Amazon Games has announced that its MMORPG New World is switching to a seasonal model and will be getting a free and premium Season Pass as a result.
The seasonal model will come into effect on March 28 and Amazon has promised it will allow for more frequent content drops with the likes of new features, gameplay experiences, and more. Seasons will last three months and Amazon said players can expect further unique additions to New World as each one rolls in.
The Season Pass will work more like a Battle Pass from the likes of Fortnite or Call of Duty: Warzone, in which players will gain levels and rewards by completing certain tasks in-game. Players can stay on the free track if they like, but upgrading to the premium version will grant more rewards per level including cosmetics, Marks of Fortune, Boost Tokens, and more.
This premium track can be purchased using New World’s in-game credit and will cost 20,000 Marks of Fortune, with $19.99 getting players 23,000 Marks of Fortune in the shop. Amazon made clear that all of the premium track content can be earned through normal gameplay except for the cosmetics, meaning this won’t be a pay-to-win feature.
As for what’s coming in Season 1 overall, which is called Fellowship and Fire, players can enjoy new story content, a new Expedition, a new Heartgem Ability called Fire Storm, the addition of Gear Set Storage, and a new server region.
The story will focus on The Silver Crows, an elite group of mercenaries tasked with helping Skye the Speardaughter confront a powerful warlock and the Varangian horde. The Expedition, meanwhile, is called the Empyrean Forge and is a new Level 60+ mission set in the Great Cleave.
In our 6/10 review of the base game, IGN said: “New World is a very pretty survival-MMORPG hybrid that saves its best moments for the endgame – but you have to be willing to grind like hell to get to them.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.