New World: Aeternum News

If the isle of Aeternum is known for anything, it is mysteries.

Indeed, the island itself is the grandest mystery of all – located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, protected by the ever-churning Stormwall. While people from seemingly all ages and regions find their way here eventually, so too do many of the animals native to each corner of the Earth. At this point in time, it is highly likely that adventurers have encountered most of them. But there are rumors of another, more hidden creature.

To whit, and of late, a certain Dr. Aenwyn has been raising much ado throughout the settlements (even as far north as the outposts of Shattered Mountain) about a “Grate Discovery To Rival All Known Discoverys”. Her atrocious spelling aside, the volume of her voice does make this pronouncement intriguing.

A new animal? Here, on Aeternum? And yet, located exactly where…?


Everywhere, she claims! She has supposedly seen not one hippopotamus, but rather myriad hippopotamuses of every shape and size roaming freely the island. The descriptions do make the mind boggle, question her sanity, and – dare we say – pique an interest most profoundly. Even saying the word feels a kind of magic after listening to one of her presentations. Hippopotamus. Hippopotamus! How utterly fascinating they must be! Within those five syllables is contained a bizarre and majestic world that may, perhaps, outshine what strange things have already been chronicled in Aeternum.

Yet where there is new knowledge, there will surely be skepticism. Bystanders were quoted as having said, after leaving her talk in a huff when she refused to answer even basic questions from the audience:

“That just sounds like a bear!”

And: “We need proof!”


As well as: “Is she actually even a doctor, does she have a valid certificate, and is it from an accredited institution at all?”

Undeterred by dwindling listeners, including the occasional growing mob, Dr. Aenwyn continues onwards. You may spy her out in the fields of Everfall, down in the muck of Reekwater, or squatting atop a dune in Brimstone Sands with the most curiously pensive expression imaginable. She squints. She wonders.

Is that an uncatalogued, as-yet undiscovered breed of hippopotamus over yonder?

Off she dashes, pursuing her dream again with a passion that – if it cannot truly be understood – can certainly be appreciated. This will surely be a lifelong quest for the good doctor, but the mystery of hippos on Aeternum may never truly be solved in even our eternal lifetimes.


[h2]The 'Hippo' Mount[/h2]
Wow, a real hippo! I can bearly believe we found one in just under 1,000 days. Continue your adventurers across Aeternum with your very own Hippo Burley mount, available now through the in-game Store.

We had to ask ourselves how to take this fun idea and blend it into the style and look of New World: Aeternum, where as of yet, hippos do not exist. That kernel led us to have a little extra fun with this mount. If you decide to get it, I hope it will bring a smile to your face (as it does for us) when you're running around on a giant bear in a hippo costume.


[h3]Concept and Creation[/h3]
We were looking to hit something entertaining and ridiculous with the hippo bear design. We explored a few different stylized options before trying a couple costumed ideas, as we wanted to push the comedy and turn this item into something players would really get a kick out of putting on their mount. In the end we settled on a costume made of stuffed, baggy cloth stitched together, that would sit awkwardly on the bear but not obscure it.


Where will your search for hippos take you next? Thanks for your support and we’ll see you in Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

New World: Aeternum Update 1.1.2 downtime will begin at 11:00PM PT (7:00AM UTC) on November 5 and last approximately 2 hours. Baalphazu has been banished back to the darkness, marking the end of Nightveil Hallow. This update also includes rendering changes as well as fixes to some quests. Check out the full release notes, including other notable fixes, below.

[h3]World Experience[/h3]

• Fixed an issue that caused players to receive more PvP Experience than intended in the Cursed Mists zone.
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented progress in the Syndicate: Trial of the Scrivener quest and Faction rank advancement.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused several repeatable Expedition quests to not contribute to the "Repeat Offender" Season Journey task.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused players to phase into certain objects when accessing menus while vaulting.
  

[h3]Rendering[/h3]

• PC DX12 Beta Client:
  
• Added FSR native resolution TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing) only mode
  
• Added FSR sharpness control
  
• Improved the stability of our DX12 renderer
  
• FSR - Console/PC DX12:
  
• Improved visual quality of the FSR upscale
  
• Fixed rendering artifacts that could occur during FSR upscaling
  
• Fixed an issue in which emissive materials were not properly rendering, causing an unintended blue glow on several weapons.
  
• Fixed an issue in which some weapon effects would appear overly blown-out, especially in heavy combat scenarios.
  
• Fixed Depth-of-Field shimmering in certain lighting conditions (most notable during in-game cinematics).
  

[h3]Notable Fixes[/h3]

• Identified and fixed a rare crash that could occur if a player's client has a corrupted install which causes certain texture files to be invalid. In these cases we will instead render a basic white texture, allowing players to proceed into the game. Players who see this white texture should validate their installation files afterwards to try to correct any prior installation issues.
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented players on PC from progressing if they had Old Wounds ready for turn in before the release of New World: Aeternum.
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the 3v3 Arena end of match UI to not display properly.
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented nameplates from appearing.
  

Thanks for your support! We’ll see you in Aeternum.

Greetings, Adventurers!

From voiceovers (VO) to sound design, discover how the Audio Team designed Nightveil Hallow. Once you’ve learned more about the voice and sound effects behind Baalphazu, confront the Marquis of Terror in-game for event-specific rewards before Nightveil Hallow ends on November 5.

[h2]Voiceovers[/h2]
[h3]Salvatore[/h3]
Casting Baalphazu and Salvatore was rather unusual compared to how we typically handle that process. Starting with Salvatore, they wanted to have this voice pay homage to some of the great actors from the golden age of horror films like Vincent Price, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Lon Chaney. This became a rather challenging request to find just the right voice.


After reviewing dozens of reels from voice actors, I was chatting with one of our wonderful directors. They shared a general joy and excitement for the character, suggested some folks, and then later that day sent me an email out of the blue. Attached was a recording of an excerpt from The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. Much to our delight, and from the initial confusion of “yes, that’s a perfect voice," to "if only we could find an actor to do something similar,” we had cast our Salvatore.

We were sitting on pins and needles, nervous but excited during the first recording session. As soon as it started, the entire crew was grinning from ear to ear. A few of us couldn’t help but chime in during breaks and pauses to sing our praises about how he sounded just like one of those golden age actors.

[h3]Baalphazu[/h3]
We knew from a design perspective that Baalphazu was going to be really intense and vocally very straining. So, we wanted to make sure whoever we cast for the role could handle screeches, screams, growls and more.


The voice behind Baalphazu is Molly Scarpine, an incredibly talented metal vocalist who just so happens to specialize in extreme creature vocals. Molly was recommended to us initially by our Director Maddie Stratton as a “hey, check out this vocalist and her band. They’re really cool.” After hearing Molly’s music, we knew we had to get her in for something awesome. Then this boss came around, handed to me as a lovely gift.

Molly was such a wonderful person to record with and gave us a plethora of variations for each line. I just have this vivid memory of Molly shrugging and calling out that she’s doing great after being asked how she’s feeling, and then going in for the next take. Easily one of the coolest sessions I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending.

[h3]Baalphazu Voice Design[/h3]
Holiday content is always a lot of fun to work on, and I think Halloween might be my favorite. The dark and scary nature of the holiday opens up a huge amount of possibilities for sound design. You can push the envelope into weird and creative territories to enrich the experience.

Starting with great source material makes the remainder of the process an absolute joy. The unique vocal tonalities that Molly can achieve, in addition to the raw emotion that comes through in the recording, gave Baalphazu their own unique voice, even before the VO design.


We knew the voice needed to evoke terror, and strike fear into the hearts of all who inhabit the island. With that in mind, I started by splitting the voice into three separate channels for unique processing. The first layer was meant to provide clarity in the spoken line. I used very light pitch and delay processing to give it a bit of a larger than life feel, but was careful about going too far and making the lines unintelligible. This gave the voice an eerie, demonic doubling effect.

The next two layers were where I wanted to take advantage of the strange nature of Halloween and push it into something weird, horrifying, and unique. I was inspired by a sound we all know and hate, nails on a chalkboard. I found that you can get similar, but unique results from sliding a shower ring across a metal rod. I took these unsettling sounds and used an envelope follower, which mirrored the amplitude of the VO lines, to bring that texture into the voice.

The final layer was where I went nuts. I threw everything and the kitchen sink at it to see what would happen. The result ended up being a low-pitched layer with some aggressive modulation. I used a slight reversal effect along with a formant filter hooked up to an LFO to give a constant tonal shift that somewhat mimics a human voice. These three layers, along with the strong VO performance, gave Baalphazu an identity of their own.


[h2]Baalphazu Sound Effects[/h2]
After working with Molly’s vocals, the Audio Team had the opportunity to go into their own creative space and finish off the character’s sound scape with the sound effects (SFX).

[h3]Violin[/h3]
I started with something familiar to me, the violin. The amount of emotion and expressivity you can communicate through the violin is something I haven’t experienced with anything else. But… it’s also capable of producing some of the nastiest, most unsettling screeches and scrapes to ever pierce your ears.

This was the starting point for Baalphazu’s base ability, the Wing Stab. The ability to control pitch and that nasty timbre allowed me to give the lead-up and execution of the attack the motion they needed. These recordings, along with the creaky, wooden branch foley for the wings and a splash of fire, gave this attack its voice.

[h3]Chickering Piano[/h3]
Continuing my experimentation with musical instruments, I reached for a 1920s Chickering piano as source material for the Reap ability. During this attack, the ground is lit with a green flame, then Baalphazu pulls their challengers in close and summons rings of fire that damage all who are near. The piano is used in the lead-up to the pull, giving the players a tell that something is on the horizon.

[h3]Spoons and Strings[/h3]
I rubbed a spoon across the bare piano strings in all different directions and found that the upward direction gave a great sense of tension and anticipation. The metal spoon scraping against the metal of the piano strings provided that discomforting signature that worked so well for this character. The piano mixed with elements of fire, thunder, chains, and the souls of the Netherworld beneath, convey the sheer terror that Baalphazu encapsulates.


I had an amazing time working on all of the different aspects of Baalphazu. Each one introduced an opportunity to try something new, push the creative envelope, and come up with a unique sonic signature that fit with the character. The combination of deliberate casting, incredible performance, and the ability to explore new ideas created an environment for the team to flourish. These, along with a massive group effort from all the developers came together to create this great new experience.

Thanks for your support!

We’ll see you in the shadows of Aeternum.

Shapes in the mist! Shrieks in the night! The demon Baalphazu, Marquis of Terror, and his horde of ghoulish Pumpkinites are spreading a living nightmare across Aeternum. Aid Salvatore the Mad in his quest to banish these foul terrors and collect a bounty of Nightveil Hallow rewards.

We spoke to the Design, Narrative, and AI Teams for insight into various aspects of the event. Let’s find out some of the tricks that brought you this Halloween treat. You’ll also get a glimpse at early Nightveil Hallow concept art from before Baalphazu could cast their first shadow over Aeternum.

[h2]Inspiration[/h2]
The direction of Nightveil Hallow was greatly inspired by 80s horror movies, specifically the awesome creature-flicks and fun-spirited ‘schlocky’ tone of the era. As a Halloween and horror-fanatic, it was a blast to work with the team to mix all the pieces that make 80s horror so iconic, and present them within the realm of Aeternum. Baalphazu and his Pumpkinites convey a theme that should hopefully feel familiar to fans of the genre and season, while Salvatore is a classic throwback to the golden age of horror cinema icons.

[h3]Event Goals[/h3]
The goal of every holiday event is to ensure it’s unmistakable to players that a special event is happening in Aeternum. With that, the playfully decorated settlements round out Nightveil Hallow. It is the team’s seal on our love letter to the spookiest time of year!

[h3]References in the Event Shop Rewards[/h3]

The reverence Nightveil Hallow holds for the spooky season is most apparent in the Event Shop and incredible rewards players can earn during the event. I’m certain fans of the genre will pick up on the inspirations for a few of the items, but there’s one hidden-in-plain-sight reference I’m particularly curious if anyone will catch.

[h3]The Creation of Baalphazu[/h3]
When conceiving the demon Baalphazu, we wanted to hint at the existence of other parallel worlds. The Netherworld is a mysterious realm of shadows and nightmares, where the dark figure of Lord Tenebrous rules over the Host, a collection of goblins, ghouls, and other terrors. Baalphazu is one of the Netherworld’s dread captains, eager to carry out the will of his twisted master by spreading fear throughout the island of immortals.

[h3]Naming Baalphazu[/h3]
We tossed a few names around when conceiving this demon. When it comes to New World, our goal is to have creatures and NPCs that are familiar but still uniquely Aeternum. I was fond of the name ‘Belphegor’ while another developer favored ‘Pazuzu’ so it’s easy to see how we settled on Baalphazu.

[h3]Pumpkinites[/h3]

Any new holiday event starts with establishing the "reason for the season," or the major shift that causes all of the associated festivities. The conceptualization of the Pumpkinites was that first step toward developing the overall framework of Nightveil Hallow.

The idea of monstrous pumpkin creatures running amok across Aeternum was too fun to pass on, and the Concept/AI Teams did a killer job developing each one to convey their own sense of personality and purpose. Of the bunch, the Pumpklin is the one I’d consider to be the mascot of the event, as it’s a direct homage to the “small creature” horror films of the 80s. I can totally see this little guy standing claw-to-claw against the Critters.

[h3]Pumpklins[/h3]
Despite being the smallest and most fodder creature of the bunch, the Pumpklins were a deceivingly intricate mob to create, as they are vital to defeating Baalphazu. The concept of defeating an enemy and picking up its head to throw at others was as wild to pitch as it was to develop. A lot of new tech had to be created and there were many moving parts. It was a cross-departmental effort.

Everyone involved with the process did such an amazing job, it’s immensely satisfying mowing them down by the dozens and seeing their heads fly across the battlefield. I’m incredibly excited the Pumpklin is now a permanent fixture of Aeternum, and can’t wait to see what other shenanigans it can get itself into.

[h3]Baalphazu Boss Fight[/h3]

Controlled chaos is how I’d best describe the primary creative design pillar of the fight. It’s fast and hectic, but includes a large boss space to create a more epic atmosphere in two ways — many players can participate without feeling too crowded, and Baalphazu and the Pumpkinites have a lot of room to move.

I love how Baalphazu's dialogue and taunts were worked so heavily into the flow of the fight to convey both narrative and phase transitions to players. If I had to pick one specific moment of the Baalphazu fight I’m particularly pleased with (aside from everything), the presentation and performance of the final death explosion completely nailed the goal of an 80s cult horror villain death. It is a perfect celebratory moment to close out the encounter.

[h3]Boss Design[/h3]

Baalphazu was designed to make sure any player can succeed without having to play a specific role or weapon. Accessibility is key for a spooky good time.

A lot of effort went into making sure the boss and the supporting cast worked harmoniously with each other. For example, the monster attacks apply healing debuffs, but offer healing when defeated.

Vital values were pushed to the absurd as we explored what an open-world boss could look like in New World. This "more is better" approach includes the bonus damage players can deal when Baalphazu becomes staggered. There’s something so satisfying about seeing big numbers!

I even secretly snuck in a small health buff before we locked down the boss for release, but watching the boss melt before the might of the players indicates that I should have applied "more is better"... more.

[h3]Appearance[/h3]

Since the Pumpkinites lean into the more schlocky, playful side of 80s horror, we created a darker and more sinister look for Baalphazu to add some levity to the event. They were meant to be a trickster figure with ties to mysterious ancient gods, so we drew a lot from folk horror. Their hooded, partially obscured face bears a terrifying grin, leaning into that trickster archetype.

We went through tons of iterations for different looks and body types, but ultimately settled on branch-like wings. Reminiscent of their pumpkin underlings, the wings give the impression of gnarled roots ripped out of the ground. For the rest of Baalphazu's design, we wanted them to look otherworldly — totally different than anything else we’ve seen in Aeternum so far. They look almost as if carved from clay, beautiful but disturbing at the same time. Ultimately their design captured exactly what we wanted for this event, dark and unsettling, with a hint of Halloween fun.

[h3]The New Throwable Object Mechanic[/h3]

What’s more appropriate for the season than throwing fiery pumpkin heads? This mechanic creates an ebb and flow to the boss that allows players of a wide-range of skill and levels to participate in meaningful ways.

Developing the logistics of this mechanic and integrating it into the chaos of the fight presented an interesting challenge. We had to ensure the throwable pumpkins were visible and easily learnable. They also had to feel predictable in terms of trajectory and destination. It’s been immensely gratifying watching playthroughs and seeing the ‘aha’ moment when this mechanic clicks with players.

[h2]Concept Art[/h2]
See how some of the Design Team’s concepts came to life:








Thanks for your support!
We’ll see you in the shadows of Aeternum.