New World latest update to the game has brought significant changes to the weapon meta, particularly in PvE DPS. In this guide, we'll be discussing the best weapons for PvE DPS in the latest game update, based solely on their ability to deal damage. This Weapon Tierlist is solely based on DPS, comparing all weapons to each other in terms of their ability to deal damage in PvE.

 

• What method was employed to test actual DPS?
• Weapon and Armor Perks 
• D Tier (Angry Earth DPS)
• B Tier (Angry Earth DPS)
• A Tier (Angry Earth DPS)
• S Tier (Angry Earth DPS)
• Ancient
• Corrupted
• Lost
• Human
• Beast
• Secondary weapons (Ice Pylon!)
• Consider More Than Just DPS When Selecting Your Weapon!
• Attribute points
• On the topic of PvP & DPS

 

 

The Greatsword, which was previously considered the best Weapon for this role, has received nerfs to its damage output, resulting in it losing its top spot. The Hatchet has also seen a significant decrease in damage. As a result, other weapons have risen to prominence, including the Spear, Sword & Shield, and especially the Rapier. Even in the mage department, the Ice Gauntlet is now a viable option for those looking to deal damage. This Weapon Tierlist is solely based on DPS, comparing all weapons to each other in terms of their ability to deal damage in PvE.

 

↖ What method was employed to test actual DPS?

The recent patch has caused changes to the damage output of various weapons, especially the Greatsword, which was nerfed, affecting PVE gameplay significantly. The impact of these changes on DPS for all weapons is being investigated, revealing some interesting results on the performance and ranking of different weapons.

 

Although the game lacks DPS meters, testing was conducted using an optimal damage rotation of abilities and attacks on target dummies with approximately 485,000 health. By measuring the time taken to bring down the target dummy's health to zero, the damage per second can be calculated.

 

Since the target dummy is not associated with any specific mob type, the multipliers for different mob types can be applied to determine the actual damage a weapon would inflict on a particular type of mob. It is important to understand the testing methodology before delving into the results.

 

↖ Weapon and Armor Perks 

In order to achieve optimal DPS in PVE content, XR utilized two weapons with high-damage perks. However, he left the third perk open, as it would be replaced with a Bane perk specific to the mob type encountered during expeditions. To further increase damage output, XR equipped a ring that increased the damage type matching that of his Weapon.

Various armour perks were also used to complement most weapons, including Vicious and Keenly Empowered. Vicious is generally a strong PVE perk, while Keenly Empowered is effective for most weapons except those with multiple Cell Empowers that reach the cap on melee weapons.

 

Rogue cannot be used on some melee weapons, such as the Rapier, but it works properly on others, such as the Spear, Hatchet, and Warhammer. Trenchant Strikes is still the go-to for the Great Axe after the latest patch. The sword and shield build utilizes Enchanted Rogue and Keenly Empowered, which is an exception to the norm.

 

Although technically possible to run more than three damaging perks, it is important to note that many Bane shields are locked in terms of their offerings. Not all mob types have a corresponding Bane shield, and some shields are only available as drops in expeditions. As such, it is already favourable to assume a double Bane for a solid shield, making three damaging perks reasonable. The complete list of builds used by XR can be found in the description.

 

 

↖ D Tier (Angry Earth DPS)

Let's start with the Angry Earth DPS (with Weapon builds) and work our way from the bottom up. At the bottom of the list, we have the Warhammer and Void Gauntlet, which both have heavy and light attacks that deal with around 8000 DPS. These weapons are not surprising to find in the D Tier, considering their mediocre performance with the Angry Earth faction.

The Gauntlet used to be one of the best DPS weapons but was nerfed due to its overwhelming strength. Moving up the list, the Fire Staff with Flamethrower surprises us with its 8500 DPS. It's important to note that the Fire Staff can be paired with an Ice Gauntlet in the offhand, but we'll discuss that aspect later. For now, let's focus on the weapons without secondary weapons.

 

The Bow without Rapid Shot has a similar damage output, and the Spear with rolls between attacks deals 8900 damage. The Great Axe, while not primarily a DPS weapon, is a great control weapon that deals with 9100 DPS on average.

 

↖ B Tier (Angry Earth DPS)

The Angry Earth DPS Tier List places the Great Sword in the B Tier, with a 9100ps Defiant Stance version that has reduced damage. The Blunderbuss, while having the same damage rating as the Great Sword, is not a great DPS weapon, as it functions better as a burst weapon and can be used as an offhand weapon for chaining attacks. However, if one is looking for pure DPS with a Blunderbuss, it will typically be outclassed by other weapons. The Ball with Rapid Shot, on the other hand, performs exceptionally well, boasting 9150 DPS.

In PvP, the Bow's performance against PvE enemies, even with the bane buff, is not particularly impressive. However, assuming 100 headshots, the Bow can achieve 10,400 DPS, which is feasible in some boss situations.

 

Surprisingly, the Hatchet, which was nerfed, still manages to achieve 9350 DPS with a Defy Death build against Angry Earth enemies, thanks to its type advantage. However, there is an alternative option for type advantage: the Fire Staff with a Meteor Shower build, which can achieve a DPS of 9800. While this is more than what one can achieve with the Flamethrower, it still needs to be top-tier for an Angry Earth situation.

 

Overall, the B Tier comprises weapons that are good but could be better for dealing DPS against Angry Earth enemies.

 

↖ A Tier (Angry Earth DPS)

The Angry Earth DPS tier list places the Blunderbuss in a high tier due to its 100% headshot rate and comparable damage output of 10,550. However, the Blunderbuss is only sometimes used in combat. Instead, the ice gauntlet in a spike build is a more practical option, boasting a 10,750 DPS. This is even higher than some fire staff builds, which is impressive. If you find this information helpful, consider subscribing.

Additionally, the Hatchet can be more effective in an Angry Earth situation with the right tree ultimate, allowing for up to 10,750 DPS. However, it is worth noting that some players prefer the Hatchet for PvE because of its Defy Death ability, which may cause a drop in damage when switching to another weapon.

 

Other weapons outperform a full or mostly left-free hatchet in terms of DPS, as seen during expedition runs. However, there is another weapon that fills the niche of the Hatchet well and is easy to switch to. But before discussing it, the burstiest fire staff build, which deals 10,870 damage with Incinerate, should be mentioned.

 

Above the headset, the Rapier Evade build deals 11,100 damage on Angry Earth. Previously, the Rapier was difficult to test, but recent changes have made it easier to measure its damage output. Another strong contender for slash damage is the Sword and Shield, which deals 11,886 damage with the double bane. However, not all weapons and builds can have double bane due to certain mob types lacking main shields. Overall, the Sword is a decent performer when it has a type advantage.

 

↖ S Tier (Angry Earth DPS)

The Spear is now an S Tier weapon for DPS, with a convenient option for players looking to maximize their damage output. The Weapon's light attacks chain well and allow for abilities to be used in between, resulting in a massive 12,211 DPS. While this number is slightly skewed in favour of the Spear due to certain achievements, it is still an excellent option for players who want a safety net while dealing significant damage.

Additionally, the Perforate and Infibbling Skewer weekends have made the Spear even more effective in PvE content, particularly as players are noticing a big difference in how much damage mobs deal. With a second weekend added to the Spear, it has become an essential weapon for every group. The Great Sword and Onslaught Stance are still viable options for Angry Earth, sitting at 13,300 DPS despite being nerfed, but the Rapier has become the undisputed king of DPS, reaching an impressive 15,609 DPS with a bleed or flourishing finish build.

 

However, only one person per group can effectively run the bleed build, and running multiple of them would be ineffective. As for other mob types, there is no information provided in this context.

 

↖ Ancient

In terms of ancient weaponry, the Rapier maintains the highest damage output, while the Spear's light attacks come in second. However, the great Sword's DPS drops to 11,650 because the slashed image bonus is not applicable in this scenario. The effectiveness of weapons against ancients depends on their vulnerability to lightning, void, and strike damage, so that the optimal weapon choice can vary.

The void Gauntlet only slightly outperforms the Rapier, while the hammer proves to be a solid option with a rating of 8. If you prefer a mage build, the ice caller remains a strong choice, but the fire staff's lack of type advantage results in a significant drop in performance.

 

↖ Corrupted

For the current week, the thrust attribute is the most effective in combat, enhancing the damage of rapier and spear attacks. Additionally, the build for the event that involves the use of a rapier is slightly better than the great shot build.

While the Bow and Blunderbuss also receive some benefits, the headshot rate remains high, and the no headshot rate is low. Consequently, these weapons have moved up a tier and become more useful.

 

↖ Lost

In the previous week, the Rapier has returned to its normal damage level against nature, ice, and strike weaknesses. However, the ice gauntlet has now taken second place with its impressive damage of 12,350. It is noteworthy that a mage weapon used as a primary weapon can be this effective.

The hammer, on the other hand, does not significantly benefit from the weakness of loss as it does from the weakness of the ancients. As for the fire staff, it remains towards the bottom of the tier list because it never receives a type advantage against any enemies, except against humans, where it serves as an effective AOE weapon.

 

↖ Human

The advantage we have over humans is slash damage, which puts the Great Sword back in the number two spot. The advantage is slightly lower than with angry earth, but the overall picture is similar. The fire staff is lower, which makes some other weapons appear higher. However, it's worth noting that the damage advantage against humans is technically slashed damage, which is not always the only weakness of bosses.

For example, in the imperial forge, bosses like Efrid and Marius are weak to the eyes, which can make certain weapons better or worse in those fights. In this case, factoring in this weakness, the ice gauntlet is actually the third-best DPS weapon against those particular human bosses, but it may apply differently against mobs. So, you can switch to your ice gauntlet for the boss and otherwise use weapons like the fire staff, depending on what you want to run.

 

↖ Beast

Moving on to beasts, we see that the Rapier is once again higher up due to its thrust weakness, similar to what we saw with the corrupted. The bleed rapier build is a clear winner, whereas the Greatsword and Spear are in constant competition for the second spot.

However, you can run both weapons on the same person if you want. The ice gauntlet is also creeping into the top areas against certain mobs with certain weaknesses. But there is one thing we still need to look at.

 

↖ Secondary weapons (Ice Pylon!)

Secondary weapons in New World refer to dual weapon setups where certain weapon effects can apply from one Weapon to the other. For instance, if you use a great sword to apply bleeds and then switch to a spear, the bleeds will still be in effect. However, one particular secondary weapon setup that stands out is the ice pylon with an ice gauntlet. With this setup, you can significantly increase your damage output and easily switch to another weapon.

 

Having an ice pylon boosts your consistently increased damage per second and helps with various boss mechanics if you have 250 intelligence after empowers. This can increase your DPS by approximately 2,500, which is especially notable for the Rapier, which is already the top DPS weapon. For example, on a corrupted mob, you can almost get up to 20,000 DPS if everything goes perfectly.

 

Although the ice pylon doesn't necessarily make the fire staff or the vote gun top-tier weapons, it does put them in a significantly better position as long as the pylon is active and consistently dealing damage to nearby enemies.

 

↖ Consider More Than Just DPS When Selecting Your Weapon!

More is needed to choose your Weapon based solely on its DPS. The DPS under optimal circumstances is unlikely to be achieved in real combat situations. There will always be external factors, such as boss mechanics or staggers, that will affect your damage output. Additionally, group dynamics, powers, and rents also play a crucial role in your damage output, and it's essential to consider these factors when choosing your Weapon.

 

While some players may prioritize DPS and get away with it, it's not the most effective strategy for the group as a whole. It's recommended to have a mix of weapons in the group to achieve different effects. For example, a spear for the rent and inflicting effects, a greatsword for group AoE DPS, and a hammer for CCing enemies and applying additional runs. Different runs from different weapons stack, making it more effective to have a mix of weapons in the group.

 

Choosing a weapon based on its numbers alone may not always be the best decision. It's better to run with a player who knows what they're doing and is utilizing debuffs effectively, even if they aren't using the highest DPS weapon. Positioning and understanding the mechanics of the fight are more critical factors in combat effectiveness than simply having a high DPS weapon.

 

↖ Attribute points

When it comes to attribute points and specs, optimizing solely for damage assumes that you are running with 5 coins and are skilled enough to do so. Running with 5 coins can be a highly effective way to play dungeons, but only if you are certain that your group can handle it.

 

If you are playing with less experienced players, lower your NEW World Coins to 50 or even 100 to ensure that you don't die during the dungeon. While this may slightly decrease your damage per second, it is still better than being dead and having no damage output at all.

 

↖ On the topic of PvP & DPS

Regarding PvP and DPS, it is important to note that the numbers that are relevant in PvE do not necessarily apply in PvP. In PvP, burst damage is king, not damage per second. This means that you must expect to use different tactics and strategies than those that work in PvE and expect them to be effective in PvP. For example, you cannot rely on heavy attacks and stacking bleed damage on enemies to gain an advantage in PvP. PvP requires a completely different approach.

 

However, the information presented here can still be a useful starting point and may inspire you to try out different weapons or builds. If you're looking for more inspiration, We will be discussing a specific build in more detail soon and talking with speedrunners about the current state of PvE in general, which should be interesting. If you're interested in seeing that content, please consider subscribing and clicking the notification bell. If you would like to support me further, you can do so on Patreon.

 

We extend a huge thanks to Exile for collecting this data and providing it to me. Please do not send him messages asking for information about this or other weapons; instead, leave your questions in the comments, and We will do my best to direct them to him. Finally, thank my patrons for supporting this video and thank you for watching. This is Duke Sloth signing off.