Greetings, Adventurers! Aeternum is an ever-evolving world, and as such, we continue our efforts in providing our players with an assortment of ongoing new features, content, and changes. Similar to the activities leading up to our latest major update, we are approaching the release of our next large release and would like to once again invite you all to participate in the next cycle of our Public Test Realm (PTR)! [u][b]PTR[/b][/u] The Public Test Realm (PTR) is a limited-availability server-set that will give players an early look at upcoming features. These preview builds are snapshots of upcoming major releases and are not final versions — you may encounter bugs, crashes, missing text, or other issues. Between our internal testing efforts and your reports, we hope to catch and resolve all serious issues before they reach the live servers. However, not every bug or feedback piece will be actioned on before release — some changes need to be investigated further, and may come in a subsequent patch or two. Nonetheless, hundreds of changes have already been made — with more to come — and the full release notes will be shared on release day. To help with the feedback process, all newly created PTR characters will have the opportunity to instantly level to select level-ranges outfitted with appropriate gear and items. The PTR will officially open tomorrow, February 3, at 10 AM PST (6 PM UTC). Servers are limited — to maximize world population and encourage higher occurrences of group play, there will only be one world available for this playtest cycle, with it located within the US East regional datacenter. You may have to change your regional selection from the main menu in order to discover the available test world. This special preview client will be made available for download through the stand-alone Steam application, “New World Public Test Realm” (which should already be in your Steam library if you own the main game). When the test period is complete and the main New World game is updated with the previewed content, all worlds will shut down and be wiped clean. You will still see the New World PTR application in your Steam library, but there will not be active servers until the next time we announce a test. If you encounter a bug, exploit, or have suggestions to improve a feature or piece of content, we’d love to hear your feedback on our PTR sub-forum (you can also utilize our in-game feedback tool). We will do our best to address as much of your feedback as possible before the content update makes its way to our live servers. Your participation will help us to deliver awesome content and updates in the future! During this iteration of the PTR, we look forward to hearing your playtest feedback regarding the following changes. [u][b]Bugs, Balance, & Polish [/b][/u]Deciding when to align resources to provide new content or to focus on improving what’s already there is a delicate balancing act for a Live game, and New World is no different. For our February game update, we’ve taken a moment of pause on feature development in favor of improving the state of the Live game. As such, we’re pleased to share that a significant number of high-value bug fixes and improvements as well as some small ones have been made across the entire game experience. While we won’t be providing new content this cycle, we hope that these numerous changes will provide you — our players — with a much better day-to-day experience as you adventure throughout Aeterum. Here are some of our more significant and exciting changes to look forward to playtesting on the PTR: [u][b]Player Combat[/b][/u] [u]Weapon Swapping[/u] Weapons can now be swapped during reactions, dodges, traversal and while using consumables (except weapon coatings) and will not interrupt those actions! There's a 1-second swap cooldown in these cases, to prevent instant weapon spamming. Weapon swapping and attack actions can now be queued simultaneously! Such as, if you press a weapon swap during an attack's recovery, then immediately press an ability key, the weapon will swap at the first swap cancel frame, then immediately perform the desired ability. Although actions still have a buffer and cancel window, this change will make the weapon-change and ability-activate combo easier and more reliable to use. We now prevent weapon swap buffers from being cancelled if you become staggered before the swap can occur. [u]Dodging & Blocking[/u] [list] [*] We have shortened the length of recovery for all of our dodges! Dodging and entering into navigation should feel more fluid for all players now. [*] Basic attack startups for both melee and ranged can now be dodge and block canceled up to 2 frames before the first active frame. This is typically the first animation frame where the damage hitshape activates or the projectile/hitscan object spawns. [/list] [u]Jumping[/u] Launching off lower height objects will no longer trigger a fully-committed landing reaction animation, allowing you to keep your momentum as you move through Aeternum [u]Balance Changes[/u] [list] [*] A cleanup pass has been performed across all weapon types, helping a number of abilities and perks feel more predicable and potent out on the battlefield! [*] The Great Axe has received a significant rework to “Gravity Well”. [*] The Musket’s “Stopping Power”, “Sticky Bomb”, and “Shooter’s Stance” have also received significant reworks. [/list] [u][b]Player versus Environment[/b][/u] [u]AI Improvements[/u] We’re introducing a new Player-vs-AI physics collider solution that will significantly reduce the amount of pushback from bipedal and simple-shaped creatures colliding with player characters. Quadruped and long-creatures will receive a similar update in the future. Improved AI targeting to fix instances where AI sometimes attacks locations the player used to be (instead where they actually moved to) Reduced pushback on block from most creature attacks. [u][b]Outpost Rush[/b][/u] [list] [*] Multiple AI and visual bugs have been addressed. [*] AI and siege weapons have received a balance pass. [*] Scoring mechanisms for contribution have been reworked: [*] Dealing damage now increases player scores. [*] Reduced the amount of points granted from killing enemy players. [*] Reduced the amount of points granted from killing enemy AI. [*] Adjusted game mode participation rewards: [*] Faction Tokens are now granted on match completion. [*] Outpost Rush Caches now reward 2 pieces of Outpost Rush specific armor and an Outpost Rush specific weapon. In addition, there’s also an added 15% chance of receiving a 4th item which may be a piece of Outpost Rush specific Jewelry. [*] Significantly increased the likelihood that Outpost Rush Cache rewards will increase player Expertise ratings. [*] Outpost Rush gear now rolls from a fixed list of perks that are more ideal for PvP combat. This means that traits like “Beast Ward” will no longer be found on Outpost Rush gear. [*] Removed “Beast Ward” from “Illusory Enigma” and replaced it with “Keen”. Please note that this change isn’t retroactive and it will only apply to new Illusory Engima’s granted after the patch. [/list] [b][u]Crafting[/u][/b] Reduced Tradeskill EXP leveling requirements by 10% for the following tradeskills: Arcana, Armoring, Engineering, Furnishing, Jewelcrafting, and Weaponsmithing. A new Trade Chat channel has been added, facilitating a dedicated space to hawk your wares! Many more changes have been made across the entire New World experience. Check out our PTR Release Notes for a bigger picture and let us know what you think on the PTR subforum! [b][u]PTR Backstory Loadouts[/u][/b] Upon character creation on the PTR, players will be given multiple caches of special armor and weapons. Each cache has a designation based upon a general build based on a main attribute: CON, DEX, INT, FOC, and STR. To help manage the sudden onset of new items, do not open all provided caches at once, or you risk becoming encumbered! Instead, equip all provided bags and then follow-up with opening each cache deliberately. Any undesired caches can be dropped or deposited into your personal settlement storage. [b][u]PTR FAQ[/u][/b] HOW DO I ACCESS THE NEW PTR? Everyone with a copy of New World will be automatically granted access to the secondary PTR app. The PTR is not compatible with the live game, so you will need to download a separate client (and have the hard drive space required to support it). From there, we will have special worlds available within supported regions. Not all regions will initially be supported. Access is on a first come, first served basis. There may be queues. CAN I PLAY WITH OR TRANSFER MY LIVE CHARACTERS TO THE PTR? Unfortunately, no. These are separate ecosystems, so at this time it is not possible. However, to make testing easier, we will occasionally provide our play-testers with special accommodations such as instant levels, special gear, etc. CAN I PROVIDE DESIGN FEEDBACK REGARDING WHAT’S INCLUDED ON THE PTR? Preview game builds on the PTR are finished with their core development and are in their final phase of testing and bug fixing. Our main focus at this phase is improving quality, although we will appreciate any feedback you have to share. I HAVE A PROBLEM; HOW CAN I CONTACT CUSTOMER SUPPORT? Our policies and Code of Conduct cover the PTR, and in-game moderation will continue to be supported. Unfortunately, due to the temporary and potentially unstable nature of the PTR, general Customer Service assistance through both Live Chat and through the Support Website will not be available. I DON’T WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PTR, CAN I REMOVE THE APP FROM MY LIBRARY? Don’t worry, no offense taken. Players can manage visibility of the New World Public Test Realm Steam Library entry. Opening up the game options (right-click > Manage) offers the “Hide Game” function. Thanks for your support and participation! We'll see you in Aeternum.