In preparation for New World Preview on August 25, we need your help to stress our servers to ensure stability at scale in a Density Test hosted on our US server beginning on Thursday, July 30 at 2:00 p.m. PT. While the Density Test may only run for a short window of time, please come help ensure our servers are ready for New World Preview. Additional information can be found here.

Who is invited?

• Steam Pre-Orders will not be receiving an e-mail with details for access to the test. Check your Game Library for New World - Confidential Test, you may need to log out and back in to refresh.
  
• Amazon Pre-Orders will receive an e-mail with a Steam key and details for access to the test.
  
• Alpha Players (who played through Steam in the past) will be granted automatic access and will receive an e-mail with details for access to the test.
  
• Select Beta Sign Ups will receive an e-mail with a Steam key and details for access to the test.

The Density Test will automatically appear in your Steam Library as "New World - Confidential Test". Simply install the game and you are ready to participate.

When will the test end?
Sunday at 11:59pm PT. (2:59 PM ET/ 6:59 AM UTC)

This Test is Confidential
Please keep in mind that the New World Density Test is a confidential testing release that is subject to the pre-release NDA in the Amazon Games Terms of Use. Please do not disclose content from or information about the game or this Density Test in any form. If you do, you will be removed from the Density Test and future testing opportunities.

Thanks in advance for helping us prepare New World servers for the upcoming August 25th New World Preview.

- The New World Team

Hello Adventurers,

Although New World will not be launching this August, we are proud of the progress we’ve made in the past year and we want to share it with you. Starting August 25th, all Beta signups on http://newworld.com through July 9th, all pre-orders, and all Alpha testers in good standing will be invited to join us in Aeternum for a playtest of New World. The New World Preview will not be under NDA. Anyone playing is encouraged to discuss their impressions openly, live stream and create content to share with others, and freely communicate feedback to us about how they would like to see New World continue to grow.

In preparation for New World Preview, we will need the community’s help in preparing our servers to ensure stability at scale. A Density Test will be hosted on our US server beginning on Thursday, 7/30/2020. Come help ensure the servers are ready for New World Preview. Please note that the Density Test will be under NDA, unlike the New World Preview in August.

For this Density Test, we will be inviting all Alpha Testers, everyone who pre-ordered on or before July 26th and a random selection of Beta sign ups received on or before July 9th to join in and play alongside the New World team. Due to the need to have a large wave of players in the game at the same time, we will begin rolling out Density Test invites a few days prior to the start of 7/30/2020 at 2:00 p.m. While the Density Test may only run for a short window of time, it is a critical piece of our preparation for New World Preview, and your help is very important.

Where to check for Density Test participation details:

• Steam Pre-Orders will not be receiving an e-mail with details for access to the test. Instead please check the New World community page or your Steam feed.
  
• Amazon Pre-Orders will receive an e-mail with a Steam key and details for access to the test.
  
• Alpha Players will be granted automatic access and will receive an e-mail with details for access to the test.
  
• Select Beta Sign Ups will receive an e-mail with a Steam key and details for access to the test.

Schedule:
While you will be able to log in and play any time during this Density Test, we have a few specific windows of time we ask that everyone log in and play if possible. This will help us collect critical test data.


FAQ

How do I participate in Density Test?
We will be inviting all Alpha Testers, everyone who pre-ordered on or before July 26th and a random selection of Beta sign ups received on or before July 9th, 2020.

How do I participate in New World Preview?
All Beta signups through July 9th, all pre-orders, and all Alpha testers in good standing will be invited.

Is the Density Tet under NDA?
Yes. The Density Test will be held under NDA.

Is the New World Preview under NDA?
No. During the New World Preview the NDA will be lifted and we invite everyone to communicate freely, stream and create content, and provide feedback.

On what server location is the Density Test taking place?
North America/IAD/us-east1

Why is New World hosting a Density Test?
The density testing would have taken place during the Closed Beta. Given the change of schedule, we will need to host a test to prepare game servers for New World Preview.

Will the servers be wiped between Density Test and New World Preview?
Yes. The servers will be wiped and any progress in Density Test will not be carried into Preview Week.

When is the Density Test ending?
We have two critical test windows planned for Friday, 7/31/2020 at 6PM-9PM PT, and Saturday, 8/1/2020 at 1PM-4PM PT. If we are successful in collecting the needed server data during those testing windows we will announce a 24 hour closure notice before servers are taken offline.



Many thanks to all of our supporters sticking with us in making New World the best it can be!

- New World Team

With our August 25th launch approaching, we have been scrutinizing our feature list, taking input from our Alpha audience, and listening to what they enjoyed (or didn’t!) about the current game. We're incredibly grateful for all of the support and suggestions from our Alpha players, ranging from the folks who spent thousands of hours in New World to those who just sampled -- it's all valuable.

I’m proud of the hard work the team has done, making the game ready for launch with the features we intended for release. We also have a list of features that we planned to start working on once we were in live development, as that is part of operating an MMO. When we examined the feedback we received over the last several months from our Alpha audience, we saw that players like the game, and they would like to see even more of it. In particular, we want to ensure that the most dedicated players have plenty of middle and endgame experiences as they venture through Aeternum. We want our players to feel completely immersed in the game, and know that our studio stands for quality and lasting gameplay you can trust — and that means added time to get things where we want them before we fully release.

As a result, we will be changing our launch date - and correspondingly, our final beta test - to spring 2021. We don't make the decision lightly, and we have urgency about getting the game to you as quickly as possible at the best quality -- with some additions that will make the experience even better.

We’re passionate about the game we’ve been making and want to add more features and content before we share it with a wider audience. As a thank you to our community, we will be providing a special opportunity for our Beta sign-up and pre-order customers (plus our Alpha testers, thank you!) to play the full game of New World - in its current state, for a limited period of time starting on August 25th. We will send an email directly to those customers detailing the process to participate. We’re confident that you’ll feel that the game has as much promise as we do, and will understand why we want to take the extra time to make this experience the best it can be at release.

- Rich Lawrence, Studio DIrector

Aeternum is a place of struggle. Not only will you have to contend with the forces of Corruption, but you must also protect yourself from other players. Claiming a Territory is a good first step in establishing a foothold, providing security and resources for the days ahead, but it also puts you at greater risk when someone else wants what you have.

When the legions of the Corrupted attempt to take your Fort, this is called a Corrupted Invasion. You can read more about that here. When other players want to overthrow your Territory for their Faction, this is War.

Before you can wage War on another Faction’s Territory you must weaken that Territory to a point where it is vulnerable enough to have War declared on it. In order to do this, you must perform the required amount of Faction Missions. You can read more about Faction Missions here.

The Vanguard

When you go to War, you go on behalf of your Faction. The three Factions are locked in a constant struggle for control over Aeternum. A Faction is made up of Companies that have declared their loyalty to that Faction. When the required tasks have been completed to put a Territory into a Conflict State, there is a lottery to decide what Company will lead the charge in battle.



If your Company has been selected as the Vanguard, the Governor can select members of their Company to fill the attacking ranks, for a 50 v 50 War. If they have enough members, they can fill the War entirely with members of their Company, however if a smaller Company is selected they can pick from anyone in their Faction or even pick volunteers from the third Faction to be involved in the War. For example, if a Company from the Syndicate has declared War on a Territory owned by the Marauders and they don’t have enough warriors to fill their ranks, they can enlist help from members of the Covenant. If you would like to offer up your sword and volunteer for Wars, you must travel to the Territory where the War is to be fought and sign up on the War Boards in the Settlement or outside the Fort.

Prepare for Battle

Wars will take place in specific windows of time that are set by the defending Company. Being able to set the time the War takes place helps for better coordination of the participants. This also removes the potential for offline raiding or Wars taking place during inconvenient hours for the majority of the members involved.



If you have been selected to participate in a War, congratulations! You’re about to experience a pinnacle PvP moment in New World. Once you have been selected to fight, make sure you’re logged in and ready because you’ll be getting a notification before the War begins. When the time comes for battle, you’ll be teleported from where you are on Aeternum, straight to the battlefield.

The Battle Begins

The attacking army will attempt to breach the walls of the Fort and capture it’s Claim, thus taking over ownership of the whole Territory for their Faction. Before any Fort Gates can be damaged and breached, the attackers must first capture three Rally Points in front of the Fort. Once captured, they cannot be retaken by the defenders and the front-line is pushed ever closer. Rally Points can be used by the team as respawn points or to access the Armory. The defending team will use everything at their disposal to repel the invaders.



Weapons of War

An extra layer of strategy and tactics are introduced to the equation when you start building Siege Weapons and Siege Platforms.

As an attacker you can spend your Battle Tokens at the War Camp’s Armory to acquire Siege Platforms and build them on the battlefield. Similar to how they are acquired and used in Invasions, you gain additional Battle Tokens by contributing to the battle.

The defending Fort will be able to build Siege Weapons along their walls to help fend off the attack. These Siege Weapons won’t come at a cost to the defenders but just how powerful these Siege Weapons are will be dictated by how they have been upgraded through the Territory Progression system prior to the War. So if you want to protect your Fort with the strongest Siege Weapons available, make sure you’re doing the required Town Projects back at your Company Settlement. More on that here. There are multiple entries to the Fort which defenders will need to divide their attention and Siege Weapons between. Defenders also have Siege Supplies that are auto-generated during War by Siege Supply Generators. These resources can be used to repair structures, including Gates, Armories, Siege Supply Generators, and Siege Weapons.

Attacker’s Siege Platforms



Cannon Platform

With a medium rate of fire and the highest damage per hit, the Cannon is most effective against structures and large, slow-moving targets. Several Cannons focusing their fire can quickly demolish any defensive structure.



Fire Launcher Platform

The Fire Launcher launches a flaming projectile that bursts on impact and covers the area in fire. It is most effective against infantry and is a good way to counter ranged opponents shooting from the Fort ramparts. It’s also very effective at area denial and keeping opponents out of capture points.



Repeater Platform

The Repeater is a rapid-fire turret that launches bolts at very high speeds. Individually, the bolts don’t do a lot of damage but sustained fire can quickly whittle infantry down. It’s most effective against smaller and quicker targets that the other turrets have a hard time hitting.

Defenders’s Siege Weapons



Ballista

The Ballista is the defender’s version of the Cannon and serves the same role as an anti-structure Siege Weapon. It has a medium rate of fire, very high damage per shot, and is most effective against structures and large, slower-moving targets.



Explosive Cannon

The Explosive Cannon fires an explosive shot that that disrupts and knocks enemies back. It’s most effective against groups of infantry and provides area denial (like at the Rally Points in front of the fort). However, its low rate of fire makes it largely ineffective against fast-moving targets.



Repeater Turret

The defender’s version of the Repeater is functionally the same as the attacker’s. High rate-of-fire, low damage per shot, and most effective against smaller, quicker targets.



Fire Dropper

The Fire Dropper pours burning, molten liquid down on anyone below. It does high damage over time, making it most effective against groups of enemies attacking the gate.



Horn of Resilience

The Horn of Resilience provides a temporary healing and defensive buff to all allies in the area. It has a lengthy cool-down but can turn the tide of battle when used at the right moment.

Traps

Available to Attackers and Defenders



Inferno Mine

When an enemy gets close enough, the Inferno Mine bursts and covers the area in fire. It is highly effective at area denial and most effective when placed in choke points.



Powder Keg

The Powder Keg does the highest damage of any siege weapon, making it extremely effective against gates. It’s fuse must be lit manually and has a lengthy duration. The Powder Keg won’t detonate if it’s destroyed early, requiring players to actively defend it.

Going Home

Once the War has come to it’s climatic end, players on both sides of the conflict will be teleported off the battlefield so they can continue their adventures in Aeternum.

Want to win honor and glory in the name of your Faction? Wars must be waged and the stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s winner take all. Should the attacking army prevail, they now control the Territory and everything in it. Planting a new flag in the name of their Faction and pushing the front-lines forward towards total dominance.

*Some War designs may change based on tester feedback. Screenshots are from Alpha and subject to change.