In a recent video update from the New World team at Amazon Games, the developers shared a plethora of news and upcoming features for Season Five. Despite an unforeseen delay caused by an “apocalyptic California rainstorm” impacting the team’s logistics, the enthusiasm couldn’t be dampened as they unveiled what’s in store for the players.
Season Five Highlights:
- Roadmap Update Postponed: The team expressed regret over the delay of the roadmap initially promised for May, now rescheduled to June. They assured fans that the wait, albeit a slight setback, is due to new, critical information that necessitates this delay, promising the upcoming roadmap will be worth the wait.
- Advanced Group Finder Launched: Aimed at enhancing the matchmaking experience, especially for players on lower population servers, the Advanced Group Finder feature is expected to be a game-changer, facilitating smoother and more efficient group formations.
- Winter Rune Forge Trial: Season Five introduces a new ten-person trial set in a stunning ancient subterranean architecture coated with ice. This trial promises challenging puzzles, boss encounters, and rewarding artifacts, including the Dark Matter and new Artifact bonuses available twice a week, although players can engage with it as many times as they wish.
- Boss Encounters Reimagined: Players will face revamped versions of the Ophidian Construct and the Ice Guardian, now fully realized as ten-person raid bosses. These encounters have been adjusted to offer a balanced challenge that is engaging yet accessible to pick-up groups.
- New Artifacts and Gameplay Mechanics: Season Five will also introduce a range of new Artifacts, including weapons, armor, and trinkets designed to enhance gameplay. Noteworthy mentions are the Gravity Gauntlets and the Phoenix trinket, alongside a set of boots that reward ambush-style gameplay. Additionally, the Artifact capacity has been increased to ten, allowing players more flexibility in managing their collections.
- Controller Support and Combat System Overhaul: A long-awaited feature, controller support, will finally be introduced, focusing primarily on core gameplay aspects. This initial phase includes aim assist for PvE, a target lock feature, and a virtual cursor for menu navigation. The update also hints at a comprehensive overhaul of the combat system, promising improved performance and debuggability, which could significantly enhance player experience in dense, action-packed scenarios.
- 1 through 60 MSQ Update Finalized: The finalization of the 1 through 60 Main Story Quest (MSQ) update, focusing on Ebonscale Reach and Shattered Mountain, introduces new Soul Trials and cinematics, enriching the narrative experience. Importantly, the update makes the Isabella arc fully playable solo, a significant improvement for solo adventurers.
- Cooking and Tradeskill Revamp: The Cooking Tradeskill is undergoing significant changes to streamline the experience, cutting back on recipes and adjusting experience curves to make leveling more intuitive. This revamp is part of a broader initiative to refine all Tradeskills based on player feedback and usage patterns.
- Quality of Life Improvements: Among the quality of life updates, players can look forward to a more manageable respec cost, now reduced to 50 coins, and the introduction of mounts in Outpost Rush (OPR), promising a fresh dynamic in the popular PvPvE mode.