Fans of MMOs might want to check outNew Worldby Amazon for a change of pace in their RPG gaming, especially whenNew Worldisn’t merely a fantasy game, but a medieval fantasy one set in the Aeternum Island in the Atlantic Ocean during the height of the Age of Discovery. With Aeternum Island holding a vast number of ancient mysteries and treasures, players - all members of in-game factions - are in a race against time to dominate the rest to secure Aeternum’s wonders for themselves. And as a game devoid of classes, players have weapons such as theGreatswordto rely on as trusty partners.
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InNew World, the lack of classes means all skills are tied to weapons players can swap in the middle of combat. With the Greatsword offering various stances and a heavier approach to combos, just how should players approach creating their builds with this massive weapon?
The Greatsword: Stance, Tempo Are Key
Due to the nature of the Greatsword as a heavyweapon inNew World, one might immediately associate it with guttural thrusts and slow spinning that makes it incredibly unappealing at first glance. However, timing and tempo are key to mastering the Greatsword, and it can become an incredibly powerful weapon at the hands who fully understands its mechanics.
At its core, the Greatsword as aNew Worldgameplay mechanic relies on itsStances. The weapon switches between an aggressiveOnslaught Stanceand a defensiveDefiance Stancedepending on which abilities or passives are used, altering the way a player approaches combat without having to immediately switch their weapons. This makes the Greatsword a weapon ideal for both tanking and DPS roles, especially courtesy of its debuffs, multi-hits, and decent survivability options.
Attribute Choice: Secondary Weapon Dictates Focus
Compared toother weapons inNew World,the Greatsword’s abilities are tied equally toStrengthandDexterity. This can become tricky at first glance, as the Greatsword covering both Strength and Dexterity means not only is the Greatsword compatible with hard-hitting Strength-based weapons but also work with ranged weapons. However, interpreting this rule can be quite simple: the player’s preference for aSecondary Weapondictates the focus of the Greatsword. For instance, pairing the Greatsword with a melee weapon means Strength is their focus, while pairing the Greatsword with a ranged weapon (and the Rapier, Blunderbuss) means Dexterity is the player’s priority. Ideal Secondary Weapons include:
Stance Focus: Choose Onslaught For DPS
Players enjoyingthe fast-paced combat ofNew Worldcan still enjoy the Greatsword despite its perceived slowness, provided they use theOnslaught Stance. At its core, the combos and abilities of the Onslaught Stance paves the way for faster and powerful Charged Heavies, and all the while inflicting powerful attack buffs via Empower and weakening enemies further with Rend. As expected, this more aggressive Stance is resource-intensive. Players should anticipate quick depletion of Stamina as Charged Heavy Attacks will cost more of them to become more powerful, as well as defense taking a toll due to the prioritization of dishing out more damage.
Enter The Onslaught Stance
When a Greatsword player uses any ability classified as part of the Onslaught Tree, they immediately enter the Onslaught Stance. In this form, players are optimized to dish out damage, courtesy of these benefits that last for10 seconds:
Onslaught Skills: The Focus Is Getting The Kill Fast
As withother weapons inNew World,the Greatsword boasts a wide set of abilities that players could use to spice up their combos. In the context of the Greatsword’s Stances, the abilities under the Onslaught Tree not only activate the Onslaught Stance but are tailored specifically to accommodate aggression in the battlefield. Here are the Onslaught Stance’s skills and how they may be maximized in the battlefield:
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Stance Focus: Choose Defiance For Tanking
Players who want to play it safe throughout the deadly gameplay ofNew Worldcan make defense workwith theDefiance Stance. While there’s not a lot of damaging combos and immense attack options, the Defiance Stance excels in boosting the player’s overall defenses. This is courtesy of Charged Attacks now being able to block attacks, something that is much-appreciated as a dual-purpose mechanic given the Greatsword’s slower speed. On top of this are the Defiance Stance’s ability to bolster defenses via Fortify and force enemies to deal less damage with Weaken, of which the latter already boosts a latent damage reduction passive exclusive to the Defiance Stance.
Enter The Defiance Stance
As soon as a Greatsword player usesaNew Worldabilityunder the Defiance Tree, they immediately go into the Defiance Stance. For10 seconds, players are equipped to take on more damage without risking their overall survival. Here are the benefits they will receive:
Defiance Skills: The Focus Is Securing The Defense
Contrary to the Onslaught Stance, skills under the Defiance Tree not only triggers the Defiance Stance but also focus on defense and protecting the player and their allies at all costs. Skills here focus more on using the Greatsword for defense and, if damaging, focusing more on generating Threat for tanks. Here are the skills under the Defiance Tree:
Recommended Perks: Choose The Damage Focus
Players who are enjoying the Greatswordas a weapon inNew Worldmight remember how tricky it could get switching from one Stance to the next depending on combat encounters. However, for players to truly maximize their builds, they may want to consider choosing the right weapon Perks as well. When choosing a Perk, a Greatsword user must take note of the kind of gameplay they want to commit to for their build. Here are some suggested Perks:
Recommended Leveling, Mastery: Focus On Securing Wide Damage
Players working on maximizing their Greatsword should know how to focus their leveling up and mastery, especially if they want toensure theirNew Worldexperienceas a tank/damage hybrid goes smoothly.
Leveling Up: Keep STR At The Ready
In the case of leveling up, it’s always ideal to keep an attribute split of300 STR and 200 DEX. While the STR and DEX scaling encourages players to keep these equal, maintaining 300 STR unlocks the Perk of the same name, which gives Grit on both Light and Heavy Attacks.
Remember, Grit puts a white aura around the player and ensures they’re temporarily immovable during an action. When applied to light and heavy attacks, Grit makes a Greatsword user nigh-immune to staggers unless they run out of Stamina.
Mastery: Focus On The AOE, Rotation
Due to the nature of the Greatsword as a wide-reaching weapon, it’srecommended for players to try and maximize its potentialas such as often as possible. To do this, players may want to keep mobs together and use Relentless Rush to pass through them for decent AOE damage, all the while preparing Keen Posture for boosted stats. After this, players should trigger Roaring Rupture to deal huge damage while bolstering defenses. Once done, players should return to the Onslaught Stance via Crosscut. To cap the combo, pulling a Light Attack and a Charged Heavy can help lead to a rotation reset. With this rotation in mind, idealMastery Pointsshould be allotted to the following:
Recommended Gems: A Choice Between Health, Stamina, Threat
An additional component to customization inNew Worldhave to dow ithGems, essentially slottable items that provide buffs to particular attributes and aspects of combat. Withthe right Gem, a weapon can help players achieve their ideal build, especially when said Gems augment an aspect of combat or gameplay that a player or a weapon wants to exploit. Here are some ideal Gems for the Greatsword:
Related:New World: The Best Hatchet Build
On Combat: Combos, Blocking Require More Timing
Due to the lack of classes in the MMO,New Worldgameplay focuses heavily on syncing weapons with each other, especially in the combo department. This time around, hitboxes take precedence, and knowing just what attack to use and when to use them can spell the difference between victory and defeat. With the Greatsword being a slower weapon than usual, timing is all the more crucial for players who want to excel in using this massive weapon. In turn, successful combat with the Greatsword requires balance not just between switching Stances but in the way these complement with the rest of combat.
Offense: Attack Chains Should Capitalize On Heavies, Area Of Effect
As with other weapons, the Greatswordas aNew Worldweaponalso has its own set of animations for Light and Heavy Attacks. Unlike other weapons, however, the Greatsword boasts a rather wide area of effect for its attacks, ensuring that every enemy in a cluster of foes get hit by a player’s strike. Thing is, the first Heavy Attack of the Greatsword lacks any decent area damage, which means this isn’t the ideal combo starting point.
Likewise, it’s important to note that the Greatsword’s combos are also cancellable, particularly with a Charged Heavy Attack that can be positioned at any point within the chain. Here are some ideal combos:
Defense: Blocking Is Still Beneficial
Players who use the Greatsword intheirNew Worldgameplaywill likely rely on the Defiance Stance heavily for survivability. However, fans shouldn’t forget toBlockdespite Charged Heavies being perfectly capable of becoming a substitute.
This is primarily because the Greatsword itself has the highest block stability of weapons, save for the Shield, making this ideal for the defensively-packing Heavy Armor. Likewise, the Defiance Stance also has passives such as Arrow Deflection and Faultless Defender that reward the active blocking of attacks, making this tanky Stance a bit combo-intensive.
New Worldwas released in 2021 and is playable in the PC.
