Games

New World Aeternum: Best Weapon Combos To Try Outor

Published

1 month ago

October 19, 2024

Christoph Rediske

Key Takeaways

Table of Contents

The Bow and Hatchet combo is agile with high damage, perfect for solo adventurers.
Fire Staff and Rapier focus on DOT, dealing consistent damage over time.
Great Sword with Sword & Shield is for heavy hitters who can switch between big hits and defense.

Although players are assigned a weapon pairing at the start of their New World: Aeternum journey, it is worth exploring other combinations as the game progresses. While one weapon combo may be adequate for the early stages of the adventure, it may become clear that a player’s strength lies elsewhere.

This becomes especially clear once players venture into PvP or join other heroes on raids. The recommendations below offer some strong weapon combinations suitable for every mode. Whether a player loves solo adventuring or wants to try out different builds, the combos offer something new to play with.

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1 Bow And Hatchet

For Agility And DPS

Best Bow Abilities: Penetrating Shot, Evade Shot, Poison Shot
Best Hatchet Abilities: Berserk, Raging Torrent, Rending Throw

The Bow and Hatchet weapon combo in New World: Aeternum is superb for players who favor agility and quick attacks. The Bow is a favorite weapon among players who prefer ranged weapons, especially anyone who loves to play solo. Alone, it offers great range, high damage with a quick reload, and some AOE abilities. When the Hatchet is added to the mix, players become a force to be reckoned with at both long range and in close combat.

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The Hatchet brings frenzied, high-damage attacks at close range while also offering players the option of a quick mid-range hatchet throw. Adding this underrated weapon to a fan-favorite like the Bow creates a strong weapon pairing in both PvP and PvE situations.

Both weapons are easy to use and come with strong abilities on which to spend Attribute Points. The Hatchet’s Berserker and Throwing abilities buff the damage dealt and the speed at which players can attack the enemy. The Bow, meanwhile, has AOE damage with the Skirmisher ability tree and quick, powerful buffs in the Hunter category.

2 Fire Staff And Rapier

For Damage Over Time

Best Fire Staff Abilities: Fireball, Flamethrower, Pillar of Fire
Best Rapier Abilities: Flurry, Flourish and Finish, Tondo

The combination of Fire Staff and Rapier brings a similar vibe as the Bow and Hatchet, with a focus on speed and damage. This pairing has strengths in dealing damage over time (DOT) rather than AOE damage, however. Players have a little less range with the Fire Staff than with the Bow, but the consistent DOT added by the abilities makes up for it.

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When the gap between the player and the enemy closes, the one-handed Rapier comes into play. While the enemy is suffering from smolder damage thanks to the Fire Staff, the Rapier can add more DOT with the bleed effect. It is a strong combination of constant damage buffs, and the reduced cooldown means the abilities refresh quickly.

The Fire Staff ability trees are Fire Mage and Pyromancer, offering the player magic abilities which cost Mana to use. Each of the recommended abilities tries to keep the enemy at a distance, damaging them enough that they will be at low health by the time they reach the player. The Rapier’s strongest ability tree, Blood, then brings three abilities to boost the player’s DPS, with the bonus of grit to stop any potential stagger effects.

3 Greatsword and Sword & Shield

For Heavy Hitters

Best Greatsword Abilities: Relentless Rush, Onslaught, Skyward Slash
Best Sword & Shield Abilities: Upheaval, Whirling Blade, Shield Bash

The Greatsword abilities allow the player to deal heavy damage, but with a downside: damage taken is also increased. This is why it is great to pair it with slash-and-block weapons like the Sword and Shield. The combo gives players the chance to deal big hits, but have time to block oncoming attacks.

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This two-handed weapon combo rewards heavy attacks, which means players are slower to attack but deal more damage. The Greatsword abilities may slow players down, but when the Sword and Shield comes into play, players have the chance to deal out quicker attacks, block with the shield, and prevent stagger from enemy hits. This weapon pairing may take some time to master, but once a player knows when to switch between the Greatsword and the Sword and Shield, they can become pretty powerful.

The Onslaught ability tree for Greatsword is the top pick for a player focused on damage. As mentioned previously, this ability build buffs damage dealt but also increases damage taken. This is an easy trade-off, however, as a well-timed heavy attack from a Greatsword can put even the strongest enemy on the back-foot. The Sword and Shield ability trees, Swordmaster and Defender, offer a few buffs to a player’s grit. This negates the stagger effect, keeping the player on their feet and ready to attack.

4 Musket And Rapier

For Range And Traps

Best Rapier Abilities: Flurry, Flourish And Finish, Tondo
Best Musket Abilities: Stopping Power, Traps, Sticky Bomb

Pairing the Musket and the Rapier gives the player high damage and full range. The musket is a very long-range weapon with powerful shots, rewarding players who get critical hits and headshots. While precision is key with the Musket, the abilities it brings can also add to mid-range and close-range combat. Bring the rapid-bladed Rapier to the party too, and the result is a formidable weapon combo.

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Players trying out this combo should be ready to deal precise damage from long-range before closing in. With the Musket’s traps in hand, players can slow the enemy, giving themselves time to equip the Rapier and perform some quick up-close attacks. The Rapier’s strongest abilities give a bonus DOT effect, which can be useful if the player has to take on many enemies at once. It may take a bit of time to master the balance of Rapier and Musket, but once the player is adept at how they work in tandem, battles can be very satisfying.

Musket’s Trapper ability tree should be the player’s main focus. With the entire Trapper side completed, the Lethal Combo effect is activated. Any enemy slowed by the Musket debuffs is dealt additional damage. As long as the player keeps throwing out Traps and Sticky Bombs, the enemy will be slow and sluggish to attack. This gives players time to perform some stylish flourishes with the Rapier to finish them off.