The resurgence of tank artifacts has given players new choices for enhancing their heavy defense capabilities. The options available, such as Void Darkplate, Unyielding, Tumbler Feetswraps and The Wall, each bring unique benefits and considerations to the table. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of these artifacts is crucial for making informed decisions when building a formidable tank character. In this guide, we will conduct an in-depth comparison of these artifacts, exploring their effects, crit mitigation, and suitability for various playstyles. 

 

• Standard Heavy Loadout
• Unyielding
• Void Darkplate
• Tumbler Feetwraps
• The Wall
• Crit Mitigation Comparison

 

 

↖ Standard Heavy Loadout

Before diving into the artifact comparisons, let's establish the baseline for a standard heavy loadout:

 

• Armor: The total armor between all Heavy pieces amounts to 2,270. Adding a Tower Shield raises the armor to 2,413.
• Mitigation: Against a 700 Gear Score (GS) attacker, the mitigation without a shield is 46.67%, and with a shield, it's 48.1%. If we factor in the 200 Constitution (Con) passive, giving 10% extra armor, the total armor without a tower shield becomes 2,497, resulting in 49% mitigation. This passive, while conditionally active and only affecting physical damage at certain health thresholds, should also be taken into account.

 

With this standard heavy loadout in mind, we'll now explore the three key tank artifacts: Unyielding, Void Darkplate, Tumbler and The Wall.

 

↖ Unyielding

Unyielding is an option for tank builds that comes with slightly lower weight compared to the other two options. The armor rating is identical to other heavy armor pieces.

The key feature of Unyielding is its 20% crit mitigation, which might not seem significant when you consider the 25% crit mitigation from heavy armor and the additional 10% from 150 Con. The issue with Unyielding, for many players, is that it's obtained through a PvP track that can be challenging to farm.

 

↖ Void Darkplate

Void Darkplate has the same armor values as other heavy pieces but comes with a unique passive that increases your total armor by 20%. This passive, although it was initially bugged on PTR, is intended to work for both physical and elemental armor. As a result, you get 2,724 armor without a tower shield, which equates to roughly 51% mitigation. With a tower shield, the armor reaches 2,895, translating to 52.74% mitigation. If we factor in the 200 Con passive, we get 53% mitigation.

Additionally, Void Darkplate offers two unique damage reduction perks: Enchanted Ward and Physical Aversion, both of which provide extra mitigation. While Physical Aversion might not be highly rated, Enchanted Ward is valuable, making Void Darkplate a versatile option for tank builds.

 

↖ Tumbler Feetwraps

Tumbler Feetwraps are a unique choice for tanking that sacrifices some armor due to being light shoes. This leads to 2,033 armor, resulting in 43.93% mitigation, which is roughly 2.5% less than a standard heavy loadout. However, when Shing Blessing is active, you gain 2,541 armor, resulting in 49.4% mitigation.

Even factoring in the 200 Con passive, you reach 46.29% mitigation. The trade-off with Tumbler Feetwraps is that you lose a substantial amount of mitigation, especially when the Shing effect is not active. This choice can be useful for those who value the Empower and heal they provide, benefiting more when wearing heavy armor due to higher effective health.

 

↖ The Wall

The Wall is a unique tank artifact that offers the same armor values as a standard heavy loadout but requires the use of a tower shield. With a tower shield equipped, you reach roughly 50% mitigation. The Wall's passive, Shield Wall, provides 5% base damage reduction and prevents dodging but grants 33% more stamina. This base damage reduction is similar to the Shield Defense perk on Tower Shields.

While The Wall might seem like an obvious choice, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind. The 5% base damage reduction matches Void Darkplate's mitigation when holding a shield. However, The Wall's damage reduction persists even when switching to an offhand, but you can no longer dodge in this state.

 

This is a significant downside, especially for situations where dodging is essential, such as avoiding strong crowd control effects like a Gravity Well. The Wall has its use cases in both PvE and PvP, but it's more niche than initially anticipated, especially when compared to the versatility of Void Darkplate.

 

↖ Crit Mitigation Comparison

Now, let's examine the crit mitigation provided by Void Darkplate and Unyielding:

 

• Void Darkplate: With the 200 Con passive, assuming additive passives, and 1,000 raw damage, you achieve 467.7 damage taken. In the case of a crit with a 1.4 multiplier, you'd take 491 damage.
• Unyielding: With Unyielding's 20% crit mitigation, the damage taken from a 1,000 raw damage hit reduces to 59.5. In the case of a crit with a 1.4 multiplier, you'd take 59 damage.

 

Considering that not every hit is a crit and not every crit has a 1.4 multiplier, the difference in damage taken is not substantial. Unyielding provides a more consistent crit mitigation, but Void Darkplate offers overall higher mitigation.

 

 

Conclusion:

In total, when it comes to heavy tank builds in New World, Void Darkplate stands out as a strong and versatile choice. It provides substantial mitigation, unique damage reduction perks, and the ability to dodge, making it a reliable option for various scenarios. Unyielding, with its crit mitigation, may have niche applications, but it's generally not as versatile as Void Darkplate. The Wall, while initially promising, has limitations due to the inability to dodge and is best suited for specific PvE and PvP roles.