New World is a fantasy MMO by Amazon Studios. Set on a magic-infused island that straddles several historical periods, New World is a part pure sandbox, part survival game, and part classic MMORPG. This game was the hottest new MMO in 2021. At launch, the game had almost 1 million concurrent players on Steam. But just a few months later, its concurrent player number would drop by a staggering 90%, largely due to complaints of glitches, exploits, and a poorly balanced economic system.

While its popularity and active users have dropped significantly since launch, New World still has a faithful player base of around 15.000 average players. Also, in August 2022, New World’s average number of monthly players increased by around 2.000. This is its largest increase in average players since launch. Could this be the start of an upwards trend? So if you’re wondering if New World is worth your time, you’ve come to the right place.

In short, yes — New World is worth playing in 2022. But there are a few things fans want to see that would help improve the game’s weaker aspects. Hopefully, 2022 will bring many of the changes gamers have been waiting for. So before looking at what you can expect from New World in the future, here’s a closer look at what’s changed or been added to New World in 2022 and the tail end of 2021.

    Bug fixes: Many glitches that plagued New World at launch have been squashed.
    Tempest’s Heart: An Expedition storyline that served as both endgame content and as the final mission to the main storyline.
    Barnacles & Black Powder: An Expedition with you slicing through a deadly pirate horde in search of rare loot.
    Mutated Expeditions: This introduced an element of variability to standard Expeditions, allowing you to replay the same content but with a few unique twists. This includes Elemental Mutations that cause enemies to deal increased elemental damage, Promotion Mutations that give enemies new skills, and Curse Mutations that apply harmful effects to players when struck by an incoming attack.
    Improved PvP: It took some time, but 3v3 Arena fights are now available in New World. There’s also an improved Rewards Track that gives you a better sense of progression and enticing reasons to check out PvP.
    New Weapons: The Void Gauntlet is a damage/support weapon that scales based on Intelligence and Focus, while the Blunderbuss is a ranged weapon that scales with Strength and Intelligence.
    Expedition Group Finder: Easily form a party before heading into group activities.
    Quality of Life Changes: Leveling is faster, the new player experience has been updated, world activities have been updated, and the cost of Fast Travel has been dramatically reduced (making it easier to trek across Aeternum).

In addition, New World recently released a big update, Brimstone Sands, which was dropped on October 18. This introduces a new region, Jumping Puzzles, more Expeditions, and a new Greatsword weapon type. That is a big reason why now is a great time to dive into New World. Not only will there be tons of new content to explore, but the update is bound to bring back legions of players — filling its servers and giving you plenty of fellow adventurers to explore with.

With the right improvements, 2022 could be a year of upward growth for New World, as many gamers have yet to give up on it. Aeternum is just too beautiful, the thrill of conquest is just too alluring, and the magic is just too enchanting.