Many MMORPGs are known for their deep and well-thought-out lore and world-building. One of the most important things to do when creating a new MMO world is to make it cohesive. Amazon Games' new MMO New World is attempting to do exactly that with the setting of Aeternum. While many things are still shrouded in mystery on Aeternum and are likely to be expanded with future game updates, as is standard with MMOs, there's still a lot to be understood about the setting and lore of New World.
New World is unique among other MMOs as each player has roughly the same beginning. Despite the fantasy setting, everyone in New World starts as a shipwrecked human with no class or specialization which is also unusual for this genre. What is not unusual for New World is how it explains its lore to the players. This typically comes from quests, exploration, and various notes and logs scattered throughout Aeternum. Through these, players can very slowly unravel the lore of Aeternum and the never-ending battle between life and death, Azoth and Corruption.
Aeternum's Lore
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New World takes place during the Age of Exploration in the 17th century of an alternate universe and takes place on the supernatural island of Aeternum. This legendary island houses a dichotomy of beauty and evil. Aeternum is home to lush forests, sandy beaches, fertile grasslands, and dangerous mountains. This number of biomes may be unbelievable in other MMOs, but New World's Aeternum is supposed to be the stuff of legends, so it makes sense that it is incredibly diverse. Aeternum is also home to a mineral known as Azoth which gives those who harness it eternal life and power. Several generations of explorers have tried and failed to harness Azoth but instead fell prey to its counterpart, The Corruption. This is a force for evil on Aeternum and generally seeps into just about everything on the island.
In-game, Azoth is used for a large number of purposes such as crafting, resetting of skills, and fast traveling. It is also used to explain the phenomenon of resurrection on Aeternum. However, the presence of The Lost and The Corruption is proof that Azoth is not the only source of supernatural power, perhaps just the only benevolent one. The player finds themself drawn to Aeternum just like the countless souls before them. Instead of dying in the shipwreck like so many others and becoming one of the ghoulish Lost, the player must team up with fellow survivors to unravel the mysteries of Aeternum and Azoth.
Other humans have created factions to divide and conquer Aeternum and claim the Azoth for themselves. These factions are The Marauders, a militant might-makes-right group; The Covenant represents the faith of New World and seeks to cleanse The Corruption from the lands. Finally, The Syndicate is the group that prefers to stick to the shadows and out-smart their enemies. Players must choose which faction's goals best align with their characters. These factions fight each other over Aeternum's territory, but so does The Corruption which if it gets out of hand results in a PvE battle to drive it back once more.
Amazon seems to have found its first successful game release with New World. The many delays and beta tests seem to have done their job of delivering a product that gamers want. While there is always something to improve in MMOs, the studio's risks about standard MMO features like classes, races, and mounts, are paying off for now. Fans of New World are surely looking forward to future content updates that expand upon the very solid foundation of the island of Aeternum, Azoth, and The Corruption.
New World is out now for PC.