The New World team split the PTR testing cycle for the big summer update. Now, the next cycle is open, with the ability to help the devs put the final touches on the musical Summer Medleyfaire event, the Barnacles & Black Powder Expedition, the new group finder, the Tuning Orb removal, loot changes, and more.
This is a big update, with a little bit of everything in it. The Summer Medleyfaire event is coming and it's bringing musical instruments to New World. There’s also a new Musical trade skill. There will be five instruments to obtain and learn, with an initial 31 songs you can collect and learn how to play solo or in groups of up to five. You'll be able to unlock songs by finding pages hidden throughout the world and by completing event quests. What does all this musical performance get you? You’ll be able to unlock temporary buffs for giving good performances. Some of these include gathering speed and yield bonuses, luck bonuses, group character XP share, and more.
An expedition group finder is finally coming. This will let you find a group for a specific map, as well as declaring your preferred team role. Group creators can also set preferred minimum gear score and level.
The new Expedition, Barnacles and Black Powder, introduces Admiral Blackpowder and his crew. There will be three new mutations introduced. Icebound can apply slow and focuses on ice elemental effects. Frenzied applies stackable, damaging curses to those who dodge. Oppressive is a nasty one that can drain mana and includes zones of silence, preventing ability usage.
Tuning Orbs are being removed to create easier access. Now, Expeditions will have daily limits of 15 per player per day for Normal and 25 Mutated runs per week. When the update goes live, there will be an exchange reward system that you can use if you have existing orbs. Expeditions are also getting a loot rebalance and a way to make getting gear a bit less random and a loot shift for Mutators too.
Perks are also getting rebalanced, as well as changes with dual stat attribute combinations, loot quality improvements, bonus loot drops are being improved, and the new feature perfect salvages for better takeaway at endgame.
This isn't even the only series of changes that will be happening and judging by loot, gathering, trade skills, and more also seeing rebalancing, and with all of the above new features, getting this content tested is definitely going to be valuable for the development team.
Read the full notes over at New World.
