Introduction
This build is intended to be used as a New World leveling build. As a new player it is highly recommended that you try out multiple weapons during the leveling process to see what fits your playstyle. There are several different build options you could choose from that are all viable during the leveling process. This guide is going to focus on the hatchet and great axe combination.
The hatchet is a great weapon while leveling due to it’s self sustain and defy death ability. The great axe is a great pairing due to it’s ability to deal good amounts of area of effect (AoE) damage.
The pairing of these weapons will help reduce the need of burning through potions during the leveling process. It will also help you clear large groups of enemies quickly. However, the downside to this build is that it is all mostly melee and all one damage type, slashing.
Every enemy type has a different weakness to different damage types. You can reference our “Damage Type vs Mob Type” guide for more information on that topic. This is very useful when running expeditions and trying to optimize damage for a particular enemy type.
Mastery Points
For this build you will be focusing on the hatchet and the great axe. As you level up these weapons you will need to assign mastery points to gain active and passive abilities. Below is are the recommended abilities to take, and the order to take them for each weapon.
Weapon Level | Hatchet Mastery | Great Axe |
2 | Berserk | Maelstrom |
3 | Feral Rush | Enduing Stikes |
4 | Rending Throw | Gravity Well |
5 | On the Hunt | Greed |
6 | Berserking Refresh | Charge |
7 | Berserking Purge | Crowded Well |
8 | Uninterruptible Berserk | Storm’s Reach |
9 | Accumulated Power | Absorb |
10 | Fortifying Strikes | No Reprieve |
11 | Against All Odds | Center of Attention |
12 | Enraged Strikes | Crowded Protection |
13 | Defy Death | Gravity |
14 | Frenzied Purge | Mauler’s Fury |
15 | Dispatch | Critical Gains |
16 | Aimed Throw | Death’s Embrace |
17 | Critical Throw | Keen Edge |
18 | Crippling Strikes | Critical Condition |
19 | Targeted Impact | Feed |
20 | Opportunistic | Mauler’s Resolve |
Attributes
As you gain character levels you will gain attribute points that you can utilize. For this build, you are going to be spending those points in the constitution and strength categories. You will want to make sure you keep and use gear with the strength and constitution attribute points associated with them.
NOTE – Each attribute has a base of 5 which is considered in the total # of attributes category as well as attributes you obtain from armor
Total Attributes | Strength | Dexterity | Constitution |
25 | 15 | 5 | 5 |
50 | 40 | 5 | 5 |
75 | 50 | 5 | 20 |
100 | 75 | 5 | 20 |
125 | 100 | 5 | 20 |
150 | 125 | 5 | 20 |
200 | 150 | 5 | 45 |
225 | 150 | 30 | 45 |
250 | 150 | 50 | 50 |
275 | 175 | 50 | 50 |
300 | 200 | 50 | 50 |
325 | 200 | 75 | 50 |
350 | 200 | 100 | 50 |
375 | 200 | 125 | 50 |
400 | 200 | 150 | 50 |
425 | 225 | 150 | 50 |
450 | 250 | 150 | 50 |
475 | 250 | 175 | 50 |
500 | 250 | 200 | 50 |
525 | 275 | 200 | 50 |
550 | 300 | 200 | 50 |
575 | 325 | 200 | 50 |
600 | 350 | 200 | 50 |
Equipment
During the leveling process, you shouldn’t focus too much on the gear you are obtaining. You will be rotating gear out quite a lot until you reach end-game. A good rule of thumb is to ensure you have either strength of constitution on your gear and ultimately utilize the highest level of gear you have obtained.
It is recommended that you utilize the light equip load category of gear for maximum damage as you level. However, if you are having hard time surviving or can’t find good pieces that drop that get you into that weight category then simply utilize the best gear you have available.