Player Survival Guide: What to Do Before New World Servers Shut Down

Before Aeternum Goes Dark: A quick reality check and what’s urgent

Hook: If you’re one of the players watching New World’s shutdown timeline, you’re facing the same gut punch millions do when a live game ends: treasured builds, screenshots, guild lore and hard-earned currency will vanish unless you act. With Amazon delisting New World in 2026 and confirming servers go offline on January 31, 2027 — and with in-game purchases like Marks of Fortune blocked after July 20, 2026 — this guide gives you a practical, prioritized checklist to export memories, secure what matters, and leave Aeternum on your terms.

The essentials up front: what to do right now

Use the next steps as an immediate-action checklist. These four items protect value and memories with minimal time investment:

1. Spend or convert Marks of Fortune before July 20, 2026 — if you plan to buy cosmetics or items, do it now. Marks purchases are blocked after that date and refunds aren’t guaranteed.
2. Capture high-quality screenshots and video of your character, house, achievements, and guild events — store them off-site (cloud + local backup).
3. Export character & account information — save everything that proves who you were: server, faction, titles, gear lists, house ownership, and trade skill progress.
4. Back up configs and controls — copy keybinds, UI setups, and any local mods so you can reconstruct your playstyle later for nostalgia or documentation.

Why this matters in 2026: trends you should know

Game preservation is a growing field in 2026. As more studios delist and retire online services, communities and archivists are building tools to keep memories alive. Expect increased attention on:

• Community-run servers and emulation projects — communities try to revive multiplayer experience, but legal/technical hurdles remain.
• Digital preservation — individuals and institutions are archiving screenshots, videos, server data, and social records of MMOs.
• Rights and ownership debates — what you can take with you (screenshots, local logs) versus what’s server-side (player auction house ledgers) will shape future expectations about digital ownership.

Step-by-step: Exporting screenshots and creating a visual archive

Screenshots are the most enduring proof of your time in a game. Prioritize these shots and use reliable capture tools.

What to capture

• Character portrait: full-body, different armor sets, titles visible.
• Character sheet: attributes, weapon masteries, skills and perks.
• Gear sets & inventory: gear on, storage chests, rare items.
• Housing and trophies: house interior, furnishing highlights, house deed.
• Guild & social: guild roster, emblem, screenshots from biggest events (wars, sieges, gatherings).
• Milestones: level-up, titles, rare drops, leaderboard positions, expedition completions.

Best tools & settings for image capture (quick wins)

Choose a capture method you trust and test a few shots to confirm quality:

• Steam screenshots — press F12 (default) while playing, then use Steam’s Screenshots manager: View > Screenshots > Show on Disk to export originals. Works if you launched New World through Steam.
• Windows Game Bar — press Win+G, then use the capture widget for screenshots if you prefer native Windows capture.
• NVIDIA/AMD tools — NVIDIA ShadowPlay or AMD ReLive can capture screenshots and short clips at high quality with minimal overhead.
• OBS Studio — record high-quality full sessions (recommended for events). Use a high bitrate (20–50 Mbps), record at native resolution, and save as MP4 or MKV. For screenshots, you can capture frames from recordings.

Organize, annotate, and back up

After capture, do three things immediately:

1. Rename files with a convention: Game_Character_Server_Date_Context.jpg (e.g., NewWorld_Aerie_Silverwood_2026-08-12_CastleSiege.jpg).
2. Create a README with character metadata: name, server, faction, class/build notes, notable achievements and date ranges.
3. Back up to two places — store a local copy on an external drive and a cloud copy (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, or an archival repository). Consider a ZIP archive plus a media catalog (spreadsheet or JSON) that maps files to events.

How to capture and preserve video memories

Video preserves motion, interactions, and audio — essential for raids, sieges, and social gatherings.

Recording checklist

• Use OBS or ShadowPlay for long sessions. OBS gives full control; ShadowPlay is lighter on performance.
• Record at least 1080p at 60fps for smooth playback; 4K if you have the storage and hardware.
• Use a high-quality audio capture: in-game + party/Discord voice chat recorded separately if possible so you can mix later.
• Limit file sizes: compress with HandBrake after recording to create web-friendly MP4 copies for sharing, while keeping raw MKV/OBS files for archival.

Tagging and uploading

For discoverability and future use, add metadata: date, server, event name, participating players and roles, and in-file tags. Upload highlights to a private or public archive (YouTube set to Unlisted/Private, or a cloud folder) and keep master files offline. For tagging, cataloging, and making uploads discoverable consider tools in the SEO and archival toolkits that help generate searchable metadata and test playback on different devices.

Saving character info, builds, and stats

Server shutdown means losing server-side records. Capture everything you need to remember your character and build.

What to record

• Character basics: name, server, faction, level, title, house ownership.
• Build details: weapon combos, Attributes distribution, passive and active perks, ability ranks and modifiers.
• Gear & mods: item names, infusion perks, weapon stats, gem/attribute allocations.
• Professions & crafting: trade skill levels, rare recipes owned, inventory of crafting reagents.
• Progress & logs: key questlines, expedition completions, Azoth/territory influence snapshots.

How to export this data

1. Screenshots of each relevant UI panel: character sheet, skill cards, inventory pages, trade skill windows.
2. Text notes: copy and paste lists into a text file or spreadsheet. For long lists (e.g., crafted recipes), take screenshots and transcribe the most important ones.
3. Use in-game logs: export or screenshot objective/achievement logs. If the game lacks native export, copy text manually into a document.
4. Server & account proof: screenshot your account page showing ownership and license details; save transaction receipts for any purchases.

Spending or safeguarding in-game currency and Marks of Fortune

Marks of Fortune purchases stop on July 20, 2026 and refunds are not guaranteed — plan accordingly. Your goals are simple: either convert value into persistent items or accept that the currency will expire and spend it on memories.

Spend effectively — things that last

• Cosmetics and mounts/pets — visible in screenshots and videos long after servers are down. Prioritize unique skins you want to remember.
• Premium account time or services — only if they meaningfully extend play before shutdown; check exact expiration policies.
• Items you enjoy collecting — furniture for houses, trophies, or rare-looking gear that photograph well.

When to safeguard rather than spend

If the item is purely convenience (e.g., boosts that expire), don’t blow real money on it. Convert in-game gold to tangibles: buy crafting materials or unique items that retain visibility in screenshots and are transferrable within the game’s economy (while trades remain enabled).

Legal & refund caveats

Amazon has stated that after the cutoff, Marks purchases won’t be available and refunds are not promised. Treat in-game purchases as nonrefundable in your planning, and document all receipts before the deadline.

Backing up settings, mods, and local files

To recreate your play experience later, copy local files and settings. Don’t rely on the game launcher alone.

How to find and copy local files

1. Open your game launcher (Steam, Amazon Games client) > Library > Right-click New World > Properties > Local Files > "Browse Local Files". This takes you to the installation folder.
2. Copy the entire game folder to backup storage. Include any subfolders named Saved, Config, or UserData.
3. Search your PC for folders containing "New World" or "Amazon Games" under %LOCALAPPDATA% or the game’s install location and copy them too — these often contain logs, config, and cache.

Key files to prioritize

• Keybindings/config files
• UI layout preferences
• Log files and any local chat history
• Custom screenshots and videos stored in the game or client folders

Community and social archives: don’t lose the story

Guilds, friends lists, and Discord servers are the social memory of your MMO life. Preserve them.

Practical social preservation

• Guild roster and history: screenshot rosters, export member lists (copy-paste into a spreadsheet), save any in-game guild messages.
• Discord & forum archives: download important channels using bots or Discord’s export tools; save event photos and pinned messages.
• Wiki and community guides: save or PDF pages where your guide, build, or guild was mentioned.

Organize a final send-off: moments that make great final memories

Coordinate one last set of social events to capture the world at its best. These will be what you and your friends remember.

• Mass screenshot gatherings — schedule an evening for guild photos in iconic locations with frame-worthy outfits.
• Stream or record final events — stream a farewell raid or housing tour, then save the VODs to an archive. Use streaming best practices to reduce dropouts and preserve chat context.
• Create a digital scrapbook — collect screenshots, short clips, chat logs and scan them into a “New World Memory Pack.”

Advanced strategies for preservation and reuse

For archivists, content creators and community leaders who want to do more than collect memories, these steps go deeper.

Build an index and metadata file

Create a simple CSV or JSON with entries for every file you save: filename, date, server, character, event, tags. This turns a folder of images into a searchable archive. If you need tools and workflows for indexing and testing discoverability, see archival SEO and diagnostic toolkits.

Offer archives to the community

If you were a guild leader or community admin, consider hosting an archive on a shared drive or community website. Provide clear credits and context for each item — these collections become historical resources for future researchers. For advice on converting ephemeral events into lasting community resources, look at case studies for community-driven projects.

Preserving server-side data (realities and constraints)

Server-side databases (auction house history, global economy statistics) aren’t something you can export casually. If you were part of an organized preservation effort, document your requests to the publisher and collaborate with legal/technical volunteers. Expect limited success without publisher cooperation. For technical approaches to offline-first archiving and sync strategies, see edge sync & low-latency workflows that field teams use to preserve continuity in disconnected conditions.

Quick reference: Shutdown timeline and key dates (2026–2027)

• Now (mid 2026): Game delisted — players who bought it can re-download until shutdown.
• July 20, 2026: Purchases of Marks of Fortune disabled.
• January 31, 2027: Official server shutdown for New World: Aeternum.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Waiting until the last week: server strain, long queues and lost opportunities for high-quality captures. Schedule early.
• Putting everything in one cloud: single point of failure. Use at least two backup methods (cloud + local external drive).
• Assuming refunds or transfers: publishers often disallow refunds for in-game currency; treat purchases as nonrefundable.
• Relying on server-side logs: if you want records, export them yourself — don’t assume they’ll stay accessible.

Final checklist you can follow this weekend

1. Spend or convert Marks of Fortune you intend to keep before July 20, 2026.
2. Take character portraits + UI screenshots for builds and gear for every main character.
3. Record 1–2 highlight videos (sieges, raids, housing tours) and compress for upload. If you need tips for lighting, capture and streaming kits, check portable-studio guides like tiny home studio workflows.
4. Back up game and config folders using the launcher’s Browse Local Files feature.
5. Export guild rosters and pinned messages; archive Discord channels that matter.
6. Name files clearly and generate a small metadata CSV or README file describing contents.
7. Upload to cloud storage and copy to an external disk. Verify files open and play back.

“We want to thank the players for your dedication and passion… We are grateful for the time spent crafting the world of Aeternum with you.” — Amazon (2026)

Parting predictions: what this means for MMOs in 2026 and beyond

New World’s shutdown is one of several high-profile closures that will shape how studios and players think about live services. Expect to see:

• A stronger push for built-in export tools in future MMOs so players can keep memories.
• More legal clarity around purchases and what happens at sunset.
• Communities increasingly taking preservation into their own hands, building archives and nostalgia hubs.

Call to action

You don’t have to lose everything to time. Start your archive weekend now: pick one character, take the screenshots, record one raid, and back it up. Share your best captures with your guild and consider contributing to community archives — memories of Aeternum are worth saving.

Download our free shutdown checklist (PDF), or join thegame.cloud’s community hub to swap preservation tips and showcase final galleries. Act now — the clock is ticking.

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