New World Preview Characters Build Guide(Hatchet, Life Staff, Musket)

Still thinking about name for build?  Please keep in mind this is just a rough draft and New World is still considered Alpha even with the Preview Event so everything is subject to change…  So let me know any feedback and/or suggestions for build guide content.  I will make updates after I play the Preview Event as well as add some pictures, diagrams, and video of gameplay examples in different scenarios.  Or just come watch my stream!
twitch.tv/AZothAlchemergist

First prioritize hatchet (melee berserker then ranged throwing) while life staff secondary (for Speed of Light movement and heals), and musket tertiary (at lvl 30 three weapon switching) because ammo costs/crafting/collecting, but all of this is just a guide…  I provide two build options for life staff skills to suit your tastes.

(melee dmg hatchet, ranged dmg hatchet/musket/life staff, healing life staff)
NOTE: Working to confirm which passive/active skills work across weapons or only when that specific weapon is selected…?

~18 total skills that increase damage among your weapons.  Damage increases per hit on target while Berserking!

Increase Self Movement:

 Berserking 20% Speed for 18s+, Speed of Light 40m/(20s- CD), Transcendence 50% speed while aiming life staff, and -20% slow duration.

Decrease Target Movement:

 Leg Shot -30% for 2s, Traps (x2 for 30s) immobilizes 5s/(25s- CD), and Super Siphon /(5s- CD) reduces movement.

Cooldown Reduction:

 Berserking Refresh all CD except Berserk /(45s- CD) by 10%/hit received while Berserking, Desperate Refresh -20% all CD when health<40%, Refreshing Headshot throwing axe -20% all CD, Refresh when using Life Staff -10% CDs, and Play Dead /(60s- CD) Resets all cooldowns.

Death Prevention:

•  Immortal while Berserking 18s+/(45s- CD), Resuscitate revives self /15min, Play Dead /(60s- CD) dump aggro for PvE and disable name plate for PvP, and Ancient Guardian invulnerability for 10s when health<20%/15min

(option 2 ONLY)

.

Damage Reduction:

•  Damage Resist -10%, Super Siphon /(5s- CD) -30% for group member

(option 1 ONLY)

• , and Holy Shield /(25s- CD) protects group from projectiles in AoE shield for 15s

(Option 2 ONLY)

.

Healing:

 Purged Recovery 15%/debuff/(20s- CD), Rejuvenating Kills/20%, Soul steal regenerate/kill, Divine Embrace /(8s- CD) with Light’s Grace +50% powerful ranged small AoE heal, Celestial (heavy) Projectiles heal friends, Arcane Justice when hit 4m/2min.

Mana+Heal:

•  Siphon /(5s- CD) mana with Life Stealer regenerate health & powerful heal one friend

(option 1 ONLY)

.

Buff:

 Spirits United mana regen for group in 10m by 25%.

Utility?:

 Purge /(20s- CD) remove debuffs with 5s immunity, Mass Resurrection upon reviving within 15m/15min.

The difference between builds is Option 1 has Siphon skill tree while Option 2 has Holy Shield skill tree and Ancient Guardian passive.  Option 1 is more for solo pve self sustainability & small-scale pvp focused while option 2 is more for large scale pve/pvp grouping & ranged focused.

NOTE:  This is important to follow because you have to balance the cooldowns among weapons since they have global cooldown per skill slot!  All Heals are in separate groupings.  Most powerful (lengthy) cooldowns are seperated (Berserk, Speed of Light, and Play Dead).
Build Option 1 – Siphon
Per SLOT “Q/R/F” Groupings: (Hatchet, Life Staff, Musket)
Slot Group: Berserk (45s), Siphon (5s), Shooter’s Stance (25s)
Slot Group: Purge (20s), Speed of Light (20s), Traps (25s)
Slot Group: Aimed Throw (7s), Divine Embrace (8s), Play Dead (60s)

Build Option 2 – Holy Shield
Per SLOT “Q/R/F” Groupings: (Hatchet, Life Staff, Musket)
Slot Group: Berserk (45s), Holy Shield (25s), Shooter’s Stance (25s)
Slot Group: Purge (20s), Speed of Light (20s), Traps (25s)  (Swapping Traps & Shooter’s Stance may work better if ranging more often)
Slot Group: Aimed Throw (7s), Divine Embrace (8s), Play Dead (60s)

Example Combo:
(1) Musket attack until response.
Advancing: (2) Traps then Aimed Throw
Fleeing: (2) Shooter’s Stance then SoL. If they SoL, then play dead to repeat SoL…
(3) (siphon if needed) Berserk for 15s+
(4) SoL, Purge, or Trap.
(5) Aimed throw or Divine Embrace as needed, then Play Dead to reset CDs.
(5.5) SoL, Purge, or Trap.  (if needed otherwise skip to 6)
(6) (siphon if needed) Berserk if melee or Shooter’s Stance if range
(6.5) SoL, Purge, or Trap.  (if didn’t use in 5.5)
(7)  Finish them!

Constitution

 (enough to live): Increase Health Pool and %HP based heals (Purged Recovery 15%, Rejuvenating Kills 20%)

Intelligence

•  (increase hybridization): Increase Life Staff ranged magical healing/damage AND increase

Magical Perks on all physical weapons damage on Hatchet and Musket (see below weapon perks)  Magic damage is going to be more important because many people are wearing heavy armor.Focus

 (enough, along with skill based CDR, to maintain maximal uptime of Berserker while fighting): Increase Mana recovery rate and decrease cooldowns.

Dexterity

: Increase Hatchet/Musket ranged physical damage if you prefer range dmg.

Strength

: Increase Hatchet melee physical damage.  (Lowest priority because STR stat only affects melee hatchet unless you mainly only melee PvE)

Some Weapon Perks to look for:
Magical Perks (INT scaling)- [+30/40/50% dmg [b]GLOWING[/b] effect!: Abyssal (Void), Empowered (Magic), Electrified (Lightning), Ignited (Fire)] on physical weapons (Hatchet & Musket)]
Increase Purged Recovery healing % on Hatchet?
Keen +XX% Base Damage
Headshot
Crit
Life Staff perks preferred???
Lucky – chance of getting rarer items

Heavy Armor primarily, but don’t be afraid to use other armor if high quality.
Elemental Ward – Elemental Damage Absorption
Reduced weight perk for greater dodging
Corruption Resistance
Lucky – chance of getting rarer items

Use all your resources: Home buffs, camp (respawn there at death instead of inn), food (Invigorated Effect, which provides slow Health Recovery and additional Constitution for 20 minutes), drink, potions & tinctures, weapon coatings (small/moderate/large/maximal bonus to damage against XXX. Lasts for 5 minutes), and playing with others!

BERSERK (12 Points)

Q SKILL:

• –

BERSERK (45 Seconds Cooldown):

 Triggers a Berserk Mode that increased attack damage by 10% for every hit received. Berserk Mode will be active for 15 seconds.

• –

BERSERKING SPEED:

 Increases Sprint speed by 20% while in Berserk Mode.

• –

BERSERKING REFRESH:

 Decreases all cooldowns except Berserk by 10% for each hit received while in Berserk Mode.

• –

BERSERKING ENDURANCE:

 Kills while in Berserk extends the length of Berserk Mode by 3 seconds.

• –

IMMORTAL BERSERK:

 Player cannot die while in Berserk Mode.

F SKILL:

• –

PURGE (20 Seconds Cooldown):

 Removes all debuffs and provides 5 seconds of immunity.

• –

PURGED RECOVERY:

 Each debuff purged will restore 15% of your maximum health.

PASSIVES:

• –

CULL THE WEAK:

 Increase damage of light attack by 30% against targets lower than 30% health.

• –

RELENTLESS FURY:

 Damage is increased by 10% for each successful consecutive light attack.

• –

REJUVENATING KILLS:

 Hatchet kills restore 20% of your maximum health.

• –

IRON SPLITTER:

 Heavy attack’s armor penetration is increased by 20%.

• –

DESPERATE REFRESH:

 All ability cool downs are reduced by 20% when health is below 40%.

THROWING (8 Points)

R SKILL:

• –

AIMED THROW (7 Seconds Cooldown):

 An Axe attack that activates aim mode for highly accurate throws.

• –

ON FIRE:

 Increase damage by 25% for every third throwing attack that hits an enemy.

• –

REFRESHING HEADSHOT:

 Successful head shots from throwing abilities reduces active cool downs by 20%.

• –

FOCUSED AIM:

 Increases the damage of a throw by 20% if in aim mode longer than 3 seconds.

• –

DOUBLE THROW:

 Increased the number of throws before exiting aim mode to two.

• –

TRIPLE THROW:

 Increased the number of throws before exiting aim mode to three.

PASSIVES:

• –

CRITICAL THROW:

 Allows all throws the ability to make a critical hit.

• –

BLOOD LUST:

 Increase damage by 20% for 10 seconds after a kill.

(OPTION 1) LIFE STEALER (12 Points)

Q SKILL:

• –

SIPHON (5 Seconds Cooldown):

 Suck the life out of a single enemy while increasing your mana. Connect up to one friend to deliver powerful healing effects at a cost of 20 mana per second.

• –

COSMIC CONNECTION:

 Increases the Range of the Siphon projectile by 50%.

• –

LIFE STEALER:

 The Caster can now regenerate health as well as mana while siphoning enemies.

• –

SUPER SIPHON:

 Drastically improves the power of the Siphon Spell. Reduces enemy movement speed. Protects up to one group member with 30% damage resistance.

F SKILL:

• –

SPEED OF LIGHT (20 Seconds Cooldown):

 Dart forward 20 meters. Costs 30 Mana.

• –

COSMIC SHIFT:

 Dart forward 30 meters.

• –

COSMIC SHIFT:

 Dart forward 40 meters.

PASSIVES:

• –

REFRESH:

 Decreases cool downs while using the Life Staff by 10%.

• –

SOUL STEAL:

 Regenerate health when you kill an enemy.

• –

TRANSCENDENCE:

 Increases your movement speed by 50% while aiming your staff.

• –

SPIRITS UNITED:

 Increased mana regeneration for you and group members in a 10m radius by 25%.

• –

RESUSCITATE:

 Revive yourself from Death’s door. May only occur once every 15 minutes.

(OPTION 1) PROTECTOR (8 Points)

R SKILL:

• –

DIVINE EMBRACE (8 Seconds Cooldown):

 Target a location to cast a powerful Burst Heal to any target in that area. Costs 35 Mana.

• –

ROYAL PRIVILEGE:

 Reduce the Mana cost of the Divine Embrace spell. Costs 25 Mana.

• –

LIGHT’S GRACE:

 Increase the effectiveness of Divine Embrace spell by 50%. Costs 25 Mana.

PASSIVES:

• –

CELESTIAL PROJECTILE:

 Heavy Projectiles can also heal Friends!

• –

ARCANE JUSTICE:

 When hit in battle activates a healing aura for you and nearby friends in a 4m radius. May only occur once every 2 minutes.

• –

MANA FLOW:

 Regenerate Mana when you successfully hit enemies with the Life Staff.

• –

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 ???(Description – 2nd column, 5th row)???

• –

MASS RESURRECTION:

 When the Protector revives a player from Death’s Door they call upon the gods to revive all friendlies from Death’s Door within a 15m radius. May only occur once every 15 minutes.

Life Staff OPTION 1 VS OPTION 2 ***Reminder***
The difference between builds is Option 1 has Siphon skill tree while Option 2 has Holy Shield skill tree and Ancient Guardian passive.  Option 1 is more for solo pve self sustainability & small-scale pvp focused while option 2 is more for large scale pve/pvp grouping & ranged focused.

(OPTION 2) PROTECTOR (12 Points)

Q SKILL:

• –

HOLY SHIELD (25 Seconds Cooldown):

 Channel a stationary spell that creates a shield protecting everyone inside from projectile attacks. Costs 15 Mana to initiate and drains an additional 30 Mana over 15 seconds.

• –

SUPREME PRESENCE:

 Increase the size of the shield by 100%. Costs 15 Mana to initiate and drains an additional 30 Mana over 15 seconds.

• –

HOLY REFUGE:

 Reduce the mana cost of the Holy Shield by 50%. Costs 15 Mana to initiate and drains an additional 15 Mana over 15 seconds.

R SKILL:

• –

DIVINE EMBRACE (8 Seconds Cooldown):

 Target a location to cast a powerful Burst Heal to any target in that area. Costs 35 Mana.

• –

ROYAL PRIVILEGE:

 Reduce the Mana cost of the Divine Embrace spell. Costs 25 Mana.

• –

LIGHT’S GRACE:

 Increase the effectiveness of Divine Embrace spell by 50%. Costs 25 Mana.

PASSIVES:

• –

CELESTIAL PROJECTILE:

 Heavy Projectiles can also heal Friends!

• –

ARCANE JUSTICE:

 When hit in battle activates a healing aura for you and nearby friends in a 4m radius. May only occur once every 2 minutes.

• –

MANA FLOW:

 Regenerate Mana when you successfully hit enemies with the Life Staff.

• –

???(UPDATE NAME)???:

 ???(Description – 2nd column, 5th row)???

• –

MASS RESURRECTION:

 When the Protector revives a player from Death’s Door they call upon the gods to revive all friendlies from Death’s Door within a 15m radius. May only occur once every 15 minutes.

• –

ANCIENT GUARDIAN:

 When health drops below 20% a shield activates to prevent damage for 10 seconds. May only occur once every 15 minutes.

(OPTION 2) LIFE STEALER (8 Points)

F SKILL:

• –

SPEED OF LIGHT (20 Seconds Cooldown):

 Dart forward 20 meters. Costs 30 Mana.

• –

COSMIC SHIFT:

 Dart forward 30 meters.

• –

COSMIC SHIFT:

 Dart forward 40 meters.

PASSIVES:

• –

REFRESH:

 Decreases cool downs while using the Life Staff by 10%.

• –

SOUL STEAL:

 Regenerate health when you kill an enemy.

• –

TRANSCENDENCE:

 Increases your movement speed by 50% while aiming your staff.

• –

SPIRITS UNITED:

 Increased mana regeneration for you and group members in a 10m radius by 25%.

• –

RESUSCITATE:

 Revive yourself from Death’s door. May only occur once every 15 minutes.

SHARPSHOOTER (10 Points)

Q SKILL:

• –

SHOOTER’S STANCE (25 Seconds Cooldown):

 Player enters a shooting aim stance to enhance shooting performance. Mobility is reduced to zero and the aim area reduced to 90 degrees. While in stance accuracy is increased by 10% and reload time is reduced by 50%. Mode will exit after three shots.

• –

SHOOT MORE:

 Shots fired before exiting stance increased to five.R SKILL:[/b]

• –

PLAY DEAD (60 Seconds Cooldown):

 Player can enter a state mimicking death to dump aggro and fake out enemies. Player name plate will be disabled entering this state.

• –

PLAY ACTION:

 Shoot out of play dead, switch weapons, and place traps while in Play Dead. Must have Traps ability to place Traps. Press “T” button to set trap while Playing Dead.

• –

PLAY RESET:

 All cooldowns reset after Play Dead.PASSIVES:

• –

SNIPE:

 Add 1.5x zoom to all musket aim shots. Use mouse wheel up and down to zoom in and out while aiming.

• –

HEAD SHOT:

 Increase headshot damage by 10%.

• –

GREATER ACCURACY:

 Increase Accuracy of all musket shots.

• –

ARMOR PIERCING:

 Increase Armor penetration of Musket damage by 5%.

• –

LEG SHOT:

 Any leg hit slows target by 30% for 2 second.

TRAPPER (10 Points)

F SKILL:

• –

TRAPS (25 Seconds Cooldown):

 Sets a trap that immobilizes targets for 5 seconds. Target must move within the trap area to trigger. Traps despawn after 30 seconds.

• –

TRAPPED DAMAGE:

 Increases damage to trapped targets by 20%.

• –

DOUBLE TRAP:

 Ability to have two active traps.

• –

THROWABLE TRAP:

 Ability to throw traps.

PASSIVES:

• –

BEAST DAMAGE:

 Increase Musket damages by 20% vs Beasts.

• –

WEAKENED SHIELD:

 Increases the amount of defense meter damage an enemy takes while blocking by 25%.

• –

DAMAGE RESIST:

 Reduce damage taken by 10%.

• –

SLOW RESIST:

 Reduces slowing effect durations on you by 20%.

• –

FIRST BLOOD:

 Increase DMG by 25% on targets with full Health.

• –

SACRIFICE:

 Ability to activate a Bomb when at Death’s Door. Press any attack button to activate.

Don’t change keybindings until after the tutorial because it may prevent you from completing it.

Settings>Communications>
Voice Chat Mode:  Disabled or Group Only (if you don’t want to enjoy hearing from random people!)
Receive/Microphone volume:  Adjust as needed.
Hold “V” is default key bind for Push-to-Talk voice chat in game.

Settings>Preferences>
Language Filter: Off (if you don’t want to miss any profanity!)
Bandwidth Mode: High (increase server connection stability? if your internet can handle it)
Opt Out of Analytics Reporting: On  (reduce bandwidth usage and latency)

Settings>Visuals>
Field of View: increase up to as much as 70 (to increase how much you can see in game)
Max FPS: Uncapped  (I cap to 141fps with Nvidia driver for 144Hz monitor)
Show FPS: On (if you want to check)