Please note that the New World Team has stopped covering the game as of Update 1.2. Information on certain pages may not be up-to-date.
This is an up-to-date guide on the best and strongest weapons in New World! Read on to know which weapons are the best for PVE and PVP in the current meta of Update 1.2.1
Tier Lists and Weapon Guides | ||
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Best Weapons Tier List | Best Weapon Combos | Best PVE and PVP Weapon Builds |
List of Contents
Vote for your favorite weapon and share why in the comments down below!
This poll ran from November 2021 to December 2021 with a total of 1458 responses.
The Hatchet takes the lead at 463 votes which constitutes to 31.8% of all votes!
1st Hatchet 463 votes (31.8%) |
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2nd Great Axe 184 votes (12.6%) |
3rd Rapier 116 votes (8.0%) |
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4th | Spear | 106 votes | 7.3% |
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5th | Life Staff | 90 votes | 6.2% |
6th | Sword and Shield | 85 votes | 5.8% |
7th | War Hammer | 83 votes | 5.7% |
8th | Musket | 74 votes | 5.1% |
9th | Fire Staff | 72 votes | 4.9% |
10th | Bow | 66 votes | 4.5% |
11th | Ice Gauntlet | 64 votes | 4.4% |
12th | Void Gauntlet | 55 votes | 3.8% |
Tier Rating | PvE Tier List |
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・ Hatchet
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・ Rapier
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・ Spear
・ Bow
・ Musket
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S Tier Weapons Directory (Click on the link to jump to that section) |
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Void gauntlet | Life Staff | Hatchet |
Great Axe |
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Can be a DPS and a Healer at the same time.
・Insane Damage output due to cooldown resets. ・Being hybrid makes it flexible for all roles. |
・Blocking is replaced with Mana Regen unless Void Blade is active.
・Mana management problems ・Orb of Decay needs to be detonated properly to maximize stacks for reset |
The Void Gauntlet is a versatile magical weapon that can switch both from ranged or melee. Its active skills are focused more on applying debuffs while its perks reduce or reset Skill Cooldowns.
It is the only weapon in the game that can heal allies and scale off with Focus as their secondary stat, making it easier for you to pair it up with Life Staff, boosting your DPS and Healing potency.
The issue that Void Gauntlet users face is that you will need to properly manage your mana. You are also vulnerable to attacks, as blocking is replaced with Mana Regen unless Void Blade is active.
However, Void Gauntlet's flexibility and damage potential while providing the necessary support for their team at the same time are what make it such a high-tier weapon.
Best Void Gauntlet Builds for PVE and PVP
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Healing makes it easier to clear PvE content.
・A good secondary partner for any weapon. ・Perfect for solo-play for its self-sustainability. |
・Low Damage Output
・No Mobility Skills |
The Life Staff is a staple pick for several high-tier builds, and for good reasons. The Life Staff focuses on granting buffs and heals to other players. They mainly take the role of healer in a party or as a tank with the proper build.
One of the powerful spells that Life Staff have is Sacred Ground, which heals you and your ally as long as they are within the circle. Life Staff users can just put the skill down then switch back to their preferred weapon. The buffs that life staff offers keep you and your party alive and running.
Life Staff doesn't require you to equip it most of the time, and you still get passive heals and buffs after switching to another, making it a secondary partner for every weapon. Since it's viable for both team and solo play, provides such high survivability, and doesn't require you to have it equipped it all the time, it is no surprise that the life staff is at the top of the tier list.
Best Life Staff Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Can spam right click to destroy enemies
・Can sustain itself via Berserk and also boosts damage ・Defy Death perks makes you immune to death and attacks for a few seconds |
・No blocking when taking the Aimed Throw perk |
The Hatchet is one of the best strength-based weapons in New World due to its insane damage output with good self-sustain and survivability. Their skill tree perks allow you to choose between amplifying your damage and gaining more self-sustainability or letting you attack from a distance, making it very versatile for any build.
One of the skills that make Hatchet extremely good for PvE is their Berserk skill, which grants passive healing, increased damage and movement speed, cleanses debuffs, and grants you immunity to staggers.
On top of having good active skills, Hatchet also has perks that help you survive your encounter with enemies. One example is Defy Death, which makes you immune to any attack after taking a fatal blow, making it easier to handle situations that would get you in trouble.
Overall, aside from having no block when going for the ranged skill tree, Hatchet is a weapon that does not require much to learn. It has good skills and perks and synergizes well with other weapons.
Best Hatchet Builds (PvE and PvP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Insane AoE damage.
・Can sustain itself with lifesteal perks ・Some skills can have taunt gem effects |
・Slow attack speed
・Broken hitboxes |
Great Axe is a strength-based weapon that is great for pulling hordes of mobs. Their skill tree focuses on damaging as many enemies as possible or grouping them together with skills like Gravity Well or Reap, which has Taunt Gem Compatibility, making it an excellent tool for tanking.
On top of their AoE skills, they also have high base damage with great survivability since some of their perks or skills grant them lifesteal, such as the case with Reap's Hunger Perk. It also has defensive perks such as Crowded Protection, which help mitigate the damage taken against you. Since the goal is to pull and group up as many enemies as possible and deal a high amount of AoE damage, it is easy to level the weapon up.
Overall, Great Axe has a high damage output, versatile with its role, is really easy to use, and can be paired up with just about every weapon in the game, making it the reason why it's high in the tierlist.
Best Great Axe Builds (PVE and PVP)
A Tier Weapons Directory (Click on the link to jump to that section) |
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Ice Gauntlet | War Hammer | Sword and Shield |
Rapier |
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Skills stays on the field for a long time, making kiting easier
・Entomb makes it easier to manage your mana |
・Damage output isn't ideal
・Ice Pylon is too squishy |
Ice Gauntlet is a ranged magical weapon capable of creating Ice Pylons that act like a turret and AoEs that slow and inflict debuff to enemies who enter it. It's an excellent weapon to have in PvE, with good mana management from Entomb and CC abilities to keep enemies at bay.
As low as the damage and how fragile Ice Pylon is for Ice Gauntlet, you will never go wrong with pairing it up with other weapons as your secondary, especially magical weapons, because of how good the mana regen of Entomb works. It also has skills that slow enemies down as they approach you, making kiting easier.
Best Ice Gauntlet Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Grants you buffs and passive health regen for survivability
・Have multiple CC skills ・Can run Heavy Armor to be tankier and makes stuns last longer. |
・Slow attack speed
・Outperformed by Great Axe |
If you're a tank and you're looking for a weapon to fill your secondary, then War Hammer is one weapon you shouldn't miss out on. It has skills that are AoE and could CC your opponent, such as the case for Shockwave. They also have perks that grant you buffs and passive health regen for survivability.
Unfortunately, it is mostly overshadowed by the fact that Great Axe has better damage and can outperform War Hammer in dealing with crowds. However, War Hammer is still a good pick for any tanking build, it may not have the same damage the Great Axe could do, but the CCs and the passive health regen perks make up for it.
Best War Hammer Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Lots of defensive skills that reduces incoming damage
・Skillset are designed for tanking. ・Can self sustain if built on the Defender tree. |
・Not much to go around with their offensive options |
If you want to be a tank and are looking for something to protect yourself from harm, then Sword and Shield is the perfect weapon for you. Sword and Shield have many perks and skills that allow them to survive longer in fights with skills such as Defiant Stance, which reduces incoming damage against enemies.
Since Sword and Shield are centered around being defensive, there isn’t much to go around with their offensive options. They have decent DPS but comparing it to Hatchet or Great Axe, it falls way behind.
Best Sword and Shield Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・High Burst Damage and DoT
・Multiple defensive capabilities against enemies |
・Don't have skills to manage group of mobs
・Needs time to master |
The Rapier is a melee weapon with good mobility and defensive capabilities. One of the two skill trees of Rapiers consists of inflicting the bleed debuff to an opponent, with the other focused on dodging and parrying enemy attacks.
Rapiers are great to have as a secondary for weapons that lack both speed and defense. Riposte and Evade, in particular, give you a ton of defensive options other than blocking, with Fleche being a good reposition tool.
One main problem of Rapier is the lack of AoE skills to effectively handle mobs. It also requires a steep learning curve to master the weapon to make the most out of it, but once you do, it is one of the most enjoyable weapons you can use in the game.
Best Rapier Builds (PVE and PVP)
B Tier Weapons Directory (Click on the link to jump to that section) |
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Fire Staff | Spear | Bow |
Musket |
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Can be used to inflict DoT or deal Burst Damage.
・High Damaging AoE skills |
・Have troubles managing mana
・Some skills have start up time. |
The Fire Staff is a ranged magical weapon with two skill tree focusing on dealing damage over time in an area, with the other having excellent burst damage against enemies. With the proper build, it can handle both single target enemies or an entire wave of them.
But the problem with Fire Staff comes with its costly mana usage in the early part of the game. Some of its skills needs to time to cast, such as the case with Meteor Shower and Incinerate, making you susceptible to attacks. It is also such a selfish weapon that there are only a few weapons you can pair it up with, mostly to cover its lack of mobility and sustainability.
Best Fire Staff Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Handles single target enemies like bosses very well
・All skills also apply a form of debuff. |
・Has a hard time dealing with groups of mobs ・Outside of duels, doesn't have much to offer as a support weapon |
The Spear’s skillset is versatile enough that you can pair it up with most weapons since it scales off from two stats, Strength and Dexterity. You can either play the Zoner tree, which helps keep the enemy away, or the Impaler, helping you rush your opponent down.
However, Spear suffers from handling waves of mobs since they don’t really have a solid AoE skill. There are also better options to use as a secondary like the Ice Gauntlet or War Hammer since they have a better way of keeping enemies away with their kits including AoE that have CCs or debuffs.
Best Spear Build for PVE and PVP
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Mid Range Burst Damage
・Excellent kiting skillset to wear enemies down |
・Has a hard time dealing with groups of mobs
・Hard to level up ・Needs to use arrows for ammunition |
The Bow is a ranged weapon that scales with Dexterity. Unlike the Musket, the Bow has the skills to independently keep their enemies away while still retaining their DPS from repositioning. They are also able to burst down enemies, like using the powerful Splinter Shot skill.
Although Bow has excellent tools to kite and deal burst damage, they don't have that much dealing with crowds as they are more suited to single target enemies. They also have to use arrows for ammunition, and you'll have to re-stock it every time they run out.
In terms of compatibility of other weapons with the Bow, you have a lot of options. It can be used as a weapon to help with kiting and stalling or burst damage to finish off opponents.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・High Burst Damage from long range
・Has a hyper steroid DPS skill from Shooter's Stance |
・Very Immobile when in Shooter's Stance
・Requires landing headshots for optimal DPS. ・Weak against group of enemies. |
The Musket is a ranged single target-focused weapon that specializes in dealing burst damage to an enemy. This weapon is good for killing bosses, with skills and perks that increase your overall DPS. It can also be played as a debuff weapon if you prefer to kite and wear your enemies down.
However, Musket struggles against hordes of enemies and requires you to land headshots to maximize your DPS while also kiting your enemies. It also doesn't help that you will be required to buy ammunition for your Musket. Leveling a musket is very slow as well, compared to other weapons since you'll only be able to kill one enemy at a time.
On top of all that, It is very immobile, requires you to plan ahead, and only has a few good options to pair with other weapons, hence why its position is so low in the tierlist.
Best Musket Builds (PVE and PVP)
Tier Rating | PvP Tier List |
---|---|
・Bow
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S Tier Weapons Directory (Click on the link to jump to that section) |
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Bow | Rapier | Void Gauntlet |
Spear |
Strengths | Weaknesses |
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・High Burst Damage
・Applies DoT debuffs which can be perfect for a secondary weapon. |
・Can't block incoming attacks
・Very squishy ・Requires proper positioning |
The Bow is a mid-ranged weapon with good tools that you can use to kite around your enemies or burst them down instantly. The Bow is more mobile and easier to use than the Musket but is shorter in range.
Getting all three Splinter Shots on an opponent usually means death, and pairing it up with a weapon that can disable movement can be a dangerous combo with a bow.
But the problem with ranged weapons lies heavily is in their inability to block and are usually very squishy. Bows will need a proper setup and positioning to cover their weaknesses, especially during fights in large groups, much like Outpost Rush.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・High Burst damage and DoT
・Multiple defensive capabilities against opponenets ・Can easily parry weapons with slow attack speed ・Can handle more than one enemy |
・Steep learning curve, needs mastery over the weapon to be effective. |
The Rapier has a lot of defensive capabilities and high burst damage that makes them top tier. They're also very mobile, with Fleche and Evade allowing you to move around and get close to your opponent.
Although it requires a bit of practice to use the Rapier, it can potentially dominate everyone in PvP, especially in a 1v1 scenario. Riposte can stun an opponent as long as you can perfectly counter their attacks. This allows you to land Tondo or Flurry to change the tide of battle.
Best Rapier Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Extremely good burst damage
・Flexible with any role ・Amazing perks that can reset skill cooldowns ・Scales with Focus |
・Orb of Decay needs to be detonated properly to maximize stacks for reset ・Mana management problems |
Void Gauntlet is a magical weapon that can be played as either a Melee or Ranged, depending on the skill tree you choose. They also have a perk that lets you reset the cooldown of your skills, effectively allowing you to re-cast and burst enemies down as soon as you stun them with Petrifying Scream.
On top of that, they can provide the necessary support that their team needs during fights like healing and inflicting debuffs on opponents. Due to their hybrid nature, they are also flexible and are compatible with other weapons.
The only challenge with using Void Gauntlet is timing your Orb of Decay for maximum stacks in Glimpse of the Void and managing your mana.
Best Void Gauntlet Builds for PVE and PVP
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・An ideal solo weapon for dueling due to its skillset
・Spear have disables and debuffs for many situations. |
・Has troubles doing their combo in groups |
Spear is an excellent weapon of choice to use in duels since it has skills that specialize in damaging single target enemies. It has a set of skills that can inflict debuffs, including knockdowns to set itself up for a punishing combo.
Outside of duels, and depending on if they choose to use Impaler or not, they may find themselves having troubles doing their combo in groups, where there is more than one opponent .
Best Spear Build for PVE and PVP
A Tier Weapons Directory (Click on the link to jump to that section) |
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War Hammer | Ice Gauntlet | Life Staff | |
Great Axe |
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Slow Attacks makes it difficult to use in one on one fights.
・AoE disables makes it valuable in large scale wars. ・Can run Heavy Armor to be tankier and makes stuns last longer. ・Perks grants you buffs and passive health regen for survivability |
・Low DPS compared to other weapons
・Slow attack speed |
War Hammer is one of the best weapons you can use in a group fight due to the amount of AoE and Crowd Control skills. Skills such as Shockwave can easily stun a group of enemies to deal damage for yourself or your allies.
However, To make the most of your Crowd control debuffs, you'll have to wear Heavy Armor for that increased duration, making mobility a real problem against hard-hitting Dexterity builds. On top of that, your attacks are slow, making it hard to land your attacks on an opponent with light or even medium armor.
But if you can get past that, War Hammer is an exceptional weapon to have in PvP, especially Outpost Rush, due to its CC abilities.
Best War Hammer Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・AoE skills will remain on the field for a long time, making kiting easier ・Entomb makes it easier to manage your mana |
・Damage output isn't ideal
・Ice Pylon can be destroyed very easily ・Start up animations for some skill are slow, leaving you vulnerable |
Ice Gauntlet is one of the best secondary you can pair up for every weapon in the game, especially with magical weapons due to their skillset. Entombed makes it easier for you to manage your mana, increasing your DPS uptime and potentially saving you from life-threatening situations.
One problem of Ice Gauntlet is that it takes a while for them to cast their spell, leaving you vulnerable in a fight if not positioned correctly. Although their damage is subpar as your primary weapon, the amount of CC, AoE, and DoT on their skill tree makes up for it, making it perfect as a secondary weapon.
Best Ice Gauntlet Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Can sustain your team in large scale fight and yourself in one on ones
・Buffs carry over after swapping weapons so using it in conjunction with your main weapon is ideal in duels |
・Ineffective against weapons that can burst down enemies
・Switching weapon can leave you vulnerable |
Life Staff is usually the weapon you take as a secondary to support your allies in the frontline and works well with a tanking build when you need to survive in the frontline, allowing you to aid your team longer. A full healer build can turn the tide of battles during Outpost Rush with the tools necessary to keep an entire group alive long enough to take objectives.
Although it increases your survivability, you lose DPS, and leaves you vulnerable when switching, making it easier for players to rush in and kill you. It also becomes useless when fighting against weapons that can just burst you down in one or two hits, especially with the current meta.
Best Life Staff Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Can group players up with Gravity Well or Maelstrom to create opportunities or combo.
・Excellent weapon to use against group of players |
・Lack of mobility and speed
・ Attacks are slow and can easily be seen and reacted accordingly. |
Great Axe is a weapon that is excellent against a group of players. They can group players up with Gravity Well or Maelstrom to create opportunities or combo for their team or themselves to follow up.
The only real problem with using Great Axe is their lack of mobility and speed, making it easier for other players to dodge their attacks. The start-up animations for Great Axe can easily be seen and could just be reacted accordingly.
But if you get past its weaknesses and have the patience to wait till your opponent makes a mistake in duels, Great Axe can be a fearful and punishing weapon.
Best Great Axe Builds (PVE and PVP)
B Tier Weapons Directory (Click on the link to jump to that section) |
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Musket | Fire Staff |
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・High Ranged Damage
・High Burst Damage from long range ・Has a hyper steroid DPS skill from Shooter's Stance |
・Very Immobile when in Shooter's Stance
・Requires landing headshots for optimal DPS. ・Weak against group of enemies. |
Good Musket users are one of the scariest players you can face in PvP, and with good reason. Musket has the potential to kill anyone before they can even get close with how good their DPS is with the proper setup.
It is one of the most difficult weapon to play in the game and takes a considerable amount of time to practice before you can get good with it. Shooter's Stance requires proper positioning to avoid getting caught while in the stance. On top of that, You will have to consistently land a headshot in PvP to get the most out of your DPS, but once you master it, it will almost be impossible for anyone to reach you without having a chunk of their health disappear.
Best Musket Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Skills can burst opponents down easily
・Can deal a ton of damage in fights against groups |
・Some skills have start up time
・Has troubles managing mana ・Some skills requires proper aiming |
The Fire Staff is a great weapon you can have when you're fighting in a group since most of their skills are AoE that deals a ton of damage.
However, when it comes to dueling, you'll find yourself having a hard time as some of these spells requires you to cast, leaving you vulnerable to attacks. Some spells require you to aim like the Fireball and Pillar of Fire. Furthermore, their skills eat a ton of mana, requiring you to use an Ice Gauntlet or drink mana potions.
Best Fire Staff Builds (PVE and PVP)
C Tier Weapons Directory (Click on the link to jump to that section) |
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Sword and Shield | Hatchet |
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Lots of defensive skills that reduce incoming damage, allowing you to stay in fights longer ・Can self-sustain if built on the Defender tree. | ・Lacks damage and does not have a wide range of disables so, it's a subpar choice for wars. |
Sword and Shield are the bread and butter of tanking. They are the only weapon in the game that can easily block projectiles with their Shield. They also have a lot of skills and perks specifically to boost their defense, making it easier to jump right into a fight in the frontline.
However, their only problem is that they're too focused on their defense that their offensive options are kinda lacking, making it easier for other players to just ignore them and focus on the backline. They also suffer from using Heavier Armor to boost their constitution and last longer in fights.
Best Sword and Shield Builds (PVE and PVP)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
・Can spam right click to destroy enemies
・Can charge right in with Defy Death perk that makes you immune to death and attacks for a few seconds ・Can easily take objectives in OPR |
・Slow start-up animation makes it hard to hit anyone.
・ Berserk expire as soon as you switch weapons, effectively locking you out of your secondary weapon ・ Weak against ranged weapons ・ Can be outmaneuvered easily by other weapons |
Hatchet is a force to be reckoned with in PvP, especially if they have their Berserk Skill up. Their damage is insanely top tier, and players will have to keep their distance against hatchet players unless they want to be cut down instantly. Hatchet also has one of the best perks and skills to survive longer in fights.
However, you will find yourself having difficulty landing your attacks against much more mobile enemies such as Rapier users as,your attacks are slow. This is especially true with the latest patch changing the buffer window since there are delays now after you attack.
It doesn't help that Berserk requires you to stay and commit to your hatchet and will expire as soon as you switch weapons, effectively locking you out of your secondary weapon and making you susceptible to ranged attacks.
Best Hatchet Builds (PvE and PvP)
The Game8 team considers the factors below during the creation of this Tier List. Take note that this tier list is still extremely subjective based on our current information about the game.
Tier List Criteria | |||
---|---|---|---|
Solo capability | Flexibility | Effectiveness | Ease of use |
Tips and Tricks: Beginner's Guide to New World
Best Weapon Tier List for PVE and PVP (December 2021)
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Probably written by a person who cannot aim look at the ranges