Player-vs-Player combat is one of the hallmarks of any successful MMO. Amazon’s New World is no exception to this meta. Its elaborate progression and unique weapon class system, allows players the freedom to play with their own creativity. There are a variety of different builds to choose from, however not each weapon is super-efficient in PvP. Whether you prefer a magical, ranged, or close-combat type of playstyle, rest assured. We’re here to show you the best weapons to use in New World (PvP).
Weapons in New World
New World offers a dynamic but limited weapon system. You can only equip two weapons simultaneously, each coming with three skills, adding up to a total of 6 usable abilities. Picking the perfect weapon can be tricky, so let’s dissect them by weapon category.
Best One-Handed Weapons (PvP)
Hatchet
Primary Attribute: Strength
Tier: S
Just like in PvE, the Hatchet is indubitably one of the best weapons to use in New World’s PvP.
Playing Hatchet is akin to having an adrenaline rush; you’re really fast and extremely lethal. Your primary damage will stem from quick burst attacks in [Sprint Attack] and [Social Distancing]. The hallmark of the Hatchet [Bersker Mode] sends you into a trance with enhanced mobility, increased damage, and active healing over a short duration of time. As such, you should always try to use your damaging abilities after entering Berserker Mode. Let’s not forget about the [Defy Death] passive, which literally allows you to resist incoming killing blows for three seconds.
Although the Throwing specialization is quite fun to play, Berserker is really the only way to go in PvP. You could use [Infected Throw] in certain situations, just remember you’ll need pinpoint accuracy. Either way, the Hatchet can be slightly underwhelming in big AoE situations, like Outpost Rush and/or Wars.
To get the most out of this build, combine the Hatchet with a Great Axe. The Axe’s CC and ‘pull’ abilities will set you up nicely to unleash a barrage of successive attacks. You could always go with Ranged or Magical weapons if you so desire, just remember they won’t scale with Strength.
Rapier
Primary Attribute: Dexterity
Tier: A
The Dexterity equivalent to the Hatchet, Rapier is a great weapon that can be combined with almost anything.
The Rapier specializations, Blood and Grace, offer two unique playstyles. Blood is more DoT-focused, whereas Grace places more emphasis on evasiveness.
Pick [Flurry], [Fleche] and [Evade] for the most optimal PvP experience. The latter two spells can be used to evade/dodge abilities, or even offensively when preparing for a sequence of attacks. You could choose to replace [Evade] with [Riposte] however it is a bit more difficult to directly parry enemy attacks.
While this build performs very well in Open World or 1v1-PvP, it may not be as effective in Wars/Outpost Rush. If you decide to focus primarily on those, you could always go with a full Blood spec for more damage. Repeatedly DoT-ing all your enemies can be very dopamine-inducing. As with all builds, these varying playstyles all have their personal trade-offs.
In essence, the Rapier offers extreme mobility, subtle evasiveness, and surprisingly high damage for a weapon of its kind. You could pair it with a Spear or Musket for more Dexterity scaling; however, the Rapier performs equally well with a magical weapon.
Sword & Shield
Primary Attribute: Strength
Tier: C
The Sword and Shield is the only two-in-one weapon currently available in New World. As you’d expect, its playstyle is primarily a defensive one.
In terms of talent trees, we recommend specializing into a CC/Tank spec. Go with [Whirling Blade], [Shield Bash], and [Final Stand] as your primary spells. The passives in the Defender tree will greatly increase your survivability through damage reduction and increased health buffs. Ideally, you’ll want to be blocking as many attacks as humanly possible with your shield.
Because of its tanky nature, Sword & Shield is simply not that great offensively. You should prioritize CC’ing enemies with [Shield Bash] while ensuring that you’re always on the forefront of battles. For maximum durability, spend a majority of your attribute points on Constitution and wear Heavy armor.
We recommend pairing the Sword & Shield with a melee weapon like Warhammer or Great Axe. Both these weapons combine very well with the tank playstyle, whilst also offering further CC, utility, and overall damage increase. Use your secondary during short intervals where you can do damage, or when enemies are stunned by [Shield Bash].
Best Two-Handed Weapons (PvP)
Great Axe
Primary Attribute: Strength
Tier: A
Although it may be hindered by slow and heavy swings, the Great Axe is one of the best weapons in New World (PvP) Depending on your preference, you could primarily fill a DPS or Tank role, both being excellent choices.
The Great Axe boasts a plethora of hard-hitting and crowd control abilities. For maximum performance in PvP, we recommend taking [Gravity Well], [Reap], and [Charge]. Gravity Well is particularly renowned for being one of the single most overpowered spells in New World. It forms a vortex that actively pulls enemies to its center for a duration of three seconds. Put simply, cleaving down enemy health bars has never been easier.
This build, as you’d expect, is most effective for Wars and Outpost Rush. [Reap] and [Charge] are particularly great at latching on to enemies and providing you with copious amounts of self-heals. Pair the Axe with a Warhammer for maximum AoE damage and an extra CC ability in [Shockwave]. This build is ultimately best suited for aggressive players who like to be a constant nuisance.
Spear
Primary Attribute: Dexterity
Tier: B
A polearm of formidable doom, the Spear is one of the most versatile weapons in New World. As such, it’s a decent pick for almost any PvP situation.
The Spear’s Zoner and Impaler trees offer a variety of playstyles to specialize in. Whatever build you decide to go with, note that the Spear isn’t renowned for being the most powerful weapon in New World.
Despite its damage shortcomings, the Spear has excellent utility in PvP. Most significantly, it is blessed with an array of CC abilities, including [Sweep], [Vault Kick], and [Javelin]. Personally speaking, Javelin is one of my favorite abilities in-game. Nothing is more rewarding than hurling your spear at a target far away from you and getting a headshot stun. In fact, you can practically chain CC enemy players for a minimum of 4-5 seconds if you sequence your abilities appropriately.
Utilize your secondary weapon during stun intervals to maximize damage and apply as many debuffs as possible. The Spear’s versatility means that it can be combined with almost anything. We recommend going with a Rapier for the Dexterity scaling; a Hatchet would be an equally good pick.
Warhammer
Primary Attribute: Strength
Tier: C
Although generally weaker in PvE, the Warhammer’s utility and CC make it a decent selection for PvP focused players.
Between the two talent trees, Juggernaut is a hardened warrior specialization whilst Crowd Crusher is more tanking oriented. Depending on your playstyle, you could choose to focus on either. For our build, we’ve formed a hybrid with some extra emphasis on damage. As such, you’ll be spending a majority of your attributes on Strength rather than Constitution.
Despite its slow attack times, Warhammer abilities like [Shockwave] and [Mighty Gavel] can do astounding amounts of damage. Try to latch on to enemies at all times to increase pressure, and prioritize [Shockwave] in AoE situations. Since you won’t be tanking, you’ll spend a majority of your attribute points on Strength for further damage scaling.
With this build, we recommend pairing the Warhammer with a Great Axe. Not only do both weapons scale off of Strength, they also synergize quite well with each other. If you play with [Gravity Well] and [Charge] you could practically chain-CC your enemies for what feels like decades.
Best Ranged Weapons (PvP)
Musket
Primary Attribute: Dexterity
Tier: B
The Musket can be a particularly effective weapon in PvP. It is most lethal in Wars or Outpost Rush, scenarios where enemies won’t necessarily target you as much.
Similar to its range counterpart, the Bow, Musket relies heavily on headshots for damage. You can choose between a Trapper and Sharpshooter specialization. The former is your typical CC and debuff build, whilst the latter is primarily damage-oriented.
In single-target situations, [Stopping Power] and [Burn Shot] can combine to produce some insane burst damage. Always aim for heads and make sure to reload during opportune moments. Passives like [Hit Your Mark], [Sniper], and [Heightened Precision], will scale your damage based on your distance. As a result, you’ll want to be at least 50-70m away from your targets at all times. Keep in mind, the build above is designed specifically for Wars and Outpost Rush in mind. You won’t have as much luck in 1v1 situations.
The Musket skill gap can be extremely high, so keep your trigger finger ready, aim with patience, and practice loads. To reduce your susceptibility to close-quarter combat, we recommend pairing the Musket with a melee weapon like the Rapier.
Bow
Primary Attribute: Dexterity
Tier: C
The Bow is without a doubt the most difficult weapon to master in New World. Nobody will stand still in PvP, so you are going to need a lot of practice to get the most out of this weapon.
The two talent trees offer a mix of AoE and single-target damage. Depending on the type of PvP you focus on, you could end up with a variety of different playstyles.
Generally speaking, your ideal playstyle will revolve around shooting arrows from afar, while cautiously approaching enemies to use your spells off cooldown. Unlike the Musket, you can move while reloading so you won’t be as susceptible to close-quarter combat as you’d think. With some passives and [Evade Shot] you’ll also be much more evasive on the battlefield.
In terms of playstyle, you’ll obviously want to focus on getting as many headshots as possible. Use [Rapid Shot] to knock-back enemies, and [Penetrating Shot] when enemies are lined up. We recommend pairing the Bow with a melee weapon, preferably the Rapier for the Dexterity scaling.
Best Magical Weapons
Life Staff
Primary Attribute: Focus
Tier: S
Just like in PvE, healers are absolutely integral in every type of PvP situation. The Life Staff is resultantly one of the best weapons in New World.
The two talent trees offer a mix of direct healing and protection buff spells. Specializing in either can be extremely useful, just remember you won’t always be free casting. For PvP, we recommend taking [Orb of Protection], [Beacon], and [Sacred Ground]. The first two will serve you well in practically any situation, whereas Sacred Ground is more of an AoE heal. As such, you’ll get the most out of it in group world PvP, or instances like Wars and Outpost Rush.
New World’s healing system may seem odd at first, but with some practice you’ll get the gist of it. For a healer weapon, The Life Staff also boasts surprisingly decent damage rates. This is primarily because of passives from the talent trees, as well as the Beacon ability.
Because of its usefulness, Life Staff can be paired up with practically any weapon in the game. You could choose to go a tank-heal hybrid or combine it with a magical weapon for extra intellect damage. A lot of players also love using Life Staff with Rapier because of the latter’s mobility enhancements.
Ice Gauntlet
Primary Attribute: Intelligence
Tier: A
The Frost Mage equivalent to New World, Ice Gauntlet is one of the best weapons in New World (PvP). It has medium-range but is primarily renowned for its exceptional slows and AoE damage.
Ice Gauntlet comes with a variety of frost abilities. For PvP, we recommend going with [Ice Shower], [Ice Storm], and [Entomb]. Ice Shower is your primary CC ability, whereas Ice Storm is best utilized in multi-target situations. In contrast, Entomb cocoons you inside an icy embrace where you are impervious to damage for a short duration. Besides escaping fatal death, you may also use Entomb for active mana regeneration.
Keep in mind, you technically have just the one damaging spell [Ice Storm]. Resultantly, this build likely won’t produce crazy amounts of damage, unless you catch several enemies in Ice Storm simultaneously.
No matter the scenario, Ice Gauntlet is a utility weapon with tremendous slows and decent enough damage. If you prefer encasing your enemies in permafrost, you should definitely consider playing Ice Gauntlet. We recommend pairing it with a Rapier for increased close-quarter control, or a Fire Staff for more magical damage.
Fire Staff
Primary Attribute: Intelligence
Tier: A
Dealing physical damage with melee weapons may not fit everyone’s playstyle. What if you just want to wreak some fiery havoc? Fire Staff may be the choice for you.
When considering PvP, the most optimal Fire build includes [Fireball], [Incinerate], and [Burn Out] abilities. In addition to enhanced movement, you’ll also be much more capable of kiting around your enemies, giving you enough maneuverability to slowly burn them to oblivion. It goes without saying that you nevertheless should try to keep your distance as much as possible.
The majority of your damage will stem from the [Prophet of a Fire God] and [Spellslinger] passives. These talents will significantly increase base and critical strike damage, so go easy on those unfortunate enough to cross you.
Although you could go with an Ice Gauntlet or Life Staff, we recommend choosing a melee weapon as your secondary. The Rapier would be a good choice, considering its Intelligence scaling. With this build, you will be a lot less vulnerable in situations where foes can easily close gaps in distance.
The Verdict
| Tier | Weapons |
| S | Hatchet, Life Staff, |
| A | Rapier, Fire Staff, Great Axe, Ice Gauntlet |
| B | Spear, Musket, Sword & Shield |
| C | Warhammer Bow |
As with all MMOs, PvP is an art form that needs to be mastered. Each weapon is different from the other, so building the perfect combo is necessary for maximum obliteration. We hope that you enjoyed our list of the best weapons to use in New World PvP.
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