New World ends it 2-year-long horseless era by adding mounts and leaps up the Steam charts, just below Counter-Strike 2

pcgamer.com:

New World's first expansion arrived yesterday, and along with the addition of flails, the ability to turn into some kind of vengeful nature monster, a transformed zone and another expedition, it also solves one of my big launch bugbears: it's finally added mounts. 

Customisable horses, dire wolves and lions can now join you on your adventures, with their arrival accompanied by a new riding skill that will eventually see you netting higher speeds and better buffs. At last. 

Plenty of MMOs have launched without mounts, but their absence felt egregious in New World given the vast amount of backtracking its quests require, and the limited fast travel options. And while the world is rather pretty, it's also quite sparse when it comes to diversions, meaning that you have to spend a helluva long time legging it through forests and fields with nothing to do—unless you have a big crafting project that requires a gathering binge. 

That's a problem of the past, thankfully, though only if you shell out for Rise of the Angry Earth. Everyone else will have to continue their mountless existence. Sorry.

Some players have expressed disappointment that they have to buy "$30 mount DLC", which is a touch unfair, given all the other additions, but I sympathise with the sentiment. I would have maybe considered returning to New World just to check out the mounts, but I'm not willing to part with that much cash for the privilege.

Despite this, the expansion has certainly reignited interest in the MMO, with the base game leaping up the Steam charts. Here in the UK it's sitting at #1, and globally it's only below Counter-Strike 2, while Rise of the Angry Earth has taken the #3 spot. Player numbers have also doubled, but they are still nowhere