New World: Aeturnum could breathe new life into an old world | Early impressions
Playing an MMO during any kind of early access period is always a bit weird. Want to farm some mobs? Go ahead; there’re hundreds of the buggers and no one cares how many you slaughter and strip for parts. Want to go sell some loot? You can actually see the vendors. Need to take on high level quests that require a full party and precision teamwork? Er… Thankfully, though, New World has always been friendlier than most when it comes to solo adventurers, and the newest overhaul, New World: Aeturnum, is even friendlier still.
Aeternum is New World 2.0, essentially. It’s the same skin with different bones, and the bulk of the changes I’ve seen so far seem aimed at onboarding new players. It makes sense, too, since New World has struggled with player retention for a while, so enticing some new blood is just the tonic. That said, it does little to bring the blurred lines between MMO, survival crafter, and multiplayer RPG into any sharper relief. If anything, it muddies them a little more.
In fact, I was so enjoying my time spent alone with Aeternum that I’m not relishing the return of the populace. I will say though, that it plays very well on PlayStation 5. Having the sprint button activate auto-run is a bit weird, but the combat works great on a controller. Now the early quests have been fleshed out and certain systems have been made easier to understand, it plays more like a survival-RPG than a traditional MMO – and that’s not a bad thing.
You now have seven Archetypes to choose from at the start of the game, each with their own starting gear and weapons, but also with high proficiency in three of the crafting skills. As a Musketeers, for example, I’m proficient in skinning, armour working and gathering plants. This, combined with starting the game dressed, helps sidestep the usual MMO newcomer feeling of being totally useless, and out-skilled by the furniture. You can change Archetypes later, but they feed into the skills and abilities you can unlock by levelling up your weapons.
Swimming has been added, too, the absence of which never made sense in the original. This and the inclusion of mounts and other improvements from the Angry Earth expansion are folded into Aeturnum from the get-go, making it feel like a more complete action RPG experience with none of the awkward silence of a young MMO. New NPCs deal out quests and instructions, while existing characters have new dialogue to flesh out their stories and the world. A proper villain and personal stakes also add to the sense that you’re not just a little cog in a big machine.
While the early game still feels like a string of fetch quests and conversations, those crafting and gathering skills I mentioned make you want to explore the world. In the first town, you can transmog your character or dye your clothes for in-game currency, not premium, and the auction house is still a fixture. I remember feeling somewhat aimless in New World when I was suddenly surrounded by players, and that may happen in New World: Aeturnum when it fills up, but at least now there’s more purpose to what we’re doing.
With the promise of a stronger endgame, 10-player raids and fully supported crossplay, New World Aeturnum might just be the update that finally gets people excited for Amazon’s MMO. The open beta continues until September 16, so if you’re intrigued at all, it’s worth checking out for yourself.
New World: Aeternum will launch on PC and console on October 15, 2024. These impressions are based on an early access event organised by the publisher.
