The world of Aeternum is about to get colder. New World, Amazon’s foray into massively multiplayer online games, has announced its latest update titled Eternal Frost, slated for release on December 12. Players who’ve trekked through the mystical lands and battled its myriad creatures will soon find themselves wrapped in a wintry tale of might and magic.
It seems the holidays in Aeternum come with a twist this year. An expedition into the icy depths of the Glacial Tarn beckons the bravest adventurers. It’s here that players will confront the Varangian Knight Ser Loth, armed with the ominous power of ice magic. To stand a chance, you’ll need to seek out the Empyrean Flame’s primordial might, a fitting juxtaposition of fire against ice.
Winter in Aeternum isn’t just about the new narrative and chilling expedition. The Winter Convergence festival is returning, filling the air with the sparkling glimmer of Gleamites and frosty challenges. The Winter Wanderer waits with holiday quests in tow, and if you’re feeling courageous, join forces with over 20 other players to take on the Winter Warrior and his icy legion.
Fighting the cold will take more than just a warm coat; it’ll bring new strategies and weapons. Eight new artifacts are being introduced, each with its questline. Fancy shooting lightning bolts with a Boltcaster Bow or slipping on Winged Shoes for a speedy getaway? Eternal Frost has you sorted with new gear to shake up your play style.
Looking ahead, the update promises even more social features. Cross-world expeditions will allow players to team up with others from different worlds, and an enhanced Group Finder is set to streamline the process. No more juggling lobbies. Click, team up, and dive into the action.
More details can be found below.
Eternal Frost Announcement
MAJOR UPDATES
The Glacial Tarn Expedition, seasonal narrative, and new Artifacts will all require Rise of the Angry Earth to experience.
NEW SEASON STORY
A Knight of the Round Table has unearthed forbidden knowledge of the Ancients, seeking to subjugate humanity with the power of an eternal winter. Rally your team of Silver Crows, and convince a surly fire mage named Daichi to help track down and vanquish the Knight before he lays waste to Aeternum.
NEW SEASON PASS
Eternal Frost introduces a new Season Journey, new Activity Card, new Challenges, and new rewards including cosmetics and consumables.
NEW EXPEDITION: THE GLACIAL TARN
The Glacial Tarn is a new Level 65 Expedition set in the Great Cleave. Explore a cavernous frozen complex hidden beyond the Empyrean Forge in pursuit of the Varangian Knight Ser Loth. Locate and harness the primordial magic of the Empyrean Flame to overcome enemies and obstacles imbued with Ice Magic, and destroy Ser Loth before his power consumes all of Aeternum.
NEW ARTIFACTS
Find and equip 8 new Artifacts to redefine your playstyle. These powerful weapons and armor feature their own quests. Stun and shock enemies with the Boltcaster Bow, boost your speed and reduce cooldowns with the Winged Shoes, freeze and finish your enemies with The Frozen Gauntlet, and more.
FUTURE UPDATES
The following feature will release later in the season:
CROSS WORLD EXPEDITIONS WITH IMPROVED GROUP FINDER
Team up with players from any world within a region to overcome challenges within the depths of Aeternum. The new, one-click Group Finder will automatically assemble a role-balanced, cross-world group—no more lobby management required!
SEASONAL EVENTS
WINTER CONVERGENCE FESTIVAL
Icy winds and glimmering Gleamites fill the air once again as Winter Convergence returns to Aeternum. Visit Winter villages to meet the Winter Wanderer and carry out his holiday quests. Players can also collect Winter Tokens to earn new limited-time rewards including festive skins, emotes, housing items and more.
The Winter Warrior and his legion of Frigid Folk are on a relentless mission to spread a Forever Winter across the land. Rally a party of 20+ players to defeat this open-world boss wreaking havoc throughout Great Cleave, Brightwood, Edengrove, Ebonscale Reach, and Brimstone Sands for new seasonal rewards.
LEGACY OF CRASSUS
The might of Rome threatens Aeternum. Hunt down General Crassus’ monstrous captains and banish the shadow of Roman tyranny. Following a plan set in motion long ago, Crassus’ forces have invaded the southern lands to unleash the cyclopses Lucanus and Decimus. Players brave enough to face these world bosses can search for portals in Brightwood, Weavers Fen, Mourningdale, Ebonscale Reach, and Edengrove. Each victory nets Adventurers new event-specific, daily rewards.
LOCALIZED VO SUPPORT UPDATE
To better focus our resources on future updates, narrative content moving forward will no longer receive localized VO Support for Italian, LATAM Spanish, and Polish. Text and subtitles will remain localized in all languages
PTR
The Public Test Realm (PTR) is a limited-availability server-set that grants an early look at upcoming features. These preview builds are snapshots of upcoming major releases and are not final versions — you may encounter bugs, crashes, missing text, or other issues. Between our internal testing efforts and your reports, we hope to catch and resolve all serious issues before they reach the live servers. Hundreds of changes have already been made — with more to come — and the full release notes will be shared on release day. However, not every bug or feedback piece will be actioned on before release — some changes need time to be investigated further, and may arrive in a subsequent patch or two.
To help with the feedback process, all newly created PTR characters will have the opportunity to instantly level to select level-ranges outfitted with appropriate gear and items.
The PTR will officially open on November 9. If you encounter a bug, exploit, or have suggestions to improve a feature or piece of content, we’d love to hear your feedback on our Discord (you can also utilize our in-game feedback tool). We will do our best to address as much of your feedback as possible before the content update makes its way to our live servers. Your participation will help us to deliver awesome content and updates in the future!
During this iteration of the PTR, we look forward to hearing your playtest feedback on the following changes:
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The Glacial Tarn Mutated Expedition
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Season 4 Artifacts
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Season 4 Narrative
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Season 4 Rewards Track
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Weapon Balance updates
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Inventory Improvements
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Winter Convergence Festival
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Legacy of Crassus
These features will be tested in rolling waves. Stay tuned to Steam and Discord for the full schedule.
PTR CLIENT ACCESS
This special preview client will be made available for download through the stand-alone Steam application, “New World Public Test Realm” (which should already be in your Steam library if you own the main game). When the test period is complete and the main New World game is updated with the previewed content, the PTR world will shut down and may be wiped clean. You will continue to see the New World PTR application in your Steam library, but there will not be an active server until the next time we announce a public test.
PTR BACKSTORY LOADOUTS
Upon character creation on the PTR, players will be given multiple caches of special armor and weapons. Each cache has a designation based upon a general build and a main attribute: CON, DEX, INT, FOC, and STR.
To help manage the sudden onset of new items, do not open all provided caches at once, or you’ll risk becoming encumbered! Instead, equip all provided bags and then follow-up with opening each cache deliberately. Any undesired caches can be dropped or deposited into your personal settlement storage.
PTR FAQ
HOW DO I ACCESS THE NEW PTR?
Everyone with a copy of New World will be automatically granted access to the secondary PTR app. The PTR is not compatible with the live game, so you will need to download a separate client (and have the hard drive space required to support it). From there, we will have special worlds available within supported regions. Not all regions will initially be supported. Access is on a first come, first served basis. There may be queues.
CAN I PLAY WITH OR TRANSFER MY LIVE CHARACTERS TO THE PTR?
Unfortunately, no. These are separate ecosystems, so at this time it is not possible. However, to make testing easier, we will occasionally provide our play-testers with special accommodations such as instant levels, special gear, etc.
CAN I PROVIDE DESIGN FEEDBACK REGARDING WHAT’S INCLUDED ON THE PTR?
Preview game builds on the PTR are finished with their core development and are in their final phase of testing and bug fixing. Our main focus at this phase is improving quality, although we will appreciate any feedback you have to share.
I HAVE A PROBLEM; HOW CAN I CONTACT CUSTOMER SUPPORT?
Our policies and Code of Conduct cover the PTR, and in-game moderation will continue to be supported. Unfortunately, due to the temporary and potentially unstable nature of the PTR, general Customer Service assistance through both Live Chat and through the Support Website will not be available.
I DON’T WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PTR, CAN I REMOVE THE APP FROM MY LIBRARY?
Don’t worry, no offense taken. Players can manage visibility of the New World Public Test Realm Steam Library entry. Opening up the game options (right-click > Manage) offers the “Hide Game” function.
Thanks for your support and participation! We’ll see you in Aeternum.
