Excitement is building in the gaming community as Amazon Games’ New World prepares for the arrival of the Fire Storm Heartrune on March 28, alongside Season One – Fellowship & Fire. This powerful new ability promises to create a tornado of fire that can burn through any obstacle in its path, providing a unique gameplay experience for players.
To learn more about the Fire Storm Heartrune, Amazon Games spoke to Combat Designer Josh Hurley about its inspiration, design, goals, and challenges. According to Hurley, the inspiration for the Fire Storm came from the Empyrean Forge Expedition, with the goal being to lean into the fire portion of the “Fellowship & Fire” theme.
During the early stages of development, the team experimented with different casting animations before settling on a spin kick as the perfect way to cast the ability. As with all Heartrunes, the Fire Storm is themed around an AI boss or event, and the design team worked to ensure that it fits into the event that the player is participating in.
The Fire Storm Heartrune is designed to fill a gap in players’ builds, offering a unique purpose and place. While some Heartrunes are designed for damage, others have more utility. The Fire Storm, for example, is best suited for close-mid ranged situations, with the ability to aid as an engagement tool or to cast towards an enemy that could be running away.
However, the Fire Storm Heartrune is not without its challenges. According to Hurley, the slower projectile speed created a number of issues, making it easier for players to keep a close eye on the translation of the projectile. To address this, the team added the ability for the Fire Storm to follow terrain, allowing the projectile to maintain a set distance from the ground.
As the release date approaches, gamers are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Fire Storm Heartrune and its unique gameplay mechanics. Players are encouraged to share their experiences with the ability on the forums, and the Amazon Games team is looking forward to seeing how the community uses this powerful new tool in their quests through Aeternum.