Jump to content
FORUMS
Sign in to follow this  
Staff

Big New World Update: Heart of Madness Reveal and PTR Notes

Recommended Posts

wHP8xIA.jpg
 

There'sa big new update coming to New World, as Heart of Madness brings a new Expedition, a new weapon, the main storyline finale quest, new legendary quests and more! 

Amazon LogoHeart of Madness (Source)

Greetings, Adventurers!

With the March version of the public test realm releasing soon, we wanted to share a first look at some of the content you’ll be able to experience in the upcoming PTR before it eventually releases into the main New World game.

Tempest’s Heart - The Myrkgard Expedition

Isabella_HOM_FinalForm_1_V2_740x416.jpg

This update will conclude the story of Isabella. The main story quest line picks up as you pursue Isabella back to Shattered Mountain, leading to an epic final showdown. Enter the Tempest’s Heart as you venture into a corrupted dimension of reality through the twisted capital city of Myrkgard. Discover the secrets of her past while you dive deeper into her corrupted mind.

The Tempest’s Heart is an endgame expedition for 5 players. Recommended for level 60 players with Gearscore 550 or above.

New Weapon: Blunderbuss

The Blunderbuss is a ranged weapon that offers high-mobility coupled with potent close-to-mid range damage. It’s the first weapon to scale on strength and intelligence, making it a good companion for bruiser or mage builds.

Adventurers will be able to progress through two weapon mastery trees, allowing the player to choose between two distinct playstyles.

  • The Containment tree is all about closing the gap and unloading hot lead into your enemy’s face.

  • Conversely, the Chaos tree focuses on keeping your distance and bombarding areas with explosive AoE damage.

Alongside the release of the Blunderbuss weapon itself, we’re also releasing a new Legendary Weapon Quest series. Upon reaching Level 60 and the maximum skill level with the new firearm, players should seek out Wang Tang Zhi in Ebonscale Reach settlement to start this epic endeavor.

New Experiences, Balance Updates & Bug Fixes

Alongside the storyline conclusion and the new Blunderbuss weapon, this update will include new encounters in the wild, impactful balance changes across a variety of weapons, and a huge swath of bug fixes.

We’ll have more information on the PTR release of this update soon - including areas we would love feedback on before releasing the full Heart of Madness update into the main New World servers. Stay tuned for our PTR announcement article with details on how you can get involved.

 

As always, thanks for your support. We’ll see you in Aeternum, Blunderbusses in-hand.

 

PTR NOTES:

Greetings, Adventurers!

Aeternum is an ever-evolving world, and as such, we continue our efforts in providing our players with an assortment of ongoing new features, content, and changes. Similar to the activities leading up to our latest major update, we are approaching the release of our next large release and would like to once again invite you all to participate in the next cycle of our Public Test Realm (PTR)!

PTR

The Public Test Realm (PTR) is a limited-availability server-set that will give players an early look at upcoming features. These preview builds are snapshots of upcoming major releases and are not final versions — you may encounter bugs, crashes, missing text, or other issues. Between our internal testing efforts and your reports, we hope to catch and resolve all serious issues before they reach the live servers. However, not every bug or feedback piece will be actioned on before release — some changes need to be investigated further, and may come in a subsequent patch or two. Nonetheless, hundreds of changes have already been made — with more to come — and the full release notes will be shared on release day.

To help with the feedback process, all newly created PTR characters will have the opportunity to instantly level to select level-ranges outfitted with appropriate gear and items.

The PTR will officially open tomorrow, March 3, at 10 AM PST (6 PM UTC). Servers are limited — to maximize world population and encourage higher occurrences of group play, there will only be one world available for this playtest cycle, with it located within the US East regional datacenter. You may have to change your regional selection from the main menu in order to discover the available test world.

This special preview client will be made available for download through the stand-alone Steam application, “New World Public Test Realm” (which should already be in your Steam library if you own the main game). When the test period is complete and the main New World game is updated with the previewed content, all worlds will shut down and may be subject to being wiped clean. You will still see the New World PTR application in your Steam library, but there will not be active servers until the next time we announce a test.

If you encounter a bug, exploit, or have suggestions to improve a feature or piece of content, we’d love to hear your feedback on our PTR sub-forum (you can also utilize our in-game feedback tool). We will do our best to address as much of your feedback as possible before the content update makes its way to our live servers. Your participation will help us to deliver awesome content and updates in the future!

During this iteration of the PTR, we look forward to hearing your playtest feedback regarding the following changes:

New Endgame Activities

HeartOfMadness_T2_07_740x416.jpg

 

Tempest’s Heart - the Myrkgard Expedition

The final showdown against Isabella is upon you. Pursue the Tempest into a corrupted dimension of reality, through the twisted capital city of Myrkgard. Discover the secrets of her past while you dive deeper into her corrupted mind. The Tempest’s Heart is an endgame expedition for 5 players. Recommended for 60+ players with Gearscores between 550 and 570.

For the March PTR, players will be given strong loadouts to play frequently.

Main Storyline Finale Quest and More

The main story questline picks up as you pursue Isabella back to Shattered Mountain. The final quest, The Heart of the Tempest, is given by Yseult Meredith. They are located at Mountain Home Outpost in Shattered Mountain.

Additional repeatable quests can be taken from Mara Rosa in the cathedral just south of the expedition entrance.

New Weapon Type

The Blunderbuss

The Blunderbuss is a ranged weapon that offers high mobility coupled with potent close-to-mid range DPS. It’s the first weapon to scale on strength and intelligence, making it a good companion for bruiser or mage builds. The Containment tree is all about closing the gap and unloading hot lead into your enemy’s face. Conversely, the Chaos tree focuses on keeping your distance and bombarding areas with explosive AoE damage.

New Legendary Weapon Quests

Alongside the release of the Blunderbuss weapon itself, we’re also releasing a new Legendary Weapon Quest series. Upon reaching Level 60 and maximum skill level with the new firearm (granted to you automatically in the PTR), players should seek out Wang Tang Zhi in the Ebonscale Reach settlement to start this epic endeavor.

Many more changes have been made across the entire New World experience. Check out our PTR Release Notes for a bigger picture and let us know what you think on the PTR subforum!

PTR Backstory Loadouts

Upon character creation on the PTR, players will be given multiple caches of special armor and weapons. Each cache has a designation based upon a general build based on a main attribute: CON, DEX, INT, FOC, and STR. To help manage the sudden onset of new items, do not open all provided caches at once, or you risk becoming encumbered! Instead, equip all provided bags and then follow-up with opening each cache deliberately. Any undesired caches can be dropped or deposited into your personal settlement storage.

PTR FAQ

HOW DO I ACCESS THE NEW PTR?

Everyone with a copy of New World will be automatically granted access to the secondary PTR app. The PTR is not compatible with the live game, so you will need to download a separate client (and have the hard drive space required to support it). From there, we will have special worlds available within supported regions. Not all regions will initially be supported. Access is on a first come, first served basis. There may be queues.

CAN I PLAY WITH OR TRANSFER MY LIVE CHARACTERS TO THE PTR?

Unfortunately, no. These are separate ecosystems, so at this time it is not possible. However, to make testing easier, we will occasionally provide our play-testers with special accommodations such as instant levels, special gear, etc.

CAN I PROVIDE DESIGN FEEDBACK REGARDING WHAT’S INCLUDED ON THE PTR?

Preview game builds on the PTR are finished with their core development and are in their final phase of testing and bug fixing. Our main focus at this phase is improving quality, although we will appreciate any feedback you have to share.

I HAVE A PROBLEM; HOW CAN I CONTACT CUSTOMER SUPPORT?

Our policies and Code of Conduct cover the PTR, and in-game moderation will continue to be supported. Unfortunately, due to the temporary and potentially unstable nature of the PTR, general Customer Service assistance through both Live Chat and through the Support Website will not be available.

I DON’T WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PTR, CAN I REMOVE THE APP FROM MY LIBRARY?

Don’t worry, no offense taken. Players can manage visibility of the New World Public Test Realm Steam Library entry. Opening up the game options (right-click > Manage) offers the “Hide Game” function.

Thanks for your support and participation! We'll see you in Aeternum.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

  • Similar Content

    • By Savvvo
      The long-awaited black dye and hippos are introduced into New World: Aeternum. Learn more about what they look like, and how you can get them!
      New World: Aeternum surprised the community today with some brand-new, long-awaited items being added into its in-game store. The first (and probably most requested) addition to the store is Black Dye. Players will now be able to dye their weapons, armors, mount skins, and more with this all-new black dye, which is already being seen throughout Aeternum.
      The new "Wraith Black" dye pack can be purchased in the in-game store for 3,000 marks of fortune.

      Additionally, hippos are finally in New World: Aeternum! With the official launch of New World, players shared memes and posts around why there were not hippos within the game. One user even published daily posts in their forum, calling out "Day X of no hippos in New World", with the posts reaching several hundred days long.
      The developers must have been listening, as they added a new bear mount skin to the game, labeled as "Hippo Burley", allowing players to transform their bear mounts into hippos (pictured below). 
      The new "Hippo Burley" bear mount skin can be purchased for 20,000 marks of fortune in the in-game store.

      To learn more about New World: Aeternum, and purchase the game, click here.
       
    • By Savvvo
      Decorate your New World: Aeternum home with spooky decor for a chance to win prizes!
      New World: Aeternum is officially hosting a "Spooky Decor" competition, inviting players to decorate their in-game homes to be as spooky as ever. They shared that there will be a total of 5 winners that will be crowned the spookiest home-owners across Aeternum, with each of the winners receiving a code to unlock a limited-edition "Trials of Aeternum" weapon skin (example of the "ToA" fire staff skin pictured below).

      The competition is now live up until October 29, 2024 at 11:59 PM PT. In order to participate, you must take screenshots of your spooky home and reply to the official New World: Aeternum tweet below with the images, along with your in-game name, region, and world.
      Placeholder for tweet 184876215127784682 For all fresh start players, it is recommended to invest in a top-tier home to give you more space to add spooky furniture, which requires you to be at least level 30 territory standing within the territory you want your home in. Learn more about how you can accomplish this quickly with our territory standing guide.
      Best of luck to all those participating!
       
    • By Savvvo
      The "Nightveil Hallow" Halloween event will be entering the lands of Aeternum next week. Learn more about the many tricks (and treats) that await you!
      Just one week after the official launch of New World: Aeternum comes the first seasonal event - Nightveil Hallow. The Nightveil Hallow is New World's Halloween-specific holiday event that incorporates a range of fun, limited-time events and challenges, including a spooky open-world boss, a new quest line, costumes, and of course, special rewards. This event will take place starting on October 22, and last up until November 5.
      In order for players to obtain the many rewards this event introduces, they must work with the other players on their serve to take down a large, open-world boss known as Baalphazu.

      Baalphazu is a level 66 open-world boss that will appear throughout the lands of Aeternum, requiring large groups to come together to face this common enemy. Players will be awarded up to 5 armor pieces and 3 costumes daily by defeating this boss. Plus, players will also be able to pick-up the new Nightveil Hallows currency known as "Nightveil Tokens" to exchange them for a range of unique items available in the event shop, including the following:
      Updated Nightveil Hallow armor/weapon patterns Chromatic Seal Basket of Treats Housing Item Chiroptera’s Cowl (Helm Skin) Druid’s Headdress (Helm Skin) Necromancer’s Crown (Helm Skin) Crone Visage (Helm Skin) Throne of the Hollow (Furniture Item) Baalphazu’s Offering (Furniture Item) Summoning Circle (Furniture Item) Tremble in Fear (Emote) Possessed Walk (Emote) “Walk around like a thing from a bad horror movie” Hexed Canopy Tent Skin Updated Nightveil Weapon Patterns Skeleton Twirl Emote Docile Pumpklin Housing Item Baalphazu’s Mantle Armor Jack-o-Lantern’s Smile (Helm Skin) Baalphazu’s Cowl Head Piece The Pride of the Witch Hat Slithering Skull Head Piece The new weapon/armor patterns listed above allow players to instantly craft 700 gearscore items, which is a huge opportunity for all players in fresh start servers.
      To learn more about the Nightveil Hallow event and these new 700 gearscore patterns, watch the video below.
       
    • By Savvvo
      Take a closer look at the list of buffs (and nerfs) that came with the official launch of New World: Aeternum.
      The launch of New World: Aeternum came with a few surprises for some players, as it was accompanied with a long list of weapon buffs (and nerfs) across the board. Some of these changes were quite drastic too, such as the Blunderbuss weapon now dealing a reduced amount of base damage in PvP in result of the implementation of New World: Aeternum's new target-lock system.
      Below is a full list of these changes across each weapon, including the changes to the updated target-lock system.
      Target Lock Changes
      Killing a PvP opponent in target lock will no longer automatically switch to another target. Target lock now breaks more aggressively when losing line of sight to your target. A character’s turn speed is now slower when using target lock. Temporary - Blunderbuss now deals less damage in PvP. Bow
      Fixed an issue that caused rain of arrows to not consistently trigger when using the ability button to activate it while aiming. Fixed numerous issues that caused abilities to not buffer correctly. Updated the aimed abilities (Penetrating Shot, Poison Shot, and Rain of Arrows) to not cancel when pressing aim, but when releasing aim while they are active. Fixed an issue that caused the Rain of Arrows ability effect to not spawn at maximum range. Penetrating Shot should now support smart cast. Penetrating Shot and Poison Shot can now be fired while crouching. Fixed an issue that allowed faster firing than intended through ability canceling. Blunderbuss
      Fixed an issue that caused Double Down to not affect Mortar Charge. Fixed an issue that caused the Blunderbuss to not reload after certain cutscenes. Fixed an issue that prevented Incendiary Burst from applying its effect when swapping weapons. Double Down now works properly when weapon swapping after using Mortar or Splitting Grenades. Splitting grenade - Adjusted the timing of the splitting grenade early detonation trigger to prevent it from immediately triggering with an accidental double button press. There will now be a 4 frame delay from when the projectile is fired and when the grenades can be detonated early. Fire Staff
      Pillar of Fire will no longer slightly push back enemies. Fixed an issue that caused the Fire Staff Burnout explosion audio to play even when the Heat It Up upgrade wasn’t unlocked. Fixed an issue that allowed jump to cancel Pillar of Fire aiming. Fixed an issue where Pillar of Fire triggered two instances of damage with a single use. Fixed an issue that prevented Pillar of Fire and Meteor Shower aim from canceling into other Fire Staff abilities. Flamethrower Pyro Dancer upgrade: Increased cooldown when staggered from 2.5s to 6s. Empowering Fireball Perk: Reduced values and split out the functionality to allow it to always deal a smaller amount of bonus damage, but deal increased additional bonus damage if the target is above 50% health. Max of 14% (armor) and 21% (weapons). Refreshing Pillar Of Fire Perk: Reduced max values from 13% (Armor) and 21% (Weapons) to 10% (Armor) and 16% (Weapons) Fireball: Added additional functionality to fireball to deal bonus damage to AI targets Meteor Shower: Updated to remove the casting part of, but updated the animation to give it a better tell of the duration. Flail
      Fixed an issue where Arcane Eruption could sometimes miss knocked down or crawling enemies. Fixed an issue that caused Barrage’s first hit during the leap to not hit. Fixed an issue with the Bulldoze upgrade not properly reducing stamina cost to zero. Fixed an issue that caused the Ironclad Superiority mastery point to always grant Fortify. It now correctly only grants Fortify when a Tower Shield is equipped. Updated the Wording of the Flail Ability, Arcane Smite, to make it clearer how the Impairment debuff works. Updated the Deflecting Frailty tooltip to make the functionality clearer. Fixed an issue where the Flail would rotate too much when holding rotate with a controller. Trip's Destabilize upgrade: Updated tooltip to be more clear about the activation. Great Axe
      Fixed an issue that caused the Great Axe Gravity Perk to not always appear by modifying its functionality. Previously it was a 0.25s duration (Even though tooltip said 0.33), but it would be applied 0.33s after the pull, to allow the pull to finish before triggering the root. Since that duration was so low, it caused issues where it was added and removed before the visuals could appear on the target. To address this we increased the duration slightly, but added a slight cooldown timer to prevent the increased duration from being too strong. Greatsword
      Updated the Unflinching Blade passive for the Greatsword to grant grit after 10 frames into the charge of the heavy attack to match the functionality of similar passives for the War Hammer and Great Axe. Fixed an issue where Roaring Rupture could pull targets past the player instead of the center of the impact point. Fixed an issue that caused the Greatsword Onslaught stance heavy attack charge speed to increase when in an exhausted state. Fixed an issue issue that caused the Faultless Defender Passive to not trigger properly. Fixed an issue that allowed the Greatsword offense and defense stances to both be on at the same time. Hatchet
      Fixed an issue that prevented attacks from buffering during Infected Throw. Raging Torrent can be now be redirected using directional inputs when camera direction for melee attacks is turned off. Fixed an issue that caused animations to freeze when throwing a Hatchet while jumping. Fixed an issue that caused Feral Rush’s dispatch upgrade to not properly apply the damage increase to both hits. Ice Gauntlet
      Fixed an issue that caused Ice Pylon to shoot over enemies. Fixed an issue where deactivating Entomb via the breakout would activate Defiant Freeze. Fixed an issue where increased mana regen would persist briefly after breaking Entomb. Fixed an issue that caused characters to become unresponsive if opening the Inventory while activating the Entomb ability. Fixed an issue that didn’t clear Entomb properly when a Heart Rune was activated. Updated base heavy attack functionality to inflict a 10% Slow for 3s (6s cooldown per target). Added additional functionality to Wind Chill to deal bonus damage to AI targets. Life Staff
      Fixed an issue that caused Life Staff ability buffers and cancels to not work in most cases. Fixed an issue that caused accidental basic attack buffering on the Life Staff and Fire Staff. Fixed an issue that allowed Orb of Protection and Beacon to be canceled as soon as their projectile spawned. Added an option menu setting to automatically lock-on to target when starting any Life Staff healing ability. Fixed an issue that caused the Bend Light passive to not refresh the duration of the buff for the full 5 seconds with each dodge. Added new functionality that increases all Light Staff damage against hostile AI targets by 35%. This information is stated on the tooltip when hovering over the Light Staff in the mastery menu. Updated base heavy attack functionality to push back targets 2m on hit. If the enemy is a hostile AI target within 5m of the player, pushback will be increased by 100%. Added additional functionality to Splash of Light that creates a radius around the player on activation that deals a small amount of damage with a pushes back nearby enemies. Purity of Light Perk: Reduced max power slightly from 90% to 70% on weapons and 50% to 40% on armor. Musket
      Renamed the Musket Backdraft ability to Ignition so it didn't share a name with a Fire Staff ability. Fixed an issue where critical reload was able to trigger with more than 5 seconds between headshots. Fixed an issue that caused musket projectile visual effects to sometimes appear in the wrong place. Lethal Combo Ultimate: Reduced power from 20% to 17%. Powder Burn Ignition Upgrade: Reduced power from 12% to 8%. Powder Burn Damage over time: Reduced tick damage from 20% to 15%, and reduced base duration from 9s to 7s. Crippling Powder Burn Perk: Reduced max values from 27% on Armor and 45% on Weapons to 18% on Armor and 30% on Weapons. Rapier
      Fixed an issue that caused Tondo to go on cooldown with no effect if it was canceled at certain frames using evade. Fixed an issue with the Backside Rapier perk that caused the 15% damage increase to apply to all damage, not just crit damage. Fixed an issue where the 25 bonus from Strength worked with the bleed from Flurry. Reduced Rapier’s damage over time duration from 12s to 10s Rapier: And Again Perk now works properly when weapon swapping after using Tondo on a single target. Reduced the damage of Evade’s Adagio upgrade from 15% to 10% Fixed an issue that caused ‘And Again’ to only apply after blocking. Evade Crescendo Upgrade: Added a cooldown so it will only trigger once per light attack. Spear Fixed an issue that prevented weapon swaps from buffering during the Javelin animation. Fixed an issue that caused the Spear’s Javelin ability to not activate during a dodge. Fixed an issue that caused the Merciless Strength passive to not trigger. Fixed an issue that caused Cyclone's invigorating combo to inconsistently track the two hits. Bleeding Sweep Perk: Reduced max values from 14% on Armor and 28% on Weapons to 10% on Armor and 18% on Weapons. Void Gauntlet
      Fixed an issue where Scream could hit blocking players. Fixed an issue that caused unintended speed boosts when canceling attacks or dodges with certain abilities. Slightly increased the hitbox on Void blade’s heavy attack to make it properly match the attack visuals. Addressed some Void blade hit registration issues by increasing the size of the hitboxes slightly. Fixed an issue where the Void Blade attacks triggered the ranged sprint delay. Updated base ranged heavy attack functionality to allow projectile to pass through targets. (Heavy attack life steal will still only trigger once per heavy. Added additional functionality to Orb of Decay and the Detonating Orb upgrade to deal bonus damage to AI targets. Added additional functionality to Essence Rupture to deal bonus damage to AI targets. War Hammer Fixed an issue causing the War Hammer’s Shockwave ability to stun enemies 6 frames later than intended. Path of Destiny can be now be aimed while starting the attack using directional inputs when Camera Direction for Melee Attacks is turned off. Sword and Shield
      Shield type and Equip Load changes have been updated to impact the following: Shield Bash's Concussive Bash upgrade: Round Shield: Critical hit chance increased Kite Shield: Cleanse 1 debuff Tower Shield: Stun duration increased Defender's Resolve Final Countdown upgrade: Round Shield: Base damage increased Kite Shield: Slow potency reduced Tower Shield: Base damage reduced Whirling Blade's Opportunity Upgrade Equip Load conditionals: Light Equip Load: Applies Rend to targets hit Medium Equip Load: Stamina regen rate increased Heavy Equip Load: Applies Weaken to targets hit Defender Tree Shield passive Upgrade: Round Shield: Extends duration of debuffs on target by 5%. Kite Shield: (Keeps current functionality) Blocking attacks reduces cooldowns by 1% Tower Shield: Blocking or taking hits extends the duration of defender's resolve by 5%. Final blow Passive: Added missing threat increase that was listed in the tooltip but not functional. Now generates 15% more threat. To learn more about New World: Aeternum, click here.
       
    • By Savvvo
      It's official - New World: Aeternum has officially launched! Take a closer look at some of the many adventures that await!
      The official launch of New World: Aeternum is finally here, and thousands of players across console and PC are already jumping in and exploring the lands of Aeternum. The launch of New World: Aeternum introduces a range of all-new content that players are excited to jump into, where many are endgame activities and equipment, pushing some players to quickly grind their character to max level as fast as possible.
      A closer look at these activities can be found below:
      Hive of Gorgons (new 10-man raid) Cross-world 3v3 Arenas New Artifacts New Seasonal Reward Track Swimming Sandwurm, Hatchery, and Winter Rune Forge Trial Difficulty Increase New Cinematic Storytelling New Repeatable Expedition Quests New Starting Experience Repeatable Endgame Soul Trials All of these activities are paired with a range of other updates, including an increase to max gearscore to 725 - encouraging all players (including returning players) to grind all of the many new challenges that await them.
      To learn more about New World: Aeternum and join in on the fun, click here.
×
×
  • Create New...