We spoke to creative director David Verfaille ahead of the announcement of the New World Roadmap 2023 – Transmog, Mounts and more.
of the New World The 2023 roadmap has arrived. The year will be divided into four seasons in total, and the first season, Fellowship & Fire, will arrive on March 28, 2023. This is a significant change in the direction of the game, as there will obviously be a much faster release of new content. Each new season will feature a new story, seasonal events and challenges, as well as a free and premium reward track with cosmetics, crafting items and more. It’s clear that the team saw the success of the Brimstone Sands update and wanted to increase the release of new content.
We had a chance to speak with creative director, David Verfaille, about these changes. When asked about the price of the premium season pass, which costs $20 or 20,000 Marks of Fortune, Verfaille said the team had thought long and hard about what to cost the pass and had landed on a cost that offered great value to players in terms of cosmetics and other rewards. They didn’t want the pass to offer competitive advantages, but instead quality-of-life improvements and interesting limited-time cosmetics. Once the season ends, these cosmetics will no longer be available. We should also note that you won’t get enough Marks of Fortune from the pass to simply renew it at the start of the next season.
There were some concerns about pay-to-win in our discussion with Verfaille. The team emphasized that all rewards available from the premium track were also available in-game through the free pass track. The only major gripe I have with the system is the introduction of Token Boosts, which boost crafting, collecting and other trading skills. These don’t offer an immediate stat impact, but can be a great asset to players when there are new zones with materials to collect and craft. These boosts are also available through the premium pass.
Any concerns about pay-to-win aside, it’s really impressive how detailed this New World roadmap is considering the fairly slow release of content over the past year. Seasons last exactly three months and then change to the next. Even a quick glance at the roadmap suggests this will be New World’s busiest year to date, which Verfaille said was really the intention of this new seasonal model. Season 1 introduces gear set saving (finally, no more micromanaging gear), as well as a new quest (the Empyrean Forge), a new Heartrune skill, various seasonal events, new main story quests, balance updates, and of course, the first season passes.
In Season 2, we’ll get the Transmog for gear, a 10-man trial season, the Sandworm boss fight, and the Cross World Outpost rush. By Season 3, we’ll see a zone “transform” (whatever that means), as well as Mounts, a new weapon, and a new mission. By the end of the year, we’ll see a new trial season, trinket season, new missions, and seasonal territorial control. Each season has a unique story and unique seasonal challenges. There is so much to unpack here.
When we asked Verfaille if the new seasonal model would limit changes to the main story mission or additional seasonal events, he told us that the team would still release other content when they see fit. As it states on the roadmap, “This roadmap is subject to change and may not include all planned content,” meaning there may be some other surprises on the way. It’s also important to note that much of the “seasonal” content will also be season limited, meaning seasonal stories can only be played during that season.
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