New World: Aeternum's 1st Dev Update Since Launch Details New Seasonal Worlds, Releases 4-Hour Console-Only Free Trial

Now that New World: Aeternum is available on consoles and PC and the MMORPG's audiences have come together, it is finally time to talk about the future. Today, the team at Amazon Games dropped the very first dev update video since the Aeternum launch and it reviews some things coming soon, some things being developed, and some things that are just early ideas.

The team starts with the next season, Season 7, expected to drop in January.

New World: Aeternum will introduce seasonal worlds that reset each season and play by certain rules. Examples of rules may be things like PvP always being on. The first server is at level 15 and is, in fact, PvP-focused. Weapons and crafting materials specifically used to craft these new powerful server weapons on the server will drop upon death. Durability returns on these special gear pieces.

A new Outpost Rush map will have a preview weekend this season, too. Your feedback will help finalize development on the map. A few other items gets some love in the discussion including some mutation changes, the addition of 3 new solo trials, new artifacts and perks, combat balance updates, and, of course, seasonal events.

The roadmap continues with "In Development" features and "In Exploration" features. Things in development are exactly that, they're coming, they're being worked on right now, but details and dates will come later. The "In Exploration" section of the roadmap differs in that these items are not guaranteed at all. They could make it to the game, they could receive changes between now and any potential launch, or they may never arrive in the MMO at all.

Things in development include more seasonal worlds, new PvP modes (think battle royale or capture-the-flag) and maps, improvements to endgame progression, endgame reputation systems, and territory system improvements. Crafting changes, pick-up wars, and a barbershop are also being worked on. Perhaps the best feature, in my opinion, is the development of a Global Storage...mercifully.

Weirdly, the "In Exploration" section details a number of items I'm still shocked weren't already things and some that you would just assume are bring worked on already. Ranked-PvP, for example. I don't get how that isn't in New World: Aeternum already. Obviously this section includes other new content like new raids, new raid difficulty tiers, new zones, new tradeskills, new PvE modes, and other revamps and overhauls. It's actually a pretty basic list of what you would expect an MMO's team to be working on in their "future content" pipeline, so we'll really want to wait for details. What concerns me a bit is that these things aren't locked in...they are "In Exploration."

In the video below, the team does acknowledge that they've spent a ton of time on the early game and maybe not so much time on later content. The team is looking at reputation systems to start to address this and give you reasons to return to zones you've left. This includes a rework on zones removed from leveling, like Reekwater, giving you a reason to explore them at endgame. The idea is to make it more "open-world" instead of "on-rails" via a quest.

Finally, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players now have access to free trials of New World Aeternum. The trial, which again is console-only, lets you play the MMO for 4 hours. Any characters created, content cleared, or cosmetics earned or purchased in the trial will carry over to the full game should you purchase it. You will not be able to use the Trading Post, trade with others, tip anyone playing songs, or contribute to or withdraw from any Company Treasury during the trial.

The trial will still require you to have a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass Core subscription.

It's nice to finally get an update from the team, but it is a bit weird to see so many natural MMO development things in the "In Exploration" section. It's also concerning that if you don't like PvP, the first season world really isn't for you and there aren't dates tied to any of the new content. Seems like players like me are in for more waiting.

Potential new PC players getting shanked on the free trail is also an interesting choice.