Over the years I’ve tried many different MMORPG’s. From Eve Online to World of Warcraft. However, something was always missing. Whether it was a lack of other friends playing. Or the fact that all my friends had been playing for years and I could never catch up. They never seemed to click. That being said, as I approach level 30 I think I’ve finally found the MMORPG that is right for me, and it has to be said it comes from somewhere I never thought I’d see, Amazon… What a weird time we live in.
New World starts off strong
I played around 20 hours of the New World beta a few months back so I knew what to expect when the full release hit. My first handful of hours were great. The quests came thick and fast, levels and upgrades were being handed out like free samples. Getting to level 10 took no time at all as you’re quickly funneled towards picking your faction. My group and I have gone with the Syndicate and I now find myself the leader of a Company. For the first 15-20 levels I hadn’t settled on the type of player I wanted to be and which weapons to use. I switched between most of them to see what I enjoyed and I think I’ve settled on the Spear and Musket for now. Although, I’m sure I will change that up as I play more.
Naturally, things have slowed down in terms of leveling, but that doesn’t mean that the fun has. Sure the quests get repetitive but I enjoy the combat which helps keep things fun. However, it’s the other aspects that I find myself really enjoying. Going on a long mining run, hunting down special plants, herbs or animals. Gathering resources in New World is relaxing and really fun. That’s in part down to the animations being great and also the fantastic sound design.
Pinging your mining axe on an iron vein on top of a mountain rings out across the valley with others returning the call as they do the same. It builds a sense of immersion as people go about their own business. Stopping at a picturesque lake to do a bit of fishing as others gather around to do the same. The sound of trees toppling all-around a settlement. All these elements build a bustling world around you.
PVP
One of the big parts of New World is PVP. Territories can be controlled by companies aligned to a faction. You can fight for those territories by declaring wars. However, in order to declare war, you need to create disruption within the area. This can be done by taking on PVP missions. Whilst they aren’t the most challenging or exciting, stepping out of the comfort of your settlement with PVP enabled does bring extra tension or caution to the game.
There are occasions where I’ve seen large groups of people all running together looking for fights. One such fight broke out just outside the gates of a settlement with around 30 or so players involved. I decided to get involved only to be quickly taught a lesson. Furthermore, you can fight over forts and I’ve taken part in defending them when an opposing faction has tried to capture it.
I’m yet to really get into the meat of PVP – you can’t take part in wars until level 50, but I do like what I’ve seen of it. However, there is going to be a tough balancing act for Amazon on getting PVP right. Even when having some friendly duels it seems like some weapons are far better than others. Hopefully, over time a good balance will be struck. However, I’ve no doubt that meta’s will form really quickly and dominate before being nerfed.
PVP does look like it will fill a big part of the end game in New World which will be tough to manage. I’m interested to see how it pans out. Will mega-companies form and just completely dominate with no one else having a chance? We shall see.
Dungeons
Once you’ve progressed enough through the main story you will be given a quest to take on your first dungeon. Unfortunately, there are some major issues with lag when entering them. A lot of your hits won’t register which is a little frustrating. We managed to get through the first one and it was good fun all in all. That being said, the lag does need fixing ASAP as it’s just making it way more annoying than it should be.
Whilst, I’ve only completed the first dungeon with lag it was a really fun experience to go through with your friends and I’m looking forward to doing it again as well as others once I’ve leveled up more. Hopefully, we can get some of the cool-looking loot on offer from them soon enough.
The Future
As it stands I’m really optimistic about playing New World. There is lots to like about the game already and whilst it’s not perfect – the queues have been painful and the lag in dungeons isn’t good. There is still what I see as a really fun solid MMORPG that strikes a good balance between casual and hardcore. I can see myself playing it for a long time. Whether it will hold the same appeal for more veteran players remains to be seen.
The idea of wars as an end-game activity is an interesting one too. I’m very curious to see how they pan out. With the big PVP battle that I briefly took part in I kind of got a taste of what big battles could be like. They have the potential to be a really fun activity.
-Will
