New World Expedition Mutators Update

Recently, Amazon Games Studios revealed their plans for New World to introduce a new end-game feature: Expedition Mutators! Mutators alter the way Elites and Named Enemies within expeditions behave through different Mutation Effects. These updates are on the PTR in January and players can test them out before they are officially released.

Mutators are new challenges that rotate on a weekly basis. There are 10 levels within the new mutator challenge that players will have to defeat and climb in a ladder or tower style event. Each level will provide better rewards upon completion, and they have even added a performance based scoring system.

To access the Mutator Expeditions players will need Mutator Orbs. The developers have previously stated that they will be universal, but they will still have a once per week limit. Players will be able to purchase additional orbs in the Faction Shop.

New World Mutation Effects

Elemental: mutations that infuse enemies in the Expedition with a specific elemental damage type, increasing their resistance to that damage type, converting a large portion of their damage to that type, and giving them powerful elemental-based abilities.
- Hellfire: Hellfire infuses enemies with fire, allowing them to burn players who oppose them.
- Eternal: Eternal infuses enemies with void, granting them them abilities that debuff players or buff their void-infused allies.
Promotion: mutations that grant creatures in the Expedition powerful new abilities.
- Savage: Savage AI apply healing reduction and cast damaging beams around themselves.
- Indomitable: Indomitable creatures persist through damage with life-stealing abilities and are able to summon a phalanx, blocking all incoming player projectiles.
Curse: mutations that apply dangerous effects to players, forcing them to work together to overcome the curse’s power. At the highest difficulties, Curses become Empowered, creating additional tactical challenges.
- Desiccated: Desiccated players will occasionally combust with elemental energy. When the curse is empowered, players will need to cleanse themselves by approaching the combusting player.
- Censored: Censored players will find their abilities turning against them. After players in the group have used a certain number of activated abilities, explosive silence zones will appear on all players. When the curse is empowered, players will lose natural mana regeneration and must enter the silence zones to regenerate their mana.

In addition, there will be new Weapons and Armor Perks added to the game in order to deal with the new types of enemies seen within expeditions. Players may need multiple sets of gear in order to take advantage of the new enemy types. Most notably, Fire and Void Armor to mitigate the damage from the Elemental Mutations: Hellfire and Eternal.

Performance Based Scoring

A new system is coming to New World which will score the group, based on their performance. Score will depend on how long the group takes to complete the challenge, how many enemies they’ve killed, how many Takedowns of Named Enemies. Players will also need to be aware of how many times they respawn. There will be a small penalty for respawning, and a significant penalty for whole group team wipes.

In order to advance through each level of mutator difficulty, the group will need to read a specific predetermined level of scoring proficiency. The score ranks will be Bronze, Silver, and Gold. It’s unknown right now what level will be needed in order to advance to the next level.