New World New Player FAQ
We are proud to host this informative FAQ compiled by geofgivens with support from JakeL, Phoenix, FahQtoo, Fairuza, IamDoom1337, Landi, West, Tam Toucan, and other players on the Official New World community discord. You can find a link to the FAQ Doc here. You can also add additional questions and information (see here), or you can post a comment below. (v 5.0 updated 12 September 2024).
Welcome
This FAQ is mostly oriented for less experienced New World players, especially PVE. I am a casual player, over 1300 hours, with broad, non-expert knowledge of the game. Several more expert community members have also shared their knowledge here.
My general viewpoint is that you should experiment, explore, and have fun rather than treat the game as an optimization puzzle, a race, or serious work. Accordingly, I think that many questions are best answered with “Relax, it doesn’t matter too much, just have fun and you will do fine”. Nevertheless, below I try to offer some basic guidance for those who want it, even when there is no single correct answer.
Finally, I hope you will join us in supporting a positive, non-toxic New World community.
Contents
- Note: if you click on the heading of a section, it will link back up to this contents list
Which servers are open for me to create a character or transfer?
See nwdb.info/server-status for a list of which servers are currently unlocked
When will they unlock server X?
Server unlocks are automated, based on a system that considers: (i) active population (playing right now or recently), (ii) total population (regardless of playing frequency), (iii) queues, (iv) other AGS-specific metrics. The system is poorly understood, but unlock waits have ranged from hours to weeks. Given these criteria, it is entirely reasonable that a server may currently appear lightly used and have no queue, but remain locked indefinitely. Instead of complaining, please realize that (ii) is critical, and that apparent usage varies by time of day around the world.
How can I get on a server with my friends?
Wait until it is unlocked, or have everybody move to an open server simultaneously. Demanding exceptions from AGS is pointless.
Should I go to a Fresh Start Server because I’m new?
Probably not. They are not open for inbound transfer, and sometimes also locked for character creation. Furthermore, they are no longer fresh. They were made in November 2022. Their economy is similar to everywhere else, and there are lots of high-level players everywhere.
Why does AGS lock servers?
Typically I resist answering “why” questions. However, let me point out that server locks are beneficial to everyone. Both AGS and players want servers that are not computationally overburdened, queueing that is limited, and in-game play experiences that are not overcrowded.
Where did my old character/server go?
If you have been inactive for 180 days, your character may have been removed from your server to make room for active players. In this case, you will need to join any open server from the login screen. Your character and stuff still exist…they just need to find a new home. If your previous server is open, you can rejoin it.
Same questions about merging servers.
Same answers. AGS will do it when and how they feel it is appropriate.
Can I make a new character on the same server as my existing one?
Yes.
What happens to my stuff when I transfer servers?
If you stay in the same region, you keep everything: levels, faction, items, coins, progress, houses & furnishings, etc., but not your company. If you transfer to a server in a different region (which is only allowed after reaching level 25), you must sell your houses first because houses won’t transfer. In both cases, if nobody remains to take over your company, it dissolves.
Should I buy New World?
Definitely. The game is a lot of fun. The visuals are fantastic, and the sound is among the best ever achieved in gaming. There are all sorts of enjoyable activities for PVE and PVP players. The price is cheap, and there is no subscription. The game continues to evolve with expansions and seasonal content. Drawbacks include: bugs, some usability/quality-of-life issues, and some toxicity in chats/forums (like many computer games, and life in general).
Should I buy the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion?
Yes, to play between now and the next release. It provides mounts and allows access to various fun areas (e.g. Elysian Wilds and Savage Divide), items (e.g. artifacts), and activities (e.g. mutated dungeons). Although many features are not available until level 25 or later, leveling is so fast that you will soon want these benefits, and you will be jealous in the meantime without the expansion. Also, all the new content in the pending release, New World: Aeternum, will be available only to players who own the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion. Upon release, New World: Aeternum will be sold as a single game that includes the Rise of the Angry Earth content, so you’ll be all set if you are a newcomer and buy the package then.
Should I buy the premium version of the current Season Pass?
Generally, wait. In the first four seasons, there have not been amazing benefits for premium, nor would I want there to be, to avoid pay-to-win. You can google the reward tracks to evaluate whether there are specific reasons why you might want to pay. The free and premium reward tracks have 100 levels each and have included common and rare materials, coins, gear, skins, emotes, and some stuff that costs actual money, including boosters, gear slots, transmog tokens, and marks of fortune (essentially, a partial refund). If you buy premium, you also get the free rewards.
Is the expansion another big download?
No. It is already downloaded with the game. Purchasing it simply unlocks it.
What are the specs for the game?
See here. The display is excellent, but if your graphics do not seem crisp enough, try turning off dynamic resolution, and check whether your game resolution matches the max native resolution your monitor can handle.
I just started, but things don’t seem right. Where’s the quests and story? Or, it says servers not open, or maintenance mode?
Perhaps you accidentally started the PTR (Public Test Realm). This is not the game. Exit and start the real game. The PTR has a watermark at the top right corner of the screen, plus other obvious signs.
How do I start the expansion content?
To start the quests and main content for Rise of the Angry Earth, you must be level 60. Then look for the “Invasion of Artemis” quest. To get your mount, you must be level 25. Look for the ‘Change of the Wild’ quest, and the horseshoe symbol, in northern Everfall. Artifacts, mutations, and other aspects of the expansion will happen automatically.
I am returning to New World after a long absence. What has changed and what should I do?
Welcome back. I suggest starting with this guide. Also, consider starting a new character, as the main story questline has improved significantly, and there have been occasional bugs trying to restart quests mid-story.
Will I have to start over?
No. For existing PC players, New World: Aeternum is essentially an update that brings new content and crossplay with console platforms. If you want to join the rush of new players or experience the new Archetype starting experience, you may also choose to start a new character.
Will my character be deleted or lose progress?
No. All active PC characters will keep everything they have now.
If you have not logged on for 6 months, your character’s name will become available for new characters to use, and you will be detached from your server. You will be prompted to rename your character and choose a new server to join when you next log in.
Should I play on new Fresh Start or Legacy servers?
This is a personal decision depending on the kind of experience you value. If you want to start on the same footing with everyone else (and race to advance), then choose Fresh Start. If you already have a developed character or would like to join players who have resources they can use to help you, then join a Legacy server. Joining on the same server as your friends is highly recommended, e.g., so you can join the same company. Veteran New World players with established high-level characters on legacy servers will be among the first to experience the new Raid, Solo Trials, and PVP Zone.
Even if you make a new character after the release of New World: Aeternum, you can always go back to your old character after the initial rush settles.
Should I start now or wait for the new release?
New World: Aeternum is scheduled to release around October 15. If you enjoy the leveling experience, it’s worth starting now to get a feel for the game. You can then choose whether to continue with your character in October or make a new character for the Fresh Start new player experience.
If you don’t want to level twice under any circumstances, then wait for October.
Which platforms will New World: Aeternum be available on?
Steam, Xbox Series S|X, Playstation 5.
Console players will need a Game Pass Core (Xbox) or Playstation Plus subscription as New World: Aeternum cannot be played offline.
As a PC player, can I play with my console friends?
Yes. As long as your friends choose a Crossplay world, you will be able to play with them. There will be Console-only servers on both platforms so make sure you get your friends to choose a Crossplay server.
Can I play my current character on console?
No. There is no cross-progression between platforms. You would need to make a new character to play on console.
What does New World: Aeternum bring for existing PC players?
New World: Aeternum is a free update for existing PC players (but you need the expansion for full content; see below). It includes the following:
- 10 Player Raid with 3 bosses
- PVP Zone
- Repeatable solo max-level Soul Trials
- Gear Score increase to 725
- Matchmaking
- Crossworld Arenas
- Upleveled Cutlass Keys zone
- New Quests and Enemies
- Swimming
- New character Archetypes
- New Cinematic storytelling
- QOL and Combat improvements
- Crossplay
- DX12 Rendering
- AGS will publish more details on release
If you log in between the June announcement and October 15, you’ll also get a free Azoth Wolf Skin
If I only have the base game, what happens when New World: Aeternum is released?
Players with the base game will still have access to everything they do now, plus some of the global enhancements such as matchmaking, crossworld Arenas, swimming, archetypes, QoL and combat improvements.
If I own the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion, do I need to buy anything more to get the new content in New World:Aeternum?
No. All the new content in New World: Aeternum will be available to players who already own the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion. New World: Aeternum will be sold as a single game that includes the Rise of the Angry Earth content.
Where can I find X? Where can I gather X? Where does item X drop?
If X is an item or location, type it in the search bar at nwdb.info. If X is a resource, use aeternum-map.th.gl. If X should show up on your map but doesn’t, check your map filters.
What is X? What is the recipe to craft X? Where do I craft X? What features does X have?
Type the item name in the search bar at nwdb.info.
How much is X worth?
Asking in the New World discord is not the best approach. Here are some better methods. There is a Trade channel in the in-game chat. There are various external forums (e.g., discord.onl/new-world-global-trading-post/) dedicated to pricing, WTS, and WTB. Also check server/region-specific servers such as NewWorldUSWest. The website nwmarketprices.com reports recent data on prices at trading posts. Or, just go to the trading post and look for similar items being sold.
Why won’t X drop for me? Is it bugged?
You are probably just unlucky. For example, your chances of failing to get artifact X (with generous 20% drop rate) after many bag drops is as follows: 10 drops = 10.7%, 20 drops = 1.2%, 30 drops = 0.1%, 40 drops = 0.01% (and note, sometimes a kill doesn’t produce a bag drop). Considering that there are thousands of people playing New World, you are probably just one of the unluckier ones this time. Also, note that artifact drop rates from corrupted portals are much lower than elsewhere. Starting in Season 5, there is now a pity mechanism for artifacts, so that a drop will eventually be guaranteed. In contrast, for a major trophy material like a human idol with 0.5% drop rate, the failure rates are 10 tries = 95.1%, 40 tries = 81.8%, and 100 tries = 60.6%. (To find the drop rate for X, see nw-buddy.de, but this website is pretty technical.)
Please explain luck?
Loot luck is notoriously difficult to decipher and explain. Even AGS makes mistakes. Effects are generally very small. Studioloot has a few basics, but the best technical reference I have found is here.
How can I level fastest?
Leveling is already fast…what’s the rush? Enjoy, experiment, and explore. Completing quests (MSQ and side quests) increases XP quickly. ECRs, faction quests, corrupted portals, expeditions and trials, and gather/refine/craft are also effective. Music, fishing, and town projects are slower. However, everything you do earns you XP, so the most important factor is the amount you play, not what you do.
What weapons/gear should I equip to level my character fastest?
These have no impact. What matters is what you do, and how much.
Other leveling advice?
Don’t forget that certain boosters (F11) and buffs (e.g., music) can accelerate certain kinds of leveling.
I’ve reached level 65 and feel lost…what I should do now?
Congratulations! Here are a few (PVE) goals. Choose any that sound good. Three T4 houses with max chests. All major trophies, or all ultimate trophies (or at least combat UTs). 700 gear score for your favorite role (heal/tank/dps/other). 695 gear score for other roles. All weapons to level 20. All crafting, refining, gathering, casual skills to level 250. All/most artifacts obtained and fully upgraded. All expeditions completed up to M2 gold. All expeditions completed through M3. Get rich. Join/lead a company. Get on a leaderboard. Craft (and perhaps sell) 700 gear. Become an expert at all game modes (e.g. invasions, OPR, trials, influence race, etc.). Among these, I think getting houses with trophies and chests, plus high gear score, plus advancing in mutations, are good initial goals after reaching 65. The complete list here would require years.
How can I level my weapon faster?
Equip it and use it to kill enemies. If you use both weapons in the same kill, they each get half credit.
Does being in a group or raid affect leveling?
Yes. You get credit for kills from (nearby) group/raid members, even if you just watched. The “All Together Now” music buff increases group XP sharing.
How can I level my refining or crafting skills faster?
Make one of everything, to get the first-time bonus (indicated by a yellow bar to the left of the small icon). Then do what is cheapest/easiest for you, or look at the analyses at gaming.tools/newworld/. Crafting high-level stuff with the cheapest possible materials is usually better than crafting low-level stuff in bulk.
How can I level my gathering skills faster?
Go out and gather. Certain tool perks and the (level 205) music buff “Never Stop Learning” increase XP gain for these activities. Envision efficient gathering routes using aeternum-map.th.gl. You can also refine resources such as unusual ore at the corresponding refining station for extra gathering XP. These items are found while gathering or in mastery crates purchased from the faction vendor.
How can I level my territory standing faster?
Do anything in the territory. The most efficient methods are probably quests, town projects and bulk refining/crafting. The “Territorial Triumph” music buff, and a booster (F11), increase territorial standing gain.
Which territorial standing bonuses should I choose?
High priority: Storage. (And, arguably, territorial standing bonus, but only at the start of the game). Medium priority: trading tax reduction, faction xp bonus, house tax. Low priority: gathering speed, crafting fee reduction. Zero priority: everything else. Note that each time you pick a bonus, the next bonus of that type is incrementally less beneficial. Therefore, at some point, it’s worth picking the first levels of less important perks, rather than the 100th level of your favorite.
Editor’s note: If you are into decorating, House Items is arguably THE most important bonus. You can see which bonuses are offered at each standing level here.
Should I get the premium season pass?
See above. A free one is always active.
How can I level the season pass more quickly?
If you play regularly, with varied activities, you will likely finish the season pass without specific effort. To accelerate leveling, complete the seasonal quest and also note that some activities on the bingo card are much easier than others. Look for tasks you can do simultaneously, such as ‘kill ancients’, ‘kill with one-handed weapon’, and ‘kill in Windsward’. Also, note that (starting in Season 4), when you stamp the bingo card and that completes a row/column, you get another free stamp (up to 3). Thus, it is possible to stamp every square on a bingo card by completing a few legitimate stamps, and then strategically placing free stamps to complete rows, accruing more stamps, etc., until the card is finished. Finally, you can buy progress with marks of fortune, if you’re desperate.
Which weapons, gear, and weapon skills should I use? I need a build website.
As a new player, you should try out lots of options. Level ten or more weapons to max, and try some different skill tree branches. See which ones are fun and suit your playstyle. Focus on gear score (using perks as a tiebreaker) until you are around 650 overall, then consider perks more carefully, especially in 675-700. Try out light, medium, and heavy armor builds. They have different buffs which may be important to you. As you approach 65, consensus is that healers should be light armor class, DPS medium or light, and tank heavy (or medium for experts). Various advice on builds is available (use google, or try newworldbuilds.com or pvnw.net (PVE) or mutationacademy.club (PVE) or nwchamp.com (PVP), or newworldnews.org, or 5con.club). Youtube is also a good source for the most recent advice.
Don’t I need BIS (‘Best in Slot’) gear?
No. There is no such thing as BIS. The best gear for you will depend on your playstyle; the activities you are attempting; your role; your attribute allocation, perks, buffs and gems; the current meta; and personal preference. Treat claims that “You must have X” skeptically. Caveat: for end-game PVP and M3 Expeditions (PVE), careful choice of high quality gear is important.
How can I get good gear?
Before you are level 65, you will get tons of gear from drops (when you kill enemies or loot chests). There is very little reason to craft gear, because you can buy near-fantastic gear from the trading post for 10-150 coins per item. (For example, this morning, I found 100 purple and gold T5 greatswords with GS>650 listed for 9-100 coins!). Be sure to filter by “Can Equip” so that you only buy stuff you can use. When you are an expert, you will want to buy even better gear costing thousands-to-unlimited coins, or craft/upgrade it yourself (which is also very costly), or farm it from drops (which is very time consuming). For anything short of hardcore end-game PVP and M3 Expeditions, this is unnecessary.
What about good tools and instruments?
It is helpful to buy/craft better tools as you advance. I recommend the following perks on tools, in priority order: yield, mote attunement, gathering speed, luck, azoth gain, and alacrity. These all have fancy names in the game, but you can figure it out. Perks for musical instruments are pretty self-explanatory; choose what you prefer.
What about artifacts?
Artifacts are 700 GS items that can only be obtained through specific circumstances, have unique and powerful perks, and often have the special ability to increase your highest attribute through “Magnify”, or another attribute of your choice. You can only equip one weapon, one armor item, and one jewelry item simultaneously. (A shield counts as armor, not weapon.) Once you obtain and equip an artifact, it has its own questlines that unlock each perk. You can only have 10 artifact questlines active at once. Artifacts can be upgraded in the Gypsum Kiln to add an additional perk, or change it. Aside from a few exceptions, weapon artifacts scale with the same attribute as ordinary weapons of the same type (e.g., the artifact sword scales with STR/DEX) even if Magnify is boosting another attribute. Artifacts are exclusive to the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion.
Transmogs, Skins, and Dyes
You can make your gear look different. Skins allow you to make an item look a specific way (the ‘skin’). Skins are decorative overlays, not actual items, and are available in game, via promotions and events, and for real money purchase. Transmogs are skins created from in-game items. Once you unlock a transmog, you can use it on as many pieces of gear as you wish. Transmog creates skins of in-game items that you have collected; regular skins don’t have in-game counterparts. Once you unlock the transmog you can use it on as many pieces of gear as you’d like. A transmog requires a ‘transmog token’ which is a rare in-game loot item, or can be bought for real money. Gear can also be dyed a wide variety of colors, using dyes that you buy or craft.
What is a heartrune?
A heartrune is an ultimate power that you equip in its own slot and charge up by engaging in active combat (dealing damage, healing, absorbing damage). Once it is charged, you can perform the ability by pressing ‘G’. Then it must recharge. There are a variety of options for attack and defense, 3 tiers of each power, and 3 variants of the top tier for each power. They sound cool, and are fun to use, but usually have minimal impact in combat because the effect is modest and the recharge is slow.
How do I unlock my heartrune slot?
Complete the quest “Secrets of the Heartgem”, which you get from Anna Rózsa at the Palace of Nekhbet in Brimstone Sands after having completed the Brimstone Sands Main Story up to “Past Prologue”.
Where do I get a heartrune?
Most heartrunes are received as loot in expeditions, except The Devourer, which you receive from the Sandwurm Trial. You can find out where they drop from nwdb.info.
How do I upgrade my heartrune?
Visit a stonecutting table with the heartrune in your inventory (not equipped) and the recipe should show up. No skill is required, but you will need other ingredients, depending on upgrade tier and, for the highest tier, it’s not cheap.
How should I allocate my character attribute points?
Many players concentrate on one attribute, or one plus CON. Note that each weapon’s power scales with a specific attribute (some have a weaker, secondary scaling). Thus, if you allocate high STR for your character, choosing two weapons that are STR&STR is most efficient; next most efficient is a partial match like weapons that are STR&DEX; and least efficient is a total mismatch like DEX&INT weapons. Some players concentrate on two attributes for their character, which can also work and diversifies weapon choice. Also, note that the attribute allocation bonus nodes (at 25, 50, 100, etc) offer useful buffs. I tend to collect the first one or two of these for some non-emphasized attributes, just because they are cheap and the buffs are worthwhile.
Should I go above 350 in an attribute?
There is no limit to how many points may be allocated to an attribute, however the relative benefit of each attribute point (on weapon damage or health) diminishes as the total allocation increases above 350. Thus, at some point, it may be more effective to allocate those points to other attributes, rather than setting STR at 450.
What quest is next? I want to do X, but what quest enables it?
You can use nwdb.info to search for quests and their dependencies to answer questions like this. There are hundreds of quests, with ongoing revisions, so this database is very handy.
Friends, groups, and raid groups?
You can invite someone to be a friend in three ways. In chat, click their name and choose ‘friend invite’. Or, press ‘O’ (social/chat), and enter a character name in the search box. Or, stand nearby a person, look at them, press ‘H’, and choose ‘friend invite’. You can form a Group of up to five strangers and/or friends, using the same methods, to engage in group activities. You can form a Raid Group of up to 20 people by adding additional people to your Group. If you are the Raid Group leader, you can nominate other members (‘lieutenants’) to have inviting privileges, so they can help keep the group filled up.
What is Group Finder?
If you want to do an expedition, normally the Group does not walk to the dungeon entrance on the map (although you can do this, and if you do, then only one person has to enter and the rest of the group gets pulled in from wherever they are in Aeternum). Instead, grouping for expeditions is usually done through ‘Group Finder’ (abbreviated as GF), which is activated by pressing escape, and choosing ‘Activities’. From there, you can choose to start or join a partial group for a specific expedition, or let the game assign you randomly. For mutations, only M1 and M2 can be randomly joined. A special trick if you want only M1s is to unequip one piece of gear, so your gear score is less than 675 (thereby disqualifying you from random M2s). Once you have joined, put the gear back on. Expeditions looking for joiners are frequently advertised in chat, as in “LFM Savage Divide in GF” or “need tank for Tempest then gtg in GF”. You can then join via GF, or message the person directly. When you start an expedition group in GF, the members of your current Group will automatically be sent invitations for the expedition, and will be pulled in from all over the map when it starts.
What other ways can I play the game?
When you start the game, you are in PVE mode (‘player vs. environment’). Enemies can harm you, but other players cannot. If you flag yourself for PVP (‘player vs. player’), then any player not in your faction can kill you.
PVE play modes include:
- Open world. This is how you start the game, following quests, etc. Mount races can also be done in this mode. Events (e.g., Turkulon, below) occur here.
- Expeditions. These are dungeons you complete with a cooperative team of up to five players, usually 1 tank, 1 healer, and 3 dps. Mutated dungeons are harder versions, and only accessible with the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion, plus a successful completion of the regular ‘story mode’ version or an invite. Access to mutation levels 2 and 3 require successful completion of the lower level mutation with a qualifying gold/silver score, or an invite. Mutated expedition scores are based on time and a variety of success factors; completion rewards are commensurate with score. Mutation 3s are very difficult.
- Soul Trials. These are solo, single-room boss fights which you complete only once, usually as part of a quest, season quest, or similar.
- PVE Arenas, aka Trials. These are single-room boss fights which you complete with a cooperative team of up to five players. You must craft/obtain a special orb key to gain access.
- Raids. These are completed by a team of up to 20 players. Currently, there are two: The Hatchery, and Trial of the Devourer (aka Sandwurm Trial). The Sandwurm is extremely difficult and requires a skilled near-700 team with voice coordination over discord/chat.
- Invasions. These are 50-player cooperative defense of a fort against waves of incoming enemies and bosses. Voice coordination is common, and the defending company will often pay coins to all participants afterwards.
PVP play modes include:
- Open world PVP. After you flag for PVP (see below), you can kill players not in your faction, or be killed, as you do all the normal open world activities. PVP Faction missions can also be completed; ask the faction vendor. There are gathering/loot luck and XP buffs when flagged, and gear wear-and-tear is nerfed.
- PVP Arenas. These are 3 vs. 3 battles to the death (winner is first to three victories) in one of two special arenas. See this studioloot arena guide.
- Outpost Rush (OPR). These are 20 vs. 20 player PVPVE competitions where you kill enemy players, capture objectives, gather resources, and build up your fort. See this studioloot OPR guide.
- War. These are 50 vs. 50 player battles, organized by companies, that relate to company control of territories. Companies may employ a limited number of ‘mercenaries’ (ordinary players not in the company) for the event. This is usually end-game material that is challenging to organize and access. See this studioloot war guide.
- Influence Races. These are open world events, which are precursors to war, where factions assert influence over a territory by controlling influence towers, completing PVP activities, etc. You must be flagged for PVP to participate. See this description from AGS.
Minor play modes include:
Activities that you activate by looking at somebody nearby and pressing ‘H’. You can duel with them: a meaningless fight to the death for bragging rights. Everyone remains at the same location, undamaged, after it’s over, and no PVP rewards are given. Also, you can trade with another player (i.e., exchange stuff). In the music interface (F5), you can play music with up to 4 other players. It’s fun, sounds great, and you get a small music XP bonus. Fishing is activated by F3.
What is flagging for PVP?
Press ‘U’ in a safe spot (i.e., town or shrine) to flag for PVP, and ‘U’ again in a safe spot to unflag. This enables you to participate in all the PVP activities mentioned above. There is a brief countdown before you are vulnerable, and you are always safe in town, even when flagged. You can identify flagged players by the red symbol above their head. Flagged players in your own faction can’t hurt you. When you die while flagged, you do not lose any gear or loot. All PVP activities earn PVP XP and azoth salt. The PVP XP advances you along a track, and at three milestones on the track you are given the opportunity to buy rewards by spending salt. After three milestones, you start a new track. Some Artifacts are randomly offered as rewards after you have completed 20 or more tracks.
Why can’t I open some chests or doors? I need a glyph or signet?
Some require a glyph (in Brimstone Sands) or signet of the beast lord (Elysian Wilds). There are 26 glyphs available. Press ‘J’ > Documents > Tales of Brimstone Sands > The Ancient Glyphs to see which you have acquired. Generally, you find a glowing glyph plate, read it to add it to your journal, and this gives you the power to open matching locks. An ign wiki shows you where to look. The signets are similar for certain chests and bridges in Elysian Wilds. See this studioloot guide for locations. You will want to acquire all glyphs and signets, to be able to open chests/doors/bridges during ECRs and solo activities.
I want a mount!
Mounts are available with the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion. After you are level 25, look for the ‘Change of the Wild’ questline, and the horseshoe symbol, in northern Everfall. It’s self explanatory after that. Details given in this guide.
What should I know about basic crafting?
You should know that low/mid level gear crafting is almost pointless. Better gear is available, for less money, at the trading post. Also, you will pick up a lot of good gear from drops/chests. See Builds and Gear, above. The main reason to complete low-level gear crafting is to reach max-level crafting (see Leveling Skills, above). There are some important exceptions: You will want to raise your furnishing skill to craft trophies. You will also want to increase all gathering and refining skills to 250.
What should I know about crafting/upgrading 700 gear and artifacts?
At the gypsum kiln, you can upgrade named gear that is 626+ gear score to 700. This is a general rule, but there are an appalling number of exceptions. See this great article for all the complexities. At the gypsum kiln, you can also add the last perk to an artifact, or change it. All these activities are very expensive and require some rare materials, but do not require max crafting skill or other special buffs. (Some excellent 700 expedition-themed gear can also be crafted at the gypsum kiln using materia and dense materia. Those craftings are inexpensive but you must slowly collect the materia from previous dungeon runs and scrapped dungeon gear you pick up.) Depending on your needs, upgrading gear may not be the path to your ’perfect’ item, but it is the easiest and cheapest way to 700.
At a crafting station (e.g., forge, outfitter), you can make 700 gear from scratch. This is even more expensive, and the cost only increases with the number of perks you want to control (as opposed to random). Moreover, you also need 250 skill for the relevant task, 3 houses with major trophies for that task (the trophies are also very expensive), a full set of armor and earring with the relevant crafting buff (also expensive), a special food buff, and a bunch of costly materials. Needless to say, this sort of crafting is limited to expert end-game crafters. Crafting gear with lower score <700 is cheaper/easier the lower you go.
At crafting stations, the number of perks you can control is 1 with timeless shards, 2 with chromatic seals, and 3 with azoth inductors.
Some of the materials needed for both types of crafting/upgrading are time gated (e.g., 1 per week) or can only be acquired slowly through various game activities.
A good overview of 700 crafting is here.
But honestly, how much will it cost to craft 700 gear?
Using rough, current numbers on El Dorado, from nwmarketprices.com, and disregarding minor costs like azoth, perk materials, etc., and noting that items can have slightly different recipes:
- Crafting a 2-perk 700 item, assuming you have all the gear: 3 golden scarabs (4,500) + 1 matrix (6,000) + 20 prismatic mats (4000) + etc = 15,000.
- Upgrading a named item at the gypsum kiln, for 3-perk 700: 3 chromatic seals (15,000) + 1 matrix (6,000) + etc = 21,000.
- Crafting a 3-perk 700 item, assuming you have all the gear: 1 azoth inductor (25,000) + 1 prismatic scarab (17,000) + 300 prismatic mats (60,000) + etc = 92,000.
How can I increase yields?
For refining (smelting, stoneworking, woodworking, weaving & tanning) you can get the corresponding outfit (+2% yield per gear piece for a total of 10%). Also, if your faction controls Weavers Fen fort, there is another 10% yield bonus (this doesn’t show at the refining screen, but you get 1 guaranteed extra drop per 10 items crafted), plus 0.1% per level in that refining trade skill for 25% more at level 250. Cooking and arcana also have 0.1% extra drops per level. Cooking also has trophies (each major gives +30%) and chef’s outfit gear (+4% per piece). For all crafting professions including cooking (but not refining), you can also get an earring with mastery which gives a bonus to yield or quality. The other crafting professions (e.g., weaponsmithing) also have trophies for quality, but maximizing your weapon and gear crafting scores is a complicated topic…see elsewhere in this FAQ, and the links provided.
I’m broke. How can I get more money?
Although some youtubers suggest various schemes, there’s really no get-rich-quick shortcut. New World is designed to give you small amounts of money for many varied activities, and it is frustrating or impossible to get rich doing only one thing intensely. Closing two corrupted breaches daily (or killing two beast bosses in Elysian Wilds) gives you coin bonuses (I recommend major breaches, for better non-monetary rewards). Your first three completed faction missions daily give a coin bonus. Once you are max level in gathering/refining/crafting, you get a bonus each time you pass the 0, ⅓, ⅔ tick mark on the progress circle, so go chop wood for 5 minutes each day. Invasions (which are large-group PVE) also give good coin rewards and some dark matter too. You’ll also get significant coins on drops from killing named bosses in expeditions (chart here), trials, and ECRs, and three random kills daily give bags of juniper berries containing coins. Main and side quests also give coin rewards. Once per week at the gypsum kiln you can convert 20 gypsum orbs into 1500 coins plus 250 dark matter (‘Cache of Gold-n-Matter’). Even with unavoidable taxes, fees, and repairs, just playing is a net-profitable activity, so limiting your spending will cause your purse to grow, regardless of what you do. A reasonable expectation is to earn 2500-4000 per hour of dedicated effort. For starters, you can earn an easy 1000 coins per day in about 30-45 minutes by completing 3 faction missions (~200), 2 corruption portals (500), and killing enemies for 3 random bags of juniper berries (~300), plus gatherables, salvages, and other incidental rewards along the way. Another good introduction to earning coins, with some additional detailed approaches, is here.
What about selling gear at the trading post?
Unless you are a max level, end-game player, selling gear is hardly worth it. There is a glut of cheap gear. The time it takes for you to list stuff, the nonrefundable listing fees you will pay, and the likelihood of no sale outweigh a few coins profit. I only sell a few legendary pieces, and only when I have nothing else to do and I think they are worth a considerable amount.
What about selling materials at the trading post?
This can be worthwhile. Some people sell mountains of T1 materials like wood. In this case, investigate what is most lucrative (e.g., fibers vs. wood) on your server. Also, note that simple steps like selling charcoal instead of wood might be more profitable. I prefer to keep a ‘workflow’ of materials, refining up the tiers as quantities accumulate, and then selling the top T5 refined materials. I recently completed a careful analysis and found that this was not more profitable. Indeed, refined materials almost always sell for less than the cost of their ingredients. However, it feels rewarding to sell high-end materials because the sales are more certain (due to small quantities), they generate thousands of coins (especially selling unusual crafted materials, not T5 refinements), and I gain leveling/rewards for the work along the way. Note that either approach can be improved by increasing yield by using various buffs, and wearing special gathering and refining armor sets.
What are good ways to get dark matter?
Dark matter, which is essential for upgrading artifacts and named gear, can be obtained slowly from many drops and activity rewards. Some of the faster ways seem to be: mutated expeditions, trials (notably Hatchery and Wurm), invasions, and scrapping legendary gear. Other options include the PVP track, OPR, wars, story mode expeditions, expertise chests, etc. Once per week at the gypsum kiln you can convert 20 gypsum orbs into 1500 coins plus 250 dark matter.
Help, I have too much stuff! How do I keep it all organized?
I recommend keeping wood in Brightwood, fibers in Weavers Fen, stone in Brimstone, etc. Then I have one town each for gear for healer, dps, tank, and luck (for skill gear, put your lumberjack’s and woodworker’s outfits in Brightwood, etc.). And I have several towns designated for spillover (when I have too much wood in Brightwood). Then, if I want to mill wood, I go to Brightwood. Go to the shed to get my wood from the spillover locations. Leave my Brightwood wood in the shed, since the Brightwood sawmill can already see the Brightwood storage shed, so it doesn’t need to be in inventory. After refining, put all my refined wood in the Brightwood shed.
I still have too much stuff.
If you are a relatively new player, visit the villages in the other low-level territories. This will unlock the storage in these towns. All players should buy houses and add storage chests as they level. Also, dump old armor/weapons. You don’t need them, and better gear is cheap at the trading post.
What is an ECR?
ECRs (elite chest runs) are spontaneous events where a bunch of people group up to rampage through high level content, killing enemies and looting valuable elite chests. Monitor the Recruitment channel in the in-game chat for announced ECRs. Type, e.g., “x helio”, to request an invite to the (helio ECR) group. Show up to the starting point very promptly. The starting points can be googled easily (or see here). Tag the tent there, if there is one, in case you die so you can respawn and catch up if needed. If you have a topaz potion, drink it first to get topaz gypsum along the way. When people start running in, follow the group. Don’t die. Help out as much as your level allows. In principle, any level player can participate, but ECRs go through tough areas so if you are too low, you run the risk of dying before much benefit. Etiquette is to kill bad guys before looting, and revive fallen colleagues along the way. ECRs are a great way to get loot and gear that you wouldn’t be able to buy or craft otherwise. (On some servers, the invite request might be “+ helio” and/or an ECR might have another name like “world train/tour”, but people will understand regardless.)
What do gems do?
Add gems to armor or weapons to get special perks, mostly offensive in weapons and defensive in armor. These weapon/armor buffs can be googled. Gem effects generally stack, and higher tier gems give stronger effects.
What gem should I use?
Opinions are intense and varied. Also, it depends on what you are doing. For general purpose, in armor, diamond, onyx, and opal provide useful, broad defensive buffs for beginners. If you are a tank, you want carnelians in your weapons (to increase taunt, or use weapon perks to replace/supplement carnelians) and not in your armor. If you are a healer, you may want a few carnelians in your armor (to decrease aggro) and definitely not in your weapons. If you are running mutated expeditions (at least M2 and M3), you want some gems in your armor and weapons that match the attunement of the mutation and environment/enemies of that dungeon. Some people have a separate ‘luck gear set’ with pearls in everything. This is broad advice for beginners.
The gem won’t go in my weapon/armor?
A gem must be cut at the stoneworking station before it can be slotted in gear (exception: pearls). A few artifacts don’t have gem slots, but most of these can have a gem slot added through end-game crafting.
I want to switch the gem in my item.
The gem currently in use will be lost. Some people keep different armor sets dedicated to specific gem collections, rather than churning through gems with each swap. I prefer to swap a few gems while retaining some generic gems (diamond, opal, onyx, emerald) in other items.
What are runeglass gems?
Runeglass gems are an augmentation to pristine gems, which add another special power to the gem effect. These powers include additional damage, attuned damage, or gaining health, mana, or stamina. You must obtain a runeglass case (stoneworking, or buy it), and insert the gem in it. This is permanent, and the runeglass gem (including case) is lost upon swapping.
Help, I can’t survive!
If you are doing level-appropriate activities and can’t survive, here are some options. Do easier stuff until you’re over-powered. Get better gear. Get trophies. Reconsider how you use attribute points, gems, consumable buffs, and weapon skills. Increase your CON. Shift to a heavier armor gear set. In group activities, stay in the healing circle and/or switch to ranged weapons. There is also an element of player skill: as you learn to fight more effectively, using all your weapon skills cleverly, you will improve.
I’m higher level but still have lower level quests on the map. Must I do them?
You need to do the MSQ in order to get a level 5 azoth staff, and to open up various activities and benefits. You don’t need to complete all side quests.
What does “x turkulon” mean?
It means “Please invite me to join a group to kill Turkulon” (the giant turkey with laser eyes, aka ‘The Feathered Avenger of Death’, who appears each year during the Thanksgiving holiday). In general, x (or +) stuff means please invite me to stuff, and this is frequently used for ECRs (see above).
How do I control what I see in chat?
Choose ‘Feed’ as your channel. Then, in the chat interface (not the main game), there is a gear-shaped button for chat settings. Select the channels that you want Feed to allow. I recommend Recruitment, Group, Raid, Direct, Area, and Company (if relevant). Eliminate notifications. You can block rude players, individually. Note that if you are monitoring Feed, you will need to select which channel your outgoing messages go to, when you type them.
Do I need houses?
Eventually, yes, houses are essential. They provide two critical benefits: storage and trophies. Each tier of house allows an increasing number of chests (which increase total storage capacity in that town). Plus, better chests allow more storage. Each house allows 5 trophies that buff combat or skills. One house may not have two trophies for X, but several houses may each have one trophy for X (regardless of trophy tier). Trophy effects stack.
You can travel to your house from any location, like an inn. This is on a timer, but if you want to travel sooner, you just pay a small azoth fee to reset the cooldown.
Where should I buy my house?
High priority: All craft/refining stations are T5. Quick easy walks between crafting and refining stations, trading post, and shed. Medium priority: Conveniently located for your activities. You find the town attractive. Low priority: Frequently controlled by your faction or company (the buffs are great but control varies constantly).
When should I buy my first house?
Buy it as soon as the expense will nearly bankrupt you but it feels recoverable, and you have been needing more storage. You should definitely have some houses by the time you reach 60 because you’ll need the trophies and storage. You get a first-purchase discount of 5000 coins, and any house can be sold back for half. Since I hate to waste money, I used to advise players to buy a T3 or T4 house for your first, and only T4 after that. However, I have been convinced by other experts to reverse this advice. I now believe that you should buy the smallest, free house quickly at territory standing level 15, because the immediate advantages (chests, trophies, and a teleporting hub) outweigh the ‘wasted’ 2500 coin when you eventually sell it to upgrade. And then buy two more houses quickly and cheaply, for the same reason. Fill them with cheap chests and trophies. For end game, you will definitely want to upgrade to own three T4 houses, packed with high-level chests and trophies. By that point, you can earn the 2500 ‘wasted’ coin on your starter home in less than 1 hour of play.
What about furniture?
Except for trophies and chests, it’s purely decorative, for fun and meaningless ranking. The best decorated house is publicly displayed in-game. Houses also create a market for decorating items, which you can exploit for coin through arbitrage, or by selling items you loot or craft.
Must I join a faction?
No. However, doing faction quests gives rewards, including coins and some key end-game materials like chromatic seals.
How do I join a faction?
Faction quests are available in Everfall at Level 17. Covenant starts at the farm SW of town. Marauders are in town at the tavern. Syndicate starts at the crossroads NE of town. These locations may change as the game evolves.
Which faction should I join?
With one exception, it doesn’t matter. Faction control is constantly changing, so don’t worry about picking the dominant or weakest one. I recommend that you pick the same faction as your friends, so that you can form a company together. Aside from that, pick your favorite color, or the faction with the coolest hideout. You can change later (60-day cooldown).
Must I join a company?
No. Note that everyone in a company must be members of the same faction or factionless. Note: if you transfer servers, your company membership is lost, and if you were governor without a successor, the company dissolves.
How do I find a company to join?
On the official New World Discord, there are two channels: looking-for-group, and recruitment. Many New World regions or servers have their own dedicated Discord server (such as NewWorldUSWest), which have similar channels and also offer a community of players who you might get to know through chat and DM. You can also try in-game chat. Finally, you can start your own company.
Help, I’m stuck!
Press ESC, and then at the top right, on/off symbol (game menu), choose Unstuck. Or type “/unstuck” in chat.
Help, I’m REALLY stuck!
Rarely, someone falls ‘behind the rock’, or a similar buggy location, and multiple unstucks don’t work (trying from various corners of your prison). The only surefire solution is to Recall to Inn, or Recall to House. All the following methods are desperate… Try to die by taunting an enemy, getting a friend to kill you, etc. Try game restart. Try getting a friend to invite you to an expedition, then leave through the expedition entrance. If you don’t have an Inn or House, you have just learned a valuable lesson: always have one! In that case, seek help from AGS via customer support.
Where do I report bugs?
First, confirm that it actually is a bug (there is a bug reporting channel on Discord, AGS lists a few known issues here, and Phoenix tracks key bugs here). Then report it in-game, or on Discord. AGS prefers that we provide bug reports via the in-game feedback tool (ESC > Menu > Submit Feedback) because it provides additional telemetry data. After reporting, maintain low expectations…AGS is flooded with feedback and unable to react quickly to everything.
I’m not checked in to the Inn? My buff bar vanished?
Those are bugs. You did check in. Your buffs are active, until they expire. (Rumored solution to the latter is to click on the Windows clock and choose Adjust > Sync Now.)
What qualifies as bad behavior?
See here. Expect zero tolerance for derogatory words, abuse, and harassment. Be nice.
Where do I report bad behavior and bots?
www.amazongames.com/en-us/support/new-world/articles/report-a-player-or-company. They especially appreciate video or screenshots. You can also block people in chat.
How do I get unbanned from New World or Discord?
Aside from temporary bans, and the published appeals process, you don’t. Most players want to have fun in a non-toxic environment with fair play, and won’t have much sympathy for your plight or your “Un-ban Me” campaign.
Where can I find more detailed information?
discord.com/invite/playnewworld and nwdb.info. Also, check out the advice and information at newworldnews.org, new-world.guide/, www.studioloot.com/new-world/articles/page/1, and gaming.tools/newworld. Frankly many of the questions asked on discord can more easily be googled. Just try that. If the google hits seem out of date, try youtube.
How can I add or correct the information here?
If you want to suggest edits, corrections, or additions to this FAQ, I have also created an alternate version which allows “suggest mode” edits
Alternatively, send a DM to geofgivens in Discord. Such input is very welcome.
Who are the ‘survival guides’ on Discord, some of whom are cited below?
The so-called ‘survival guides’ on the official New World Discord can be identified by their pink names. We help answer questions. We try to make constructive comments and suggestions, avoiding pointless doomsaying and complaints. We are honest about the game…both the positives and negatives. We depend on real data and official information, and cite this for others. We contribute elsewhere: Phoenix has tracked bugs and tirelessly provided basic info in #general on Discord. Geof maintains this FAQ, with major assists from Landi, who runs newworldnews.org. FahQtoo runs a newbie company on Lillith (‘New Player Helpers’). Fairuza is an unofficial New World twitter queen. Several have twitch and youtube channels. And so forth. We are just ordinary players…students, retired professionals, homemakers, tech jobs, all around the world, and all play styles. We are real humans, we have no mod powers on Discord, and we are not paid or otherwise compensated by AGS. We do it because we enjoy the game and want to help others enjoy the game.
If you made it this far, congrats and thanks for reading. Please pay it forward by helping someone else in game, chat, or Discord. Thanks, and we’ll see you in Aeternum!
Thanks to Landi, Phoenix, FahQtoo, Fairuza, IamDoom1337, JakeL, West, Tam Toucan, and other Discord members who provided information and/or helped draft this FAQ, although the opinions expressed here are my own, and I am solely responsible for posting this for the New World community.
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