Best Weapon Combos to Try in New World Aeternum

Important Insights

The Bow and Hatchet combination is highly mobile and delivers powerful damage, making it ideal for independent players.
Fire Staff and Rapier are designed for Damage Over Time (DOT), providing reliable persistent damage.
The Great Sword paired with a Sword & Shield is suited for heavy damage dealers who can alternate between aggressive strikes and defensive maneuvers.

At the beginning of their New World: Aeternum adventure, players receive a weapon pairing; however, experimenting with different combinations as the game unfolds can be rewarding. While a particular weapon setup might work well in the initial phase, players often discover their true capabilities lie with other options.

This is particularly evident when players engage in PvP combat or cooperate with allies in raids. The following recommendations highlight some effective weapon combinations appropriate for all playstyles. Whether players prefer venturing alone or experimenting with various builds, these combinations provide exciting new avenues to explore.

1 Bow And Hatchet

For Agility And Damage Output

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

The Bow and Hatchet weapon pairing in New World: Aeternum excels for gamers who prioritize quick movements and aggressive assaults. The Bow is particularly favored by those who enjoy ranged combat, especially for solo play. It boasts impressive range, substantial damage with quick reload times, and notable area-of-effect capabilities. When combined with the Hatchet, players gain proficiency in both long-range and close-quarters combat.

The Hatchet offers frantic, high-impact strikes at close range while allowing for rapid mid-range throws as well. By incorporating this often-underappreciated weapon alongside the beloved Bow, players create a formidable duo for both PvP engagements and PvE encounters.

Both weapons are user-friendly and possess powerful abilities for Attribute Points investment. The Hatchet enhances player damage and attack speed through its Berserker and Throwing skills. Meanwhile, the Bow capitalizes on area damage through its Skirmisher pathway and offers swift, impactful buffs in the Hunter skill tree.

2 Fire Staff And Rapier

For Continuous Damage

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

The Fire Staff combined with the Rapier shares a similar emphasis on fast-paced combat and damage dealing. This duo excels in delivering Damage Over Time (DOT) rather than sheer area damage. Although players may find themselves slightly less ranged compared to utilizing a Bow, the regular damage output from their abilities compensates for this reduction.

When enemies close the gap, the Rapier takes center stage. While foes endure the smoldering effects from the Fire Staff, the Rapier’s bleed effect adds further DOT to the enemy, providing a combination of steady damage enhancement, coupled with reduced cooldowns for quick ability refreshes.

The Fire Staff has the Fire Mage and Pyromancer trees, giving access to magical attacks that require Mana. The abilities aim to keep enemies at bay, ensuring they are substantially weakened by the time they reach the player. Complemented by the Rapier’s Blood abilities that elevate damage output, this combination is potent, as players can also mitigate any potential stagger effects.

3 Greatsword and Sword & Shield

For Strong Attackers

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

The Greatsword empowers players to deliver significant damage, albeit at the cost of increased incoming damage. This dynamic makes it an ideal pairing with defensive options like the Sword and Shield, providing players with an opportunity to unleash powerful strikes while having protective capabilities at their disposal.

This two-handed weapon setup emphasizes heavy-hitting attacks, making players somewhat slower but escalating damage potential. Although Greatsword abilities may hinder speed, the Sword and Shield complement allows for faster strikes, defensive blocks, and the avoidance of stagger from adversaries. Mastering this combination may take practice, but proficient players can wield great power.

The Greatsword’s Onslaught ability tree is particularly favorable for players aiming to maximize damage. It enhances damage output while concomitantly increasing damage received. This trade-off becomes advantageous, as strategically executed heavy blows from the Greatsword can render even the toughest foe vulnerable. The Sword and Shield trees, Swordmaster and Defender, amplify grit and nullify stagger effects, keeping players agile and ready to retaliate.

4 Musket And Rapier

For Ranged Attacks And Traps

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

The synergy of the Musket and Rapier enables players to inflict high damage from a distance. The musket serves as an exceptional long-range weapon, rewarding precise aim and critical hits. While precision plays a crucial role, the Musket’s skills support mid-range and close-quarters engagements as well. Coupled with the swift-striking Rapier, this creates a powerful armament combination.

Players employing this setup should keenly focus on delivering accurate long-range strikes before engaging in close combat. With traps from the Musket, opponents can be slowed, giving players precious moments to switch to the Rapier for rapid, close-range assaults. The Rapier’s exceptional abilities incorporate potent DOT effects, especially useful when confronted with multiple adversaries.

Players should emphasize the Musket’s Trapper skill tree. Upon mastering this aspect, the Lethal Combo bonus gets activated, inflicting extra damage on enemies that have been hindered by the Musket’s debuffs. As long as players consistently deploy Traps and Sticky Bombs, opponents will find themselves delayed and struggling to retaliate, allowing swift Rapier strikes to finish them off.

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