Launched in late 2024, New World: Aeternum marked Amazon Games’ ambitious move to bring their flagship MMORPG beyond PC, introducing the world of Aeternum to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players alongside a revitalized experience for PC veterans. Billed as a “soft relaunch” built upon the foundation of the 2021 original, Aeternum aimed to inject new life and players into the game.
As someone who has journeyed through Aeternum since its initial PC debut, revisiting the game several months after Aeternum’s launch, especially on a fresh start server, has offered a fascinating perspective. However, it’s clear that the Aeternum experience varies significantly depending on your background – whether you’re a brand-new console player, a returning PC veteran, or someone opting for a fresh start.
A Transformed Beginning: The New Player Experience
Aeternum fundamentally reshaped the early game and leveling process. The revamped main story questline is a night-and-day improvement over the original launch grind. Amazon’s commitment to enhancing the narrative is evident; the focus on characters, world-building, and lore now truly shines.
Quests are fully voiced, employing cinematic camera angles and small vignettes that effectively draw you into the story. The writing feels more refined, and the pacing of movement through zones is much improved, often with NPCs accompanying you through quest chains rather than sending you on lengthy, isolated fetch quests across the map.
Character interactions are more memorable, with figures like the weary Yonas, the intelligent Sun Funchun, the energetic Grace O’Malley (a particular highlight), and the compelling villain Isabella de Leon adding depth. The clever weaving of real-world myths and historical figures, like Jochi Khan introducing horses, makes Aeternum feel more grounded and immersive.
Alongside the improved questing, New World’s already engaging crafting and gathering loop remains a strong point. The world encourages exploration, with resources abundant around every corner, offering a satisfying distraction or a path to economic success through the player market.
The PC Player’s Perspective: Left in the Dust?
For existing PC players, the Aeternum launch was met with mixed feelings. While the update included new endgame content, such as a raid and a PvP zone, many veteran players already at the level cap felt there wasn’t enough new material to justify a return unless they were specifically focused on high-end raiding or hardcore PvP.
A significant portion of Aeternum’s most impactful improvements – the revamped leveling experience, the updated story presentation – are primarily felt by those starting a new character. PC players who chose not to abandon their long-standing characters missed out on these core enhancements.
The lack of cross-progression across platforms is a major point of frustration, particularly for PC players considering playing on console. Not only does it prevent seamlessly switching between platforms with the same character, but it also means purchased items, like mounts or cosmetics, are tied to a single platform, forcing players to potentially repurchase content – an issue many other cross-platform MMOs have solved. This feels like a significant oversight that impacts veteran players the most.
Furthermore, the design decision to restrict character transfers to Fresh Start servers, while understandable to prevent established companies from dominating new economies, offered no incentive for new console or PC players to populate the older Legacy servers that had been kept alive by the dedicated existing player base. This left some veteran players feeling stranded on less active servers unless they committed to restarting.
Solo Journey vs. Group Endgame
Aternum made a significant pivot by allowing the entire main story questline to be completed solo, removing previous requirements for mandatory group content like the Amrine Expedition. This caters to a growing segment of MMO players who prefer to experience narratives at their own pace without forced interaction. For many, this newfound accessibility is ideal.
However, this strong emphasis on solo progression feels somewhat contradictory when you reach the endgame. Obtaining the best gear necessitates engaging in group content, such as the challenging new 10-person raid, Hive of Gorgons, or braving the free-for-all Cursed Mists PvP zone. There isn’t a viable solo path to acquiring top-tier items.
While arguments can be made that the absolute best gear is primarily needed for this high-end group content, it feels strange that a game leaning so heavily into solo accessibility for the main journey then gates its most powerful rewards exclusively behind group activities. It sometimes feels like you have to actively seek out the inherently social parts of this MMORPG, which feels counter-intuitive. Finding a better balance between solo accessibility and encouraging group play at all stages remains a challenge.
Technical Performance: A Mixed Bag
Performance and visual fidelity present a mixed picture. While PC players have generally seen performance improvements with Aeternum, resulting in smoother gameplay even in busy areas, the console versions appear to have made compromises.
On consoles, the visuals can sometimes suffer, potentially due to an aggressive implementation of upscaling technologies like FSR. This can lead to noticeable blurriness, particularly when examining character models up close during cinematics, which at times can detract from the otherwise beautiful world. Character models themselves have never been New World’s strongest point, and on console, these issues can be more apparent, occasionally breaking immersion.
Performance on console is also inconsistent. While not unplayable, framerates can dip below the target 60fps in towns and densely populated or graphically complex areas. This isn’t necessarily Amazon’s fault alone, as console hardware has its limits, but it highlights the technical hurdles in bringing a demanding PC MMO to these platforms.
Fresh Starts and Future Unknowns
The launch of Fresh Start servers with Aeternum genuinely recaptured some of the initial energy of New World’s 2021 release. The influx of new console and returning PC players created bustling early zones and dynamic player-driven conflicts over territory control. Months later, these servers often still feel significantly more alive than many older Legacy worlds, especially for players engaged in the territorial PvP meta. This fresh start experience was a highlight, offering a chance to experiment with new builds and dive into a vibrant community.
PvP itself remains a core, albeit sometimes exclusive, experience. The 50v50 Wars are chaotic fun, though accessing them consistently can be challenging for many players. The new open-world Cursed Mists area provides a more accessible avenue for unscripted PvP encounters. With Aeternum’s performance improvements, there’s hope that future updates might allow for larger-scale conflicts.
One significant area of concern, however, is the lack of a clear roadmap for New World’s future content since the Aeternum launch. For a live service game, a consistent drip-feed of new activities and a transparent look ahead are crucial for retaining players, particularly veterans who may have already explored the initial Aeternum endgame offerings. The current “radio silence” on future plans is a point of anxiety for the community.
Monetization and Cross-Progression Frustration
New World: Aeternum is a buy-to-play game with no mandatory subscription, featuring an in-game shop for cosmetics and convenience items. Currency can be earned through gameplay via the Season Rewards track. While the store itself doesn’t feel predatory, the lack of cross-progression ties directly into a major monetization pain point.
As mentioned, purchases are locked to the platform where they were made. For players like myself who have now invested time (and money) on both PC and console, the inability to access purchased items across platforms is deeply frustrating and feels out of step with modern cross-platform gaming standards. This is arguably the single biggest issue with Aeternum from the perspective of a player who engages on multiple systems.
Conclusion: A Step Forward, But Hurdles Remain
New World: Aeternum, viewed from May 2025, represents a significant step forward for the game. The revamped leveling, improved storytelling, and greater accessibility make it the most welcoming version of New World to date, successfully bringing the game to a new console audience whose input-light combat feels right at home on a controller.
The influx of new players (initially) provided a much-needed shot of energy. However, persistent issues temper this progress. The endgame’s reliance on group content feels mismatched with the solo-friendly leveling. Console versions suffer from visual fidelity and performance inconsistencies. The lack of cross-progression remains a major frustration, particularly impacting player investment in the cash shop. Finally, the absence of a post-Aeternum roadmap creates uncertainty about the game’s long-term future.
New World: Aeternum has improved significantly, making it easier for new players to appreciate its unique world and systems. Yet, overcoming its lingering issues and providing a clear path forward will be key to its continued success in the competitive MMORPG landscape.
