The massive expansion that is New World: Aeternum has now dropped, with many players looking to start their new adventure on the mysterious island of Aeternum. For new players to New World especially, this will require creating their own character for the first time. A big decision you'll need to make during this process is which class, or archetype, you choose to start the game with.
Players have seven distinct character archetypes to choose from, all of which have their own strengths, weapons, and starting bonuses. With this in mind, many players may be wondering which character archetype they should choose in New World: Aeternum, and what considerations need to be made when making this choice.
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All Archetypes in New World: Aeternum
Before players can begin their adventure in New World: Aeternum, they must first create their character. This doesn't just involve customizing their player appearance, but also determining the preferred playstyle from the start of this popular MMO. There are a number of options, each with their own default weapons and boosts in trade skills. These are the archetypes available to choose from:
|
Archetype |
Weapons |
Trade Skill Boosts |
|---|---|---|
|
Soldier |
Sword & Shield, Hatchet |
Weaponsmithing, Mining, and Smelting |
|
Destroyer |
Warhammer, Great Axe |
Armoring, Skinning, and Leatherworking |
|
Ranger |
Bow, Spear |
Engineering, Logging, and Woodworking |
|
Musketeer |
Rapier, Rifle |
Armoring, Harvesting, and Weaving |
|
Occultist |
Flame & Frost Magic |
Jewelcrafting, Mining, and Smelting |
|
Mystic |
Life & Death Magic |
Arcana, Harvesting, and Weaving |
|
Swordbearer |
Greatsword, Blunderbuss |
Cooking, Fishing, and Leatherworking |
Upon completing the short tutorial, players will be able to salvage their belongings on the beach, which will include the two weapons included in the archetype's loadout.
Which Class Should You Pick in New World: Aeternum?
Despite having starting archetypes, the beauty of New World: Aeternum is that you're not locked into a particular playstyle or class. You are free to change your weapons as you discover new ones, as well as improve your armor in a style that differs from your opening archetype. Essentially, the only important consideration you need to make is which trade skills and skill area you'd like to have an advantage with when you start the game.
An advantage in any skill is useful in New World: Aeternum, but it is better to opt for an archetype that gives you a headstart in areas like armoring and weaponsmithing, as these will give you an advantage in combat and open the ability to craft better weapons and armor sooner. We found the Destroyer to have a great selection of starting trade skills, but there's really no wrong answer. It largely depends on the type of experience you want to have in the game. If you're combat focussed, go for something with armoring and weapon skills, but if you're focussed on collecting materials, you can opt for a class with skills like mining and harvesting.
How To Respec in New World: Aeternum
If you decide to change up your playstyle, you may need to consider adjusting the allocation of skill points your character has. This is because each of the five areas you can assign skill points (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Focus, and Constitution) will postively impact on different weapons, with the exception of Constitution. If you change from a Strength-forward weapon like a great axe into a Dexterity-forward one like a bow, then you may want to Respec.
Thankfully, it is a quick and easy process to reset your stat points to default options. To Respec your character, simply enter the Character menu where you assign skill points, and select the Respec button at the bottom of the screen. You'll be asked to confirm if you want to make this choice, then all skill points earned will be available to spend again.
You can respec for free until level 60, then you'll have to spend the indicated amount of resources to do it again.
New World: Aeternum
- Released
- October 15, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Amazon Games
- Publisher(s)
- Amazon Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
