Aeternum is a place of struggle. Not only will you have to contend with the forces of Corruption, but you must also protect yourself from other players. Claiming a Territory is a good first step in establishing a foothold, providing security and resources for the days ahead, but it also puts you at greater risk when someone else wants what you have.

When the legions of the Corrupted attempt to take your Fort, this is called a Corrupted Invasion. You can read more about that here. When other players want to overthrow your Territory for their Faction, this is War.

Before you can wage War on another Faction’s Territory you must weaken that Territory to a point where it is vulnerable enough to have War declared on it. In order to do this, you must perform the required amount of Faction Missions. You can read more about Faction Missions here.

The Vanguard

When you go to War, you go on behalf of your Faction. The three Factions are locked in a constant struggle for control over Aeternum. A Faction is made up of Companies that have declared their loyalty to that Faction. When the required tasks have been completed to put a Territory into a Conflict State, there is a lottery to decide what Company will lead the charge in battle.

If your Company has been selected as the Vanguard, the Governor can select members of their Company to fill the attacking ranks, for a 50 v 50 War. If they have enough members, they can fill the War entirely with members of their Company, however if a smaller Company is selected they can pick from anyone in their Faction or even pick volunteers from the third Faction to be involved in the War. For example, if a Company from the Syndicate has declared War on a Territory owned by the Marauders and they don’t have enough warriors to fill their ranks, they can enlist help from members of the Covenant. If you would like to offer up your sword and volunteer for Wars, you must travel to the Territory where the War is to be fought and sign up on the War Boards in the Settlement or outside the Fort.

Prepare for Battle

Wars will take place in specific windows of time that are set by the defending Company. Being able to set the time the War takes place helps for better coordination of the participants. This also removes the potential for offline raiding or Wars taking place during inconvenient hours for the majority of the members involved.

If you have been selected to participate in a War, congratulations! You’re about to experience a pinnacle PvP moment in New World. Once you have been selected to fight, make sure you’re logged in and ready because you’ll be getting a notification before the War begins. When the time comes for battle, you’ll be teleported from where you are on Aeternum, straight to the battlefield.

The Battle Begins

The attacking army will attempt to breach the walls of the Fort and capture it’s Claim, thus taking over ownership of the whole Territory for their Faction. Before any Fort Gates can be damaged and breached, the attackers must first capture three Rally Points in front of the Fort. Once captured, they cannot be retaken by the defenders and the front-line is pushed ever closer. Rally Points can be used by the team as respawn points or to access the Armory. The defending team will use everything at their disposal to repel the invaders.

Weapons of War

An extra layer of strategy and tactics are introduced to the equation when you start building Siege Weapons and Siege Platforms.

As an attacker you can spend your Battle Tokens at the War Camp’s Armory to acquire Siege Platforms and build them on the battlefield. Similar to how they are acquired and used in Invasions, you gain additional Battle Tokens by contributing to the battle.

The defending Fort will be able to build Siege Weapons along their walls to help fend off the attack. These Siege Weapons won’t come at a cost to the defenders but just how powerful these Siege Weapons are will be dictated by how they have been upgraded through the Territory Progression system prior to the War. So if you want to protect your Fort with the strongest Siege Weapons available, make sure you’re doing the required Town Projects back at your Company Settlement. More on that here. There are multiple entries to the Fort which defenders will need to divide their attention and Siege Weapons between. Defenders also have Siege Supplies that are auto-generated during War by Siege Supply Generators. These resources can be used to repair structures, including Gates, Armories, Siege Supply Generators, and Siege Weapons.

Siege Weapons and Platforms are game changers. Below, you’ll find a list of what you’ll have at your disposal as an attacker or defender during the War.

Attacker’s Siege Platforms

Cannon Platform

With a medium rate of fire and the highest damage per hit, the Cannon is most effective against structures and large, slow-moving targets. Several Cannons focusing their fire can quickly demolish any defensive structure.

Fire Launcher Platform

The Fire Launcher launches a flaming projectile that bursts on impact and covers the area in fire. It is most effective against infantry and is a good way to counter ranged opponents shooting from the Fort ramparts. It’s also very effective at area denial and keeping opponents out of capture points.

Repeater Platform

The Repeater is a rapid-fire turret that launches bolts at very high speeds. Individually, the bolts don’t do a lot of damage but sustained fire can quickly whittle infantry down. It’s most effective against smaller and quicker targets that the other turrets have a hard time hitting.

Defenders’s Siege Weapons

Ballista

The Ballista is the defender’s version of the Cannon and serves the same role as an anti-structure Siege Weapon. It has a medium rate of fire, very high damage per shot, and is most effective against structures and large, slower-moving targets.

Explosive Cannon

The Explosive Cannon fires an explosive shot that that disrupts and knocks enemies back. It’s most effective against groups of infantry and provides area denial (like at the Rally Points in front of the fort). However, its low rate of fire makes it largely ineffective against fast-moving targets.

Repeater Turret

The defender’s version of the Repeater is functionally the same as the attacker’s. High rate-of-fire, low damage per shot, and most effective against smaller, quicker targets.

Fire Dropper

The Fire Dropper pours burning, molten liquid down on anyone below. It does high damage over time, making it most effective against groups of enemies attacking the gate.

Horn of Resilience

The Horn of Resilience provides a temporary healing and defensive buff to all allies in the area. It has a lengthy cool-down but can turn the tide of battle when used at the right moment.

Traps - Available to Attackers and Defenders

Inferno Mine

When an enemy gets close enough, the Inferno Mine bursts and covers the area in fire. It is highly effective at area denial and most effective when placed in choke points.

Powder Keg

The Powder Keg does the highest damage of any siege weapon, making it extremely effective against gates. It’s fuse must be lit manually and has a lengthy duration. The Powder Keg won’t detonate if it’s destroyed early, requiring players to actively defend it.

Going Home

Once the War has come to it’s climatic end, players on both sides of the conflict will be teleported off the battlefield so they can continue their adventures in Aeternum.

Want to win honor and glory in the name of your Faction? Wars must be waged and the stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s winner take all. Should the attacking army prevail, they now control the Territory and everything in it. Planting a new flag in the name of their Faction and pushing the front-lines forward towards total dominance.

*Some War designs may change based on tester feedback. Screenshots are from Alpha and subject to change.