Greetings, Adventurers! Season 1 - Fellowship & Fire downtime will begin for all regions at 5AM PT (12PM UTC) on April 4. Expected downtime is 2 hours. Look forward to more frequent content like new narratives, features, gameplay experiences, and a Season Pass with two reward tracks. Check out our [url=https://www.newworld.com/en-us/game/releases/season-one-fellowship-and-fire]full breakdown of the release notes for more information[/url] on all things Season 1. Here’s an overview featuring Redbyrd, co-creator of Newworldfans.com and the New World to Go podcast, for you to learn more about the key additions. [previewyoutube=UjaPuiBx0Tc;full][/previewyoutube] [h2]SEASON PASS REWARD TRACK[/h2] The [url=https://www.newworld.com/en-us/news/articles/season-pass-free-and-premium-reward-tracks-faq]Season Pass[/url] gives players a variety of ways to earn new titles, gear, and more, including: 5 Seasonal Armor Skin pieces, 1 Seasonal Armor Set (5 pieces), 9 Seasonal Weapon Skins, 6 Seasonal Tool Skins, 1 Seasonal Emote, and 1 Camp skin. Our Free Track is available to all players, while the Premium Reward Track offers extra rewards for an additional purchase. The Season Pass also includes the introduction of the Season Journey, a series of tasks and challenges that send Adventurers around Aeternum, plus the Activity Card where players can earn Season XP through mini-objectives. The Season Pass ties into all of our seasonal content including the Silver Crow’s storyline. [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/j95d1p8hsuun/3MZJM1eYmKj0U4vQHWz4ng/6935302ff759c5157cbbc39077bed470/Premium_Reward_Track_Image_A_1920.jpg[/img] Players can earn large chunks of Season XP though Journey Tasks & Challenges and Activity Card stamps. Smaller amounts of Season XP can be earned from the following: [list] [*] Gypsum Cast crafting [*] Expedition Boss kills [*] Outpost Rush [*] PvP Arenas [*] War [*] Invasions [*] PvP kills [*] Corruption Breaches [*] Quests [*] Faction Missions [*] Aptitude Levels [*] Trials [*] Earning level XP [/list] [h2]UPDATED LEADERBOARD REWARD SKIN [/h2] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/j95d1p8hsuun/5cpZX48trWDBdVh7bviyI/e44e740b9868d0329406e58cd7cac0ba/Leaderboard_Skin_Season_1.png[/img] In response to player feedback, we have altered the Leaderboard reward skin to better fit the great accomplishment it represents. With the new updated look we hope to bring a more regal and aspiring quality to this hard-won item. We look forward to continued feedback from our Leaderboard competitors on rewards for future seasons! [h2]COMBAT BALANCE UPDATES [/h2] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/j95d1p8hsuun/5HSzZ5jR39Quzlo0vyCcwM/7619880d40c2079bc29c36d185e27a66/NW_AidynSpearFight_3_SeasonsJourneyMSQ_Final_CT-001427.jpg[/img] A few combat balance topics have been on our radar and trending in the community: Magic and Ranged Weapon PvE Viability, Weapon Balance in PvP, and Equip Load Balance. Balance is an ever-evolving part of gameplay and we will continue to make further adjustments based on feedback to create the best possible experience for players. [h3]MAGIC AND RANGED WEAPON PVE VIABILITY [/h3]Magic and ranged weapons have fallen behind melee weapons in PvE content, most noticeably in end game content like Mutators. We will continue to strive for viability across all weapons through the following changes: [list] [*] Increased Bane power on magic and ranged weapons. (10% higher than what’s possible on melee weapons). [*] Adjusted Mutations will no longer disproportionately affect magic users (Removed the Elemental Damage Reduction of 50-75%). [*] Players that like to tank will now have more options for a wider variety of gameplay (Added more Taunt Gem capability for various abilities on numerous weapons). [/list] [h3]WEAPON BALANCE FOR PVP[/h3] Some melee and ranged weapons are currently more powerful than what we consider healthy for PvP gameplay. In pursuit of our balance goals we are adjusting the power, utility, and functionality of most weapons: [list] [*] We re-calibrated the accuracy system and how it affects shots for the Musket. Shots now have a slight deviation in their trajectory so that long ranged shots are not as consistent when moving or firing without the Accuracy Perk. [*] Adjusted Crowd Control effects on certain abilities and clarified the scope of some damage focused abilities. [/list] [h3]EQUIP LOAD BALANCE[/h3] We want to have a larger diversity of equip loads and make more weapons viable for all playstyles. Ideally these changes allow players with more unique styles, off-meta builds, and personal preferences to participate in meaningful ways regardless of the game mode: [list] [*] Adjusted damage mitigation formula and how rend and fortify affect it [*] Also changed Rend and Fortify to directly scale the player’s Armor Rating [*] Adjustments to some attribute thresholds bonuses [*] Adjustments to the PvP Mitigation formula to provide a better experience to a wider range of Gear Scores. [/list] [h2]NEW SEASONAL STORY: THE SILVER CROWS[/h2] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/j95d1p8hsuun/3QI6EMlTrW4QPMKeRY4Tvl/995cf4d133acbd7bb27c8392c5cf5cc0/NW_Skye_S1Announce_SeasonsJourneyMSQ_Final_CT-001427.jpg[/img] Join Grace O’Malley and [url=https://www.newworld.com/en-us/news/articles/silver-crows-character-spotlights]assemble an elite team of mercenaries[/url] called the Silver Crows to help their first client, Skye the Spear-daughter, confront a powerful Warlock and the Varangian horde, and halt their ambitions amidst the flames of the Empyrean Forge. [h2]GEAR SET STORAGE[/h2] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/j95d1p8hsuun/04IOOsyXiht9sL4Ih0iNt/d2a4ee12ac5bfd13031085b4c19042e2/EN_NW_MarchStoreUpdate_Gearset_1920x1080_Final_CT-001607.jpg[/img] Need to quickly swap gear for Mutated Expeditions? You’ll now be able to save and switch between your favorite gear sets after reaching level 25. Additional slots can be earned through the Season Pass or purchased with Marks of Fortune. [h2]NEW HEARTRUNE ABILITY: FIRE STORM[/h2] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/j95d1p8hsuun/6S2ehUHSqTZuEyHDzV96ZN/db67b1ed547e323040adb3f70af81a01/NW_FireStorm_D_Final_1920x1080__CT-001616.jpg[/img] Create a tornado that damages targets in its path. You can also craft more powerful versions of the Heartgem to [url=https://www.newworld.com/en-us/news/articles/fire-storm-heartrune-secrets]fit your playstyle[/url]. [h2]NEW EXPEDITION: EMPYREAN FORGE[/h2] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/j95d1p8hsuun/3o816KsLDKzaYZylvkUQhN/691bea2efa3ac55c02d8954694fe2b55/NW_Boss1_S1Announce_EmpyreanForge_Final_CT-001427.jpg[/img] The Empyrean Forge is a new Level 60+ Expedition set in the Great Cleave. Pursue the commanders of Sir Loth, a knight of Artorius, to [url=https://www.newworld.com/en-us/news/articles/empyrean-forge-expedition-lore-and-design]stop the flow of elemental magic[/url] deep within an Ancient Forge. [h2]BRIGHTWOOD AND WEAVER’S FEN NEW MAIN STORY QUESTLINE[/h2] The Weaver’s Fen and Brightwood Regional Main Storyline is getting an overhaul based on player feedback and improvements made to the revamped starting experience. Experience these two familiar territories through a fresh narrative, more quest variety, and a few new surprises. [h2]LEVEL 40 WEAPON AND ARMOR QUESTS 2.0[/h2] Enjoy new and improved level 40 weapon and armor quests. Each quest will now require less travel and eliminations. Look forward to fresh rewards, narratives, and more. [h2]COMPENSATION NOTIFICATION[/h2] There is now an improved flow for players to be aware of and claim special offerings from the team. This menu is accessible through a new button on the Game Menu. Look at the main in-game Nav Bar to find it. Previously, when we granted items or coin to players, compensation would happen automatically on login. It was not always apparent to the player that they had received something. [h2]ALT CHARACTER MITIGATION[/h2] Some players, due to world merges or some early character transfers, have more than 1 character on a single server. These players will now have to declare only one of them as their “PVP Active” character at a time, with a 3-day cooldown on switching PVP Active status between characters. Only the PVP Active character may flag for PVP or fight in a War, but all your characters regardless of PVP Active status can still play Outpost Rush or Arenas. This new restriction will keep alt characters from being used as an unfair advantage in that server’s influence pushes or territory wars. [h2]SEASON 1 - FELLOWSHIP & FIRE MERCH[/h2] [img]https://images.ctfassets.net/j95d1p8hsuun/3RWZNFGY7aXCC2QDztDVpw/e17faf84b9b2bbbf25175c71a2d97e2c/NW_Season1_Merch_1920x1080.jpg[/img] Show your support for the Silver Crows outside of Aeternum. Check out the full collection featuring a [url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ8YK7M1]T-shirt[/url] and [url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ1XNNJM]hoodie[/url] in the Amazon Store. Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.