If you’re one of the many players returning to New World and forcing Amazon to open seven new servers, you’re probably doing so because of the big patch on the game’s horizon. Good news for you, then, as part of that patch has landed on the PTS as of last night, which means Amazon’s dropped an overview of what to expect.
At the core of the patch is the Brimstone Sands zone, a scorched-desert Egypt-themed map and its associated puzzle-filled Ennead dungeon. The revamped newbie experience is also still up for testing, as detailed in our preview earlier this month.
“We’ve completely redesigned the early levels of New World, so players who start the game or roll a new character will experience brand new stories and quests,” Amazon says. “Player feedback on quest variety, AI variety, more streamlined questlines with less running back and forth, and improved storytelling in those early stages of the game” – that includes optimized quest flow, a focus on onboarding players with a “central story thread that takes players through each region of the game,” new quest dynamics “from wave events to tracking and traversal challenges, puzzles in the ruins, unique interactions with the world, and dynamic events,” and revamps of the zones and settlements.
The new greatsword weapon and heartgem abilities are also in testing; you can jump in yourself with the PTR download on Steam.
