Amazon’s MMO New World has been in the news quite a bit off-late and not always for the best reasons. Given that it is the studio’s first game, launch bugs and glitches are expected, but an ever-growing list needs to be addressed to ensure the game is playable. However, the upcoming December patch may drive more people away from the game.
The High Watermark System (HWM) in New World dictates the level of dropped gear you encounter. This comes into effect once your character hits level 60. Until then, dropped gear is scaled depending on your character’s level. Once level 60 is reached, an upper Gear Score limit is applied that will gradually increase as more powerful drops are found.
While detailing plans for the December 1.2 patch in a blog post, Amazon Games Studios revealed that they would be replacing the High Watermark System with Expertise. This new system will dictate item drops just like HWM but will also affect their effectiveness when wielded by the player. The studio elaborated on this with an example,
If your War Hammer Expertise is 520, and you equip a 550 Gear Score War Hammer, the weapon’s effective Gear Score will be reduced to 520.
Amazon Game Studios
The strength of your weapon will now be directly related to how effectively you can wield it, instead of a base score. In a response on the forum, the studio also clarified that any High Watermarks already earned will be converted to Expertise when the update is made available.
While Amazon may feel this is an update for the better, fans are not of the same sentiment. They have taken to the New World subreddit, creating multiple posts complaining about downscaling. Some have even said that they would never be returning to the game. Other threads were much more aggressive with their feedback. Amazon may decide to alter plans after witnessing the backlash, but the news has players very upset as of now.
More patches are planned for New World in the future and will look at improving quest variety and character customization.
About New World
New World is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) by Amazon Games set to be released on August 31, 2021. The game was previously scheduled to release in May 2020 but was delayed to its current date.
Set in the mid-1600s, players colonize a fictional land known as Aeternum Island, modeled after North and South Americas in the Atlantic Ocean. The game will be using a buy-to-play business model, meaning there will be no monthly subscription fee.
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