Which weapons to choose in New World

Looking for the best weapons in New World? There are plenty to choose from in Amazon's new MMO. You can equip two weapons as soon as you reach level 5, and as each weapon has a choice of two skill trees, you can mix them up to work with any playstyle you might have in mind.

If you're just starting out in Aeternum, consider checking out our beginner's tips for pointers, or maybe you want to dive straight into crafting. But if you're ready to learn about the different weapons that New World offers, here's everything you need to know.

New World weapons list 

There are no classes in New World, so the weapons you choose determines whether you play more as a damage dealer, tank, or healer. And as you can equip two very different weapons, even that isn't set in stone: You can switch easily between two different playstyles or use a combination of weapons that complement one another. 

Each weapon has two unique skill trees, and you can mix and match these abilities as you see fit.

One-handed

New World one-handed weapons 

Sword (and shield)
Primary attribute: Strength

This is your starting weapon and acts as the traditional tanking setup. You can focus on damage with the Swordmaster skill tree or go for a tankier build with Defender abilities. The sword is currently the only weapon in the game that lets you pair it with a shield. 

Both skill trees offer modest movement abilities with Swordmaster's Leaping Strike and Defender's Shield Rush, as well as buffs to damage or damage reduction, respectively.

Rapier
Primary attribute: Dexterity

Both rapier skill trees offer damage builds. While Blood focuses on bleed abilities, Grace is far more mobility-oriented and has a lot of evasive moves. The main downside is that it's a single-target weapon with no real AoE-damage abilities.

While the rapier is a fast weapon and very mobile with the right build, it can still feel pretty weak, even after you unlock some of the core abilities for each skill tree.

Hatchet
Primary attribute: Strength

The hatchet skill trees both focus on dealing damage. Berserker is built around the Berserk mode, which increases damage while active, while the Throwing skill tree focuses more on bleeds and diseases.

Thanks to the passive healing you can get for Berserk, the hatchet is a strong choice when it comes to survivability paired with relatively strong melee attacks. You can also close on enemies with Feral Rush or weaken them from a distance with Infected Throw.

Two-handed

New World two-handed weapons 

Spear
Primary attribute: Dexterity

The first of the two-handed weapons again focuses on dealing damage. Zoner gives you a throw ability, along with crowd-control, while Impaler focuses on close-quarters Bleed damage. Its primary attribute is Dexterity.

The spear has a reasonably long range, even when opting primarily for the Impaler skill tree. But this weapon shines with its stun, knockdowns, and pushbacks, which can be handy for survivability and in various group situations.

Great Axe
Primary attribute: Strength

This two-handed weapon excels at dealing damage, with the price of slower attacks than its one-handed counterparts. Both Reaper and Mauler skill trees focus on damage, with the latter having more emphasis on AoE rather than single-target.

Both skill trees have abilities that will pull enemies towards you, with Mauler coming out on top with Gravity Well, which creates a vortex that pulls enemies—and players—into it. The Reaper skill tree does have self-healing though, so this may be a safer early pick, depending on your secondary weapon choice.

War Hammer
Primary attribute: Strength

The slowest of the two-handed weapons, the War Hammer offers considerable damage. Both skill trees focus on dealing damage, though the Juggernaut skill tree pulls slightly ahead for raw power. Crowd Crusher provides more in the way of stuns and knockdowns.

With no real mobility, the War Hammer can be tough to play, and you may find yourself relying on your second weapon choice more often than not. That said, if you can master the playstyle or pair it with a weapon that can offset its weaknesses, you won't go far wrong.

Ranged

New World ranged weapons 

Bow
Primary attribute: Dexterity

The bow's skill trees are damage-focused, with Skirmisher leaning more towards AoE and poison attacks while Hunter focuses on pure damage. You also can't just pick up the bow and use it—you need to find or craft arrows first.

While the bow is fun to use, it's challenging to hit targets over long distances, and if enemies get too close, you probably want to switch to another weapon to deal with them. The bow becomes more versatile as you level it up, but it's likely to remain your secondary weapon in many situations.

Musket
Primary attribute: Dexterity

Much like the bow, both musket skill trees are damage-based. Sharpshooter focuses more on single-target while Trapper—as the name suggests—deals more with traps and other crowd control effects.

The musket also requires you to craft bullets to use it. And as much of the damage from the Sharpshooter tree is based on headshots. You might consider a different weapon if your aim isn't up to snuff.

Magic

New World magic weapons 

Fire Staff
Primary attribute: Intelligence

This is used for pure damage, and both skill trees offer slightly different ways to achieve this. The default left-click attack is ranged, and the abilities you gain from the skill trees add more powerful hits, which add a Burning effect to enemies.

The abilities you choose will primarily come down to preference though one of the Pyromancer skills adds a pushback which can be helpful if enemies get too close. You'll want to pair the fire staff with a decent secondary weapon while you're levelling it up, as managing mana can be awkward at early levels.

Life Staff
Primary attribute: Focus

This magic weapon has a focus on healing, though you can deal damage with it too. Both skill trees offer various healing abilities though Protector has more buffs for other party members.

The life staff will likely be a secondary weapon unless you're levelling with others or in group situations that require healing, such as expeditions or group PvP. That said, it's perfectly viable—not to mention safe—to quest on your own with the life staff. It just won't be as quick as using a weapon that's sole purpose is to deal damage.

Ice Gauntlet
Primary attribute: Intelligence

This weapon concentrates on damage and crowd control. The Ice Tempest and Builder skill trees offer slows, though the latter is more geared towards buffs and has a handy self-immunity ability.

It works well as a secondary weapon for slowing down or rooting enemies with Ice Shower, which can be carved down with a melee weapon. Or use Entombed is an efficient way to regenerate mana while also giving you a decent immunity window.

Best combos

Best New World weapon combos

There are plenty of viable weapon combinations in New World and you should experiment to find out which suit you. The list below offers possible combinations for you to try.

• Hatchet and life staff
• Fire staff and ice gauntlet
• Rapier and bow
• Great axe and hatchet
• War hammer and ice gauntlet
• Sword and life staff