Capture the Flag is bringing fast, focused PvP action to New World: Aeternum. Get a first look at the new mode during a limited-time preview event:

Preview Event Start: Friday, May 16
Preview Event End: Monday, May 19

Capture the Flag offers a new way to dive into intense, short-duration matches where quick decisions and sharp teamwork make all the difference. The goal behind Capture the Flag was simple: create a PvP mode that’s instantly understandable, endlessly replayable, and a true test of quick thinking under pressure.

Pick a Role, Play Your Way
Every Capture the Flag match is a balance of offense, defense, and rapid adaptation. Players naturally fall into roles — carrier, defender, chaser, protector — but how you fill that role depends entirely on your team’s strategy and your build.

Carrying the flag isn’t easy. Slowed movement, increased incoming damage, and reduced healing keeps things balanced, while using certain movement abilities will cause you to drop the flag immediately. Every weapon loadout can run the flag, but not every loadout will survive the chase — smart play and teamwork are key.

Battlefields Built for Speed
Both Capture the Flag maps were custom-designed to support the mode’s relentless energy.

They may look familiar, but every jump pad, corridor, and power-up placement was crafted to keep fights tight and thrilling.

On the field, players will find:

• Power-ups — grab boosts to health, speed, or damage at critical moments.
  
• Jump pads — launch yourself into chaotic new angles of attack.
  
• No base defenses — defense is your responsibility.

With near-instant respawns, downtime is nearly nonexistent—keeping pressure high from the moment you grab the flag to the moment you fight your way back to home base to score.
Speed Meets Strategy

Capture the Flag is quick to learn and satisfying to master.

The mode’s simplicity makes it perfect for casual players looking for instant action, but smart coordination and team synergy will define the winners.

Development for Capture the Flag wasn’t without its challenges. Tuning pickup timers, flag drop mechanics, and spawn protections took significant iteration — and the flexibility built into the mode’s backend will allow for ongoing live adjustments as the playerbase shapes how Capture the Flag is played.

Early versions of the mode experimented with twists on the traditional format, but the decision to start with a classic Capture the Flag experience sets the stage for future variant modes and experiments in coming seasons.

Play for Glory (and Loot)
During Season 8’s Preview Weekends, Capture the Flag will reward players with standard Outpost Rush crates.

There aren’t exclusive cosmetics or achievements tied to the mode yet — but capture the flag based rewards are already being explored for Season 9 and beyond.

For now, the goal is pure: victory, bragging rights, and endless clutch moments.
Build for the Fight

While Capture the Flag’s arenas are set in recognizable parts of Aeternum, they’re competitive spaces first — designed for flow, tactics, and nonstop motion.

To bring the mode to life, the team built:

• Custom-designed flags and power-up visuals
  
• New jump pad assets
  
• A fully voiced announcer hyping every clutch play
  
• Original music composed to match the pace of battle

It’s a fresh, kinetic experience inside a world players already know.

The Race Begins
Capture the Flag is fast, brutal, tactical, and just getting started.

Preview Weekends arrive in Season 8 — your first chance to sprint, defend, steal, and score before the mode goes live permanently.

Grab your team, sharpen your builds, and get ready to run. We’ll see you in Aeternum!

Season 8 begins May 13 at 5:00AM PT (1:00PM UTC) with the launch of Season of the Divide, a massive update packed with PvP experimentation, combat overhaul, and the debut of hardcore seasonal servers. Whether you’re chasing leaderboard glory in new game modes, testing your skill in permadeath adventures, or perfecting your build with Artifact upgrades and balance changes — there’s more to fight for than ever before.

New PvP Modes & Maps

Capture the Flag, Outpost Rush: Barebones, and a new Arena map join the roster during limited-time preview events. You’ll also find a permanent addition in Coral Divide, a vertical, ocean-themed Outpost Rush map with strategic fort clashes and redesigned objectives.

PvP map rotations are now hourly, and new features like PvP Camps, team UI, and pre-match Ready Up deepen the tactical layer of each fight.


Hardcore Seasonal Server

Coming in June, Hardcore Mode redefines risk vs reward. Death wipes your best rewards, and only the strongest earn full Seasonal Journey completion. Faster leveling, streamlined crafting, and limited-time exclusive cosmetics and gear materials await.

Artifacts, Perks, and Combat

Seven new Artifacts enter the endgame alongside new perks, gem types, and combat balance for every weapon. PvE and PvP values are now more clearly separated, and powerful new survival potions shift how players stay alive in high-stakes encounters.


Quality of Life & Systems
Expect a smarter Target Lock system, streamlined mutator rewards, the long-requested Barbershop, and more intuitive controls for both controller and keyboard players. Behind the scenes, DX12 is now the default renderer on PC, with DLSS 4 support added for RTX users.

Expeditions, UI, and Fixes

Every expedition has seen tuning, bug fixes, or both — from collision and VFX issues to raid boss behaviors and loot consistency. Over 100 bugs have been squashed, including input fixes, social UI bugs, and combat desyncs.

Season of the Divide is just getting started. Jump in May 13, test new PvP experiences, and prepare for what’s next. Read the complete release notes here[www.newworld.com].