Invasions in New World are a Player-versus-Environment (PvE) component of the game that ties into Territorial Control. During Invasions, the forces of the Corrupted take the fight directly to player Territories, attempting to lay siege to their Forts. Players will have to mount a defense in order to repel the enemy forces in a battle for survival. This page covers information on the Invasion mechanic, all the systems it ties into as well as tips on successfully defending against the Corrupted.
New World Invasion Overview
Invasions are a key aspect of Territorial Control. Over the course of their time on Aeternum, players will encounter and have frequent skirmishes with the Corrupted, a collective group of supernatural creatures and monsters that seek to claim the island and its territories for their own, much like the Factions. The main difference between the two is that while the Factions seek to make discoveries and settle the various territories of Aeternum, the Corrupted seek only to dominate and taint the land with their vile presence.
As you establish your Settlements and build up your influence within a Territory, the Corrupted take notice and will begin incursions into your territories, making traveling and gathering resources more difficult over time. They may even take more deliberate measures such as opening Corrupted Breaches, ripping open the very earth and flooding areas with corrupted creatures and structures. As your Settlements and Forts grow in size and strength, so too will the Corrupted, who continually gather their forces from the shadows. Once they have amassed enough strength, the Corrupted will begin laying siege to your territories and forts. This is the basic premise of an Invasion.
An Invasion comprises of escalating waves of enemies that players will have to work together against in order to defend their forts and settlements. If the defense is successful, the Corrupted army is repelled and the battle is won. If the Corrupted army is successful in breaching the Fort's Gates and destroying the Fort Claim, the settlement and fort will incur losses in the form of downgraded facilities and fortifications such as Crafting Stations, Gates and Siege Weaponry. The higher the level of the Settlement, the bigger the losses incurred. After the battle, the forces of the Corrupted will retreat to replenish their strength and the Fort will restore any damaged structures. Invasions will happen roughly every four days.
New World Invasion Mechanics
Joining the Defense
A Defense Army for an invasion is comprised of 50 players. Players will be able to sign up for an Invasion one day before it happens. Sign ups can be done at the Settlement's Town Board. The Governor of the territory being invaded will be able to choose any 10 players they wish to participate in the event, while the remaining 40 are randomly selected from the sign ups. As invasions are a late-game activity, players are required to be level 50 or above in order to join the defense. The Governor of the territory will also need to be level 50 before Invasions begin to occur.
Players chosen to participate in an Invasion will receive a notification shortly before the battle commences and they simply need to make sure they are logged in and prepared. When the time comes for battle, participating players will be teleported straight to the battlefield automatically.
Preparing For the Invasion
At the beginning of an Invasion, players selected to lead the defense will be transported to the Fort automatically and provided 50 Battle Tokens. These tokens are used to purchase potions, traps and ammunition for defensive structures such as turrets. When the invasion starts, players will have a limited amount of time to access the Armory and use their tokens to better prepare for the battle ahead. They can also opt to save these tokens for later use in the battle. More tokens can be earned by contributing to the defense by killing enemies, repairing structures or healing allies.
The Defense
After the preparation period, Corrupted Portals will begin emerging all around the fort, bringing with them a myriad of vile creatures and monsters hellbent on destroying the settlement. The defense will comprise of defending against 8 waves of these creatures, which quickly escalate in power with every wave. The victory condition is to successfully repel all 8 waves or survive with the fort gates intact until the timer expires.
You will be facing a wide range of foes, each with their own strengths and weaknesses and adapting different playstyles and defensive tactics is the key to a successfully repelling these creatures. The following is a list of creatures encountered during an invasion:
- Grunts - Weak creatures that can gain strength in numbers. Grunts will typically focus down structures but in the event that they can't reach them, they will begin attacking players. After a short period, Grunts will go into a frenzy, increasing their attack speed, damage and aggression, causing them to collectively focus on players en masse. Being swarmed by frenzied Grunts is exceedingly dangerous and it is recommended to take these creatures out before they get this chance.
- Raiders - These creatures serve as the shock troopers of the Corrupted forces. Raiders are skilled, tough and well-equipped melee combatants that are focused on chasing down and attacking players. On occasion, they will also attack structures if there are no players nearby.
- Snipers - Specialist opponents that make use of long-ranged weaponry and skills to snipe at players from afar. Snipers are extremely evasive, being able to dodge player attacks. Snipers prioritize targets on the walls and ramparts and can suppress turret fire, rendering them ineffective for a period.
- Bombers - Suicide agents with bombs strapped to their back. These opponents will stop at nothing to rush down the fort towards structures and fortifications, blowing themselves up to deal massive damage in the process. It is recommended to destroy these enemies as soon as possible from a safe distance, as they explode upon death, dealing heavy damage to anything in the blast radius.
- Brutes - Brutes are powerhouses that focus on destroying defenses and structures. They are incredibly tough, requiring several players working together in unison to take down. When a Brute is on the battlefield, rally your teammates and prepare for a tough battle.
- Bosses - Bosses are powerful, special enemies that vary in their behavior and goals. Some prefer to focus on cutting players down while some like to use their powers to destroy structures. Bosses often grant a significant buff to enemy forces, making them all the more dangerous.
Defensive Siege Weapons and Structures
During the battle, players will have access to various Siege Weapons which they can use to turn the tide of battle. Note that only the Company that governs the Territory can build and set up defenses. Furthermore, this can only be done before the Invasion commences. The strength of these defenses is determined by the number of upgrades made via Town Projects.
While Siege Weapons present powerful offensive capabilities, it is important to defend them from enemy attacks as well. A destroyed siege weapon cannot be replaced until the Invasion ends, but players can spend Battle Tokens on repairs as long as some of their integrity is still intact. Additionally, using these structures requires the appropriate ammunition which can also be purchased using Battle Tokens at the Armory. Lastly, players will also be able to purchase Traps which can be deployed anywhere on the battlefield for varying effects.
Ballista
The Ballista is a mounted turret that shoots powerful projectiles with a moderate firing speed. They excel in destroying structures as well as taking out large, slow-moving targets such as the Brutes.
Explosive Cannon
The Explosive Cannon is an excellent crowd-control weapon that fires explosive shots which can stagger and knock enemies back. It's a great weapon for area denial and dispersing groups of enemies as the explosion has a large radius. Its main weakness is its very slow rate of fire and it is not ideal for taking out fast-moving targets such as Raiders.
Repeater Turret
The Repeater is a quick-firing turret that shoots bolts in rapid succession. While it lacks the firepower of the Cannon and Ballista, it makes up for it in sheer speed. The Repeater excels at following speedy targets and locking them down.
Dropper
The Dropper is a defensive weapon mounted on the walls and ramparts of the Fort, pouring burning oil or molten liquid onto enemies below. What the Dropper lacks in range, it makes up for with high damage over time effects against a large group of enemies. These weapons often function as a last ditch effort to prevent the Gates from being breached.
Horn of Resilience
The Horn of Resilience is a support structure used to bolster allied forces, providing a powerful healing and defensive buff in the area. The horn has a lengthy cooldown but careful, strategic use can turn the tide of battle.
Inferno Mines
The Inferno Mine is a proximity explosive device that when triggered, covers an area in fire, dealing heavy damage over time to all enemies caught within. The mine has a large explosion radius and is excellent at area denial, particularly in choke points and important locations such as around siege weapons and fortifications.
Powder Keg
The Powder Keg is a simple but highly destructive tool that boasts the highest damage among any siege weaponry. It is highly effective at taking out structures. However, its fuse must be lit manually and has a lengthy ignition duration before it explodes. Moreover, the Powder Keg will not detonate if destroyed, requiring players to defend it until detonation.
Aftermath
At the battle's conclusion, players will be teleported off the battlefield back to where they were before the Invasion began.
The battle is lost if the enemies are successful in destroying the Fort Claim within the time limit. If the Corrupted prevail, the Settlement's facilities will be downgraded to a certain extent. Some buffs will also become unavailable for a time. The higher the level of the Settlement, the bigger the losses incurred but the Company will not lose control of the Settlement or Territory. However, significant downgrades to a settlement's facilities may leave it vulnerable to further attacks and players need to be vigilant in getting their settlement and fort back to tiptop shape. Whether you win or lose, participating players will be rewarded with experience points, gold and loot. Rewards will be of higher value and degree if the Defenders are victorious.
