New World: Beginner’s guide – Fresh off the boat

I’ve invested over 150 hours into New World. That’s roughly how long it takes to get from level one to 60 without any form of boosting. During my adventures, I’ve uncovered some things I wish I’d known earlier, some tricks that will help you at all levels, and some tips that will make your life a lot easier. This is going to be a very thorough beginner’s guide, and I’m sure it’ll help you in New World in some way.

If you’re just starting your New World journey, you can check out my review of the game to see what you’re in for. There’s a lot to look forward to, but some aspects of the game will frustrate you.

New World: Beginner’s guide — starting off

Before you start playing — or play another minute of — New World, go to the settings and turn HUD – Always Show Weapons and Show Extra Ability Cooldowns on. The first one will allow you to see the cooldowns of your unequipped weapons. And the second will put your drawn weapon’s cooldowns in nice radials near your character’s position. Both are excellent improvements that will feed you the info you need at a glance.

Before you reach level 20, you can respec your attributes for free. Take advantage of this time by trying all the weapons and experimenting with different combinations. You may be surprised by which ones you enjoy. I recommend leveling each weapon to level four, that way you can put one skill in each active ability. This will give you a decent feel for how the weapon plays. There are later talents that improve some of the active skills, so make sure you read through all the skill trees. If something sounds like it could be good or fun, level the weapon further and try it out.

I changed my build countless times before level 20. And even a few times after. All it costs is gold and a little bit of Azoth. However, you will want to level your weapon skills as you progress. So, after level 20, try to be more selective in the weapons you use.

How much should you weigh?

In New World, your character’s armor will contribute towards your weight. You can be Light, Medium, or Heavy, which corresponds to the three types of armor you can find in the game. Early on, it doesn’t matter which weight class you fall into. However, your eventual build will require you to balance your armor pieces to meet a certain weight. And remember, a shield doesn’t contribute towards your stats while it’s on your back, but it does add weight. So, if you’re not wielding a sword, make sure you remove the shield from your equipped armor.

Removing the shield here could drop me into the Light category.

Healers and damage dealers will want to be Light. This will allow you to have the most agile dodge roll and it will increase your healing and damage by 20%. To fall into the Light category, you need to keep your weight under 13. If you have the Light dodge roll, you can sheathe your weapon at the end of it to prevent losing your momentum. This trick will allow you to outrun or catch up to enemies.

Medium weight will give you a 10% increase to damage and healing, as well as a quick hop dodge. You’ll also get a 10% increase to crowd control debuffs you apply. And you’ll have a higher resistance to damage because you have heavier armor. To achieve Medium weight, you need to keep your gear load under 23. Medium is good option for damage dealers in PvP, but I’d still prefer Light.

The Heavy folks out there are going to be tanks. You get no bonus to damage or healing, but you have a lot of resistance to damage. You also get a 15% bonus to block and a 20% increase to your crowd control skills. The main downside is that you have a terrible sidestep dodge.

Invest in a house early

Start gathering and collecting as soon as possible. Skills are going to take you a long time to level up, so the sooner you start, the better. Also, the early materials are used in the refinement process of the higher tier materials. You can never have too much iron, green wood, or fibers.

You’ll craft a complete set of gathering tools early on. But don’t wait for the quests. Craft them as soon as you unlock the ability to do so. And remember, you only need one set — when tools break, you can repair them.

Buy a house as soon as you can. You will get a 50% discount on your first house purchase. There are a few reasons why you want a house. You can recall to your house every few hours without spending Azoth. But also, you can pay a minimal fee to teleport to your house at any time. This is wonderfully convenient. Always make sure the inn you’re checked into isn’t in the same location as your house. This will allow you more free teleports from anywhere.

Houses also allow you to place chests inside to increase your storage. And trust me, you are forever running out of storage in New World. A tier-one house will allow you to place one storage chest, while a tier-four house offers four. I recommend saving up and purchasing a tier-two house to start off. This will give you enough storage, as well as a reasonable tax bill every week.

The main reason you want a house is for Trophies. These are global buffs that will increase all manner of things for your character. You can get better luck from drops, improved gear scores when crafting, damage increases, and gathering bonuses. You can place five Trophies in a house, regardless of its tier.

Out on adventures: quests, professions, food buffs

Beginners in New World could really use better a better guide on what quests to take and which ones to leave. I suggest always picking up town quests that want you to go to an area and collect or kill things. And always grab all the faction quests. But don’t go to those areas for the faction or town quests alone. The main story and sidequests will inevitably send you there.

Town quests are also an excellent way to level up some of your professions:  Armoring, Weaponsmithing, Cooking, and Arcana. Your storage lockers will be overflowing in the early parts of the game. So, these are a good way to use your materials, while leveling your skills, and getting reputation, gold, and experience. It’s a win-win.

Speaking of storage, you’re constantly going to run out of space (as mentioned). So, when you level up your territory standing in an area, choose storage. It’ll benefit you from level one to level 60, and beyond. Other than that, I like to decide what I’m going to do in an area and level those things too. So, designate a few crafting spots and take the perks that decrease crafting costs. For the area where you are going to purchase your house, choose lower tax rates and more decorations.

But I digress — back to tips to help you adventure. Make sure you always carry some form of food. Eating any of it will give you the Well Fed buff, which grants you constant health regen. And don’t forget to build your personal camp or bind to another when venturing into areas packed with enemies. If you die, it’ll save you a lot of running.

Finally, the fall damage is very low in New World. Don’t be afraid to jump off a cliff to save time.

Better together

New World is considerably easier with one or two allies, so join a Company (guild) as soon as possible. It’s a good place to request aid for dungeons, PvP, and Elite Quests. New World beginners will also need to choose a faction, and there is not enough in-game info to guide you. You’ll choose between Marauders, Covenant, and Syndicate. In truth, your choice doesn’t matter; it’ll only impact which side you fight for in PvP. The gear will become irrelevant when you reach higher levels. I suggest choosing the faction that gives you the best impression.

The final tip I have for you is to not be afraid of the first dungeon, Amrine. It’s very straightforward, there are no complicated mechanics, and you pretty much just swing away at everything that moves. You don’t even need a tank; just make sure you take a healer.

That should be more than enough to help you find your feet after washing up on the shores of Aeternum. Keep an eye out for more New World guides coming soon.