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Amazon’s New World is set to have paid items that are “exclusively cosmetic in nature” at launch, and quality of life items and a battle pass-style program may come later.

Studio director Rich Lawrence took to Twitter to respond to questions from the community regarding New World’s Alpha patch notes that discuss the in-game storefront. He reassured fans that this store is to “create an outlet for players who find enough value in store items that they are happy to purchase them.”

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He promises the plan isn’t, and never will be, to “create a feeling that store items are necessary to enjoy the game.” All players, according to Lawrence, will be able to enjoy the full game experience without ever having to purchase anything.

When New World launches in August 2021, all store items will be “exclusively cosmetic in nature.” The current storefront in Alpha is simply a test, and none of the selections or their indicated costs are final. Alpha testers are encouraged to provide feedback on the items in the store to help determine whether or not they are added to the live game.

In the future, the team is planning on testing “quality of life items for mechanics like rested XP and fast travel, both obtainable in-game and purchasable in the store.” The release of these items will be determined by “how players progress in the months after launch.”

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The goal with all these items is “that they not offer an advantage that imbalances the game.”

Lawrence also revealed that the team is contemplating, but has not finalized, a “battle pass” style program that would “combine store items on a periodic basis.” This feature would be tested ahead of time to “ensure it provides strong value without disrupting gameplay for those not participating.”

Even further beyond that would be the “possibility of optional expansions, which would have a separate cost.”

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We recently got hands-on with the Amrine Excavation, one of New World’s six dungeon expeditions, and in 2020 we got to check out its massive 50v50 PvP war battles.

For more on Amazon Game Studios and New World, check out the report that details struggles, “bro culture,” mismanagement, and cancelled projects at the studio.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

NASA’s Perseverance has some company on Mars as China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft has successfully landed on the Red Planet.

As reported by The New York Times, China had revealed little of its plans prior to the landing and, while China’s state television did not report on the landing live, it dedicated hours of coverage following its touchdown.

“This is another milestone advance in our country’s aerospace endeavors,” China’s president Xi Jinping said in a statement. “You have had the courage for challenge, have strove for excellence and have brought our country to the global forefront of interplanetary exploration.”

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The Tianwen-1 mission launched from Earth in July 2020 to take advantage of a window every two years when Mars and Earth are closest to each other. It made it to Martian orbit on February 10 and stayed in orbit until it was ready for landing.

Tianwen-1’s landing craft held the rover – which is named Zhurong, after the god of fire in Chinese folk tales – and it is about one-fourth the weight of NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance.

Zhurong is powered by solar panels and it includes “cameras, a ground-penetrating radar, a magnetic field detector, and a weather station.”

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Tianwen-1 landed in Utopia Planitia, also known as “Nowhere Land Plain,” and is the same region where NASA’s Viking 2 lander landed in 1976. This area of Mars is a huge basin that is a couple thousand miles wide and could have been under an ocean in the distant past.

One of China’s main goals for this mission is to “better understand the distribution of ice in the region, which future human colonists on Mars could use to sustain themselves.”

NASA’s Perseverance landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, and has a goal of seeking signs of habitable life and “past microbial life.” Since then, NASA’s Mars Ingenuity helicopter made history by successfully completing the first powered, controlled flight on another planet.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

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Final Fantasy 14’s PS5 version will leave Open Beta and will officially launch on May 25 alongside Patch 5.55.

Revealed during Final Fantasy 14’s Fan Fest, the PS5 version features fast load times, 4K resolution support, high resolution UI, DualSense haptic feedback support, new trophies, and 3D audio support.

For those unaware, those who own the PS4 version of FF14 will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free.

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As for Patch 5.55 – which will be the final major update before FF14’s Endwalker expansion is released on November 23, 2021 – some of the new content includes Part 2 of the Death Unto Dawn main scenario, Save the Queen updates, YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse epilogue quests, and a reward for collecting all Triple Triad cards.

The team also announced a special Final Fantasy 14 Stratocaster electric guitar is being developed in collaboration with Fender. While pre-orders are not yet available for the $3,499 Stratocaster, it was announced that they will begin in the Americas, EMEA, and Australia in late 2021 and the guitar will ship in early 2022.

For those who may not be able to get their hands on one of these in real life, it was also revealed that Patch 5.5 will introduce an electric guitar to the Bard’s Performance mode and the Aetherolectric Guitar will be available for purchase in the Manderville Gold Saucer.

Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker will feature two new classes – the healer Sage and the DPS Reaper – and it will conclude the tale of Hydaelyn and Zodiark and will bring to a close the story that began in A Realm Reborn.

Furthermore, FF14 director Naoki Yoshida shared that a new playable character, the male Viera, is in the works alongside a female Hrothgar.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.