Amazon’s banking big on Mutators — special mob modifiers that change an NPC’s behavior and resistances — being a significant tool to continued player endgame engagement in New World. With even more Mutators on the way for expeditions, the studio penned a dev diary taking players behind the scenes in the design and development of this system.
“The idea for Mutators was born from a mix of internal brainstorms and passion for another genre — roguelike games,” said Amazon. “[World Experience Lead Michael Willette] said the design team wanted to challenge the community in new ways through tougher Expeditions, similar to how roguelikes often feature powerful enemies that can easily overcome underprepared players.”
Mutators are rotated on a weekly basis through expeditions. Amazon gave players a sneak peek at a few new ones that will be added to the mix, such as the toxic Overgrown, the uber-physical Barbaric, and the sapping Fiendish.
