Mastering Leveling in New World Aeternum

New World: Aeternum is a vast and ever-evolving world, rich with opportunities for exploration, combat, crafting, and more. As players traverse this mysterious island, one of the primary goals is to reach max level as efficiently as possible to access high-end content like Expeditions, Wars, and the game's rich PvP mechanics. In this detailed guide, we will dive deep into the best strategies for leveling up your character, including maximizing experience gains from quests, optimizing crafting and gathering, and leveraging faction benefits to speed up your journey.

The backbone of your leveling experience should always be the Main Story Quests (MSQs). These quests guide you through the lore of Aeternum while also unlocking critical game features. From learning about the Azoth powers to obtaining your Azoth staff, the MSQ acts as your roadmap through the world. Completing these quests will reward you with some of the largest chunks of XP in the game, often propelling you forward several levels at a time.

As you progress through the MSQs, you'll unlock key content such as Expeditions, which are crucial for both XP and gear acquisition. Expeditions are instanced group activities that grant experience and help you in future quests and PvP engagements.

Always aim to have multiple quests in your log, particularly those that overlap objectives or locations. This way, you can complete multiple quests in one trip, saving time and maximizing your XP gain per hour.

Side Quests complement the main story by giving you more opportunities to explore the different zones of Aeternum. These quests are typically faster to complete and often concentrated in specific map areas. Each zone has a set of quests designed to immerse you in the local storyline and challenges. While they offer less XP than MSQs, side quests are valuable for filling in the XP gaps when you're not progressing the main story.

As you travel to new regions for MSQs, always pick up side quests in that area. Since the travel time in New World can be lengthy, combining main and side quests reduces downtime and boosts your leveling efficiency.

Around level 17, you'll be prompted to join one of the three in-game factions: Marauders, Syndicate, or Covenant. This decision is crucial because it unlocks Faction Quests, which are an incredibly efficient way to gain XP, gold, and faction currency. Faction Quests are divided into PvE and PvP tasks, with PvP quests offering greater rewards but also requiring you to flag for open-world PvP, meaning you'll be vulnerable to attacks from players in rival factions.

Faction reputation is key to unlocking better gear, and faction gear is often some of the best available for your level bracket. As you climb the ranks within your faction, you'll gain access to stronger weapons and armor, which can give you a competitive edge in both PvE and PvP encounters.

Always carry out your faction's PvE missions whenever you're in town. They are usually simple tasks like gathering resources or defeating mobs and can be completed alongside other quests. If you're comfortable with PvP, flag for faction PvP missions, as they provide a higher XP reward and often have less competition in lower-population areas.

Town Projects are one of the hidden gems in New World's leveling system. Each settlement in Aeternum has its own set of projects, which act as community-driven goals that offer substantial XP rewards upon completion. These tasks typically involve gathering materials, crafting items, or hunting specific mobs. The XP gained from Town Projects can be incredibly high, making them an efficient use of time if you're looking to supplement your XP gains from quests.

Town Projects benefit you and contribute to the overall development of the settlement in which you're based. Higher-level Town Projects can lead to improvements in crafting stations and other facilities, making it easier for you to craft high-level gear as you progress.

Check the Town Project Board every time you return to a settlement. Focus on the tasks that align with your current gathering and craft goals to complete multiple tasks efficiently.

Crafting and gathering in New World offer another path to gaining XP while also providing valuable materials for personal use or sale. As you travel across Aeternum, always be on the lookout for mining nodes, herbs, and other gatherable resources. The XP from gathering can add up quickly, especially if you focus on high-level materials. Additionally, crafting high-demand items, such as potions, tools, or gear, can be both lucrative and experience-rich.

Each crafting skill you level up also contributes to your overall character level, so there's a dual benefit to focusing on professions. As you refine your gathering and crafting skills, you'll become more efficient and produce higher-quality items, further improving your character's combat capabilities.

Some Town Projects require specific crafted items or gathered resources. By focusing on gathering and crafting, you can complete these tasks while also gaining valuable crafting XP.

Expeditions are New World's version of dungeons, and they are a fantastic way to gain experience, gear, and loot. The first expedition you will encounter is Amrine Excavation, which becomes available early on. Completing expeditions with a group is a fast way to rack up XP while also securing rare and powerful gear that will aid you in your journey.

Each expedition offers unique challenges, bosses, and loot, making them a key part of your leveling strategy, particularly when looking for gear upgrades. Expeditions scale in difficulty and reward, so you'll continue to gain substantial rewards as you level up and unlock new expeditions.

Try to complete an expedition with friends or a guild to ensure you have a coordinated team. This will make clearing the content faster and more efficient, considerably boosting your XP/hour.

For those who enjoy competitive gameplay, participating in PvP content such as Wars and open-world skirmishes is another excellent way to level up. Wars are large-scale faction battles where hundreds of players fight for control of territories. Winning a War can provide significant XP, gold, and faction currency, and it contributes to your faction's overall control of Aeternum.

Open-world PvP missions tied to faction objectives offer higher XP rewards than standard PvE missions. However, these missions come with added risk, as you'll be flagged for PvP and vulnerable to attacks from rival factions. For players comfortable with the extra challenge, PvP is a rewarding and fast-paced way to gain levels.

Before embarking on a PvP mission, ensure you have high-quality gear and consumables, and consider teaming up with other faction members to reduce the risk of being outnumbered in combat.

- Prioritize MSQs and keep progressing them to unlock critical game features like expeditions and higher-level content.

- Always combine side quests, faction quests, and Town Projects to make the most of your time and reduce downtime.

- Craft and gather whenever possible, as this will provide additional XP while also helping you complete Town Projects and prepare for the economy.

- Run Expeditions for gear and XP, especially when they align with your main story progression.

- Engage in PvP if you're comfortable, as it offers faster XP gains through faction missions and Wars.

By following these strategies, you can maximize your experience gains and reach max level faster in New World: Aeternum, all while enjoying the full breadth of content the game has to offer.

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