the Holy Grail

10. An item, many ways - variety of crafts

11. Quest Design - The AchillesFee

12. PVP and fraction wars

13. Back home - Housing in New World

14. Passable beginner friendliness

15. Issue Ingame Shop

16. Our first conclusion

17. How much is it?

Crafting - the Holy Grail

MMORPGS and crafting - a long history full of misunderstandings. So you could express it apart. Amazon Games does not just want to improve crafting in MMOs with New World, but turning around, turning on the head, revolutionize, and make an important feature of snubbing accessing features. Either way, at least the statement of developers was some time ago. And one has to leave them, the crafting in New World actually makes much more fun than in most other MMOs. The developers did not even make much different. You collect resources, build things, revels the professions high, collects better resources and builds better things. Even antiquated circumstances, such as the constant crafting completely useless items, only to raise the level, the developers have left in the game. Why is it still fun? The crafting system of New World is extremely motivational. Source: Buffed On the one hand, the resources are numerous in the world. You do not have to look for an ore deposit or a flower for hours. You need wood? Skin the next tree. You need stones? Skin your pick in the next boulders. On the other hand, there are enormous materials, but only relatively few producible items per occupation. This ensures two things. High-scale items are extremely complicated. But not, because you would have to collect so incredibly many things, but because the items consist of many items, which in turn consist of many parts and so on and so on. And on the other hand, there is almost no useless resources. Because even for the grandiose divine sword of the godless of God, simply wood and simple iron ore - besides a whole row of super rare resources, needs self-evident.

An item, many ways - variety of crafts

So that this does not taste in frustration, the developers have brought a trick into play. Almost all items can be assembled from different materials. I forge the sword with iron barrels, then it gets good. If I use steel bars, it gets better, and I put platinum ingots in, then it even overshadows the wide grinning of his wearer. The same principle also applies to smaller things. With which herbs I make my spice mixture, it remains the same for myself how I prefer to use linen or silk for a dress. The amount of recipes is therefore very manageable in the individual occupations - the variants of items that come out at the back is countless. Especially since you can not only increase the actual quality by adding better materials, but also applicable with special items special effects. Crafting in New World offers no countless recipes, but you can come with a wide variety of ingredients at a wide variety of results. Source: Buffed through the addition of Azoth, a universally useful resource that you get from all sorts of sources when playing, and which can be used, among other things, for fast travel, you can even further increase the itemlevel of the items even further. So you always have the choice how much you want to invest in his item and thus how well it will be in the end.

Unless it can produce it at all. Because not only the own level plays a role. The quality of the craft station is also important. These are steadily improved by all players of the server in the individual settlements on various levy quests, for which items made in most cases needed for handling.

Quest design - The Achillesferse

Originally, New World was developed as a sandbox PVP-MMO without relevant quests or the like. However, the developers have at some point whether the game s feedback thrown over the pile and implemented a quest system. What came out of it can be considered as a pseudo system in a courtable case. To call it a disaster would not be too far away from the truth. Actually, there are only three types of quests in New World to quite, very few exceptions: kill x monsters, collect from dead monsters x these items or collect from distributed boxes in this area x objects. Only in few cases we still have to click on glowing markings in the world to investigate or do something. The daily side quests that you pick up in the settlements of New World are anything but inventive. Source: Buffed This is the least not contemporary, but has been better implemented decades ago. As a result, the high levels of the actual character is an absolute grind festival, in which their hour for hour and again the same power. And except for the main story do not even put very good stories behind the quests. Since we get the cook a little honey, clean a farm on behalf of the former residents or looking for clues to the whereabouts of any nameless residents. After all, most quests are almost fully treated, which is well suited in English and German and contributes to immersion. But better the quests will not be better.

Of course, it has to be said that the quest in New World is not in the foreground. Because even if Amazon Games has implemented it on printing the player, the focus remains clearly on the PVP. Anyone who voluntarily marks himself in one of the settlements for the PVP in the open world, then there are also other quests available, which are already significantly more thoroughly and more exciting. Anyone who high levels as a pure pveler over quests, which, on the other hand, should be set on long hours with a lot of monotonous grind.

PVP and fraction wars

The world of Aeternum shares in three different factions and eleven different areas. The alliance, the marauders and the syndicate can bring individual areas under their rule by dealing with the help of their members, so they attack the currently prevailing faction and conquer the fort in the respective area. So that it stays fair, this is possible only at certain times of the day and is announced beforehand. Then the PVP-enthusiastic players meet Aeternum too big and extremely chaotic slaughter for the inexperienced eye. The different political groups are fighting for supremacy in the areas. Source: Buffed to belong to the ruling group, which brings you a whole series of bonuses. Of lower taxes at trade over more collected resources or access to special storage camps for your stuff - the list is long. Therefore, it is pleasant to belong to the winners. But that s not suddenly all players in a faction are on the road, the bonuses you get to you when you attack and defeat an enemy faction, not too low. So that it does not come to any uneven, you can change the faction for free every 120 days.

Some smaller communities are then called Companies. They correspond to guilds in other games and are the actual rulers of a territory. The company, which has taken the respective area in fitting, may specify different taxes and benefits from other bonuses. In addition, it decides which improvement should be carried out in the area.

Table of contents

1. Aeternum - the praised country

2. Wonderful and harmonious world

3. classless, but not weaponless

4. The right armor makes the fighter

5. A weapon? Only for beginners!

6. Planned chaos in fighting

7. Stone Scissors Paper ...

8. In the group it s more fun

9. Crafting - the Holy Grail

10. An item, many ways - variety of crafts

11. Quest Design - The AchillesFee

12. PVP and fraction wars

13. Back home - Housing in New World

14. Passable beginner friendliness

15. Issue Ingame Shop

16. Our first conclusion

17. How much is it?

Anyone who stands on strategic PVP and big battles, who is in New World at all on his costs. There are few large MMOs in which the PVP is so well thought out between different fractions. The biggest problem is likely that only a few players can participate in the elite wars between the ruling companies, as companies are limited to a maximum of 50 players. But there is still the outdoor ostens tower, a kind of instanced battlefield for which you can log in and fight at the two teams with 20 players on an island by three outposts. By the way, the servers do not go in New World as with other MMOs in their knees as soon as more than two dozen players fight in a spot. And even phasing will not exist. You learn your enemies very well in the course of the game, as you always meet the same players and companies.

Back home - Housing in New World

And what makes the hero of the world after a hard day in battle? He goes home and lets dangle the soul. In New World you can really do that. Because in the settlements associated with the quick travel system on Aeternum you can buy houses in different places per cent and set up according to your own. Housing has even gotten a very own professional branch in crafting: the carpenter.

Everywhere in the world, you will find different templates for items that you can embellish your home. This can be special furniture or wall hangings, but also various trophies and the like. Trophies even provide you with smaller bonuses in the world of Aeternum. But especially the reservoirs are really popular, thanks to which their additional items can accommodate in your home.

Since there are not enough houses for all players in New World, these are sold several times. In the free world to see is always the house, whose owners have collected most decoration points in his home. This gets you over the installation of exquisite and special furniture. Who gets a high Decoration Score in New World with his home home, whose home is displayed to others as the public version of this house. Source: Buffed If you want to buy a home, but you do not only have to pack the purchase price, but also pay a weekly tax. If you do not pay this, then your house is not gone, but can not be entered, and you do not benefit from the bonuses. The maintenance costs, however, are low and also do little player in front of a particularly big problem.

Passable beginner friendliness

NEW WORLD should not only appeal to the MMO virgins, but also bring the new player as possible to the genre. Therefore, we will be strongly accepted in the first game hours to understand the basic mechanics of the game. That s how it was already with beginner friendliness. Self-experienced MMO veterans stand a few times like the Ohs forem mountain because things were only insufficient or not explained, quest markers on the wrong places or relationships were not really recognizable.

Thanks to the default help chat in the game, however, you get relatively unproblematic from other players - at least now. But that can sometime change if you have read the same questions about the hundredth time. With some tooltips, Amazon should improve here, that would help. But to protect Amazon at this point in protection: such problems can never be completely solved. At least not with a game like New World, which has tons of different systems, all of which interlock.

Issue Ingame Shop

So that New World will continue to flush money to Amazon without a monthly subscription, the developers planted an Ingame shop into the game, in which interested players with special skins (in the German version actually translated in some places with skin ) to cover armor and weapons. Also dyes, thanks to which existing armor can be avenged, can be found there. This allows most players to live well, even if prices may seem a little high. Companiewing mappings and emotes in the shop, however, already ensures raised eyebrows. As long as it left the developers, the shop will not write negative headlines. In the beta, Amazon had briefly offered boosters for experience points and craft skills, which made a gigantic shitstorm. Amazon then announced that at some point after the launch, Quality-of-Life things should come into the shop. Given the reactions of many players, you should think about it again. So far, the Ingame Shop is fair. Let s hope it stays that way. Source: buffed

Our first conclusion

After spending dozens of hours in Aeternum, it is still hard to draw a preliminary conclusion. New World makes a lot right. In particular, to convince the combat system and the craft knowledge. The world, even on low-sustained PCs, sees simply breathtaking and everything in it, from resources to the monsters blends outstanding. But you should know exactly what you get involved. If you are looking for a quest-based game à la WoW, you will not be happy in New World. The story is little captivating and the quests are simply boring. For whom, however, the exploration and PVP are in the foreground, which will find little better in the genre. New World does what it wants to do was very well - but gives the player little in addition. There are also a number of smaller childhood diseases being attributable to the lack of experience of developers in this genre; From inappropriate spawn rates of quest mobs to little intuitive cards to poor balancing of weapons.

What s next?

As described above, one can not finally judge an MMORPG in its entirety even after several dozen hours. Systems that may be fun now, must also prove their long-term motivation. The big wars between the factions take place only at maximum level, on which only a fraction of the players arrived and at which many of smaller companies can never participate. How fun will it really be to produce the best of all weapons and armor in small work? How long will the balance of the political groups persist and where is the motivation for PVE players in the endgame? Any questions that will only be answered in a few weeks or months. Of course we stay on the ball and spend time in Aeternum to answer these questions. Until then, our rating remains preliminary and mainly applies to the way to the maximum level, which will cost you several dozen hours - if you ran.

My opinion

Of Philipp Sattler editor philipp.sattler@computec.de

The world Aeternum is just fantastic

Although I m actually in the world of classic theme park MMOS at home, New World has packed me directly and no longer released. The MMO aspect was not even in the foreground. My discoverer alone made sure that I played the only five minutes - or only fast there game in the evening. The world Aeternum is simply fantastic and it s fun to discover the smallest angles of the island and mill the really well designed opponents. If New World would have a good quest system now, I would be fully satisfied. But it will probably remain a time-limited trip. Because on the PVP in the endgame I am personally interested in person. From Philipp Sattler editor & Matthias Brückle editor 09.10.2021 at 09:00