New World, the . from Amazon Games will switch to a seasonal model with Battle Pass, a new expansion and many other improvements.
The first season of the game, titled Fellowship & Fire, will launch on March 28 and will feature new story quests, a new expedition (the New World version of dungeons), a new Heartrune ability, a revamp of the main story in Brightwood and Weaver’s. Fen zones and equipment storage.
Each season will last approximately three months, with Amazon releasing a roadmap of what future seasons will encompass later this year. Season 2 is planned to include much-requested features like team transmog, raid parties, and cross-server Outpost Rush.
The game’s first expansion is scheduled to release this fall alongside Season 3, and it will add another much-requested feature: mounts. It will also see one of the game’s existing zones “transformed” and include a new weapon along with additional story content and a new expedition. Amazon has not announced if the next expansion will be free or paid.
The New World Season Battle Pass will include a free and premium rewards track. Through the Battle Pass, players will be able to earn cosmetics, boost tokens that can increase the rate at which a player earns Weapon XP or upgrade trading skills, gear, and more by completing various challenges through the Season Journey of the Battle Pass. Play and earn Season XP by completing things like quests, faction missions, expeditions, and PvP battles.
The premium battle pass will cost 20,000 Marks of Fortune, New World’s premium currency, which puts the cost of the battle pass in the real world at around $20. The Battle Pass includes 100 levels for the Free and Premium tracks, and is shared between multiple characters in the same region. However, each reward can only be claimed by one character.
In a FAQ on the game’s official website, Amazon tries to allay concerns that the new battle pass system could be “pay to win” since the battle pass rewards gear. Amazon notes that all non-cosmetic items in the battle pass can be obtained for free in the non-premium battle pass. Gear awarded through the Battle Pass will not exceed Gear Score 600 and does not include unique perks not yet available in-game through other methods.