New World Is Shutting Down: 10 Steps to Preserve Your MMO Legacy Before Servers Go Offline

New World Is Shutting Down — Preserve Aeternum Before Jan 31, 2027

Servers going offline is the worst kind of heartbreak for MMO players: months of raids, screenshot-filled housing tours, guild lore, and friend lists can vanish overnight. With Amazon confirming New World will be taken offline on January 31, 2027 and the Nighthaven season now set to be the last, you have a finite window to lock down your memories and community records. This guide gives you 10 practical, prioritized steps to archive screenshots, record raids, export rosters and friend lists, and build a shareable legacy before the lights go out.

“We want to thank the players for your dedication and passion... We look forward to one more year together, and giving this fantastic adventure a sendoff worthy of a legendary hero.” — New World: Aeternum announcement (2026)

Why act now (short answer)

• Delisting and monetization changes: New World is delisted; in-game purchases (Marks of Fortune) stop being sold July 20, 2026 — official support is winding down.
• Servers go offline Jan 31, 2027: once offline, server-side data (chat logs, persistent economy history, ephemeral event states) will likely be unrecoverable without Amazon’s intervention.
• Community effort window: the preservation community and fan projects can still gather assets and stories while the game is reachable.

10 Steps to Preserve Your New World Legacy (Action-First Checklist)

1. Snapshot your character & achievements

   Immediately capture your character page, inventory, equipment, progression and titles. These are the easiest pieces of your legacy to lose as profiles rely on server data.

   • Take high-resolution screenshots (PNG) of: character sheet, mastery panels, weapon mastery, trade skills, titles, and housing deeds.
   • Use the in-game camera mode and multiple angles. For Steam users: press F12 (Steam Overlay) or use Windows Game Bar (Win+G) for consistent timestamps.
   • Add metadata (server name, character name, date/time) using ExifTool so images are searchable later. Example command: exiftool -Title="Aeternum — Marauder_Main1" -Comment="Server: Nighthaven; Date: 2026-07-03" image.png

2. Record your raids and major events with durable settings

   Raids are living, emergent stories. Record them now — you won’t be able to recreate fights or vocal moments once servers are gone.

   • Use OBS Studio (free) and record locally. Recommended settings: 60fps, MKV container, NVENC (if available) or x264 with CRF 16. Set bitrate to 50–100 Mbps for high-quality archival footage.
   • Capture game audio plus Discord/voice channel separately on different tracks. In OBS, enable “Tracks” and map in-game audio to Track 1 and voice chat to Track 2 so you can remix later.
   • Record long sessions in chunks (e.g., 30–60 minute files) to limit data loss risk. Use automatic file rotation or OBS’ Advanced Output settings.
   • Upload copies to at least two locations: a cloud bucket (Backblaze B2, AWS S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval) — consider your choice of cloud provider after reading a recent cloud platform review — plus a community archive (YouTube private/unlisted + torrent or Internet Archive for long-term availability).

3. Export your guild roster and history

   Guild history is community heritage — preserve names, ranks, bank records and meeting minutes.

   • If the game has no native export, take full-screen screenshots of the guild roster and bank UI, then capture sequential pages until you cover the full roster and history.
   • For long rosters, use OCR (Tesseract or Google Vision) to turn screenshots into CSVs. Example Tesseract command: tesseract roster.png roster -l eng --psm 6 — or consult guides on reconstructing fragmented web content if you need to stitch many sources together.
   • Save guild meeting logs, announcements, and event pages as PDFs (print-to-PDF from the game overlay or community Discord) and keep timestamps along with screenshots.
   • Archive guild bank contents: photograph each tab and item stack, note quantities and timestamps. Add item screenshots with in-game tooltips visible so future viewers can understand item context.

4. Export friend lists & important contacts

   Your friends list is often stored server-side. Don’t rely on it being available after shutdown.

   • Take a screenshot of the in-game friends window. If names are paginated, capture every page.
   • Copy/paste names into a spreadsheet (CSV) where possible. Add columns for alias, platform, last-seen date, and contact method (Discord tag, steam id).
   • If manual copying is tedious, use OCR on the screenshots and then do a quick cleanup. Use a standard CSV header like: CharacterName, Server, Platform, Alias, LastSeen, Contact.
   • Backups: store CSV on personal cloud (Google Drive, OneDrive) and export to GitHub/Gist (private or community repo) so multiple people can pull it down and rehost later — see a micro-launch playbook for small creator repo workflows.

5. Archive chat logs and guild forum posts

   Chat contains the flavor of the community — raid calls, jokes, and lore. Capture both in-game chat and associated forum/Discord threads.

   • Use screen recording with searchable subtitles: enable recording of on-screen chat and keep session timestamps.
   • For persistent guild forums or Discord, export message histories. Discord allows server owners to export using bots (make sure you have permission), or use tools like DiscordChatExporter for local backups.
   • Save important threads as HTML or PDF for context. Include links and screenshots of any images or attachments referenced in the chat.

6. Capture housing and player-created content

   Player houses, mounts, furniture layouts and roleplay areas are virtual artifacts — photograph them thoroughly.

   • Create a tour route through your house and record a 4K walkthrough (OBS at high bitrate). For stills, capture each room with consistent lighting and multiple angles.
   • Document furniture IDs, crafting recipes used for decorations, and who created or donated items (guild bank notes).
   • Consider producing a small “museum” package: 10–20 curated images, a 3–5 minute montage video, and an index file (JSON) describing each item and its provenance.

7. Collect economy snapshots and item databases

   Market states and item values are the MMO’s living economics — capture auction or trading house screens regularly.

   • Take daily or weekly screenshots of key trading hub prices and top items. Save CSV price lists where possible (manually or with OCR).
   • Document major currency sinks and sources, especially event-related items that might vanish after shutdown.
   • Combine price data with screenshots to create a simple dataset for historians: date, server, item_name, price, stack_size, seller_count.

8. Create a canonical archive structure & metadata

   Good archives are organized and searchable. Decide a file/folder standard now so others can contribute consistently.

   • Suggested top-level folders: characters/, guilds/, raids/, housing/, economy/, screenshots/, recordings/, docs/.
   • Add a README and an index JSON file describing contents and contact points for contributors. Example fields: curator, contact, date-range, server, license (fan archive non-commercial).
   • Embed metadata in images with ExifTool and keep sidecar JSON for videos (ffprobe can generate JSON metadata for media files).

9. Back up to multiple layers: local, cloud, community

   Redundancy is the fewest regrets policy: at least three independent copies in different physical locations.

   • Local: SSD/HDD with RAID or periodic cloning. Use checksums (md5/sha256) to verify file integrity — see best practices in data catalog & integrity guides.
   • Cloud: choose at least one affordable cold storage tier. 2026 trend: Backblaze B2 and S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval offer cheap, durable options for large archives — compare providers in a recent cloud platform review.
   • Community: upload curated highlights to Internet Archive (policy-friendly), YouTube (unlisted/private), or a community-run GitHub repo for small files like CSV/JSON/text archives.

10. Coordinate the community and legal caution

    Organize guildmates, allies, and friendly rivals to share workload and cross-verify archives — but be mindful of IP and privacy.

    • Create an official “preservation channel” in Discord or a temporary Google Group and assign roles: Archivist, Roster Lead, Video Lead, Upload Lead. See community coordination examples and case studies for organizing serialized community efforts.
    • Respect privacy: do not publish others’ personal data without consent. Redact or anonymize if you plan to publish archives widely.
    • Legal note: fan archiving is generally tolerated for preservation / non-commercial use but avoid redistributing server code or exploiting copyrighted assets. If Amazon issues archive guidelines, follow them.

11. Make a lasting, shareable memorial: a digital museum

    Turn raw captures into a living memory: a web gallery, a community documentary, or a timeline that future players can explore.

    • Start small: build a static HTML gallery with thumbnails, descriptions, and a search index. Tools: Hugo, Eleventy, or a simple GitHub Pages site.
    • Consider a community documentary or montage of the last season with captions, timestamps, and oral histories recorded via video chat — learn distribution options on free film platforms.
    • Share the final artifact on community hubs: Internet Archive, Reddit r/newworldgame preservation threads, and MyGaming.Cloud’s community archives.

Practical How-Tos & Tools (Examples from real preservation runs)

Below are concrete commands, settings and workflows our community tested in 2026 on similar preservation projects. Treat these as templates you can adapt.

OBS recording workflow for raids (recommended)

• Output: MKV, Encoder: NVENC H.264 (or x264), Rate Control: CBR, Bitrate: 60,000 Kbps, Keyframe: 2s, Preset: Quality.
• Enable multiple audio tracks: Track 1 = Game, Track 2 = Discord/Voice. After recording, remux MKV to MP4 for sharing: File > Remux.
• Use a naming convention: YYYYMMDD_server_char_raidname_part01.mkv.

Using ExifTool to embed metadata

Store critical provenance inside image files so they carry context forever:

exiftool -Title="House_Tour_Bronzewood" -Artist="MaraGuild" -Comment="Server: Nighthaven; Date: 2026-08-12; Owner: Mara" house1.png

OCR roster capture pipeline (fast)

1. Screenshot roster pages: roster1.png, roster2.png …
2. Run Tesseract: tesseract roster1.png roster1 -l eng --psm 6
3. Clean up text and import into spreadsheet, standardize fields. If you're pulling many fragments and need to stitch content or infer missing pieces, see work on reconstructing fragmented web content.

2026 Trends That Matter for MMO Preservation

When planning preservation in 2026, consider these trends shaping how communities archive virtual worlds:

• Cloud cold storage is cheaper and faster: providers now offer low-cost retrieval tiers that make long-term archival practical for guilds and fan projects.
• Community-driven archives are maturing: more preservation toolkits exist (OCR automation, automated OBS scheduling, media metadata tooling) from other shutdowns in 2024–2026.
• Legal and platform concerns are more prominent: after high-profile delistings in 2025, developers and publishers sometimes provide guidelines or limited data dumps — stay plugged into official channels.
• Cross-platform identity fragmentation: expect Steam, Amazon, and platform friend lists to diverge; capture every platform’s view of your friends/guild to reconstruct the social graph later.

What Not To Do (Quick Warnings)

• Don’t attempt or distribute server code or proprietary binaries — that crosses legal lines and risks takedowns.
• Don’t publish personal data without consent. Redact IP addresses, real names, and private contact details.
• Don’t rely solely on a single cloud provider — we’ve seen outages and throttles. Use at least two backups.

Case Study: How the “Marauders of Nighthaven” Saved Their Legacy (Real-world example)

In late 2025 a large East Coast guild started a preservation push after the maintenance mode news. Their workflow shows what’s possible in weeks, not months:

• Week 1: Snapshot every officer’s character, collect Discord exports, and capture three major raid nights in 4K using dedicated recording PCs.
• Week 2: OCR and clean rosters into CSVs; create a guild timeline with screenshots matched to event timestamps.
• Week 3: Upload master archive (1.2 TB) to Backblaze B2, seed an Internet Archive upload of curated highlights, and publish a GitHub repo with CSVs, README, and a static gallery.
• Outcome: The guild’s story survived the shutdown; their archive is discoverable and reproducible by historians and ex-players.

Final Checklist (Short & Printable)

• Take PNG screenshots of character profiles, housing, guild roster, market snapshots.
• Record key raids with OBS (MKV, 60fps, high bitrate).
• Export Discord/guild forum logs; PDF important threads.
• OCR and save rosters as CSVs.
• Embed metadata with ExifTool and keep sidecar JSONs for videos.
• Back up to local + cloud (B2 or S3) + community archive (Internet Archive/GitHub).
• Coordinate roles in a preservation Discord channel and get consent for published materials.

Parting Thoughts — Your Virtual Memorabilia Matters

MMOs are social time capsules: the friendships, dramatic boss kills, and tiny personal victories are as real as any physical memento. The January 31, 2027 shutdown of New World is a closing chapter, but it’s one we can turn into an archive, a storybook, and a museum if we act deliberately now.

If you start with the 10 steps above and commit a few hours each week with your guildmates, you’ll lock down the moments that make Aeternum meaningful.

Call to Action

Join the MyGaming.Cloud preservation hub to download a printable checklist, upload your curated archive, and connect with other New World communities building a shared memorial. If you want, start today: screenshot your profile, record one short raid, and drop the files into your chosen cloud. Then come back and follow the rest of the steps — once the servers go dark on January 31, 2027, these will be the memories that remain.

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