New World: Aeternum – MMO relaunch makes a strong first impression

thesixthaxis.com:

New World: Aeternum is the biggest shake-up Amazon’s MMORPG has seen since it launched in 2021. Not only does it introduce new features and content, it also brings the game to consoles with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions now live, complete with cross-play servers, making this the best opportunity in a long time for new comers to jump in.

With New World: Aeternum, Amazon has set its sights firmly on a new audience, though there’s plenty for veterans to sink their teeth into, and a lure to bring lapsed players back to the game. Personally, I missed the boat back in 2021 – although I enjoyed playing the various alpha and beta tests for the game, I didn’t want an MMO in my life and it’s fair to say that the genre has an established track record for rough launch windows. Now, after spending a dozen or so hours with Aeternum, I understand why the game managed to maintain a small yet zealous fan base and why Amazon thought it deserved a second chance.

Set during the Age of Exploration, players find themselves aboard a ship headed for the New World and helmed by some less than savoury characters. The voyage doesn’t go entirely to plan, however. Upon approaching the uncharted realms of Aeternum, your ship and its crew are scattered by the mysterious Stormwall – not quite the welcome party you had anticipated.

Two of the biggest changes new players benefit from in New World: Aeternum are the introduction of Archetypes, as well as a more dynamic approach to story-telling, via cutscenes and character dialogue. Eschewing the normal MMO class system, characters in New World are defined by their choice of weapon – these determine the active and passive abilities available to you while influencing the core stats you focus on upgrading each time you level up. While you are free to experiment later on, Archetypes present a handful of weapon combos with a distinct playstyle and theme. For instance the Mystic dabbles with strange arcana, wielding the Life Staff and Void