New World is finally available to play following a long development cycle and multiple Alpha and Beta phases. Earlier this year, it was believed that New World would release with controller support but that is not the case. This isn't to say controller play isn't possible but it isn't natively supported by the game.
Here's how to get around this using Steam Big Picture mode.
New World Controller Support
While there is no native support for controllers in New World, the key bindings can be freely changed to allow for better accessibility. You can hook a controller up to play the game but it's a bit temperamental at best.
You can do this by launching Steam Big Picture mode. This is done in the Steam Client by selecting View then Big Picture Mode. For those unfamiliar with Big Picture, it's essentially a full-screen version of Steam meant to be used with a controller when projecting or playing on a TV.
Thanks to this, you can hook up a controller and set your own key bindings depending on which game you are playing. Using this method, you can set up multiple key bindings for New World but not everything will fit onto a controller. You will still need a keyboard and mouse at hand.
Full controller support was promised back in March for the launch of the game but Amazon Studios have since been quiet on the matter and the query is no longer on their FAQ.
It's not ideal for players who would be more comfortable with a controller but as the game is not intending to release on console, it may be that the feature was dropped altogether. The Elder Scrolls Online is one of the few games to make MMO controls work on a controller but that's heavily scaled back in comparison to New World.