Armor & Attributes

Heavy

  • Void Darkplate / Ironheart

Heavy armor offers the most protection. At first glance, it appears to trade damage for survivability. However, its substantial Effective Hit Points (EHP) allow for a significant reduction in Constitution, thereby enhancing overall DPS. Heavy armor can be paired with a Tower Shield for exceptional protection, a Kite Shield for cooldown reduction, or a Round Shield for increased damage.

Medium

  • Nimble Coat / Attune Leather Pants / Nature’s Wrath

A combination of nimble coat and a Kite Shield provides the quickest cooldowns, balancing damage effectively. This setup enables nearly constant uptime of taunts and a 50% absolute damage reduction from the defensive resolve of sword and shields.

Light

  • Featherweight

Light tanking boasts superior mobility but carries higher risk, typically suited for experienced players in a static team aiming for Leaderboard times.

Attribute Points - 300 Str 300 Con

Attribute distribution for tanking varies weekly, by mutation, and across different dungeon sections. Beginners should start with 300 Strength and 300 Constitution, then gradually shift points from Constitution to Strength, begin allocating points to Dexterity once Strength reaches 350.

Armor Perks

  • Enchanted Ward x 5 / 6 (If running Tower or Kite Shield Priorities Enchanted Ward as it works even when using offhand)

  • Refreshing x4 as you can see priorities on jewelry and shield to free up Space on armor, you could even drop keen awareness for refreshing

  • Slash Conditioning , once the above perks have been met your next priority is slash conditioning as it will greatly improve your over all survivability against almost all trash mobs and bosses.

  • Health, for obvious reasons health is great , more health you have the further you are from death , slash conditioning is priority before health though

  • I have allowed one space for weapon perks where sundering shockwave is , there are not many important weapon perks for tanks

Amulet

  • “slash protection” should be changed to mutation type or recommended boss protection

  • Lost stopwatch can be used to allow you to run a damage gem in your weapons increasing damage, if you do not want to switch its protection each week then you can put slash protection on it which will protect you in most boss fights

Ring

  • Use Blood Drinker if more leeching is required

Shields

Tower

Kite

  • Refreshing can be changed out here for a weapon perk with refreshing on armor as weapon perks are stronger on shields.

Round

  • Use artisan’s shield unless you have an old bane shield or a nightvale round shield if refreshing move is required.

The Sword & Hammer

The sword and shield combination in New World epitomize the timeless archetype of tanking weapons, seamlessly blending substantial damage output with a suite of versatile abilities. Whether opting for the defensive solidity of a tower shield or the damage-enhancing properties of a round shield, this weapon pairing stands out as a stellar choice for tanking scenarios, offering a global 10% empower boost, debuff removal, and self-empowerment.

Among the key abilities, Shield Rush takes a prominent position, providing both a significant fortify boost and imposing a weakening effect on nearby foes. This ability's capacity to stagger mobs adds an extra layer of control to the tanking role. Defender's Resolve, as the primary taunt ability, diminishes incoming damage by 50% and taunts enemies within an 8-meter radius, demanding strategic usage for effective battlefield control.

The Whirling Blade introduces a dynamic element to the skill set, inflicting a 15% rend effect on struck targets and proving especially potent in dealing with clustered enemy groups. Leaping Strike enhances mobility, allowing swift repositioning and engagement when needed. Shield Bash, with its interrupt utility and taunt component, finds particular effectiveness in chaotic situations, providing additional control over enemy aggression.

In tandem with the sword and shield, the hammer complements the tanking strategy with abilities like Shockwave, a powerful interrupt with rend effects, Armor Breaker for swift rend application, Clearout for crowd control with a rend effect, and Wrecking Ball, a solid hard crowd control option against groups of enemies. Together, this combination defines a robust tanking playstyle, delivering both resilience and impactful crowd control in the ever-evolving challenges of New World.

TLDR

Sword

  • Whirling blade for aoe damage and stacking dot damage for charging heart rune

  • Shield rush , Threat Generation, Aoe Weaken and self fortify

  • Defenders resolve , Taunt and makes you tanky asf

  • Dropping Shield rush for reverse stab will greatly increase defenders resolve uptime when taking it for cooldown reductions

Hammer

  • Shockwave best cc and taunt

  • Wrecking ball hard cc

  • Clearout aoe cc and team fortify

Basic rotation

Shockwave > Clearout > Defenders resolve > Heavy attack > Whirling Blade > Reverse Stab or Shield rush > Use CC from hammer when required.

If wanting to CC lock mobs use hammer abilities with 2 light attacks between to keep cooldowns refreshing and be able to perms cc mobs .

Rotations are a general guide and you will need to learn to be flexible for each situation.

CC Lock

Standard Sns tank build

Fast cooldowns and taunt uptime