PvP in New World can take place in a few different contexts and there are varied requirements for each mode in PvP — and now that New World’s first major content update, Into the Void, has added some new PvP missions, there’s even more reason to go on the offensive and do battle with your fellow players. In this guide, we’ll explain each of New World’s PvP modes and go over the requirements to take part in them. On this page:
New World PvP: Duelling New World PvP: Wars New World PvP: Open-world PVP and Faction Missions New World PvP: Outpost Rush
New World PvP: Duelling
If you’re looking for a low-stakes entry into PvP in New World, duelling is an excellent way to dip a toe. There are no lasting consequences for duelling whether you win or lose, and crucially your gear won’t degrade as a result of taking part. Duels also have to be mutually agreed on by the participants, so this is a much more relaxed form of PvP combat than going around expecting to be attacked at any moment. To initiate a duel, you much first reach Level 10. From then on, you can click on the character you want to challenge and select the “Invite to Duel” option, or type “/duel [player name]” into the chat. You can invite another player to duel you regardless of your respective Factions, but it’s worth noting that you can’t initiate a duel inside a Settlement or while there’s a War or Invasion event going on that you’re taking part in. If other players or NPCs do crash the duel and manage to interfere, the duel will automatically end in a draw. Despite the mental image probably conjured by the word “duel” of a one-on-one fight (possibly with a couple of seconds standing by if you’re fancy), duels in New World can be up to five-a-side, with asymmetrical duels entirely supported. To take part in a group duel, all participants on each side must form a group before one side extends the invitation.
New World PvP: Wars
Wars are skirmishes between opposing New World Factions aiming to claim territories. These work quite a bit like PvE Invasions, with of course the main difference being that your opponents are human players rather than AI-controlled enemies. The groundwork for a War is laid over time. Once a territory is controlled by one of the game’s three Factions, members of other Factions can begin increasing their influence and completing missions to gain a foothold. When a challenging Faction has gained sufficient influence, the territory goes into Conflict, and the challengers can declare war. To take part in a siege against an opposing Faction’s territory, you can sign up at the War Board in a settlement. Again, as with Invasions, you aren’t guaranteed a place in the battle, but an expression of interest is better than none at all if you want to take part. Because New World Factions are huge entities, wars are fought by the Companies within them. Each side of a war can bring up to 50 fighters each, and since Companies are capped at 50 members, it’s possible for two Companies to fight a war without outside help. However, since in practice many Companies have fewer than 50 members — or won’t be able to coordinate having all their members online when the war is due to take place — others in the same Faction may find that they’re selected from the War Board enlistees to take part.
New World PvP: Open-world PVP and Faction Missions
PvP is technically completely optional in New World, and if you want to take part in PvP in the open world of Aeternum outside of formal duels and battles, you need to actively declare yourself open to it. However, PvP missions are a significant means of gaining territorial influence and control in the run-up to a war, so unless you’re playing as a complete loner, you’ll probably find yourself wanting to do this at some point to further your Faction’s interests. To enable PvP, you first need to declare yourself for a Faction. After that point, head to a settlement or fast travel point and press ‘U’ on your keyboard. Once you leave the safety of the settlement you’ll see a reminder that you did this and a countdown will begin, giving you time to back out if you prefer. Let this timer run out, though, and you’re flagged for PvP. This allows you to attack other players with PvP enabled — indicated by the level indicator on their nameplate turning red — and, of course, they can attack you as well. These PvP encounters can happen anywhere in the open world — and, as an added incentive, you’ll receive 10% extra EXP just for being out there with PvP enabled, no matter what you’re actually doing. But to raise Faction influence over a territory, there are specific next steps you need to take. Faction Missions are goaled PvP events that come in a number of different flavours, but generally require you to rock up into enemy territory — or defend your own territory from such intruders. Accepting a Faction Mission will auto-enable PvP on your character, and only players with PvP enabled can enter a territory’s Fort. A Fort is where many key pre-war mission objectives take place. There are benefits both to defending your own Faction’s Forts and joining in efforts to attack those belonging to other factions. One of the main types of Faction Mission, known as Control Points, sees the incumbent Faction and their opponents vying to seize or retain control of the contested Fort. The successful side will see their Influence within the territory greatly increased. The Into the Void update has added a little more meat to the Faction Missions. Goaled PvP events now include new missions called Intercept (defeat enemy Faction members) and War Camp Loot (retrieve intel from inside an enemy camp).
New World PvP: Outpost Rush
Outpost Rush is a late-game PvP activity, only available to players who have hit Level 60 (which is the current level cap). This mode pits two teams of 20 players against each other, and you can enter with a group of up to five similarly high-level players. This more of a PvPvE challenge, since you’ll need to balance taking part in PvP combat with gathering resources and capturing objectives to emerge victorious. As you’d expect of content aimed at high-level players there are some top-end rewards on offer, including Legendary weapons and armor, as well as plenty of Azoth. So now that you know all the varied ways you can go about getting into fights with other players, why not make sure you know your enemy? Check out our guide to the best New World character builds so you can recognise who you’re up against — and come away with some tips of your own.
