New World - Nix Du

Catacombs is an evergreen co-op mode, featuring the game’s first extraction gameplay, first procedural map, and first roguelike combat.
Drawing inspiration from Helldivers 2, Dark and Darker, and Elden Ring: Nightreign, its experience is completely different from any past NW content.

Catacombs has been NW’s most active and acclaimed game mode since its debut.
“Catacombs saved New World’s endgame” – Tyler F.M. Edwards, Massively Overpowered
“Most fun PvE content this game has ever seen” (Reddit post)

Responsibilities

Wrote and owned GDD
Led an interdisciplinary team of art, design, engineering, and product
Ideated and walked through 20+ iterations with leadership/playtest feedback
Designed and implemented 20+ procedural levels in collaboration with engineers
Designed and implemented 18 new abilities in collaboration with AI designers
Designed and implemented reward system in collaboration with progression
Scripted game mode codes with Dungeons Lead

YouTube Community Tutorial

Dev Interview

Contribution Deep Dive

High-Level Goals

Problem: PvE is boring and draining

New World's PvE playerbase has long been complaining that PvE is repetitive and draning. Finding an activity, filling all roles, gearing up, etc... can take 10-30 minutes. This is very discouraging by itself.

Solution: Accessible, evergreen PvE mode

I set up this goal when beginning the GDD -- to create THE main game mode that players habitually click on when running out of content.

Then, I defined the 5 necessary factors to achieve it. Here are my actions to nail in these factors:

1. Highly replayable core loop

Adaptive difficulty curve for all skill levels. The mode gets harder the more bosses are defeated.
Procedural map and extraction loop..
Roguelike elements with randomization per run.

2. Maximized audience

Increased combat pacing for strong engagement.
Reduced trinity teamwork dependency to capture lone wolf players.
Encounters and levels designed for all builds.
Unique abilities to capture PvP players' curiosity.

3. High content efficiency

Include almost every NW's mob encounter.
Rework iconic bosses into catacombs-style fights.
Design scalable and replaceable structures for frequent and efficient future updates.

4. Streamlined metagame experience

Remove role requirements for faster matchmaking.
When queue exceeds 1 minute, drop player in and fill the team later. (idea from Daniel Henuber)
NPCs in very accessible locations

5. Easily scalable and renewable reward loop

Drop exclusive currencies instead of items.
Affinity shop to buy items with currencies. Each season opens a new affinity level progression.
Shop mainly sells: low end starter(cheap), high end mystery box (cheap), high end chase gear(pricey).

Procedural Levels

Problem: Dungeons quickly get old

We put out 2-3 dungeons a year, which is insufficient. Players will quickly learn the level and min-max the fun out of it. We need level that still feels fresh and exploratble even after hundreds of runs.

Solution: A new layout per run

I pitched and ideated a tile-based procedural generation system, where an algorithm does the following in order:

Follow rules to place POIs (start, bosses, portals...) on a grid
Connect the points with branching and interconnected paths
Determine the type of tile on each block: one-way, two-way, L-shaped, three-way...
Follow a rhythm to place content (boss, fodder, reward, parkour, trap, puzzle, hazard...) on tiles

I collaborated closely with engineers, syncing up on map generation rules and following through the development of a truly procedural layout.

Additionally, I worked with artists to turn blockouts into dressed environments, and worked with the UX teams on procedural-related QOL features.

Full list of tiles

A tile in Catacombs is defined by 4 elements: Connector, dimension, content, and gimmick. Tile direction:

#1 - Two way (I-shaped)
#2 - Two way (L shaped)
#3 - Three way
#4 - Dead end
#5 - Four way

Tile dimension:

A - Grand hall
B - Narrow passage
C - Decorated hallway
D - Broken ruin (parkour)

Combining the direction and dimension, there are 20 types of tile geometries in total (1A, 1B, ...5D). These tiles host 1 type of content and multiple gimmicks. Content types:

Fodder encounter
Fodder portal
Fodder elimination
Mini boss encounter
Summoning circle (optional mini boss)
Boss encounter
Hazard challenge
Aspect shrines (see next section)
Treasure room

Gimmick types:

Ambient hazard (flamethrower trap, falling axe, explosive bulb, etc.)
Gate and lever - find the lever on a nearby tile for shortcut to boss room
Hidden door - open passage to treasure chamber
Portcullis - clear the encounter to lift

Combine these 4 elements, there are thousands of possible tile variations, and millions of non-identical map layouts.

Ability System

Problem: Traditional roles doesn't work

We discovered 3 issues in playtests:

Trinity roles (dps, tank, healer) works well with 5+ players, but not Catacombs' 3-player team.
Splitting up is the most efficient early-game playstyle, but most players can't self-sustain.
Team composition is completely random since there's no role queue in Catacombs.

Solution: Role-altering ability system

I ideated and implemented role-altering abilities to pick up throughout the game. Players can build and adjust their ability sets depending on their team comp and goals. I designed the abilities under 6 aspects, each with their strengths, trade-offs, and playstyle sweet spots.

Berserker: High burst damage, High risk,
Skillful dodging and parrying
Paladin: Team survival, Low damage,
Sustaining through long fights
Spellwarden: Momentarily tanky, Low sustain,
Off-tanking and aggro cycling
Reaper: Mobility and self-heal, Inconsistent,
Shotcalling or solo exploring
Oracle: Exclusive team utility, Niche & risky,
High level teamworking
Summoner: Multi damage source, Pulls aggro,
QMowing down hoards

Full list of abilities

Aspect of Berserker Found in red shrines

Bloodbath: Gains a damage aura at <40% health.
Chain of Carnage: Critical hits gives guaranteed crit and +20% damage taken for 2s.
Counterblow: Block costs more stamina but also doubles your next strike's damage. (CD: 6s)

Aspect of Palandin Found in green shrines

Purifying Guard: Blocking 3 hits without breaking cleanses and heals nearby allies.
Immortal Rally: Heavy hits under 40% health locks nearby ally health above 40%. (CD 24s)
Ray of Hope: All hits deal -20% damage but trigger ally health regen over time.

Aspect of Spellwarden Found in blue shrines

Mana Ward: Mana potions turn 30 Mana into a bubble shield, granting overhealth and pushing enemies around.
Armor Orbs: Stabilize each block with 10 Mana. Gain 3 armor orbs at <50% Mana.
Revitalize: Attacks/Blocks convert Mana into Stamina when Stamina is below half.

Aspect of Reaper Found in crimson shrines

Blood Offering: Critical hits or headshots drop a healing orb from enemies.
Grand Feast: Ally attack life-steals from the target you are attacking.
Deathstep: Jump 700% further after kills (CD:0s) or backstabs (CD:10s).

Aspect of Oracle Found in gold shrines

Sacred Catalyst: Sacred Ground no longer heals and turns into a jump pad.
Liquid Catalyst: Potions heal 90% less, but greatly accelerate ally cooldowns.
Mist of Unworn: Erosion Tonics grants nearby allies Erosion immunity for 10s.

Aspect of Summoner Found in purple shrines

Soulwake: Summon exploding and homing souls from dead foes.
Oceanborne: Summon a Sea Monster attack on 2 heavy hits in a row. (CD: 16s)
Skull Sentry: Summon a flying skull that attacks foes but also increases damage taken. (CD: 12s)

Owner and Designer

Underworld Region

Underworld is NW’s first underground region, known for unique Soulslike gameplay, intricate navigation, and architectural spectacles. The region includes 2 main story POIs, 5 endgame POIs, and 5 co-op elite POIs, and associated above-ground structures, all interlinked with mine cart tunnels.

The region pushed Lumberyard engine’s potential, introducing new gameplay experiences like Underwater Swimming, Nightmare Encounters, etc., receiving positive feedback from streamers and player community. It also has a highly repeatable gameplay loop of quartz mining, boss rush, tarot chest run, and secret collectibles.

Responsibilities

Wrote and owned GDD
Led a cross-disciplinary team to iterate and polish the region
Designed 10 mega Soulslike levels with a new level feel and visual language
Designed replayable core loop for both solo and teams
Implemented 7 new interactive gimmicks
Designed and implemented NW’s first underwater gameplay

POI Walkthrough: Dusty Cinerium

Dusty Cinerium is one of the endgame POIs in the Underworld.

It is also one of the most vertical POIs in New World, with a focus on intricate traversal puzzles and strong anticipatory design.

Designer

World and Quest

Main Story Quest Reboot

World Designer – Encounter Designer – Balancing Strike Team

Responsibilities:

Designed/rearranged 40+ POIs across 7 zones
Reworked golden path and difficulty curve
50+ playtests
Studied 3 years of player data to balance MSQ experience
Collaborated with quest designers to create new story beats
Worked with QA to optimize console experience

Nighthaven zone

Designed 10 POIs total for 2 MSQ beats in the new Nighthaven zone.

Elysian Wilds Zone

Designed encounters across 6 POIs for 2 MSQ beats. Tuned encounter difficulty after consistent playtests.

Reekwater Zone Rework

Rebooted the zone as owner and designer of one of the first public dungeons (shown below).

Designer and Programmer

Dungeons and Trials

Youtube Guide

The Winter Rune Forge

Shipped NW’s first multi-boss raid with 10-player and single-player options.

Responsibilities:

Scripted dungeon stages
Implemented playspace and destructible environment
Designed and implemented encounters and puzzle
Collaborated with AI designers to implement responsive boss behaviors
Playtested and tuned dungeon difficulty

Youtube Guide

Tempest’s Mind

Shipped vanilla NW’s final boss trial.

Responsibilities: Implemented boss arena, world entrance, and interactables. Scripted gameplay stages and rising lava pool mechanic.

Eternal Pool Siege

Shipped one of NW’s first public dungeons.

Responsibilities: Owned GDD, ideated gameplay stages, created co-op combat puzzles, designed playspaces, implemented encounters, streamlined multiplayer experience.

The Tormented Prince

Shipped one of the rebooted main story trials.

Responsibilities: Implemented boss arena, world entrance, and special boss mechanic: Collect talisman to restrain and calm the boss.

Designer

PvP Modes and Maps

Played New World on an expert level for 1700 hours, reaching PvP rank #6.

Joined Balancing Committee to evaluate and greenlit 10+ balance patches.

Coral Divide (20v20)↗

Worked with artists, engineers, and designers to iterate map prototypes. Drove extensive playtests and provided constructive feedbacks.

Codename “River” (20v20)

Unreleased – Owned the prototype, created 2d layout and 3d blockout. Implemented new mechanics (swimming flank, bridge building, cross-map portal).

Cursed Mists (FFA)↗

Collaborated with external studios on creating an unrestricted FFA map. Polished POIs and encounters. Followed through post-launch updates and developed several quality of life improvements.

Codename “Summit” (3v3)

Unreleased – Created 2d layout and 3d blockout. Provided creative solution to kiting problems with existing mechanics (jump pad, power-ups).

Capture the Flag↗

Drove prototype iterations on flag capture mechanics, routing, and speed modifier balancing. Proposed and implemented global usage of jump pads and power-ups.