PvP is probably the hardest thing to master in an MMO. Some games somewhat shove it to the sidelines like World of Warcraft, others focus on it like Throne and Liberty, and some simply excel at having a thriving community enjoying all that it can offer, as in the case of the Elder Scrolls Online. Occasionally, however, a new idea comes along that really shakes things up, and that looks to be the case in the relaunched MMO, New World Aeternum.
It all revolves around a section of the coastal area of the Cutlass Keys. MMORPG will be one primary way of earning powerful gear, especially for solo players, but its PvP treats come with an intriguing twist.
Friendly fire will be completely disabled in the Cursed Mists zone, meaning everyone can be the target of your attacks, no matter what group, faction, or company they belong to. As you can imagine this is a recipe for chaos, and one that could easily be gamed by those willing to roll out in a big ball of murder, but developer Amazon Games is aware of that and is trying to take a few precautions.
The first is that this is an area designed for backstabbing. Think of it like an MMO take on an extraction shooter – you want to get in, grab stuff, and get out alive. Teaming up with others might keep you among the living but when it comes to divvying up the loot everything is wont to fall apart as you tear each other to pieces to be the last one standing. Trust people, of course, but be aware that at some point you're going to have to take them down if you want to win.
There's also a promised crowd control system that should stop players from teaming up for too long. There are no details of how this works just yet, but hopefully it'll stop big bands of roving PvPers from steamrolling over everyone.
Combining an extraction shooter, free-for-all PvP, and MMO mechanics into one mode looks like it might breathe new air both into the genre and New World Aeternum. The New World Aeternum release date is fast approaching, so if you'd like to know more about the Cursed Mists zone, head over to the Steam page to get the full lowdown.
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