Players have been waiting for New World’s Fellowship and Fire since its sudden delay. Now, it’s finally here.
New World’s Fellowship and Fire patch was initially slated to release on March 28, 2023. However, during their final rounds of testing, the developers uncovered a sudden issue that needed to be resolved, ultimately resulting in the MMO’s first season being delayed abruptly.
No new date was given when you can expect the Fellowship and Fire to reach New World’s servers. Amazon Games also didn’t state the issue that caused the delay during that time. Thankfully, that’s all in the past. After a week since that announcement, they finally rolled out the game’s first season and season pass. We finally have more ways to get New World coins.
Why Fellowship and Fire Was Delayed
As we’ve said, Amazon Games Studios kept their lips sealed regarding the issue they unearthed just days before Fellowship and Fire’s launch. But what’s clear to us is that seeing how they decided to delay it makes us feel like Amazon wants to give it the strongest launch possible.
Seasons are the newest way we can expect consistent updates for more ways to farm New World gold, and getting the foundation right matters as it’ll make or break the number of players they’ll have for a long time. Amazon’s decision to switch to a seasonal model in February marked significant changes ahead for New World. Putting all the right pieces in the right position matters from their perspective, which can be seen from the delay. New World’s dev team would have pushed Fellowship and Fire when it’s truly finished rather than risk needing to half anything for major tweaks later.
Once the first season went live, Scot Lane—New World’s Game Director—addressed the reasons for the delays in the latest episode of Forged in Aeternum. Forged in Aeternum are basically community Q&A videos where developers can receive feedback and questions from New World’s community. At the beginning of the latest episode (published on April 4, 2023), Lane stated that some technical issues led to the delay, such as being unable to receive earned rewards.
New World’s Season Pass: What You Need to Know
Now that New World has shifted to a seasonal update model, we now have a Season Pass. It’s essentially New World’s version of the modern-day Battle Pass we’re so used to seeing today. Each Season last for 90 days, which is approximately three months; during this time frame, you’ll be able to earn progress on your Season Pass as you play.
The Season Pass offers you a variety of ways to earn cosmetics ranging from gear to new titles, including 1 Seasonal Armor Set (5 pieces), 6 Seasonal Tool Skins, 5 Seasonal Armor Skin Pieces, 9 Seasonal Weapon Skins, 1 Camp Skin, and 1 Seasonal Emote. As with the Battle Passes in other games, there’s a Free Track and a Premium Reward Track. The Free Track is available for everyone, while the Premium Reward Track gives you more rewards. You’ll have to pay for the Premium Reward Track to get those extra goodies.
The Season Pass also sees the introduction of the Season Journey. These are a variety of challenges and tasks that send you all over Aeternum. Plus, the newly added Activity Card lets players earn Season XP by completing mini-objectives. The Season Pass for Fellowship and Fire ties New World’s seasonal content into a net bundle, including the Silver Crow’s storyline.
How You Can Earn Season XP
You can earn a hefty amount of Season XP for your Season Pass by completing Challenges, Activity Card stamps, and Challenges. But if you don’t have the time to commit to doing those things, you can opt to do the following to get smaller amounts of Season XP:
- Quests
- Faction Missions
- PvP Arenas
- Gypsum Cast Crafting
- Invasions
- PvP Kills
- Expedition Boss Kills
- Outpost Rush
- Trials
- Corruption Breaches
- Earning Level XP
- Aptitude Levels
These methods are relatively easy to do, mainly because you’ll have to do them in the first place while you’re playing New World.
The Silver Crows: A New Story
Fellowship and Fire bring a new seasonal story to New World entitled Silver Crows. Adventurers must join Grace O’Malley to assemble an elite team of mercenaries known as the Silver Crows to assist their first client—Skye, the Spear-daughter. You must then confront the Varangian horde and powerful Warlock to stop their ambitions to burn the Empyrean Forge to the ground.
The Empyrean Forge Expedition
Speaking of the Empyrean Forge, it’s what the latest Level 60+ Expedition for New World’s first season is called. Set in the Great Cleave, you must pursue Sir Loth’s commanders to cease the elemental magic flow deep within the Ancient Forge. If you’re looking to get the best New World items and gear for your character, joining a party and doing the Empyrean Forge expedition is a no brainer.
