Has your biggest dream been to become a famous musician who collects accolades awards and riches like no other? Do you wish you were a master guitarist, singer or drummer? Well, start exploring your passions in New World!
Now while New World isn’t going to be the place to collect your real-world millions, it is an easy task to level up that will provide you and your teammates with massive boosts that cut down their grinding time.
At first, I told myself that I would never grind out my Music skill, being that I’m not a fan of DDR or adjacent games that require you to press buttons at specific times, but I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole and I’m really grateful that I did.
Since I’m willing to put my time and effort into grinding for resources and loot, I will still try to find the best ways to do so in hopes that I can get the most out of my travels. As much as I’m a min-maxer in some regards, I can’t say that I fully min-max especially for tasks that I absolutely hate, but I’m glad I gave this option a shot because it’s much easier than it first appears.
While Music in New World is exceptionally effective, it is a bit of a long grind and will often have players tipping others for their buff in Settlements. With that being said, I would say that the majority of players will simply ignore this skill meaning that there is going to be a lot of openings for players to complete this task.
Now, in many cases, players can get away solely by tipping players to get their boosts as long as they visit busy cities regularly. Now, the only issue that players can run into when they can’t play their own music is that they must rely on other players to be able to provide them with the boosts they want.
In most cases, this is completely fine, though there are a few choices when it comes to boosts so there is the chance that no one is playing for a perk you actually want. I’m sure if you ask for a specific perk in area chat someone will be willing to play for the perk you want, especially because it will raise the chance of them being tipped by others.
The following guide will take you through everything you need to know about Music in New World.
Note: If you want to watch me stream games like New World, come join me and my community on Twitch.
HOW DO YOU UNLOCK MUSIC IN NEW WORLD?
Music is immediately unlocked in New World, though players will need to get an instrument that has to do with the sheet music they have unlocked. Although the instrument type does not matter, players may want to choose an instrument they like the sound of or choose one based on how difficult they think the DDR game is going to be.
There are a total of 5 Instruments in New World that players can use though not every piece of music will have a part for each instrument, so just be aware of this, especially if you get really good at one particular song.
Players will be able to get every one of the instruments at the most basic level simply by completing the music quest line which begins in any of the Summer Villages. The first quest is called A Warm Medleyfaire Welcome and is provided by the Medleyfaire Maestro.
HOW TO BEGIN PLAYING MUSIC IN NEW WORLD
As long as a player has a single instrument and a single piece of sheet music they can simply hit F5 to begin playing music. Players will need to note that they will not be able to begin playing music if there is a player already in the area playing music.
You see, anytime players hit F5 it will create a circle under them, called the performance area. Players will need to ensure that they are far enough from another player’s performance area to ensure that they can begin their vibe fest.
This will never be a problem if players are trying to play music around the world, though if players are attempting to play music in a Settlement, there’s is going to be a high probability that there is another musician playing music there. There are two main places players will tend to play music in a Settlement, in the center of Town and by the Town Project Board.
When players are in the F5 Music menu they will have to make a few options:
R will allow players to choose what song they would like to play. I strongly suggest you toggle only Playable and choose a favourite song.
Here, players can also choose the difficulty of the song, having 3 choices, though Flutes do not seem to have any choices beyond Skilled. I will cover more on this later.
If players select a song that has multiple parts they can choose to Performance invite by hitting “L.” This will allow each player to select a part based on the instruments they have, though if they have no sheet music for the song or do not have one of the instruments they can simply dance.
When you’re ready to play music hit “E” and begin the game.
SHOULD I PLAY MUSIC IN A GROUP OR SOLO?
Playing solo or in a group is going to be completely based on you. If you feel like you’re going to be good enough at a song, go solo. However, if you are adventuring in a group it would be a good idea to perform in a group as this will provide everyone with the perk applied and not require members to tip.
This even counts for players who are not directly playing the game, for example dancers, though I’m not 100% sure if dancers get tipped as no one who has ever danced in one of my songs has been tipped, though they have gotten the buff.
Playing in a group can work for you and against you. If everyone is skilled enough at the song you are playing, the chances will be higher that you get more stars on the song, however, if players are griefing or are simply not the best at playing music… well get ready for less stars.
That being said, playing in a group tends to give more experience, though players can increase this further with instrument perks.
HOW MUCH DO YOU GET FROM TIPS?
When players want a specific perk from you they can tip you for 10 Gold, though players will only see 7 Gold from this unless they have a perk that provides them with the full amount.
If players have played in a group they will make a cut from the 7 or 10 Gold, though it doesn’t seem to matter if all players have the perk or not to be able to split the 10 Gold. Only one member of your group will need it for it to apply, though please let me know if you’ve had something different happen.
WHAT DOES MUSIC DIFFICULTY DO IN NEW WORLD?
Music Difficulty simply makes it so you can get experience faster. I personally would never play a song with a higher difficulty if I was playing in a Settlement as I will want to make sure I get the highest number of Stars to provide folks with the best perks, though if I’m out in the wild playing for myself I will attempt a song at a higher difficulty so I can get more experience.
Realistically, players can go through their whole music career playing songs in the simplest way possible and there is no shame in that.
There doesn’t seem to be any effect on the number of stars or perks you can get from tougher songs.
HOW TO GET THE MOST EXPERIENCE FOR MUSIC IN NEW WORLD
Experience is granted for the following things:
The higher level of difficulty of the song.
The amount of great or perfect notes (though there is a maximum).
Playing in a group grants a slight increase.
Players should always note that the length of the song will not affect XP and that larger groups do not raise the amount of experience, so if you have 2 folks in a group it will grant the same amount of experience as a group of 5.
DOES YOUR INSTRUMENT’S GEAR SCORE MATTER IN NEW WORLD?
Absolutely! A higher Gear Score means more perks, which means a higher chance you’re going to be able to get a solid four stars anytime you play.
Though a player can successfully earn 4 stars with the lowest Gear Score, it is quite a bit harder since perks will really help improve the ability to play successfully and can help ignore mistakes made while playing.
Quite frankly, for me, the latter is the most important as I’m a bit of a fail sometimes.
WHAT DO YOU GET FOR LEVELLING UP MUSIC IN NEW WORLD?
Levelling up your music skill will unlock different types of perks you can gain for successfully playing a song. Admittedly, I recommend that you rush these as the last perk you can unlock is the best, in my opinion, but of course the choice is going to be yours and whether or not you need it.
The choice to rapidly level up your music can be made based on what kind of music keeps getting played around you, though in my opinion if you’re trying to level up your music I would advise that you always have a perk on you if you’re completing any content.
Since the grind for music is going to take you a while, might as well do it any time you don’t have a buff as playing the same song over and over again can become extremely boring and daunting.
Players can select short songs as it doesn’t seem the length affects the amount of experience you get, though if you are more successful at a song it does affect your experience.
Players can also purchase instruments with perks that buff the amount of experience they get to shorten this process. In my opinion, this is worth it, though this is highly going to depend on how much you actually want your music skill to be upgraded.
WHAT ARE THE SONG BOOSTS IN NEW WORLD?
There are a total of 6 Song Boosts that players can unlock in New World. At first, players will only have access to Decidedly Dextrous, though players will want to continue grinding until they have hit level 150 to unlock all of them.
Though players will want to always get a 4-star playthrough of a song, the stars will affect different things, such as the length a perk stays on for or how much potency the perk has.
The following are the perks and their stats:
Decidedly Dexterous, which is unlocked at level 2 increase Gathering speed by 75% for 30-90 minutes. The more stars you get, the longer the buff lasts.
Territorial Triumph, which is unlocked at level 5 will provide players with 10%-30% more Territory Standing when completing tasks that raise it. This includes Town Projects, killing mobs and Faction Quests, so I would recommend always grabbing it before turning them in. If players are completing regular quests or exploring, I would also recommend this buff. Territory Triumph will last for 30-90 minutes and both its length and potency are affected by how well a song is played.
All Together Now, which is unlocked at level 25 will boost a player’s group experience by 4%-15% for 30-90 minutes. At first, this can be confusing, though the best way to explain it is that anytime players defeat a mob while in a group, that experience is split among everyone. In my opinion, this is the most useless perk to have as it is tremendously easy to hit level 60. Now, at the end of the day, while I say that levelling up is easy, it will take a player effort so this can cut down the time it takes. Still, this will probably be your least used perk unless you are farming Mastery with a group. (Yes this also boosts Weapon Mastery).
Song in Your Step is one of my favourite perks to get as it will allow players to reduce their encumbrance by 200-1,000 for 30-90 minutes. Players can unlock it at level 75 and depending on how well you play it you will affect how much you can hold and how long it lasts for. As someone who does a good deal of gathering, this is very important as it will allow you to be out for longer before having to head back home.
Fortune’s Favor is another favourite of mine and can be unlocked at level 100. With Fortune’s Favor, the player’s Gathering yield increases by 3%-10% for 30-90 minutes. Though this might not seem like a lot, it really is at it will stack with all of your tool and armour perks, meaning that you can collect a good amount of resources from a single yield. Now, I’m typically not a fan of gear that has perks as I don’t like switching my gear around, but my tools also have this perk, meaning I’m getting at least 30% more resources which is quite substantial.
Luck’s Labor is by far the best perk to have as it will raise your Gathering luck by 2% – 5% for 30-90 minutes. It will take players a good amount of time to unlock as you need to be level 150 but when stacked with other luck buffs, you’re almost guaranteed some rare loot. For players who are not willing to spend on the top tier tools, this will give you enough of a boost to carry you for a while, though I do recommend making sure you raise your luck with trophies, Gear and Tools as you will need a lot of the rare items if you hope to craft or make a lot of Gold.
HOW DO YOU FIND SHEET MUSIC IN NEW WORLD?
There are a number of ways players can locate new sheet music in the world. Quite frankly, there isn’t really much that cannot provide sheet music, meaning that players will want to take part in as many tasks as they can in order to obtain all of the sheet music.
To break it down, killing mobs, looting chests, questing, mining, fishing, gathering… literally everything can give you sheet music.
Now, sheet music is a bit tricky as players may need to collect multiple sheets to complete a song and each sheet will be bound to a particular instrument. So, while you may be a Flute or Guitar main, you may be picking up Drum sheet music.
This shouldn’t really matter to a player, though I say that as someone who has all of the instruments and good perks on each.
If you’re a completionist you can pick up any music at the Trade Post, though many players will simply trade it to you for free as I do.
Sheet Music sells for really cheap, so you’ll probably be able to complete every song quickly if you are a completionist.
WHAT PERKS CAN INSTRUMENTS HAVE IN NEW WORLD?
Players can either craft or purchase an Instrument with the following perks:
Opening Act will make sure the first 3 notes are always played perfectly.
Second Chance will ignore the first wrong played note.
Busker’s Blessing will allow you to gain 10 Gold instead of 7 Gold for each tip.
Fanfare will give you 10% more experience if you play the last note correctly on a song.
Ensemble provides you with 10% more experience if you play in a group.
Spotlight will provide you with 10% more experience if you play on your own.
WHAT ARE THE EASIEST SONGS TO PLAY AND THE SIMPLEST INSTRUMENTS
Choosing the right instrument and song will depend on the player, though in the long run I would say that the Drums are the easiest. I personally tend to main the Flute as I’ve gotten really good at some of the songs and since the song and difficulty don’t matter when it comes to how many stars you get, I don’t really care to switch.
If you’re trying to grind out levels, many players suggest grabbing a good set of Drums and playing Expert Blacksmith Arm on Bass or Drums or playing Expert Windward Inn on Guitar, Bass, or Drums.
I personally play Fisherman’s Lament on Flute or Wyrdwood Leaves on Mandolin, though if players are trying to speed level their music it’s not really possible with Fisherman’s Lament since Flute does not have Expert.
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