The new area in New World is the best yet – But one thing I miss for the first time

A new zone, Brimstone Sands, will appear in New World on October 18th. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch has already spent a few hours on the test server and played the new patch. He thinks the new area is great, but misses the mounts for the first time.

Brimstone Sands is an area I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. On the one hand it is the first new zone since the release and on the other hand the desert setting was discovered in November 2021 and aroused my curiosity even then, simply because it looked completely different from the previous areas.

And Brimstone Sands doesn’t disappoint. After around 5 hours on the test server, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the best area in the game so far. It convinces both visually and in terms of content.

Who is speaking here? Alex has been playing New World since the beta and has accumulated over 800 hours of play. He accompanies the MMORPG intensively and tests every innovation immediately. Away from New World, he is mainly active in Guild Wars 2, ESO and Black Desert.

Brimstone Sands is beautiful and brings new mechanics

Just getting into the field makes me really excited. After a few steps you can see the enormous size and vastness of the area. Added to this is the harmonious lighting and the shadows cast by the rocks. A beautiful contrast to the many forests in New World.

Overall, Brimstone Sands relies on a mix of Roman and Egyptian styles. The visual highlights are the new city of New Corsica, which has a temple in the center, and the large pyramid in the middle of the area where the new dungeon is hiding.

However, the MMORPG remains true to its graphic style. There are still the same models for stairs or houses. So the area feels fresh, but not entirely new or inconsistent with the old world.

Amazon did a good job with the quests. At the beginning there is only one main story, which you follow and which then unlocks more and more side quests. In the end there are about 15 quests in one fell swoop, but you’re not as overwhelmed as in the old areas.

Another small plus point is the variety of opponents. Already in the first 15 minutes I’m fighting hyenas, elementals, tigers, scorpions, corrupted and jackals. However, I would have liked more enemy types overall. New World still has some catching up to do here.

But many of the opponent mechanics are really fun. Already in the first quest you meet a level 63 tiger, which deals a lot of damage, but with clear animations. If you dodge the big attacks, you’ll easily win the fight.

The new mechanics of the entire desert are also exciting:

• So there is now the material Brimstone, which you can use to produce the new heart runes. These are something like a fourth skill slot with a special effect that you can use at any time and across weapons.
• There is also acid water that will damage you if you stand in it. Here it is important to leave the water again quickly in order not to be killed by opponents. You can also apply acid protection to your armor, but this takes some time.

The mechanics and materials make the area immediately exciting for veterans. But it’s also worth it for returnees: Many quests give you plaster balls to level up your skills and equipment faster. But beware – of course Brimstone Sands is aimed at level 60 players.

Now it would be time for mounts

As beautiful as the new area is, it awakens a new desire in me. For the first time ever, I miss the mounts in New World. They simply weren’t necessary in the old areas because they were small and often quite crowded. Nevertheless, the mounts were already discussed at release and requested by many players.

Brimstone Sands, however, occupies the size of at least two areas and has many expansive areas due to the desert setting. This is where mounts would make sense for the first time, because there are no trees or stones in the way. In addition, the walking distances are still relatively long despite 13 fast travel points.

The mounts were also introduced in Guild Wars 2 when it went into the vast deserts. Especially the mechanics of the raptor, which can run fast and jump far, would fit Brimstone Sands perfectly.

New patch brings greatsword and new dungeon

If you’re off-field and still looking for reasons to like the new patch, check out the update’s entire feature list. Because in addition to Brimstone Sands, a new endgame dungeon and the great sword weapon also come into play.

Like the other weapons, the greatsword relies on two skill trees, each with three abilities:

• Carnage focuses on offensive abilities and damage. With the final talent, your attacks reduce the cooldown of the skills, which makes you even more offensive.
• “Despite” relies on defensive skills and CC. With the last talent you also get 5% healing from your attacks.

There is also another highlight for returnees and newcomers. The leveling experience from level 1 to 25 has been overhauled – both visually and in terms of content. There are fewer monotonous quests and the main story is now told more fluidly and with less travel.

If you are currently thinking about starting with New World, you should wait a little longer. Completely new servers appear in November and there is a “fresh start”. We at MeinMMO will also update our guides for beginners to coincide with this occasion. You can find out more about the Fresh Start here:

After 14 months, New World fulfills the biggest wish of the players, brings new servers with special rules

What do you think of Brimstone Sands? Are you looking forward to the area and start playing right away or are you still waiting?