Greetings, Adventurers!

Immortality comes at a cost. Aeternum is infested with lethal enemies ranging from the Ancients to the Angry Earth. Some Adventurers lose their will and become one of the Lost, while others give into the seductive whispers of power that foster Corruption. Even maintaining humanity can mean fending off a seemingly endless onslaught from the Varangian Knights. No one is safe on the Eternal Isle, but there’s still hope.

Join the Narrative Team for an in-depth analysis of the enemy families in the video below:



We caught up with Narrative Designer Aaron de Orive to explore another enemy family—the Varangian Knights.

“When conceiving of a human enemy faction, the idea of an order of villainous knights was discussed. Ultimately we decided on the Rus’ Varangians, who were Norsemen that settled in Eastern Europe. We wanted these fierce warriors to have connections to King Artorius, first as enemies and then as uneasy allies. We also wanted their leader to be an impressive figure, someone as formidable as Artorius himself. That’s how the mighty Warlord Varik came to be.”



“Varik was a founding member of the legendary Knights of the Round Table, and he and his warriors traveled to Aeternum with Artorius in his quest for the mystical land of Avalon. Varik fought by Artorius’s side against the Corrupted Myrddin during the Wars of Crimson Madness. When the forces of Corruption seemed on the verge of victory, Varik and his Varangians retreated into uncharted areas of Aeternum, and there established a new Varangian stronghold.”



“Known as ‘The Hammer’ for the strength of his blows, Varik is a warrior without equal. His goal is to unite all of Aeternum under his banner, but in order to accomplish this, he seeks the secrets of Myrddin’s magic. Despite having resulted in the wise magician becoming the Crimson Sorcerer, Varik believes that mastering Aeternum’s power is the only way to ensure complete control over the island. And he is determined to do so regardless of the cost.“



Which enemy family would you like to know more about? If there was an enemy family that you could ally yourself to, or manifest elements of, which would it be? Let us know on Discord, Reddit, or the YouTube comments section. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

This month’s Balance of Power discusses the Fire Staff, Ice Gauntlet, and Bow, plus other changes coming in the next balance patch. Join us for our reaction to the Season 1 meta, the overall state of balance in New World right now, and discussion of the balance between melee and ranged.

Check out the video below for a full breakdown of all things combat:



What are your ideas for how to improve less popular or underpowered perks? Let us know on Discord, Reddit, or the YouTube comments section. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

New World Update 1.9.2 downtime will begin at 11:00PM PT (6:00AM UTC) on April 25. With the Corrupted Rabbits vanquished, the Springtide Bloom event will now blossom throughout Aeternum.

The Time of Awakening has arrived. Springtide Bloom calls its children to share an ancient secret capable of granting true freedom. Help the enigmatic Bloom Herald unravel the mysteries of the ethereal Wispybloom on April 26 through May 23 and collect Springtide's fertile bounty of event-specific rewards. Harvest with caution, as swarms of vile Wispy Wasps guard the blooms with fury!

Truth Seekers must be level 25 or higher to embark upon the quest for enlightenment. Check out the full reward and lore breakdown for more details.

• “When conceiving the Springtide Bloom event, there was an opportunity to introduce some new mysteries to Aeternum,” said Narrative Designer Aaron de Orive. “The idea was to invoke a Folk Horror vibe by introducing the Children of Bloom. These individuals, dressed in creepy beekeeper robes, would tend the Wispyblooms that appear during this time of year. The blooms themselves would be harvested for their pollen, which the Children claim would allow individuals to achieve harmony and break free of the island.”
  
• “Now whether those were just the deranged beliefs of a strange cult or something that held some aspect of truth remains to be seen. However, voices and strange laughter can be heard when picking the blooms. And the leader of the Children, the Herald of Bloom, claims that ‘The Folk’ are watching and waiting to enter Aeternum. Exactly who or what these entities are must remain a mystery for a while longer.“

• Adjusted tracker text to fix typos and display all objectives at once for new weapon quests that target single locations. Players can now do the objectives in any order.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the player character’s hair to appear brighter than intended in shaded areas.
  
• Fixed an issue that blocked players from entering the cave for the quest Dearly Beloved.

• Fixed a character collider issue that prevented some wolf, boar, and lion attacks from hitting the player.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused boars to break away during certain attacks. They have now remembered how to fight back with their full arsenal!

• Fixed an issue that caused the Firestorm Heartrune materia recipe to not correctly display its category name in the Stonecutting station.
  
• Updated the description for the perk "Nimble" to be more clear about it increasing the regen rate. Nimble will not increase flat stamina gained from things like the Spear's "Invigorating Crits" passive.
  
• Reduced the red color intensity of enemy spells and abilities.

Armor:

• Slightly increased armor mitigation for both medium and heavy armor.
  
• Increased Medium armor ratings by 2.5%
  
• Increased Heavy armor ratings by 5%.

Fortify / Armor Bonus Adjustments:

• Shirking Fortify Perk - Increased max from 3.9% to 4.7%.
  
• Sturdy Fortification Perk - Increased max value from 4% to 5%
  
• Great Axe Fortifying Whirlwind Perk - Increased value on armor from 6.6% to 8.8%, and value on weapons from 10% to 14%.

Great Axe

• Crowded Protection Passive
  
• Increased from 10% to 20%.

War Hammer

• Outnumbered Passive
  
• Increased from 10% to 20%.
  
• Power Cleaner Upgrade
  
• Increased from 10% to 20%.

Sword & Shield

• Defensive Training Passive
  
• Increased from 10% to 20%.

Fire Staff

• Watch It Burn
  
• Temporarily disabled the Watch It Burn passive from being able to trigger off of a critical from the first hit of Meteor Shower. It will be re-enabled when a larger fix is available.
  
• Flare
  
• Reduced damage from AOE from 140% to 110%.
  
• Removed the projectile slow down.
  
• Pillar of Fire
  
• Reduced cooldown reduction value on armor from 17% to 11%, and the value on Weapons from 30% to 20%.

Musket

• Steady Aim
  
• Decreased how long it takes to charge steady aim from 2s to 1.5s, and from 1s to 0.75s while in Shooter's Stance.
  
• Increased response speed of accuracy markers on reticle when accuracy changes.

Ice Gauntlet

• Entomb
  
• Reduced Entomb's health from 75% of player's max health to 50% of player max health.

Void Gauntlet

• Fixed an issue that caused the Void Blade to have tracking issues with targets.

Bow

• Added damage fall off all bow attacks - Damage fall off will start at 40m and reach 50% reduction at 100m.
  
• Decreased the hitbox size of the heavy attack and ability projectiles from 0.33 to 0.275.

Added 8 new Season Activities to replace some imbalanced ones:

• Craft 5 items using Timeless Shards
  
• Cook 10 recipes requiring Poultry Thigh
  
• Cook 10 recipes requiring Sumptuous Rabbit
  
• Cook 10 recipes requiring Prime Armadillo
  
• Salvage 3 Tier 5 Named items
  
• Use 10 Tier 5 Weapon coatings
  
• Use 10 Tier 5 Crafting consumables
  
• Use 10 Tier 5 resistance consumables

• The level 100 Premium Reward now correctly lists that it grants the "Silver Wing" apparel skin set.
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented players from claiming account-wide rewards (such as Marks of Fortunes or Booster tokens).
  
• The Inferno Champion's Chest previously granted more Tattered Varangian Standards than intended. It will now give 1 instead of 4.
  
• Added the ability to directly purchase Season Pass levels without purchasing the Premium Reward Track.
  
• When activating Boosters under high traffic loads, closing and re-opening the Booster Menu will now inform the player that Booster use is pending transaction completion.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the Heartrune charge to reset when swapping Gear Sets even if the new Gear Set had the same Heartrune.
  
• Corrected the level requirement to level 40 for the quest reward armors Battle's Embrace, Shrouded Intent, and Protective Wyrd. This correction will apply to all existing pieces of armor.
  
• Removed procedural gathering sets from the Named Item loot table.
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented PvP Reward Track Rank 200 players from completing the "Reaping the Rewards" Season Journey task.

• Fixed a visual issue with the collar of the Tattered Snatcher apparel skin.
  
• Fixed a visual issue with the Infernal Hearth helmet.
  
• Fixed an issue where sorting worlds alphabetically on the World Select screen would sometimes not alphabetize as expected.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the internal name of a world to display in the World List instead of the public name.

• Adjusted audio for Grace O'Malley's VO when she visits the Mourningdale tavern so that she no longer has an inappropriate reverb.

Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

The Time of Awakening has arrived. Springtide Bloom calls its children to share an ancient secret capable of granting true freedom. Help the enigmatic Bloom Herald unravel the mysteries of the ethereal Wispybloom on April 26 through May 23 and collect Springtide's fertile bounty of event-specific rewards. Harvest with caution, as swarms of vile Wispy Wasps guard the blooms with fury!

Truth Seekers must be level 25 or higher to embark upon the quest for enlightenment. Springtide Villages are located in Monarch's Bluff, Everfall, Brightwood, and Weavers Fen.



"I hear them," she murmured. "They're calling."

Hashiki Kimani was alone deep within the forest, surround by the stillness of nature, and yet she tread with purpose, her attention fixated on some unheard sound. Distant gleeful laughter — Or was it singing? — filled her head.

“Yes, I am here!” she replied to the silence, arms open in embrace. “I am… home!”

She turned about, enraptured by sights only conjurable by the imagination, spinning atop the damp grass as if she were a lost child suddenly found. Lights twinkled in her eyes, like dancing fireflies, but no such light reflected back out into the night - only the pale glow of the silver moon illuminated her unescorted waltz.

“Thank you, thank you!” she cried, “Yes, I’ve longed to see you all, as well.”

Hashiki’s head turned as she spoke, her attention drawn to many directions at once. “Of course! …Oh? Truly? That’s wonderful news! When? …But that’s so sudden. So much has happened as of late. …Yes, I agree entirely. But will they be prepared in time? …Oh! I am honored beyond words. Yes, yes, however I can be of aid!”

She nodded attentively, absorbing all that she could, assuring with the utmost certainty her devotion to this most gratifying new mission that remained secret to all but herself.

“And yet to leave you so soon,” she sighed, then warmly knelt to the earth, her head bowed in dutiful reverence. There she remained, for many a moment, before rising suddenly, changed.

“I will inform the people of Aeternum,” said the Bloom Herald. “I will shepherd those who seek the Truth. I will assemble your Children of the Bloom. Of this and my love, you have my undying pledge.”

With long strides, she departed the forest and set for town. When dawn finally blossomed over the horizon, many locals and travelers bore witness to the salient Bloom Herald, decorated with otherworldly gifts from her beloved Folk, singing and chanting, "They're here! They've come!"

Craft Wispy Spritz, lure Wispy Wasps into their blast radius, and reap Wispy Wasp Goo in exchange for Springtide Tokens. Additional rewards can be earned through Springtide Centerpieces, Party Bags, Prismabloom Harvests, and the Event Shop as the infestation continues.



Every Settlement will feature an ornately decorated Springtide Centerpiece, surrounded by a pile of colorful gift baskets. Each Centerpiece can be looted once per day for the following rewards:

Diamond Gypsum

• Drop Rate: 100% (must be Level 60)
  
• Limit: 6 per day.

1-3 Wispy Spritz

• Drop Rate: 100%

25 Event Reputation

• Drop Rate: 100%

Players also have a chance to receive the following rewards:

1-5 additional Wispy Spritz

• Drop Rate: 100%

1-3 Dyes

• Drop Rate: 66%

1 Springtide Dram

• Drop Rate: 33%
  
• Temporarily increases Luck.

1 Springtide Wafer

• Drop Rate: 22%
  
• Temporarily increases the number of Wispyblooms that players can harvest.

1 Springtide Crumble

• Drop Rate: 11%
  
• Temporarily increases Constitution.

Located at the center of each Springtide Village is a pile of party bags ripe for the taking from all who celebrate this festive season!

Each Village Party Bag pile can be looted once per day. There are 4 Party Bag piles in the world. These reset at 5 AM local time. For example, if a player receives a fourth Springtide Token from the Party Bags at 4:58 AM, they’ll be able to get another at 5:01 AM.

Springtide Token

• Drop Rate: 100%

Springtide Pattern

• Drop Rate: 1.3%

Springtide Coinbag

• Drop Rate: 100%

50 Event Reputation

• Drop Rate: 100%

When players harvest Prismablooms throughout Aeternum, they will have a chance at special rewards in addition to the normal Prismabloom resources.

Springtide Token

• Drop Rate: 75%
  
• Limit: 10 per day from Prismablooms.

Premium Springtide Tokens

• Drop Rate: 5%
  
• Limit: 1 per day from Prismablooms.

The following rewards can be purchased from the Bloom Herald in exchange for Springtide Tokens or Premium Springtide Tokens. Gain Event Reputation to rank up and increase the Event Shop selection.

Consumables (5 Springtide Tokens each):

Springtide Dram

• Temporarily increases Luck.

Springtide Wafer

• Temporarily increases the number of Wispyblooms that players can harvest.

Springtide Crumble

• Temporarily increases Constitution.

Dyes (10 Springtide Tokens each):

• Limoncello Dye
  
• Royal Azalea Dye
  
• Morning Mist Dye

Light Armor Patterns (15 Springtide Tokens each):

• Blooming Hair of Earrach
  
• Blooming Shirt of Earrach
  
• Blooming Claws of Earrach
  
• Blooming Skirt of Earrach
  
• Blooming Shoes of Earrach

Medium Armor Patterns (15 Springtide Tokens each):

• Blooming Mask of Earrach
  
• Blooming Coat of Earrach
  
• Blooming Gloves of Earrach
  
• Blooming Culottes of Earrach
  
• Blooming Boots of Earrach

Heavy Armor Patterns (15 Springtide Tokens each):

• Blooming Helm of Earrach
  
• Blooming Breastplate of Earrach
  
• Blooming Gauntlets of Earrach
  
• Blooming Legguards of Earrach
  
• Blooming Sabatons of Earrach

Unfortunately during testing we discovered an issue with the Viridian Attire Set that remains unresolved. Our team is working hard to address the issue and deliver it as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Springtide Beekeeper Attire Set:

• Cost: 10 Premium Springtide Tokens

Emotes (5 Premium Springtide Tokens each):

• Springtide "Flower Child"
  
• Jovial Frolic

Housing Items:
Cost: 1 Premium Springtide Token each:

• Barrel of Flowers
  
• Crate of Flowers
  
• Pot of Wispy Blooms
  
• Pinwheel
  
• Springtide Wall Light
  
• Springtide Ceiling Light

Cost: 2 Premium Springtide Tokens each:

• Springtide Banner
  
• Sacks of Pigment

Light Armor Patterns - 600 Gear Score (1 Premium Springtide Token each):

• Blooming Hair of Earrach
  
• Blooming Shirt of Earrach
  
• Blooming Claws of Earrach
  
• Blooming Skirt of Earrach
  
• Blooming Shoes of Earrach

Medium Armor Patterns - 600 Gear Score (1 Premium Springtide Token each):

• Blooming Mask of Earrach
  
• Blooming Coat of Earrach
  
• Blooming Gloves of Earrach
  
• Blooming Culottes of Earrach
  
• Blooming Boots of Earrach

Heavy Armor Patterns - 600 Gear Score (1 Premium Springtide Token each):

• Blooming Helm of Earrach
  
• Blooming Breastplate of Earrach
  
• Blooming Gauntlets of Earrach
  
• Blooming Legguards of Earrach
  
• Blooming Sabatons of Earrach

Springtide Bloom Attire Set

• Cost: 10 Premium Springtide Bloom Tokens

Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in the Springtide Villages.

Greetings, Adventurers!

Whether you’re slashing through roaring enemies to quickly reach the next territory or detouring across a distant bridge to encounter a mysterious NPC, the languages of Aeternum make New World a more immersive experience. Join the Development Team for a look at the creation and execution of the game’s many languages. You might even come away with a few new phrases.

Learn more about the languages of Aeternum and how characters like the Siren Queen came to life in the video below.



“One of the things we talked about when looking at the various languages of New World was how these languages were supposed to sound,” said Narrative Designer Aaron de Orive. “If they are read with no emphasis or intonations in mind, they did not sound as impressive as we wanted. But with the proper emphasis, intonations, and even with various unique vocalizations they could sound quite alien and arresting.”



“The goal was to make the Corrupted conlang sound more deep and guttural, with a staccato quality, which was far more fitting for hosts of an other-dimensional, demonic entity. When we were recording temp Voice over for the actors to give them a pronunciation guide, we played around with these vocalizations and intonations, finally settling on a pattern that we thought did the conlang justice. In other words, hearing the Corrupted conlang is much more disturbing than reading it.”

• Gotloian: ta su washaw goll wogng mag
  
• Phonetics: /ta sɯ waˈʃaw gɔll wɔgŋ mag/
  
• Talent Notes: T' su washa gow wag mag

• Gotloian: ta ipop yaws po a
  
• Phonetics: /ta ipɔp jaws pɔ a/
  
• Talent Notes: Te ipap yass paw

• Gotloian: pewobn a ludshe
  
• Phonetics: /pɛˈwɔbn a ˈlɯdʃɛ/
  
• Talent Notes: Pe wag naluche

• Gotloian: ta a ilp gomki...yosp…
  
• Phonetics: /ta a ilp ˈgɔmki jɔsp/
  
• Talent Notes: T' yuk gonki yost

• Gotloian: sho gi ing
  
• Phonetics: /ʃɔ gi iŋ/
  
• Talent Notes: Sha gui-ing

• Gotloian: gogkest shuyk
  
• Phonetics: /gɔgˈkɛst ˈʃɯjk/
  
• Talent Notes: Gog kest chuik

• Gotloian: ilp shest
  
• Phonetics: /ilp ʃɛst/
  
• Talent Notes: ilp chest

• Gotloian: iglo
  
• Phonetics: /ˈiglɔ/
  
• Talent Notes: eeg-la

Which language samples would you like to see next? Let us know on the forums. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.

“Grace! Where is Aidyn? I don't want to fight you, but I will if you don't tell me!”

Skye and Grace stood on the edge of the Crow’s Nest camp. The place had a ramshackle appearance, as if a capricious wind spirit had gathered up debris from the coasts, and had tossed it onto the side of a mountain. But she’d felt welcome there, as more than just a customer of the Silver Crows, the mercenary group led by Grace O’Malley and the Soulwarden.

She turned toward the valley below, and bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. Time was short. She didn’t even want to think about Aidyn being at the mercy of the Varangians. Every second that passed was too long. And yet.

And yet, here you are, threatening someone you call a friend.

The cursed styrkr sigil that the Faceless One had burned onto her back hadn’t only sapped her physical strength. Even her own thoughts had turned on her, had filled her with resentment and self-doubt.

You were always weak. It’s not the curse. It’s your emotions. They make you weak.



It was getting more difficult to sort out which thoughts were her own, which were caused by the curse, and which were echoes of her father’s cruelty. And it was impossible to tell, which thoughts she could trust.

Skye gritted her teeth in frustration. “I won’t ask again, Grace. Where is Aidyn?”

Grace hesitated to speak, which was unusual for her, to say the least.

She’s thinking up the lies you want to hear.

“Shut up!“

Skye realized from Grace’s reaction, that she had shouted aloud.

Concern softened Grace’s features. “It’s getting worse, isn’t it, Skye? That damned Varangian’s curse.”



She’s looking down on you.

“I don’t need your damned pity, Grace!” Skye hissed, the legacy of distrust her father had left her, the curse, all of it weighing down on her. She scratched at her arm, though it didn’t itch.

Grace spread her hands. "Skye. Look, how about we take a breath and calm down, hey?"

“You expect me to be calm? Would you be calm, if the Varangians captured your lover?” Skye feigned a sudden understanding. “Ah. But who would be fool enough to love you?”

It only lasted a heartbeat, but Skye saw it. Pain. A small, ugly part of Skye tasted blood, and smiled.

Grace failed to keep the fire from her eyes. “All right. I know you didn’t mean that.”

The malignant emptiness that had supplanted Skye’s confidence, wanted more. She pushed harder, seeking Grace’s weakness, her soft throat. “I only spoke aloud what everyone knows.” She gestured toward the camp. “Even your mercenary friends know. That in the end, Grace O’Malley only cares about one person. Herself.”



Grace’s smile dropped from her face.

Skye smirked. Yes. That’s right. Show your true self. Show me, that you’re every bit as small as me.

“You’re my customer, and you’re my friend,” Grace said. “But whatever you’re doing, Skye, I suggest you stop it right now.”

“‘I suggest you stop it right now,’” Skye mocked. “Listen to the high born lady of Clew Bay, dishing out her noble decree!”

Grace let out an exasperated breath.

Skye flushed with anger. “Do I trouble you, Grace?”

“To be honest, I am troubled, that this curse is making you say and do things that you’ll regret later,” said Grace.

“That sounded like a threat to me. Was it? Were you stupid enough to insult and threaten a Speardaughter?” Skye reached around for her spear and stamped the shaft into the hard-packed earth. Even that small movement left Skye winded and weak. And that made her more angry than ever.

Someone coughed loudly. Skye looked over to see the shirtless, oak tree-sized Silver Crow named Zander “The Undying,” walk into the clearing, standing with his mallet slung over his left shoulder. Leading the way was a baby lynx, who the Silver Crows had inexplicably named Dog. She watched the kitten leap onto a crate where she’d seen it a few minutes ago. Had it fetched Zander to break up their argument?

Skye frowned, a growing sense of paranoia making her step back, outside of Zander’s attack range. Though heavily scarred, Zander “The Undying” had earned his namesake by never being killed on Aeternum. It was easy to see why - the man was a tower of muscle.



Zander spoke loudly, with a thick Greek accent. “Listen, my friends. I was hearing you from all the way over there.” He gestured with a heavily muscled arm, past the fire pit.

Grace waved her arms as if to compel a bear back to its cave. “Now is not a good time, Zander.”

“Of course! I understand,” said Zander.

“Good,” said Grace.

Zander stepped toward Skye.

“Zander!”

Grace’s warning was lost on Zander. His typical demeanor, that of a mildly confused minotaur, was gone. He was frowning slightly, staring intently into Skye’s eyes. As if he could see the taught snarl of fear and hate within her.

Skye didn’t like it. She didn’t want to be seen.

Out of the corner of her eye, Skye saw Grace move toward them.

“Back away, Grace.” Skye said in a low growl, as she crouched into a fighting stance.

“What- Skye, Zander, what are you doing?” said Grace.

Without taking his eyes off of Skye, Zander said, “Grace, stay there. You know many things I do not, but I know a warrior’s heart. And I know what this Speardaughter needs.”

“And what is that?” asked Skye, her heart pounding in her ears.

“To feel with this.” He pointed to his head. “And think with this.” He pointed to his heart.

Zander’s stance didn’t change, but she could feel the tension coil.

A gust of wind blew, sending a leaf drifting lazily between the two warriors.

As the leaf fell, something happened to Skye.

She saw everything clearly, for the first time in months, without the murky veil of the curse clouding her vision.



Dog’s ears flattening, claws splintering the weathered crate below him.

Grace’s right hand, drifting to her blunderbuss.

Zander’s grip tightening on the handle of his mallet.

The leaf hit the ground.

Zander’s mallet swung in a downward diagonal, as Skye had expected. She ducked under its path, sweeping her spear low to take his legs out, but her strength was gone! And the blow glanced away.

Skye swept her spear tip back, repositioning to thrust at Zander’s exposed flank.

But Zander had pivoted to face her, using the momentum of his initial swing to continue upward at her new position. Skye spun to avoid, but was already in motion, and took a partial hit on her shoulder.

She grunted in pain, and saw stars.

As her vision cleared, she saw Zander coming at her with a double-handed overhead swing.

She charged forward and slid between his legs, ignoring the pain of rocks tearing at her skin.

Zander and Skye circled one another, searching for an opening.

There.

Skye and Zander charged at one another, each yelling a war cry.

She thrust at him, and he swung.

CLANG!

Their blows met in a shower of sparks.

Her spear vibrated against the force of Zander’s mallet swing, threatening to shatter her arms apart. But she did not drop her weapon.

And then, she felt it. A tear, rolling down her cheek. A tear of joy.

Zander had a crazed smile on his face.

Skye laughed, and Zander joined in heartily. They lowered their weapons.

Zander extended an arm, and Skye took it, clasping his forearm.

He leaned in close and said, “You are still a warrior. Do not forget.”

Grace whistled low, shaking her head. “I’ve got no bloody idea what happened there. But, are you both all right?”



Skye looked at Zander, “Thanks to this one, yes.”

Zander nodded, then sniffed the air, turning in alarm. “Ah! My lemon cakes are burning!” As he rushed back to the fire, he groused, “If I could only get a real kitchen instead of this- fire hole!"

Skye watched Zander go, then holstered her spear behind her back and turned to Grace. “You were right. I already regret the way I acted to you. I am sorry.”

Grace waved her hand dismissively, but Skye pressed on.

“I was afraid. I am afraid. To die. I’ve never been afraid of dying. And, I am ashamed, of who and what I am now. What am I, Grace?”

Grace cracked a smile, and this time, Skye could feel its warmth. “Human, I think. I was wrong too, to try to protect you, to judge you. I know you need to go after Aidyn, and I shouldn’t have stopped you.”

Skye nodded.

“And,” Grace said, “I want you to know. You’re a friend to me, Skye. I care about you.”

Skye felt hot tears spill onto her cheeks, as she embraced Grace. She smelled like leather, and the sea.

“And I you,” said Skye.

“If I may be honest, I’ll have a difficult time rescuing Aidyn,” she said. “I can’t fight like this.” Skye looked at her hands as if she’d find an answer there.

Grace shook her head. “I’m afraid to see what a monster you’ll be when we lift that curse. And you won’t be fighting alone. That’s right, I’m going with you. Us old ladies need to stick together, right?"

“I am not sure what other old lady you are referring to,” Skye said with a smirk.

Grace grinned back. “Glad to have you back, Skye. Now let me see that map.”

Skye smiled. For now, she’d enjoy the sense of peace that the Silver Crows lent her, and pierced the darkness that twisted around her heart. For now, she’d let herself hope.

Greetings, Adventurers!

New World Update 1.9.1 downtime will begin at 11:00PM PT (6:00AM UTC) on April 11 and kicks off the Rabbit’s Revenge event. Hunt down Corrupted Rabbits for event-specific rewards.

The plague of rabbits has returned once again, only now, they are more perilous than ever! Watch out for explosions as you hunt for event-specific loot from April 12 to April 25. Thanks to player feedback from last year, each rare drop is now guaranteed after slaying a certain number of corrupted rabbits. Check out the full reward and lore breakdown for more details.

• “We really wanted to have a whimsical Monty Python type threat with these hordes of Corrupted Rabbits,” said Product Owner Phil Bolus. “They look infected with Corruption, so we decided to incorporate a playful and absurd tone. We have an affix on Elite Corrupted enemies where they explode into a pool of Corruption that damages players and thought ‘exploding rabbits?’ It was an easy ‘Hell yes!’ after that.”
  
• “The rewards were inspired by an iconic game where creepy enemies attack you while wearing rabbit masks. We thought that could be a very fun and playful take on a helmet skin that made sense with our setting. Similar to the Turkey Leg boots from the Turkulon event, we’re looking at ways to routinely add more flavor to our rewards.”

• Updated POI restrictions to ensure players can complete "Weaver's Weave".
  
• Fixed an issue that caused players to not receive "The Curse of Caer Dun" quest rewards upon completion.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused Free Camera to not deactivate after releasing its corresponding key (Left Alt) when entering Expeditions, game modes, or fast traveling.
  
• Fixed an issue with the quest 'Unexpected Prisoner' that prevented players from completing the encounter with Fulgoris.

• Fixed a rare issue that prevented players from defeating the Empyrean Forge boss.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused some of Commander Marius's volcanic eruptions to hit players well beyond their visual edge.
  
• Fixed an exploit for the Empyrean Forge quest, "A Toymaker's Request" and reactivated it.

• Some items received unintended attribute perks in the previous update. Affected items will be re-rolled as part of this change. Some may even become Legendary.
  
• Removed several potential rewards from the Seasons Furniture Gift Chest loot pool obtained from the Season Pass free track.
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented Juniper bags from dropping.
  
• Fixed a naming issue with the Empyrean Gauntlets.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused refining resources to not properly count the full amount.

• Fixed an issue that caused the Ice Pylon ability to get stuck in cooldown.
  
• Changed the perk Thwarting Counter back to Sturdy on the Cold Stone Ice Gauntlet.

• Fixed an issue that prevented players from changing equipment while in the Arena Spectator Box.

• Fixed an issue that caused the 'Flame Core Hoarder' Journey task to not properly count each crafted item.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused Camp Skin previews to not appear in the Store.
  
• The default New World music now plays on the main menu.

Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in the wilds of Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

The plague of rabbits has returned once again, only now, they are more perilous than ever! Watch out for explosions as you hunt for event-specific loot from April 12 to April 25. Thanks to player feedback from last year, each rare drop is now guaranteed after slaying a certain number of corrupted rabbits. They can drop Diamond Gypsum, Defiled Rabbit’s feet (increases luck), a Defiled Storage Chest of the Hare, and a new Corrupted Rabbit Mask.

Check out the full reward breakdown below and then see how the Syndicate reacts to these fury little killers.



Help cull the plague for daily and special event rewards. Rewards reset at 5 AM local time. For example, if you grab 6 Diamond Gypsum at 4:58 AM, you’ll be able to earn another at 5:01 AM.

Each corrupted rabbit can drop the following:

Diamond Gypsum - (66% Drop Chance)

• Daily Limit: 6 per day

Defiled Rabbit’s Foot (80% Drop Chance)

• Consumable Item: Increases Luck
  
• Daily Limit: 5 per day

Corrupted Rabbit Mask (.50% Drop Chance)

• Head Skin
  
• Guaranteed after defeating 200 corrupted rabbits.
  
• Limit: 1 per event

Defiled Storage Chest of the Hare (.25% Drop Chance)

• Housing Item
  
• Guaranteed after defeating 400 corrupted rabbits.
  
• Limit: 1 per event

The mysterious phenomenon behind these volatile long-eared rodents immediately caught the attention of the Syndicate:

“Would you kindly repeat that?” Cabalist Cleo’s cynical gaze peered over the edge of an ancient tome, a recent acquisition from the Great Pyramid of Ahket that, until this moment, held her full attention.

The initiate across from her anxiously straightened her collar, attempting to look tall in her oversized uniform. “A rabbit, mistress. It, uh, exploded...”

“Exploded?” Cleo slowly lowered the artifact and leaned forward in her chair.

She avoided the intensity of the mistress’s discerning gaze. “Y-Yes, like a bomb. Well, only somewhat… Not like that black powder, more like, ah, it erupted in Corruption, ma’am.”

The mistress was motionless, carefully observing the trembling girl who looked little more than a rabbit herself. “And was your person infected with any of this volatile Corruption?”

Discreetly brushing off some dried blood and bits of fur, the initiate spurted, “No, no, mistress. I-I don’t believe so.”

Cleo leaned back in contemplation, steepling her hands as she mused. “Rabbits infected with corruption? Certainly, beasts have become Corrupted, but oft in the forms of dangerous creatures, something of use to the Corrupted. But rabbits?” The cabalist tapped her lips. “So, Corruption can be harnessed for explosives. As ridiculous as it is, the implications are… intriguing.”

“I-I was thinking the same thing, mistress,” the initiate eagerly added, pleased that she aroused Cleo’s interest.

Cleo’s eyes shot up to the girl, having forgotten her presence. “Then it seems a venture of your interest, as well. Capture one of these Corrupted rabbits; in whole. Chunks and pieces make for a poor specimen.”

With her orders given, Cleo picked up the tome and resumed reading.

The apprentice frowned and shifted in her seat. “How, hm… H-How do you propose I accomplish that, mistress?”

“Consider this your final test, initiate,” she said without interest. “Prove yourself worthy and you shall be recognized among the ranks of the Syndicate as an adept.”

After a brief silence, Cleo did lift her eyes and what the initiate hoped would be encouragement was instead a bored warning; “And do try to not get Corrupted.”



We look forward to your help in clearing this infestation. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in the wilds of Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

The Season 1 - Fellowship & Fire OST is available now on YouTube, Amazon Music, and Spotify. To celebrate its release, we caught up with the Audio Team for a glimpse into their creative process. Listen to and learn more about the Empyrean Forge music below.

Bring your favorite tracks outside of Aeternum:


This Expedition features a fiery aesthetic and unique audio fitting for an ancient forge. Audio Director Jean-Edouard Miclot walked us through transitioning the Expedition’s themes into sound effects, instruments, and more.



“I saw an early look of Commander Marius,” said Jean-Edouard (Jed) Miclot. “There was a lot of fire everywhere and I was worried that he'd end up sounding too noisy. He had a metallic helmet with two big horns and held a large axe that kind of looked like he was from an 80's heavy metal band. His animations almost mimicked someone playing an electric guitar so I think I swore at this point and said, why not in New World?"

“I ran all sorts of metallic sounds through a bunch of guitar distortion units and recorded an hour's worth of electro-acoustic screams and slides that I used for his movements. It had a lot of attitude but Marius was still missing a voice. I looked at him closely and saw a face in fusion so I searched for metaphors from the real world. What could breath and evoke fire? I ended up using a Firefighter SCBA recording for his breathing which was kind of a cool nod to my favorite villain Darth Vader.”

“For his grunts and efforts, I used lion roars processed through a granular patch that I made in Kyma just because it sounded like a vicious beast trapped in a resonating metal cabinet. That did the trick!”



“After Marius was finished, I started wondering what kind of music would fit a similar style and landed in the electro-metal genre. It's a little bit backward when you think about it because we usually start working on an Expedition writing music to set the mood but this time, we started setting the tone with the Final Boss sound effects and that actually felt refreshing.”

“I quickly ran a popular wavetable synth through the same guitar distortion pedals and it gave me a low crackling texture that almost sounded like fire. I was sold at this point and decided to make all the music for this Expedition only with that synth.”



“We had a lot of gear wheels of different sizes spinning in the Expedition and we knew it would have sounded too noisy with traditional sound effects. So we wondered again, what if those metallic elements could replace the drums and play in the environment in sync with the electro-metal music?”

“Good news, our audio engineer Terry Jones just happened to finish a new tool that could let us sync SFX to the beat of music, yay! It's only when Michael Finley synced all his metallic clunking sounds to the music tempo that we really started having a ball.”

"After listening to the sound work Jed did for Commander Marius, I was inspired to push it to the edge when crafting the sounds for the gears in the dungeon," said Senior Sound Designer Michael Finley. "I wanted them to sound more than just basic ‘clicks,’ ‘clunks’ and ‘clanks.’ Since Marius was a little more mechanical in the audio approach, I thought how could we flip it on its head to make the gears sound more alive?"

“That idea lead us to approaching the dungeon space itself as a living breathing character,” said Michael. “And then we had the thought, what if the clock gears would play in time with the music tracks? We were able to have all of the gear sounds play in time with the music at 80 beats per minute, which really gave a sense that the Expedition was like a living breathing entity."



“The Design Team made a couple of elaborate glyph puzzles,” said Jed. “One side gave the players a random sequence of symbols and on the other side, players had to enter the same combination to unlock a gate.“

“Traditional inharmonic SFX are too complex to memorize but I remembered a game from our childhood (which I won't name for legal reasons) that played a sequence of tones that was easy to memorize. So I created a set of notes with my synth in the same key as the music to help the players and that felt better.”



“This Expedition was missing a finale though, something just for fun as the players would stand on the edge of the bridge looking at the portal,” said Jed. “Terry gave us a way to control VFX using audio so I quickly made a dirty retro synth track and pulsed the portal VFX to the beat of music. The track didn't fit the rest of the soundtrack so I put a 15 sec delay to make sure most players wouldn't hear it, kind of like an easter egg if you want but it didn't last long until someone noticed it and spilled the beans.”

For more insight into the Empyrean Forge Expedition, delve into its lore and design. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

Please be advised that the Season 1 end date is now scheduled for July 6th. With the update releasing slightly later than intended, we've extended the window to ensure all adventurers have the time they need to earn and claim their Season 1 rewards.

Season 1 - Fellowship & Fire downtime will begin for all regions at 5AM PT (12PM UTC) on April 4. Expected downtime is 2 hours. Look forward to more frequent content like new narratives, features, gameplay experiences, and a Season Pass with two reward tracks. Check out our full breakdown of the release notes for more information on all things Season 1. Here’s an overview featuring Redbyrd, co-creator of Newworldfans.com and the New World to Go podcast, for you to learn more about the key additions.



The Season Pass gives players a variety of ways to earn new titles, gear, and more, including: 5 Seasonal Armor Skin pieces, 1 Seasonal Armor Set (5 pieces), 9 Seasonal Weapon Skins, 6 Seasonal Tool Skins, 1 Seasonal Emote, and 1 Camp skin. Our Free Track is available to all players, while the Premium Reward Track offers extra rewards for an additional purchase. The Season Pass also includes the introduction of the Season Journey, a series of tasks and challenges that send Adventurers around Aeternum, plus the Activity Card where players can earn Season XP through mini-objectives. The Season Pass ties into all of our seasonal content including the Silver Crow’s storyline.



Players can earn large chunks of Season XP though Journey Tasks & Challenges and Activity Card stamps. Smaller amounts of Season XP can be earned from the following:

• Gypsum Cast crafting
  
• Expedition Boss kills
  
• Outpost Rush
  
• PvP Arenas
  
• War
  
• Invasions
  
• PvP kills
  
• Corruption Breaches
  
• Quests
  
• Faction Missions
  
• Aptitude Levels
  
• Trials
  
• Earning level XP

In response to player feedback, we have altered the Leaderboard reward skin to better fit the great accomplishment it represents. With the new updated look we hope to bring a more regal and aspiring quality to this hard-won item. We look forward to continued feedback from our Leaderboard competitors on rewards for future seasons!



A few combat balance topics have been on our radar and trending in the community: Magic and Ranged Weapon PvE Viability, Weapon Balance in PvP, and Equip Load Balance. Balance is an ever-evolving part of gameplay and we will continue to make further adjustments based on feedback to create the best possible experience for players.

Magic and ranged weapons have fallen behind melee weapons in PvE content, most noticeably in end game content like Mutators. We will continue to strive for viability across all weapons through the following changes:

• Increased Bane power on magic and ranged weapons. (10% higher than what’s possible on melee weapons).
  
• Adjusted Mutations will no longer disproportionately affect magic users (Removed the Elemental Damage Reduction of 50-75%).
  
• Players that like to tank will now have more options for a wider variety of gameplay (Added more Taunt Gem capability for various abilities on numerous weapons).

Some melee and ranged weapons are currently more powerful than what we consider healthy for PvP gameplay. In pursuit of our balance goals we are adjusting the power, utility, and functionality of most weapons:

• We re-calibrated the accuracy system and how it affects shots for the Musket. Shots now have a slight deviation in their trajectory so that long ranged shots are not as consistent when moving or firing without the Accuracy Perk.
  
• Adjusted Crowd Control effects on certain abilities and clarified the scope of some damage focused abilities.

We want to have a larger diversity of equip loads and make more weapons viable for all playstyles. Ideally these changes allow players with more unique styles, off-meta builds, and personal preferences to participate in meaningful ways regardless of the game mode:

• Adjusted damage mitigation formula and how rend and fortify affect it
  
• Also changed Rend and Fortify to directly scale the player’s Armor Rating
  
• Adjustments to some attribute thresholds bonuses
  
• Adjustments to the PvP Mitigation formula to provide a better experience to a wider range of Gear Scores.

Join Grace O’Malley and assemble an elite team of mercenaries called the Silver Crows to help their first client, Skye the Spear-daughter, confront a powerful Warlock and the Varangian horde, and halt their ambitions amidst the flames of the Empyrean Forge.



Need to quickly swap gear for Mutated Expeditions? You’ll now be able to save and switch between your favorite gear sets after reaching level 25. Additional slots can be earned through the Season Pass or purchased with Marks of Fortune.



Create a tornado that damages targets in its path. You can also craft more powerful versions of the Heartgem to fit your playstyle.



The Empyrean Forge is a new Level 60+ Expedition set in the Great Cleave. Pursue the commanders of Ser Loth, a knight of Artorius, to stop the flow of elemental magic deep within an Ancient Forge.

The Weaver’s Fen and Brightwood Regional Main Storyline is getting an overhaul based on player feedback and improvements made to the revamped starting experience. Experience these two familiar territories through a fresh narrative, more quest variety, and a few new surprises.

Enjoy new and improved level 40 weapon and armor quests. Each quest will now require less travel and eliminations. Look forward to fresh rewards, narratives, and more.

There is now an improved flow for players to be aware of and claim special offerings from the team. This menu is accessible through a new button on the Game Menu. Look at the main in-game Nav Bar to find it. Previously, when we granted items or coin to players, compensation would happen automatically on login. It was not always apparent to the player that they had received something.

Some players, due to world merges or some early character transfers, have more than 1 character on a single server. These players will now have to declare only one of them as their “PVP Active” character at a time, with a 3-day cooldown on switching PVP Active status between characters. Only the PVP Active character may flag for PVP or fight in a War, but all your characters regardless of PVP Active status can still play Outpost Rush or Arenas. This new restriction will keep alt characters from being used as an unfair advantage in that server’s influence pushes or territory wars.



Show your support for the Silver Crows outside of Aeternum. Check out the full collection featuring a T-shirt and hoodie in the Amazon Store.

Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.