After the developers announced New World Aeternum, they subsequently announced Console Beta. This is a re-release of the original game with some changes, new content, and a release on consoles. The original console closed beta was originally scheduled to open on July 11 and last until July 17, giving invitees their first taste of New World on consoles.

However, two weeks ago, the team announced a delay to July 25 to July 31 to ensure the best console closed beta experience for players.

Console Closed Beta Delay May Just Be A Premonition Of Doom

When announcing this delay, it seemed that the team just needed more time to shape the beta and be ready to make a first impression, even if it was only in the beta.

But such an explanation did not convince the players, and inevitably, the players began to predict doom again. After all, it's ridiculous that a company this big can't keep up with deadlines, keeps releasing versions full of new and old bugs, and the cycle continues. I even aspire to reach this level of self-confidence.

And I don’t think they ever realized that the problems with the game were caused by their own development work. They seem to follow the principle that success and failure are just random, and all they have to do is keep releasing games until they can have a success like the game’s first release in 2021 again.

I think any console user who is considering pre-ordering New World Aeternum should know that the experience of PC version is just like this, delays, false publicity, lack of actual functional content, and obvious bugs that have not been fixed for years. So far, for me, it’s an excellent, fun and irreplaceable game, but it has some problems, and I don’t think this development team has the ability or energy to make it better.

Aeternum Closed Beta Overview

Anyway, this New World Aeternum Closed Beta will last until July 31st, giving players the opportunity to customize their characters, try unique weapons and explore vast supernatural zones.

Please note that Console Closed Beta will be divided into two phases:

New Player Experience (Phase 1): July 25, 9 AM PT

During this period, players can experience what New World Aeternum Console will bring at launch. Please note that the quality of the game will be slightly adjusted considering the short testing period, and Amazon will disable the standard 72-hour chat cooldown when creating a new character. Phase 1 focuses on new player onboarding and the first-time user experience.

Endgame Experience (Phase 2): July 28, 7 AM PT

During this optional period, players will be able to create a new character and choose one of the level 65 presets in Aeternum. In addition, Closed Beta period will provide players with a variety of endgame gear, powerful weapons, maximum level attribute points, and complete weapon mastery.

At the same time, players can also use the level 65 preset to create a new character during this period, or continue to invest New World Coins to obtain new gear and upgrade the original character during Phase 1. Once you’re ready, you can take on the endgame content to try out builds, skills, and get a better idea of ​​what playstyle you might choose.

In addition, the developers have scheduled three endgame content tests for July 28-30, including Influence Races, Outpost Rush, and testing Lawless PvPvE zone. To participate in these tests, you must join North American server and test at the scheduled time.

Game Modes Are Boring

While New World Aeternum does a commendable job of bringing PC experience to console players, it won’t make any non-MMO fans into hardcore fans. It still retains the typical qualities of MMOs and may not attract new audiences.

Let’s take combat as an example, which is the core pillar of the game. In New World, attacking enemies is the primary task of the player, but the combat in the game is boring for players holding controllers.

Players’ attacks are powerless, enemies are either as soft as sponges or fall down in two hits, and players’ health is very high, so there are no consequences for making mistakes and players rarely need to improvise. Most of the game we played boiled down to locking on to a target, hacking and slashing, and then moving on to the next one.

And the extremely monotonous mission structure only makes the situation worse. Almost every mission follows the following pattern: talk to an NPC, go to the quest marker, attack some enemies or collect some resources, and then return to NPC. At the beginning of the game, there are so many missions that if you don’t play with a few friends and don’t take it too seriously, it will definitely be boring.

Of course, as you go deeper into the game, you will definitely get more and more excited. After all, this is only the opening part of the game. But the actual operation process is probably not worth our long-term obsession.

Final Thoughts

In the end, New World Aeternum may just be an interesting concept. Bringing the once popular PC MMO to consoles is a bold decision that may bear fruit if done well, but the current testing situation and our lack of trust in the development team have made us have to think that this game will run its course.

Aeternum may prove to be a fun way to kill time with friends, as all the basic content has been nailed for the console audience. But overall, I don’t think it has a chance to recreate the glory of New World. What do you think of New World Aeternum Console Closed Beta? Do you think it’s still worth trying? See you next time!