Amazon Games’ New World is inching toward its new-new launch with a new patch unleashed on the alpha. The update includes the brand-new level 51+ Ebonscale Reach zone, with its stunning vistas and clear East Asian influences.
“Ebonscale Reach is a fertile territory named for the black fungus that grows in abundance there. The area is home to the remnants of a long-forgotten Dynasty who must contend with the demons of their past in the form of a fallen Empress. Here, amid lush wetlands, majestic waterfalls, and stunning architecture, players will counter the atrocities committed by the Empress’s Corrupted forces and the Dragon Magic she has been cultivating for centuries, ultimately exposing the her true plan, which reaches far beyond the shores of Aeternum.”
Would-be testers should definitely check out the massive list of patch notes; there’s a new expedition (Garden of Genesis), the first version of the 20v20 endgame PvP mode (Outpost Rush), updated main story quests, new voiceover work, new armor and weapon quests, a reduction in experience needed to level up to 60, diminishing XP returns on too-low mobs, a much-needed rebalance of life staves, and flags for bind-on-equip or bind-on-pickup for every piece of gear in the game.
“This is a important step to protect our item economy and keep demand for quality items high,” the studio writes. “By ensuring that an item (once equipped) is removed from the economy by being bound to a player and unable to be resold, we create space in the economy for similar items to be sold to other players on the trading post or scrapped for repair parts.”
MMO players will recall that Amazon has delayed New World multiple times now; the current launch is slated for August 31st, with a closed beta set to begin July 20th.
