In New World’s most recent “Forged in Aeternum” video, the developers shed light on the intricacies of the player economy and their ongoing efforts to maintain its health. The video is not all serious, though, as it features a delightful canine companion, playfully hinting at the potential arrival of pets in Aeternum.

Let’s address the playful foreshadowing first – no, this doesn’t confirm the imminent introduction of pets in New World. However, the prospect is exciting, particularly considering the lore rewrite in the “Rise of the Angry Earth” expansion that explained the arrival of horses, signifying a possible step toward pet companions.

The video’s main focus is the player economy, an area that has seen its fair share of issues during the two years of the game’s live development. Numerous bugs and exploits have led to trading being temporarily halted, requiring the development team to address these issues promptly.

The New World developers offer a high-level overview of the economy, addressing aspects such as wealth disparity and the impacts of the latest expansion, “Rise of the Angry Earth.”

Senior Systems Designer Tony Morton highlights wealth disparity as one of the significant challenges. He draws parallels to real-world economics, describing a growing wealth gap, rising prices, and inflation seeping into Aeternum. The team’s goal is to reduce this wealth gap by examining and adjusting the distribution of wealth to players, considering both dedicated players and those with limited playtime.

Morton explains, “So we take a look at how wealth is being distributed, you know? Do we need to do things like distribute wealth more on a weekly basis so you don’t need to log in every day? But then there’s still a source of wealth for people who do want to play the game for 10 or 15 hours a day. And so there’s like a lot of complex problems trying to balance the two because what we want to do is we want somebody who only has a couple of hours a week to play to feel like their time is valued. And then, we also want to make sure that somebody who plays the game an absolute ton still feels like their time is valued, but in doing so, not making it so they’re so far different that their experiences in the game are just equally opposite.”

Joel Clift, New World’s Systems Designer, talks about the in-house tools they use to monitor gold flow and gold faucets within the MMO, which helps manage inflation. He also discusses the team’s considerations when designing new content, particularly seasonal rewards and items added with updates.

When creating new items, the team looks at long-term goals, setting an average price range for the item, its balancing impact, and more. The ideal item is one that serves a player’s purpose for an extended period, offering examples of good items from the expansion, as well as a candid admission of a less successful item (“Flame Core, my fault,” according to Clift).

The discussion provides valuable insights into the creation and maintenance of a player economy in an MMORPG. Player economies play a vital role in ensuring the health of an MMO, and hearing the development team’s perspective on how they approach this aspect, especially in light of their experiences and challenges, offers valuable information.

As someone currently revisiting New World for a review, it’s clear that the economy has improved compared to the initial launch period. New World Gold is now more readily obtained from defeating mobs and completing quests, in contrast to the earlier days when players often found themselves seeking handouts to afford the next gem for their armor in Everfall’s settlement.