In New World, equipment plays a major role in PvE and PvP. Depending on the situation and playstyle, you can additionally equip it with gems to gain fabulous effects! We at MeinMMO will provide you with a complete overview of the gemstones and the equipment system in this guide.
What counts as equipment in New World? In New World, there are 11 equipment slots that can additionally be socketed with gemstones, provided a socket is available:
- 2 weapon slots (main weapon / offhand weapon)
- 5 armor slots (helmet / chest / legs / hands / feet)
- 3 jewelry slots (amulet / ring / earring)
While the shield slot also counts as equipment, it does not have a socket for an extra gem. It only counts when it is actively equipped with a sword.
Why is equipment so important? Every character has a “base strength” defined by the main attribute points you receive after each level up (at level 60 = 190 points). The equipment further enhances your character and can elevate them to new heights. Additionally, New World offers several options to customize and personalize your equipment according to the situation and playstyle.
Equipment weight plays a significant role
What’s the deal with weight? Unlike in classic MMOs, there are no traditional classes in New World, and thus no restricted equipment. This means anyone can wear anything in this game.
However, there is a weight system that has both advantages and disadvantages. You can choose between 3 categories:
Light Armor – Up to 13 weight
- Advantages: 20% bonus damage + large dodge roll and high agility
- Disadvantage: Little armor – you can take a lot of damage quickly
- Recommendation: Especially mages and ranged damage dealers benefit from light equipment since they stand back in the second row. Healers benefit from the agility.
Medium Armor – 13 to 23 weight
- Advantages: 10% bonus damage + 10% more duration on crowd control + balanced armor values
- Disadvantage: No real disadvantages. The golden mean with the motto: “It can do everything, but nothing perfectly”
- Recommendation: Melee fighters who want to deal as much damage as possible but can also take one or two side hits.
Heavy Armor – Everything from 23 weight
- Advantages: 15% more blocking + 20% more duration on crowd control + strong armor values
- Disadvantages: Immobile and slow
- Recommendation: Tanks and melee fighters at the front.
Each equipment has a weight value that you can view below once you hover over the item with your cursor. Additionally, you can see the total weight bar in your inventory. Note: Weapon weight does not count toward armor weight!
Gemstones and their function in equipment
Video explanation: We have created a YouTube video for you, in addition to the detailed gemstone guide, that addresses the selection of the right equipment and gemstones.
What types of gemstones are there? In the game, there are 14 different types of gems, each with different effects. The higher the rank of the gemstone, the stronger the effect. It’s also important to distinguish that each gem has a weapon effect and an armor effect!
We have collected all the gemstones for you and have categorized them into “Diverse Gemstones” (different effects) and “Elemental Gemstones” (all with a special effect for the respective element) for better clarity. They all fit into the same gem slot.
Diverse Gemstones (W=Weapon / R=Armor):
- Onyx
- (W)More damage to targets with full health
- (R) Resistance to physical damage
- Opal
- (W)More damage when the player’s stamina is not full
- (R) Resistance to elemental damage
- Diamond
- (W)More damage and healing at full health
- (R) Resistance to physical and elemental damage
- Malachite
- (W)More damage when targets are under crowd effects (e.g., stun)
- (R) Resistance to elemental and physical damage
- Moonstone
- (W)More damage when the player is under 30% HP
- (R) Resistance to cut damage
- Jasper
- (W)More damage after you take 3 hits
- (R) Resistance to bludgeoning damage
- Emerald
- (W)More damage when targets are under 30% HP
- (R) Resistance to piercing damage
- Carnelian
- (W)Activates taunt for active weapon skills
- (R) Reduces the threat you generate
Elemental Gemstones (W=Weapon / R=Armor)
- Ruby
- (W)Conversion to fire damage
- (R) Resistance to fire damage
- Topaz
- (W)Conversion to lightning damage
- (R) Resistance to lightning damage
- Sapphire
- (W)Conversion to arcane damage
- (R) Resistance to arcane damage
- Aquamarine
- (W)Conversion to ice damage
- (R) Resistance to ice damage
- Amber
- (W)Conversion to nature damage
- (R) Resistance to nature damage
- Amethyst
- (W)Conversion to void damage
- (R) Resistance to void damage
This is how you socket gemstones into your equipment: In order to equip your equipment with a gem, you need to keep the following 2 points in mind:
- The equipment must have a socket slot (see screen below)
- You need a cut gemstone – You can do this at the stonecutter or buy directly from the trading post.
Once you have met these two criteria, you can simply drag and drop the gem onto the desired equipment to equip it.
Can I recover gemstones from equipment? No, unfortunately not. You can replace the existing gem with a new one, but the old gem will be destroyed. So, be careful with the valuable gemstones.
New World provides you with this flexible and complex system, allowing you a lot of freedom to find and further develop your own individual playstyle. For example, as a tank, you can go heavy armor and, with built-in onyx gemstones, be a wall against physical damage.
What do you think when you are asked, “What equipment and gemstones do you play with?” Let us know in the comments, we look forward to your ideas and inspirations!
You can find all guides to New World in our overview:
