A New World character stands in the middle of a town at sunset.
Screenshot by Dot Esports via Amazon Game Studios

Best ways to spend territory standing points in New World

Each of Aeternum's territories rewards you with perks when you level up your standing in them.

There are plenty of ways to progress your character in New World. If you aren’t farming levels, you’re likely going to be increasing your gathering and crafting professions, and all the while, you’re going to be earning territory standing in all of the territories that you complete activities and quests in. 

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Your character has a standing with each of Aeternum’s 12 territories, similar to reputation mechanics from other MMOs. And each time you gain a level of territory standing in one of Aeternum’s zones, you’ll be rewarded with a choice of three buffs that are permanently applied to your character. Selecting between the perks you’re offered at each territory standing level can sometimes be a difficult decision, but luckily, there is a definitive priority order that players should follow if they’re hung up. 

Here’s the best way to spend your territory standing points in New World. 

New World territory standing priority order

  • XP Gain
  • Standing Gain
  • Gathering Speed
  • Storage
  • Station Fee
  • Trading Tax

XP Gain, Standing Gain, and Gathering Speed should absolutely be the three traits you want to prioritize whenever you doll out a point of territory standing in New World. XP Gain is the most important by far, especially if you’re a newer player looking to level to the top of the game quickly. 

If you’re happy with how fast you gain experience normally, you can always forgo the XP Gain trait and instead place territory standing points into your Standing Gain, which will give you access to more traits and bonuses at a faster rate. The Standing Gain perk is particularly nice for players who want to grind out as many bonuses as possible, especially if you plan on sticking in one zone for a long time. 

We recommend putting less of an emphasis on the Storage, Station Fee, and Trading Tax perks as they don’t have too much of an impact on your ability to farm and progress your character. Of course, if you’re a player who loves to spend time at the Trading Post and is constantly crafting items, you should consider putting more points into those traits, but only after you feel comfortable with your Standing Gain and Gathering Speed rates. 

A New World screenshot featuring the territory standing points menu. Rewards such as perks for Station Fee, Trading Tax, and Storage are on display.
Each time you gain a level of territory standing, you’ll gain access to an array of perks. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Your territory standing points do not transfer over into other territories. The XP Gain, Gathering Speed, and other perks you get through increasing your standing with a certain territory will not be applicable when you move over to a different territory. For example, if you have invested territory standing points into your XP Gain in Everfall, you won’t have those same bonuses in Brightwood. 


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Author
Michael Kelly
Staff Writer covering World of Warcraft and League of Legends, among others. Mike's been with Dot since 2020, and has been covering esports since 2018.