New World’s new public test realm brings mysterious raiders and dark magic

While Amazon’s New World MMO has struggled with some significant launch problems, the developer is rolling out some big updates. The first of these is a Public Test Realm, which allows early access to upcoming features. First on the list of things to test is the upcoming Into the Void update, a new weapon class, and lots of new quests and quality-of-life updates to round out the world of Aeternum.

The Public Test Realm, or PTR, is described as “a limited-availability server-set that will give players an early look at upcoming features.” Players with a copy of New World can find the Test Realm in their Steam library as a standalone application; they can download it, jump onto test servers, and create a custom character with a range of gear. When the test concludes, the Test Realm will shut down and be wiped clean until the next testing period.

Into the Void is available for testing, and it includes the Void Gauntlet, a DPS/support hybrid weapon that grows more powerful off both the Intelligence and Focus stats. The Annihilation tree is all about summoning Void Blades to corrode your enemies, while the Decay tree offers the Orb of Decay, a projectile that debuffs enemies and heals allies.

There’s also a new set of missions based around the Varangian Raiders. These guys are up to no good, and they’ve established war camps and a fort across Aeternum. The player will need to find out where the Varangians came from, how to stop them, and if more are on the way. The Raiders are joined by a bunch of new enemies across the world, from beetles to pirate alligators to ancient guardians.

The current Into the Void test patch also includes new PvP faction mission types, which are:

Control Points – These missions send you out to capture control of Forts.

Intercept – Defeat enemy faction members and collect their tears! (Does not reset.)

War Camp loot – Retrieve hidden plans at the enemy war camp.

The test patch also contains improvements to Trading Posts, which are now unified across the world. Fees for buying and selling are determined by the settlement you happen to be in at the time.

While New World has had some serious issues, fans have been identifying these bugs and bringing them to Amazon’s attention. A Public Test Server should hopefully stop catastrophic exploits from going live in the future and lead to a smoother journey through Aeternum.