New World has proven to be an interesting addition to the MMO genre. Since the game launched in October 2021, many QoL improvements and new features have been added to the game. But there are still some key features missing that are stock standard in most MMOs.
This list does include a couple of systems/features that have been announced and are expected to be in the game by the end of the year.
In-Game Mail System
In my view, this is the most critical MMO staple system that is missing from New World. I have never played an MMO that does not have a mail system. Even if we could only access mail from settlements or even just our houses that would be fine. It would give us the means to send items to our alts and improve trade opportunities between players.
There has been no indication from the developers that they are interested in or are working on an in-game mail system (that I am aware of).
UI Customisation
Most MMOs allow the use of add-ons to facilitate some degree of UI customisation whether it be moving elements around, resizing them or even changing appearance/colours. Few natively allow full customisation (SWTOR is one of the better examples of an MMO that does this).
In New World, none of the UI elements are movable or resizable. This is especially frustrating given the inability to use add-ons. Being able to move around and resize various UI elements, especially group/raid frames would be a fantastic quality-of-life addition to the game.
The New World developers have not made any comments about UI customisation, unfortunately (that I could find).
Guild Storage and Ledger
While New World is pretty lax on Guild features in general compared to other MMOs. But the most glaring omissions are Guild storage and a ledger. Companies, as they are known in New World, do have a bank to store gold. But players or company leaders have no in-game means of tracking how the gold is used.
Having company storage would give leaders a means to share resources with company members. A company storage feature would especially be useful for warring companies as a means to dispense consumables (food, potions etc.) without the need for individual trades. The system would have to give the company leader a means to place limits on items and gold, of course.
The New World developers have indicated that company ledgers may be coming later in the year in an update after the expansion. As for company storage and housing, that is something that could happen in the future. But no clear timeline has been announced.
Source:
- DukeSloth’s Road Map Video (May 2023) – https://youtu.be/AQJ2P08m0Hs?t=582 (starts 9:42)
- Disclaimer: I could not find the Developer Video where they talk about Guild features. Thankfully, DukeSloth notes a couple of Guild features in his May 2023 Road Map video. So thanks to him, I know I haven’t gone mad and they definitely talked about Guild features somewhere at some point.
Mounts
New World is also the first MMO I’ve played that doesn’t have Mounts. The good news is we will be getting Mounts in the upcoming expansion expected in Quarter 3, 2023. Here is what we know so far.
- There will be a trade skill tied to Mounts
- If you are in a combat state (indicated by the crossed swords on the health bar), you will not be able to summon your Mount.
- Open World PvP –
- If you are flagged, any damage from another player including ranged attacks will dismount you.
- Summoning your Mount has a 2-second delay so if you take damage from another player, it will cancel the Mount summon.
Players have always been divided on whether New World should have Mounts. Some players feel that Mounts would ruin the feel of the game while others insist that the game is unplayable without them. Hopefully, the developers will find a decent balance that satisfies both parties. I for one feel indifferent about Mounts for the most part and would like to hear more about how the system will work.
The developers have historically gone back and forth on introducing mounts to the game. They more recently indicated that they had always intended on introducing Mounts to the game when more areas were introduced. They also recently said that the number of Spirit Shrines would be reduced at some point after Mounts were implemented.
Sources:
- Dev Update – February 2023 (Expansion/Roadmap Announcement) https://youtu.be/TM35DRmXQIQ?t=2313 (starts 38:33)
- February Dev Q&A – https://youtu.be/zv912UuXU0o?t=553 (starts 9:13)
- April Dev Q&A – https://youtu.be/R4-JrRNBPg4?t=253 (starts 4:13)
- New World Discord Forged in Aeternum Community Q&A July 2023 – https://discord.com/channels/885593384885059584/1130554401623396462/1132028995450441860
Transmog and Barber
New World currently has fairly limited means to customise our characters’ outfits. However, this is all changing soon with a transmog system being introduced during a mid-Season 2 update. In essence, this is how the Transmog system will work.
Use consumable Transmog tokens to capture the appearance of any gear collected in the world and then transform it into a usable skin for your cosmetic collection.
Season 2 – Blood of the Sands Article
The cosmetic collection will act like a stamp book showing you what armour appearances you can still collect. Transmog tokens will be obtained via the season 2 Battle Pass free and premium tracks, from the Store and will likely have a means of being obtained rarely in-game, possibly via elite chests.
My initial impression of this system is that it seems tedious and I’m concerned about the availability of the transmog tokens. It’s also disappointing that there probably won’t be a way to save multiple outfits (ie. something similar to gear slots but for Outfits).
A barber shop ie. the ability to change our character’s appearance (hairstyle, colour etc.) is something the developers are working on and recently indicated would likely not come out in 2023.
Sources:
- Season 2 – Blood of the Sands Article – https://www.newworld.com/en-us/news/articles/season-two-blood-of-the-sands
- Community Q&A May 2023 – https://youtu.be/iHYIY8YYvmU?t=56 (starts 0:56)
- Community Q&A July 2023 – https://youtu.be/uQ7tFrO18Yw?t=440 (starts 7:20)
Bonus Mention: Pets
If anyone besides Zander figures out how to tame animals, Pets could be an interesting addition to New World in the future. But I’m not in any rush to see them in the game. A game like New World has the potential to do some interesting things with Pets rather than making them purely a cosmetic thing. I guess in time we’ll see if they add them to the game. The developers haven’t mentioned them as far as I’m aware.
Thanks for reading! Which feature are you looking forward to or would like to see in New World?
Check out my First Light Retraction Article for everything we know about what is going to happen to First Light with comparison screenshots showing the changes around the First Light border.
