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New World’s open beta hasn’t convinced me to drop Final Fantasy XIVIt gives me FOMO
It gives me FOMO
The last time I got some brief hands-on time with Amazon’s upcoming MMONew World, I emerged from Aeternum feeling pretty positive about this new kid on the massively multiplayer block. Crafting, in particular,had me pretty excited. But having spent a big chunk of time in its open beta, I’ve come away feeling a bit, I don’t know, bleh? If anything, I just wanted to go back to my belovedFinal Fantasy XIV.
And that’s my main issue with New World, really. As someone who’s already invested inFinal FantasyXIV - another hugeMMORPG- I never felt a pang to jump ship to New World. I don’t want to drop FFXIV’s incrediblynice communityand rich, Moogle-filled universe for New World’s Aeternum.
New World Gameplay - playing Amazon’s new MMO from the beginningWatch on YouTube
New World Gameplay - playing Amazon’s new MMO from the beginning
I get that, as someone who’s already invested in FFXIV, I may have a strong bias. But still, if New World is going to succeed, surely it needs to reel in players like me who believe they’ve already found the MMO for them? It needs to go, “Hey, you over there. This right here, this is thegood stuff, and you’re missing out!” while gesturing coquettishly to its unique featuers and New World-y things.
Trouble is, these vague New World-y things the game gestures towards are largely in the PVP camp. Yes, it seems like New World does have a fair number of PVE quests - collecting bags of wheat for Barry Longlegs to earn EXP and level up and so on - but there’s a sense that it’s not as meaningful to the game as getting involved in PVP warfare.
Early on in New World you’re able to join a faction: pirates, witches, or crusaders, basically. From the get-go, you can do quests for them to help increase their influence across Aeternum. If everyone in your faction pulls their weight and does loads of these tasks, you might open up the opportunity to declare war on an opposing faction. Win and you’ll be able to control a certain territory’s tax rates and make life for those who’ve bought property there a nicer affair. It seems to work a bit like the warfare ofFor Honorin this way, although Ubi’s faction battler doesn’t get real estate pricing involved.
There’s definitely something exciting here if you’re the sort of MMO player who enjoys PVP and joining a clan and organising group events and things. It’s a mainstay of World Of Warcraft, after all. But as someone who is (and I realise there’s a contradition in this) a rather solitary MMO player who doesn’t really care for PVP, I can’t see myself persevering with New World when it fully launches.
But, that’s not how I like to play my MMOs. Final Fantasy XIV occasionally pushes you to interact with others, but you can play it as a single-player RPG if you’d like. I almost treat the MMO side as a nice bonus, where the hustle and bustle of other players takes on the same role as comforting radio chatter on a long drive. Hey, some MMOs like the upcomingBook Of Travelsare leaning fully into the solitary experience, where multiplayer interactions are minimal, but feel more natural and less intrusive as a consequence.
I’d liken my time with New World’s open beta to being that guy nursing a half pint of moonshine in the corner of the tavern, while warriors clank tankards and chortle as they recount tales of valor on the battlefield. “Remember when Gemma quickscoped that swordsman?! Gemma you aresocrazy hahaha. Weeyyyyy, Gemma! Chug! Chug! Chug!”
I can’t judge New World’s early quests too harshly. After all, it might be that Aeternum’s storyline picks up and makes you totally forget about PVP later on. But still, those early hours I spent with the game didn’t introduce me to characters brimming with personality, or intrigue. That’s something FFXIV does so well, I think. No matter what menial task you might be doing early on, those characters are interesting, funny, or provide a deeper commentary on the state of Eorzea. Here, dialogue is rather minimal.
If you’re into PVP - great! If you’re a solitary PVE-fiend like me, then New World may not be for you. Maybe it’s just me, though. Maybe I need to just get involved in PVP next time and maybe I’ll enjoy it. Thing is, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything in Final Fantasy XIV.
