The statement that New World feels like an MMO might seem a bit defunct, but there’s a lot behind it. During this Closed Beta period, the gameplay of New World has been addictive and social. That’s all an MMO needs to swallow you up. Simple where it needs to be, but with enough complexity to keep you engaged. All that in a package that is surprisingly well-polished…even if it’s a bit battered around the edges, much like the Prime box chucked down my outside steps.
Grinding out for about level 40 in the Closed Beta, I’ll leave it there for now. To go any further in the Beta seems a bit silly, seeing as all progress is reset for the game’s full release at the end of August. However, stopping has been a pretty hard thing to do — all I want to do is keep playing. For that reason, I’ve upgraded from Standard to Deluxe Edition, and have to give the Beta a solid 8/10 in its current state.
- New World is a good MMO for anyone that wants a return to the feeling of an old-school MMO. It’s refreshing.
- The game is social, with plenty of opportunities to interact with players either through your company or faction.
- Large-scale PVP is a lot of fun, but you don’t need to focus on PVP if you don’t want to. There is so much flexibility in the game in terms of how you want to play.
I ran with a Hatchet and Bow build, mostly because I was bored of running all over the place, and both weapons give you a bit of a speed boost. Look. It’s an MMO. Running from quest location to quest location is just part of the experience. It didn’t impact my enjoyment, but it did reflect how I decided to build my character. That happens a lot in New World.
There is a lot of room to customize your build with different masteries for the weapons, a completely class-less system (so you don’t feel forced into any single playstyle), and much more complex crafting and gem-customization that adds to the personality of your build. The weapons feel strong, and the combat is…well, a bit clunky, in a sort of locked-up, shuffly kind of way. Once you start an attack, you can’t stop it. It’s a good thing the builds are so fun.
Although the PVP and PVE are compelling, and the way the faction and territory system makes the world feel alive and evolving, like you really play a part in what’s happening around you, it’s the freedom of New World that is so appealing.
If you want to spend 20 hours cutting down trees, mining ore, and generally being a craftsperson…you can. You will still receive rewards from your faction. Your time still feels valuable, even if you’re not defeating enemies or grinding out Expedition after Expedition.
Despite how addicted I’ve been to the game, New World will have to do something special with its content Roadmap to keep players engaged. There will always be people playing New World, it’s just that sort of game, but to maintain a larger player base consistent content updates and world events are just the expected norm now.
No official roadmap has been released for the game yet, although the devs have previously spoken at length about their plans for the game, including the introduction of mounts, more crafting, more items…and microtransactions.
Don’t worry too much about the microtransactions. At least, not yet. For a base price of around 40 dollars, New World is a bargain of a game. However, to maintain a live service of content, those devs have got to make their money somewhere. Microtransactions will be present eventually. Hopefully, it will only be for cosmetics, and not items that offer in-game buffs, like speeding up crafting or weapon enhancements.
