Aeternum is a mess. I mean that in the best way possible, but let's be real—if you haven't touched the game since the 2021 launch, the new world main story quest list you remember is basically gone. Amazon Games didn't just tweak a few things; they took a sledgehammer to the original leveling experience. They realized that running back and forth across First Light (RIP to that zone, mostly) was burning people out before they even saw a Corrupted Breach.
So, if you’re looking at your journal and wondering why your quests don't match old wiki pages, don't panic. The "Main Story Quest" (MSQ) has been completely overhauled from level 1 all the way to 60. It’s faster. It’s more cinematic. It actually has characters you might remember the names of, like Grace O’Malley or Yonas Alazar, who isn't just a hermit standing by a river anymore.
The Early Days: From Shipwreck to Sentinel
You start on a beach. Standard stuff. But the revamped new world main story quest list kicks off with a much tighter narrative in Monarch’s Bluffs or Windsward. Honestly, it doesn't really matter which one you pick anymore because the rewards and the "beats" are mirrored to keep the pace snappy. You're basically learning that the Soulwardens are a shell of their former selves and you’re the lucky recruit tasked with fixing a broken world.
The first major milestone is getting your Azoth Staff. This used to be a massive chore involving a lot of running to the Fisherman's Bend. Now, it's integrated naturally. You'll move through "A Hero’s Duty" and "The Path of the Soulwarden" quickly. By the time you hit level 20, you should be deep into the mysteries of the Corruption.
One thing people often miss: you don’t have to do every side quest. The new MSQ provides so much XP that if you try to clear every yellow icon on the map, you’ll outlevel the main story by ten levels before you even reach Brightwood. Focus on the flaming diamond icons. Those are your golden ticket.
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Crossing the Threshold into the Mid-Game
Brightwood is where the atmosphere really shifts. The quest "Alchemical Reminiscence" starts to show the darker side of Aeternum’s history. You aren't just killing 10 turkeys anymore. You're investigating the fall of the Knights Regent.
The new world main story quest list then drags you—often kicking and screaming—into Weaver’s Fen. I used to hate this zone. It was a swampy nightmare with terrible navigation. The update smoothed this out. The quests like "The Shiver of the South" lead you toward the first real "dungeon" requirement, though nowadays, you can often choose to complete a solo trial instead of finding a group for the Amrine Excavation. That’s a huge quality-of-life change for solo players.
The Great Cleave and the Frozen North
Once you hit the level 40-50 bracket, the story focuses heavily on the Isabella arc. This is where the game used to fall apart. You’d hit a "level wall" where the MSQ stopped and told you to go grind faction missions. That’s gone. The sequence through the Great Cleave, specifically quests like "The Last Soulwarden," flows directly into Edengrove.
You’ll encounter the Angry Earth. You’ll deal with the Adiana Theron storyline. It feels like a cohesive RPG now.
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The Rise of the Angry Earth Changes
If you own the expansion, Rise of the Angry Earth, the new world main story quest list doesn't actually end at level 60. It evolves. The old First Light zone was literally swallowed by greenery and turned into the Elysian Wilds. The quest "Artemis's Gambit" kicks off this high-level content. It’s mandatory if you want to unlock Mounts.
Yes, you need the expansion for the horse. It’s a bit of a bummer for base-game purists, but the quest "Change in the Wilds" is the only way to stop walking everywhere.
The Current MSQ Sequence (Post-Aeternum Launch)
To give you a concrete idea of what the path looks like now, here is how the narrative blocks are organized. It isn't a 1-2-3 list because some quests branch depending on your starting zone choice, but the flow is largely fixed after level 15.
The journey starts with the Shipwrecked arc. You move into A Soulwarden’s Fate, which covers your introduction to the Azoth Staff. Then comes the Corrupted Tendrils phase in Brightwood and Weaver's Fen. This leads into the Mountain's Shadow arc, where you start pushing into the northern territories like Shattered Mountain.
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A lot of players get stuck at the "Self-Actualization" quest. It’s a trial. It’s meant to be hard. If you can’t beat it, check your gear score. Ever since the gear revamp, "expertise" is gone, and everything is about the "base power" of the items you drop. If your weapons are level 40 but you’re level 55, the MSQ will punish you.
Why the Order Matters for Endgame
You might be tempted to skip the story and just spam expeditions or PvP to reach the level cap. Don't. A huge chunk of your character’s power is locked behind the new world main story quest list.
For example, your Heartrune—basically your "Ultimate" ability—is unlocked through the Brimstone Sands questline. You can’t even enter Brimstone Sands properly without completing "A New Threat" and "Strider of the Sands." If you ignore the MSQ, you'll be a level 65 character with no mount, no heartrune, and a Tier 1 Azoth Staff that can't close high-level portals. It's a bad look.
The Brimstone Sands Gap
Brimstone is arguably the best content in the game. It’s heavily inspired by Egyptian and Roman mythology. The quest "The Ancient's Aegis" is a highlight. But here’s the kicker: the game doesn't always "ping" you to go there the moment you're eligible. You usually need to be level 60 and have a certain level of progress in the main story. If you’ve finished "The Tempest's Heart" expedition quest, that’s your cue to head to the desert.
Practical Tips for Your Questing Journey
- Don't ignore the MSQ for Faction Ranks: You can do both. The MSQ often sends you to towns where you can grab faction missions that happen in the exact same caves.
- The Solo Option: Almost every major story beat that used to require a 5-man group now has a "Solo Trial" alternative. Look for the prompt when you interact with the dungeon entrance.
- Inventory Management: The MSQ hands out a lot of "green" and "blue" gear. Salvage it immediately for repair parts. You’ll need them when the boss fights get spicy in the late game.
- Fast Travel: It's basically free now. Azoth is everywhere. Don't be afraid to teleport back to a hub to clear your bags and jump right back to the quest marker.
The new world main story quest list is a much more polished experience than it was two years ago. It’s less of a "walking simulator" and more of a focused narrative. If you’re returning, honestly, I’d recommend starting a new character. The new 1-60 flow is so different from the launch version that you’ll actually understand what’s happening this time around.
To get the most out of your run, make sure you are constantly upgrading your Azoth Staff. Even if the quest feels like a detour, it is the only way to interact with high-level world events. Once you hit the Elysian Wilds content, prioritize the "Mounting Up" quest immediately. The speed boost changes how the game feels entirely. After finishing the main arc, your next focus should be the Seasonal story tracks, which usually pick up right where the MSQ leaves off, offering some of the best loot in the current meta.