Every MMORPG has one thing in common, a vast and magnificent world filled with adventure and loot. When it comes to questing, it's another common trope to have the main storyline that encompasses the local lore and a variety of unrelated side-quests to improve player immersion with the environment. Open-world and RPG games include "hidden" or "secret" quests as part of the immersion factor, making finding the quests themselves a part of the adventure.
New World already has a reputation for being a bit weak in the main story department. Meanwhile, there are actually a lot of interesting and important New World side quests to be randomly found from NPCs that are out in the wilderness for one reason or another, and they're wandering the wilds of Aeternum just like the player. There are still locations to be discovered and no doubt a number of quests as well, but for those that are looking for some inspiration, here are some of the best side and hidden quests in New World.
Updated December 21, 2021 by Kristy Ambrose: New World has been available for a while now, and players have had time to explore the vast island nation and max out their levels. That means there are a few more obscure, weird, and interesting side quests that can be added to the list. Most of them involve epic weapons and powerful enemies, but there are others that involve crafting and exploration as opposed to fighting Aeternum's hostiles. Most of the new entries are intended for higher-level players and can only be found after reaching more advanced levels and exploring certain areas.
11 The Haremaster's Quest, Restless Shore
This New World quest encounter is already so notorious it's hardly a secret anymore, but it's so weird yet perfectly fitting with the aesthetic of the game that it needs to be included. There is a quest on the mainland that can lead the player to Rabbit Island, but that's not necessary to find the location and start the event.
There's nothing to stop any interested player from taking a walk along the archipelago, seeking out the island populated by numerous rabbits. Kill a certain special rabbit named Stanley and the Haremaster will appear to give the player a special task. Follow and obey, if ye dare.
10 To Be A Grand Master
Whether or not you can start this New World side quest depends on a character's Fishing skill level, so in theory, even a new character could do it. As long as it's 100, "To Be A Grand Master" is available from Grand Master Gasper Machera in Reekwater. He's located outside of the settlement, southeast of it on the road, so even if a player has the required fishing level, it's easy to miss this NPC and therefore the quest as well.
There's a chain you can do before this one that's offered by the same NPC, and it's handy to undertake it if your character needs to grind their fishing level or do some exploring. For the last one that precedes "To Be A Grand Master," the player needs to bring a total of 100 fish filets of varying kinds to Gasper.
9 Misplaced Treasure, Weaver's Fen
Dr. Leonie Roggeveen is fairly close to the main road, just west of the main settlement. There are some interesting ruins in this region, and she's here for the history, not the fighting. That's why she needs your help finding Nora, and that's the basic plot of this New World side-quest.
One of the local landmarks in Weaver's Fen is the Vega Bridge, which stretches across almost half the zone, and the player needs to find some clues that Nora left behind. This handy quest gives the player an excuse to take a closer look at the northern section of it, plus the level 30 armor case, complete with a T3 item, is well worth it.
8 Treasure Island, Cutlass Keys
In a game where players can make their own classes, Treasure Hunter might be one of them. That's the title that's given to Claire Fergus, as she's standing by the side of a lonely road with part of a map. She doesn't have information about where the map came from exactly, but apparently, this treasure is the legacy of the notorious pirate Tireless Thompson, so who's going to say no?
Just like treasure hunting, it's not as glamourous as it sounds, since all that's left of the treasure are a few humble doubloons. It turns out Claire was double-crossed by her partner, and this drama continues in a quest chain should the player choose to continue with it.
7 Bear Co-Habitation, Brightwood
It's sad, silly, and a scenario typical of frontier life, so it has to be a quest in New World. Hunter Hutchison's whole family was killed by bears. It's like The Revenant meets Jerimiah Johnson and is perfect for the tone and mood of this particular MMO. It's not just the experience of this quest that makes it worth seeking out. These bears are big and tough, so if a character needs more weapon experience or wants to level some Gathering skills, mostly tracking and skinning, it's worth seeking out the unlucky Hunter and helping him exact revenge.
It's not easy to find this New World quest encounter unless the player stumbles across Hunter by accident on the road heading south to the settlement. Follow this same road south to find the location of Yargui Khunbish, a mysterious NPC with suspicious connections to the Angry Earth.
6 Keen Temper, Cutlass Keys
This quest is named for the sword that awaits its completion, and it's one of the best side-quest rewards available. Keen Temper is one of the epic swords you'll find in New World. The quest is offered by Antonia Lucian in Cutlass Keys, who gives you the work order that lists the ingredients required and where they can be found.
What follows is an epic journey to various locations throughout the more dangerous zones of Aeternum, including to some places that would never appear on the map otherwise. Players that don't use swords, or don't have the points in Dexterity or Strength to make it feasible to equip one, can miss this quest entirely.
5 Story Of The Stones, Weaver's Fen
This is another quest that gives the player some motivation to do some exploring in an obscure location that might otherwise get overlooked. There are a lot of ruins on Aeternum, but the oldest and most mysterious are those left by the Ancients, and that's what Architect Na Li needs the player's help to find.
Specifically, Na Li wants to discover not only how the Ancients built Vega Bridge, but how old it is. Bring him some samples so he can prove his theory about the age of the ruins. Grab him a few bits of ancient rock and the reward will be a level 30 armor case. In an interesting twist, it turns out the ruins are much older than Na Li first thought, and this discovery leads to a whole chain of New World side quests with some interesting lore and more valuable loot.
4 Recipe For Disaster, Cutlass Keys
Anyone would feel bad for Plute Swampy, who seems to have been traumatized when his former shipmates turned into zombies and chased him away from Salty Snail Fishery, which is why most players agree to get him his pots and pans back. Once he's got them, however, the next step is to get him his recipes so he can actually get to cooking.
What sets this apart from the rest of this chain is the double-reward. Not only is there a level 33 chest when you return the recipe book and missing pages, but there's also a chest the player can open for killing the mini-boss of this quest, Misanthrope Broadbin. It's an easy quest to find amid the busy Cutlass Keys settlement, which ironically is why so many players overlook it.
3 Sweet Secrets, Brightwood
Most of this chain is great once it's been discovered, and it's not exactly easy to find, either. This is NPC Yargui Khunbish's New World location, and she can be found standing by the junction of two small roads. It's all about getting the right sweetener for her tea, and also something about a supernatural being and redemption. Her quest will send the player into the Lush Hideaway, a unique and dangerous area in the southeast of Brightwood.
Unlike other parts of Aeternum, the enemies here consist of the natural guardian spirits of the Azoth Tree as opposed to Corrupted or Withered. The reward for this quest is a Tier III weapon case and an elite quest as a follow-up to kill an Arch Druid.
2 Fenton's Fiend, Weaver's Fen
You can find Evelyn Van Heck on the road near the Weaver's Fen settlement, and she has three elite quests that are part of a quest that starts with this one. The player has to travel to the Fenton Hamlet, or what's left of it, and put the Fenton Ravager out of its misery. A party of at least three is required to finish it provided each player is at least level 37, the level required to get the quest of Evelyn.
After killing the Fenton Ravager, the player is awarded a nice pile of gold and a T3 armor case, and the opportunity to take the next quest in the chain, Keeping the Faith. The final quest in the chain is Extreme Exorcism, and the title gives away the basic premise.
1 Mother Ocean, Cutlass Keys
Here's a quest that gives player's a nice incentive to explore the islands along the southern coast of Cutlass Keys. It's also a nice callback to all those romantic stories that make the ocean the main antagonist, like The Tempest and Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. Wistful Billiam Rowen, whose name could be satire, tells the tale of a sunken ship and a lost sextant. Not only that, but the quest also includes sending a few of Billiam's more stubborn former crewmates to their eternal rest.
There are other quests in a chain to complete, and they all provide decent rewards starting at level 30. This quest chain is also an efficient way to loot through the Condemned Shallows, where many ships and their bountiful cargo have been docked permanently.