New World: Rise of the Angry Earth Review

mmorpg.com:

When I firstreviewed New World after it launched in 2021, I found myself at a bit of a crossroads with the Amazon MMO. There were parts of New World that I loved, from the setting and backstory of the Eternal Isle, to the resource gathering and robust crafting that showcased its roots as a survival MMO before the team changed course.

However, the bits I didn’t quite feel were up to par, namely its grindy progression and forgetful story, really soured any enjoyment I had to continue playing past my initial review period. I would duck my head in over the course of the next year, keeping up with some of the game’s new features and additions, but it wasn’t until the revamped new player experience and the Brimstone Sands update last year that it felt like New World ’s developers really hit their stride.

Fast forward to today, where the first paid expansion, Rise of the Angry Earth , is firmly in the rearview mirror, New World’s developers at Amazon Games Studios are full speed ahead on what’s next for the MMO. Despite the launch of the expansion, it wasn’t as smooth as many would have hoped (but magnitudes smoother than the first few months the MMO was on the market by comparison).

Originally I had planned on reviewing the expansion, and then doing an overall re-review of New World , but the more I played Rise of the Angry Earth , and thanks to a quest progression bug when it first came out that forced me to start from scratch effectively, the two reviews collided into one — with this now effectively being a review of the expansion, but the experience in New World as a whole.

I firmly believe the New World players can jump into today is night and day better than the one that launched in 2021. And that’s not to say the