Hatchet

The Hatchet is a versatile DPS weapon with strong single-target damage and utility. The core abilities in this setup are Berserk, Raging Torrent, and Rending Throw. Start with Berserk to boost damage and self-healing, then use Raging Torrent for a flurry of quick strikes. Rending Throw applies Rend, reducing the enemy's defenses and boosting your team's overall damage. If you need to apply Disease to reduce healing on enemies, swap in Infected Throw for additional utility. This build provides a balance of high damage and debuffs, making the Hatchet a strong pick in most scenarios.

Attributes

With your attribute split you want to be focusing getting 350 str with putting the rest into dex , attuned leather pants allows you to put 25 into int and 25 into con giving another 40 attribute points to work with. Depending if you’re full 725 you may not reach 25 con/int.

Armor

As always with armor you are looking at as much enchanted ward as possible while having your 4 refreshing stacks, fill any gaps with health , conditioning or other weapon perks you may want , harnessing is not needed with this build. Ensure your amulet is Health , Empowered & Protection . Keen awareness on ring can also be slash damage. Look at getting keen berserk or refreshing torrent on your gear depending on what perks are on your hatchet

Remember perks are the key , perks are more important than gear score, you don’t have to have Bis gearscore , substitute with what you have available like azoth crystal gear

Weapons

Rogue is big damage and keen hatchet for backless bosses.

Aoe Clump Damage

Skill Tree

Throwing hatchet3

Offhand Options

There are many different offhand options but below are a few different ones for different scenarios.

Great Axe

The Great Axe is all about grouping mobs tightly to control the battlefield and ensure a smoother run. With proper mob clumping, it feels like you're fighting a single target rather than multiple enemies. Start by opening with Gravity Well or Reap to pull enemies together, then use Maelstrom if additional grouping is needed. For optimal placement, aim your Gravity Well centrally where you want the group and just above head height for maximum effectiveness. This strategy keeps enemies controlled, making them easier to handle and allowing for more efficient damage output.

Skill Tree

Weapons

You want to be lookin at perks that increase damage like vicious , enchanted , keenly empowered,  distained and having a weapon perk.

Hammer

The War Hammer is an excellent offhand for DPS in risky situations where extra crowd control (CC) is needed, such as the opening areas of Ennead. Rotating through its abilities allows you to apply CC and Rend effects, helping to manage tough enemies. Since the tank will often have Sundering Clear Out, you should run Sundering Shockwave to further reduce enemy defenses. In scenarios where you need significant CC, like when the tank is down, weave in light attacks between abilities to reduce cooldowns and keep the enemies controlled. This makes the Hammer a powerful tool for stabilizing fights.

Skill Tree

Weapons

On your ice gauntlet look for a damage increasing perk like vicious or enchanted and a weapon perk like unending thaw or ice pilon

Spear

The Spear as an offhand option offers a decent amount of crowd control and bleed damage, making it a solid choice for various encounters. You can start by opening with Skewer to empower yourself and apply a bleed to your target. Follow that up with Bleeding Sweep to maintain pressure and inflict more damage over time. From there, you can either use Perforate for additional burst damage or Cyclone for some area-of-effect control. Make sure to equip Leeching Cyclone on your armor to benefit from the life steal, which can greatly enhance your survivability in prolonged fights.

Skill Tree

Good option for pugs / open world where you need to apply rends with perforate

Weapons

Take bleeding sweep ideally but if you dont have an enfeebling skewer spear in the group or if youre using for open world take an enfeeble skewer spear.

Great option for when you can trust the soear mainhand to keep up perforate rends.

Bow

The Bow in New World has always been a solid option for leveling, offering strong ranged damage, good mobility, and utility. Its ability to kite enemies and maintain distance while dealing consistent DPS makes it a great weapon for open-world PvE and questing. However, it was often overlooked in late-game PvP and PvE content due to the preference for other high-DPS weapons and meta builds.

That said, as New World transitions more into raid content and larger-scale battles, the Bow has seen a resurgence in late-game viability. Its range and ability to consistently apply debuffs such as Rend make it an attractive choice for players looking to contribute from a safe distance while still dealing meaningful damage.

Skill Tree

You can adjust the skill tree to your game mode and requirements but this is a super solid option for gorgons and worm raid bosses.

Weapons

For your weapon look for damage con like distained , vicious or enchanted , Keenly empowered with weapon perks like pen rapid shot or enfeebling poison shot.

Musket

For this Musket build, we're running Power Shot, Shooter's Stance, and Powder Burn, making the Musket an ideal offhand option for the Rapier in specific scenarios like difficult boss fights or when a ranged option is needed in dungeons like Savage Divide. The rotation is simple: enter Shooter's Stance for faster firing, open with Power Shot to deal burst damage, and follow up with Powder Burn to apply a damage-over-time effect. This combination allows you to maintain consistent damage from a safe distance while the Rapier handles close-quarters combat.

Skill Tree

Weapons

You want to be lookin at perks that increase damage like vicious , enchanted , keenly empowered,  distained and having a weapon perk.