New World “Aeternum Awaits” Trailer, Pre-orders Available
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We first learned about Amazon's upcoming conquistador fantasy MMORPG New World in a roundabout way when Iron Tower Studio's colony ship RPG had to change its name in order to avoid potential copyright issues. And at this year's Game Awards we got a chance to check out a cinematic trailer for New World that revealed its tentative May 2020 release date and kicked off pre-orders. Right now, you can grab the standard edition of the game on Steam for $39.99 or your regional equivalent and get access to its upcoming closed beta as well as some in-game items.
Here's the trailer:
And the game's description:
Fate has summoned you to the shores of Aeternum, the Eternal Isle. Overcome the brutal legions of The Corrupted and draw battle lines with competing players in this land of danger and opportunity. In a land hell-bent on your destruction, what will you do to survive? Strike out alone to forge your own heroic path, or band together, fortify, and fight.
KEY FEATURES:
FIGHT THE WORLD
Under the surface of Aeternum’s breathtaking landscape lay the seeds of an ancient evil that plots to erase all traces of humanity from its shores. Warriors of bygone ages, doomed adventurers, and creatures of legend have all succumbed to its corruption. It must be stopped.
A CALL TO ARMS
Combine skill and strength in melee combat, attack at range with precision, or master arcane attacks. However you choose to fight, you’ll need to forge, discover, and customize powerful weapons to fit your combat style. In epic wars with other players or holding back waves of The Corrupted, your combat skills will mean the difference between life and death.
STRONGER TOGETHER
Unite players with in-game social systems that power organization, hierarchy, and command and control of formidable in-game Companies. Venture out with your own intrepid party to battle The Corrupted or to seize the land and treasure of your enemies. A thriving Company consists of master craftsmen, fearless soldiers, guileful traders, and strong leaders. Where do your strengths lie?
TAME THE WILDERNESS
As you explore Aeternum, you will discover beauty, danger, and opportunity at every turn. Bend the wilds to your will by hunting fierce beasts for food and crafting materials and harvesting valuable resources from the land to fuel your ascent to power. Leverage geographic advantages to control rare resources to accelerate the growth of your territory.
There's also this PC Gamer interview with the game's director Scot Lane that makes it sound like an intriguing mix of World of Warcraft and something like Ultima Online. An excerpt:
So how will players actually interact in New World? I ask Lane for examples of activities the game will offer, both large and small. "Well, we have these massive battles," he says. "Fifty on fifty, protecting huge forts, attacking them, and warring over territory. But the world hits back too. The monsters don't want you here and as you start to move into their land, they will push back."
"They invade your territory," he says. "Slowly at first, but then more quickly, and you have to step in and defend yourself. Hundreds of AI will move in and try and take over territory, which creates cool social experiences."
But Lane says there will be less dramatic things to do in New World too, including owning a own house that you can decorate and invite players into. And if you're the type of player who prefers adventuring alone, or playing with small groups, Lane says the game will have you covered as well.
"We call that 'alone in a crowd' and a lot of MMO players are like that," he says. "They just want to play by themselves, but like knowing there are other people around, who they can maybe ask for help if they're struggling. We've actually put mechanics in to make it easier to get help if you're in trouble."
"If you're in the world and you're struggling with an encounter and someone's walking by, they can just jump in and help you. They don't have to join your group or anything like that, and you'll both get the credit for the victory."
"We've also put a lot of quests in that cater to the single player, to the PvE player. And when I talked earlier about the AI trying to take back territory, some of this has been set up so that a single player can get involved. One person can make a difference in the world, which is really important to us."
