Rejoice, for New World update 1.1 is coming, and it's bringing lots of stuff with it. The new Void Gauntlet weapon makes its debut in this update, along with new Varangian Knight enemies and lots and lots of bug fixes.
What's in New World update 1.1?
After the New World PTR (public test realm) debuted many of these features earlier this month, New World update 1.1 is now bringing them into the game proper. The new Void Gauntlet is a hybrid damage and support weapon that transforms into either a summoned blade or a hovering projectile orb depending on which tree you pick. You can use it to take on the new Varangian Knights, who are raiding Southeastern Aeternum under their Gaul commander. They comprise archers, warriors, scouts, and more, so you'll need your wits about you to battle them.
There are a number of smaller changes in New World update 1.1 as well. You'll notice you move faster on roads thanks to a 10% speed boost, although this boost will be cancelled if you get into a fight. All trading posts have been linked, so you can check orders from anywhere. There's also been quite a significant quest overhaul; Amazon Game Studios says it's reworked several main story quests to have more "compelling dynamics". These include new enemy wave encounters, objects you can destroy, and more.
When is New World update 1.1 live?
Amazon says it's started the downtime necessary to implement New World update 1.1. That downtime period started at 8am Eastern (that's 5am Pacific and 1pm GMT), and it's slated to last around four hours, although that period could always be extended if problems arise. Expect to be playing New World update 1.1 around noon Eastern, unless Amazon uncovers yet another game-breaking bug, which is always possible given the proliferation of major bugs in the game.
A number of prominent bugs and issues have been fixed in New World update 1.1. These include allowing players to lock in trades resulting in overflowing inventory, as well as trades that could cause players to exceed maximum coin, therefore losing money. It's worth noting these aren't the bugs that recently resulted in New World trading getting shut down yet again; Amazon says it's already fixed those and banned over 1000 exploiters for using them to dupe items or money. The list of bugs that have been fixed in this update is pretty staggering, so it's definitely worth checking out the full New World patch notes if you want to see everything that's changed.
What's next for New World after this update?
It's hard to say where Amazon Game Studios will go next after this update. New World seems to have remained relatively stable for the past day or two after the most recent spate of game-breaking bugs, and although it's sad the game has reached that state of affairs, that's a small cause for celebration for players. Perhaps now, Amazon can focus on creating updates and filling out New World's content rather than fixing endless dupe bugs and game-breaking glitches.
You can grab New World right now via Steam. The asking price is $39.99, but you won't need to pay any kind of subscription after that, unlike some other MMOs. After a successful launch, New World's player count has declined a lot, but there are still plenty of explorers wandering across Aeternum. Here's hoping Amazon has found a way to stabilize the game and keep people interested.
Are you looking forward to checking out the new features in New World update 1.1? Let us know in the comments below!
