New World Best Skills And Abilities For Any Build and Weapon Combo.ThisSkills Guidefocuses on identifying the bestWeapon SkillsandAbilitiesinNew World. You’ll be seeing synergies across multipleBuildslike the Melee DPS, Ranged DPS, and Tank, to name some. If you’re looking for a way to choose optimal Weapon Skills and Abilities to create highly effective characters, then this Guide is for you! Make sure to check out ourFast XP and Weapon Level Guide,Beginner PvP Tips, andBest Early Game Weapons & Accessoriesas well!
New World Weapon Guide: Best Weapon Skills And Abilities For Your Builds
Unlike other MMOs, New World doesn’t really have a Class System. Instead, you level up yourWeapon Masteries, which determine the type of character you become. You have the ability to equip a Primary and Secondary Weapon depending on what you want to play as. We’ll talk about 6 different Builds as well as the idealWeapons, Skills and Abilities you should select for each of them.
Best Melee DPS Build: Great Axe and War Hammer
For the Melee DPS Build, your goal is to deal massive AoE Damage in order to effectively attack many enemies that are within your reach. you’re able to do this by equipping the best Two-Handed Weapons in New World, namely, theGreat AxeandWar Hammer. The Great Axe performs very well when making large sweeping attacks to deal massive Slash Damage.
Comparatively, the War Hammer has the highest Melee Damage of any other Weapon in the game. Specifically, when you make Heavy Attacks, you’re guaranteed to reach enemies that are quite far from you due to its excellent range. However, both of these Weapons are slower to wield so take this into account when engaging in PvE and PvP activities.
New World Great Axe Skills and Abilities
ForGreat Axe Skills and Abilities, you’ll want to selectCharge,Gravity Well, andMaelstromfrom theReaperandMauler Skill Trees. Charge is an excellent gap closer, which thrusts you towards fleeing enemies, uninterrupted. It also works well against bosses and players who have knocked you back. With this Ability, you get to steer the direction of where you’re charging at, making it straightforward to use. Gravity Well is amazing at crowd control because it allows you to pull enemies together and to slow them down. This is fantastic with other AoE Abilities to guarantee that you inflict high damage.
They won’t be able to walk away from it, instead, they’ll need to use dodge to do so. Maelstrom is a fast-spinning attack, which also draws enemies together. It becomes more potent when you upgrade its corresponding Skills such asStorm’s ReachandNo Reprieve. You not only extend your reach to pull in more enemies, but you also perform another spin attack to deal extra damage. For passives, you’ll want to stack up on as much damage as possible by takingKeen EdgeandBlood Lust Skills. Blood Lust boosts your damage while significantly enhancing your move speed. you may also obtainGravityto lengthen your hold on enemies.
New World War Hammer Skills and Abilities
ForWar Hammer Skills and Abilities, it’s best to acquirePath of Destiny,Shockwave, andClear Outunder theCrowd Crusher Skill Tree. Path of Destiny lets you deal a bit of damage against enemies out of your reach. The Melee Build’s weakness is its limited range so anything you can do to weaken your targets before inflicting harm upfront is a huge plus. Shockwave allows you to slam your War Hammer into the ground to deal AoE Damage and to stun enemies. This can be activated after using Maelstrom to continue dealing debilitating blows. I suggest gettingMeteoric Craterso you can widen the Ability’s reach.
Meanwhile, Clear Out lets you push enemies backward if you need additional space to create some breathing room for yourself or to single out a specific target while also inflicting adequate damage against all of them. For passives, you can acquireOutnumberedsince you’ll always be surrounded by enemies when dealing with them on the front-lines. This way, you negate a portion of the damage you take.
If you want a detailed guide on this Melee DPS Build, you may check out ourNew World Builds: Great Axe and War Hammer | Whirlwind Guide.
Best Ranged DPS Build: Bow and Spear
For the Ranged DPS Build, you’ll focus on dealing AoE Damage as well as Damage over Time (DoT) to obliterate as many enemies as possible. The best Weapons to wield are theBowandSpear. Bows are capable of inflicting Poison as well as landing Critical Hits when you manage to precisely land headshots. However, this Weapon is reliant on arrows, which are finite. Spear, on the other hand, offers crowd control Abilities together with excellent DPS Skills, which you can also effectively perform from a distance.
New World Bow Skills and Abilities
ForBow Skills and Abilities, it’s ideal to takeRain of Arrows,Poison Shot, andPenetrating Shotfrom theSkirmisherandHunter Skill Trees. Rain of Arrows deals decent AoE Damage and it becomes a more powerful Ability when you upgrade itsBarbed ArrowsandHooked Arrows Skills. This lets you inflict DoT due to Bleed while slowing down enemies, respectively. You ought to keep activating Rain of Arrows once its cooldown ends. Poison Shot is a great follow through because it allows you to stack up on your DoT when enemies pass through the newly created poison cloud.
Penetrating Shot is a swift Ability that lets you take advantage of targets who are lined up to deal massive Burst Damage. It also performs really well when coupled with Rain of Arrows and Penetrating Shot. For passives, you’ll want to extend your DoT while reducing your lengthy cooldowns withBattle PrecisionandClosing In Skills.
New World Spear Skills and Abilities
ForSpear Skills and Abilities, it’s best to invest inSweep,CycloneandJavelinfrom theZoner Skill Tree. Sweep is a good AoE Ability because you’re able to knock enemies off of their feet, which is amazing for crowd control. Cyclone allows you to deal damage against multiple targets while pushing and slowing them down. This is well-suited for scenarios when there are way too many of them grouped together. Javelin allows you to throw your Spear to attack enemies from afar.
Furthermore, you should consider gettingForceful Impactin order to knock them down as well. you’re able to use this in conjunction with Sweep to keep them on the ground, thereby avoiding damage. For passives, you ought to takeRefreshing JabsandMerciless Strength Skills. Refreshing Jabs reduces the cooldown of all of your Spear Abilities on your second Light Attack while Merciless Strength boosts your damage against knocked down enemies, which happens frequently. If you want a detailed guide on this Ranged DPS Build, you can check out ourNew World Builds: Bow And Spear | The Hunter (Sweeping Cyclone) Guide.
Best Hybrid DPS Build: Musket and Rapier
For the Hybrid DPS Build, you’ll want to be ready for Ranged and Melee Encounters. To pull this off effectively, you should equip theMusketandRapier, respectively. The Musket is considered as the best Ranged Weapon in New World. It has a better damage output than the Bow but there’s a learning curve of having to precisely aim well plus, you’ll need ammo. Meanwhile, the Rapier is an agile One-Handed Weapon that applies Bleed to drain enemies of their HP. Depending on the Skill Tree you wish to focus on, you’ll have shorter cooldowns and longer Bleed times.
New World Musket Skills and Abilities
ForMusket Skills and Abilities, you’ll want to takePowder Burn,Sticky Bomb, andTrapsfrom theSharpshooterandTrapper Skill Trees. Powder Burn allows you to deal Burst Damage together with DoT due to the Burn Status Effect. This is very powerful in PvP especially when your enemies begin to panic heal since they still take DoT. You’ll have to reload first after activating Powder Burn to make the most out of this Ability. Sticky Bomb lets you detonate a bomb against multiple targets provided that they’re standing in its AoE. This takes time to learn but when you succeed, you’re guaranteed to do massive damage.
Sticky Bomb is best paired with Traps. Traps immobilizes targets in place, making them vulnerable to any of your attacks, may it be from your Musket or Sticky Bomb. Getting its associatedDouble Trap Skilllets you use two active traps. For passives, it’s good to takeTactical ReloadandKick ‘Em When They’re Down Skills. Tactical Reload automatically reloads your Weapon when you dodge whereas Kick ‘Em When They’re Down boosts your damage as long as the target is under the effect of any crowd control Ability like Traps.
New World Rapier Skills and Abilities
ForRapier Skills and Abilities, it’s optimal to takeFlurry,RiposteandFlechefrom theBloodandGrace Skill Trees. Flurry lets you deal consistent damage thanks to the quick 5 attacks you execute. This is best performed when you’re backstabbing the enemy in order to deal Critical Damage but you yourself become susceptible to attacks since you stand still while Flurry is in effect. Alternatively, you can use it with Riposte. Riposte allows you to parry and stun the enemy. You can counterattack as many times as possible but you’ll have to time this perfectly to remain effective. As such, you can avoid taking huge damage.
Fleche is a fantastic Ability that lets you lunge through enemies while dealing damage in the process. You can use it as a gap closer or as a means of escaping from tough situations. For passives, it’s good to obtainMomentumto raise the damage you deal after using any Rapier Ability. If you want a detailed guide on this Ranged DPS Build, you can check out ourNew World Builds: Musket and Rapier | Musketeer Guide.
Best Mage DPS Build: Fire Staff and Ice Gauntlet
For the Mage DPS Build, you’ll want to efficiently deal great damage while controlling the battlefield without having to worry about your Mana. To do this, you need theFire Staffas your Primary Weapon and theIce Gauntletas your Secondary Weapon. The Fire Staff deals massive AoE Fire Damage from afar thanks to its Spells. Conversely, the Ice Gauntlet inflicts Ice Damage as well as decent crowd control. It also allows you to effectively recover a large portion of your Mana.
New World Fire Staff Skills and Abilities
ForFire Staff Skills and Abilities, it’s essential to invest inFireball,IncinerateandBurn Outfrom theFire MageandPyromancer Skill Trees. Fireball is a very powerful Spell that deals Burst Damage and DoT due to the burning field you leave behind. It also works great against a group of enemies due to its quick cast time. Incinerate is another AoE Ability but it’s cast from a shorter range. Despite this, it’s a good one to have especially when you get theFlame Out! Skill, which allows Incinerate to hit twice.
Burn Out is mobility related in that it lunges you forward while attacking the targets you pass in the process. With its correspondingAll InandHeat It Up! Skills, your cooldowns are reduced and you’re able to steer your direction to help you get out of difficult situations. For passives, it’s best to focus on lengthening the DoT you deal with Burn since you’ll frequently initiate this while improving your cooldowns and Mana regeneration. Specifically, you ought to takeKindle,Fiery Restoration,FlareandReheat. With Reheat, you boost Mana regeneration by 400% when you don’t activate any of your Abilities for 6 seconds.
New World Ice Gauntlet Skills and Abilities
ForIce Gauntlet Skills and Abilities, you’ll want to takeIce Storm,Ice Shower, andEntombedfrom theIce Tempestand Builder Skill Trees. Ice Storm is an incredible Ranged AoE Ability that pelts enemies every so often while slowing them down. This is paired withHeavy Freezeto hold them in place, thereby making them susceptible to extra damage. What makes Ice Storm more effective is if you also getPunishing Storm, which raises your damage depending on the number of affected enemies.
Ice Shower controls targets very well because it locks them in place, slows them down, and blocks sprinting and dodging so it’s good to use against those who are either fleeing from or dashing towards you. Entombed, on the other hand, is a must-have Ability because it lets you regenerate Mana by momentarily encasing you in ice that’s nearly impenetrable. This is a great counter to your other Spells, which consumes a lot of Mana, while giving them time to recharge. For passives, you should obtainGathering Stormto gain more Mana after performing Light Attacks.
Best Tank Build: Sword and Shield and War Hammer
For the traditional Tank Build, you’ll want to equip Weapons and to choose its corresponding Skills and Abilities that allow you to take massive amounts of damage while taunting targets towards you and defending your group. It’s also valuable to excel in crowd control and supporting DPS allies by having the capability to deal damage against different enemies. As such, the best Weapon combo is theSword and Shieldand Warhammer.
What makes the Sword and Shield unique is it can deal Strike, Slashing and Thrust Damage. Meanwhile, the Warhammer is an excellent Two-Handed Weapon because it deals massive Strike Damage against those who are weak to this damage type like the Undead. So both Weapons are definitely useful when you’re facing different enemy types like inExpeditionsandCorrupted Breaches.
New World Sword and Shield Skills and Abilities
ForSword and Shield Skills and Abilities, you’ll want to take all of the Abilities under theDefender Skill Treeso you’re able to focus on boosting your defensive and tanking capabilities. These areShield Rush,Shield Bash, andDefiant Stance. Shield Bash lets you deal a bit of damage while effectively stunning an enemy. What makes this really good is when you slot aCarnelian Gemin your Sword to activateTaunt. With Taunt, you’re able to lure targets to you so you can minimize the damage they inflict on allies. You’ll be using Shield Bash often so you need to quickly get your hands on this gem.
Shield Rush allows you to knock back enemies while dealing damage. This is a gap closer although the distance you tackle is quite short so you’ll want to use Shield Rush when you’re not far away from your target. Defiant Stance significantly lessens the damage you take while being able to taunt enemies because of the Carnelian Gem once again. This is an essential Ability for your Tank Build so you’ll definitely have to enhance it even more. As such, you’ll be obtainingRestorationin order to regain a portion of your HP when Defiant Stance ends, which is needed for extended survivability.
For passives, it’s good to takeSturdy GripandDefensive Trainingsince you’ll be blocking a lot, together withSturdy ShieldandRecuperation Skills. Sturdy Shield grants you extra Physical Armor whereas Recuperation raises the amount of HP healed.
For War Hammer Skills and Abilities, you’ll want to focus on those that allow you to execute crowd control techniques coupled with secondary tanking Abilities, buffs, and AoE Damage. These areArmor Breaker, Shockwave, and Path of Destiny from theJuggernautand Crowd Crusher Skill Trees. Armor Breaker allows you to deal a decent amount of damage because you’re able to penetrate the target’sArmorat a rapid speed and it has a shorter cooldown period. Together with theEpitome of Bonk! Skill, you increase the effectiveness of Armor Penetration.
Shockwave is an AoE Ability that lets you deal damage, momentarily stun affected enemies, and taunt them. This really shines once you gain access to its passive Skill called the Meteoric Crater since you widen the range of its AoE. Path of Destiny inflicts damage against enemies in front of you. So you can use this against Ranged Attackers since you can’t deal with them right away. For passives, you ought to invest inI Can Do This All Dayas well asPrevailing Spirit.
I Can Do This All Day reduces your Stamina Consumption by 30% when you’re blocking Melee Attacks, which you’ll often be doing. Meanwhile, Prevailing Spirit restores your HP based on the damage you deal with any Crowd Crusher Ability.
Best Healer Build: Life Staff and Ice Gauntlet
For the Healer Build, you’ll want to focus on restoring the entire party’s HP while protecting them from harm. To pull this off successfully, you need theLife Staffand the Ice Gauntlet. The Life Staff is your Build’s lifeline because it allows you to carry out sustainable healing and protection while removing debuffs that hinder the performance of your allies in combat. Meanwhile, the Ice Gauntlet is an excellent Secondary Weapon, which is viable for crowd control.
New World Life Staff Skills and Abilities
ForLife Staff Skills and Abilities, it’s ideal to takeSacred Ground,Light’s Embrace, andBeaconfrom theHealingandProtector Skill Trees. Sacred Ground and Light’s Embrace are AoE and single-target healing Abilities, respectively. When you upgrade Sacred Ground’sHoly GroundandBlessed Skills, you not only improve your Stamina and Mana regeneration, but you’re also able to heal your allies’ HP even more. I prefer to use Light’s Embrace overDivine Embracesince it costs less Mana and its cooldown is relatively shorter. Beacon is a versatile AoE Ability that deals high damage while healing nearby allies.
This works very well in dungeons against mobs of enemies and bosses. To make the most out of Beacon, you should upgrade toInfused Lightin order to double its AoE. For passives, you should takeAbsolved,Blissful Touch,Bend Light, andSacred Protection Skills. Absolved lets you do Light and Heavy Attacks without consuming Mana, making it one of the best Skills out there. You’ll then take advantage of these Light Attacks with Blissful Touch in order to efficiently heal your allies. Bend Light enhances your heals further when you dodge whereas Sacred Protection raises the amount of HP you’re able to restore.
For Ice Gauntlet Skills and Abilities, it’s best to invest in Ice Storm,Ice Pylon, and Entombed from the Ice Tempest and Builder Skill Trees. Similar to the Mage DPS Build, Ice Storm is a reliable source of crowd control whereas Entombed notably boosts Mana regeneration while giving you the time to recharge the rest of your Abilities. Ice Pylon, on the other hand, deals multiple damage thanks to the projectiles it fires. This also creates a frost area for your Frost Abilities. To further enhance Ice Pylon, you’ll want to invest inUltimate Frostto double the pylon’s HP and radius for better mobility, as well as theEmpowered Frost Skillin order to regenerate more Mana.
For the remaining passives, you ought to take Gathering Storm,Critical Rejuvenation, andCritical Frost Skills. Gathering Storm is a must-have Skill because it provides you with a way to regain Mana so you won’t have to rely on potions. This is important since you’ll be doing a lot of healing and support. Critical Rejuvenation works very well with Critical Frost in that the former Skill grants you yet another way to restore Mana when you successfully execute a Critical Hit. Lastly, Critical Frost increases your critical chance to trigger Critical Rejuvenation. You’ll need to stand in your Ice Pylon’s frost area for it to take effect.
Stay tuned for moreNew World Guides, and be sure to check out theNew World Wikifor more information about the game! What other guides would you like to see next? WhatBuildsare you enjoying the most? Let us know in the comments section below.
