The expeditions are the classic dungeons in New World. We at MeinMMO will tell you here strong builds that allow you to take on the role of the tank.
What are these builds? We present to you here 2 builds that allow you to optimally perform the role of the tank. Tanks must primarily endure a lot, draw the attention of enemies, and hold them in the AoE of their teammates. Additionally, it is beneficial if they can control enemies, for example, with a stun or by knocking them down.
The finished skill trees, which you see embedded as images, come from the website Newworldfans.com, which already has a tool for creating builds.
What exactly are expeditions? In expeditions, you set out as a group of 5 players and search through an instance where various enemies and bosses await you. As in many other MMOs, it is advisable for the group to have a tank and a healer. That’s why we present the tank builds here.
- Those looking for PvP builds will find them here: New World: 3 strong general PvP builds or 2 strong DD builds for wars and outpost rush.
- For those who are just starting their career, we have 3 builds for beginners that are ideal for PvE and leveling.
Tank with sword and warhammer
Why is this combo played? The main task of any tank is to keep the aggro, meaning the attention of the mobs. This is best achieved through Provoking, an ability that forces them to attack a specific target.
You obtain Provoking through various shield abilities, but also the warhammer. However, you need the Provocation gem for this. You must place it into the sword and ideally also into the hammer so that 3 of your abilities can trigger the effect.
Your remaining 3 abilities mainly provide CC on the enemy.
How do I distribute the attributes? As a tank, you focus on defense but also a bit of offense to strengthen your weapons and generate aggro that way. You distribute 250 points in strength and 200 in constitution through the attribute points and gear. This increases your melee damage and gives you the most important bonuses in defense, including +10 more armor against physical and elemental damage.
What skills do I use with the sword?
- Shield Charge
- Shield Bouncer
- Defiant Stance
With the right gem, Shield Bouncer and Defiant Stance become your abilities with which you provoke enemies. Additionally, Defiant Stance reduces incoming damage, which is important for survival. The Shield Charge, on the other hand, is useful for knocking enemies down and subsequently slowing them through the passive Intimidating Storm.
In general, you allocate most of the skill points in the Defender tree. You skill everything except Tremendous Smash (the end of Shield Bouncer) and Restoration (the last effect of Defiant Stance). Particularly important effects are Defensive Training (which grants you a buff when you successfully block) and Defensive Formation, through which damage to allies is reduced when you block.
From the Swordmaster tree, you actually only want the effect Redeeming Justice. This allows heavy attacks to remove debuffs from you. To get there, you can either skill Achilles’ Heel or Empowering Strike.
What skills do I use with the warhammer?
- Demolition Hammer
- Shockwave
- Path of Destiny
With the hammer, it behaves exactly the opposite of the sword. With the ability Shockwave, you gain Provoking, while the other two abilities are primarily there to keep the enemies under control.
In the Moloch skill tree, you use the passives Crashing Spawn and Exhaustive Strikes to unlock the ability Demolition Hammer. You also take the talent Safety Measures, which grants you the buff Reinforcement, resulting in less damage taken. Under no circumstances should you skill Space, as this would throw enemies away from you, which you actually want to prevent.
In the Crowdbreaker tree, you can skill your attacks all the way to the end. A strong passive here is Outnumbered, which reduces damage taken when surrounded by multiple enemies. Additionally, you get a bit of self-healing from Lasting Spirit whenever you use a CC ability. Finally, you unlock the last bonus Aftershock, allowing you to constantly slow enemies so they can’t run away from you.
What does the gear look like? For gear, you should aim for the greatest possible defense. Accordingly, you use heavy armor with attributes like constitution and a bit of strength to improve both of your weapons. Both the hammer and the sword have strength as a primary attribute.
What does the rotation of abilities look like? You usually start the fight with the sword and engage with your abilities Shield Charge and then Shield Bouncer. After that, you try to block some incoming attacks and use Defiant Stance when you need more Provoking and want to prevent incoming damage.
If enemies run away from you or the damage becomes too great, you can throw enemies down with Demolition Hammer and slow them. Shockwave is also there to stun enemies and can additionally be used to build more aggro.
Basically, it is important to block strong attacks from enemies and especially from bosses with a shield and block. Blocking with the shield also helps against ranged attacks that cannot otherwise be blocked.
Is there an alternative playstyle? Yes, fundamentally you choose the same attributes and use the exact same abilities with the sword; however, you opt for a battle axe instead of the hammer. Here you also gain an additional ability that triggers Provoking, along with more CC abilities.
A somewhat more offensive option also with the sword is offered by our second build in the guide.
Tank with sword and axe
Why is this combo played? Essentially, the build already orients itself to the sword and warhammer build we have already presented, but with more offensive aspects. This way, you have more damage abilities and also weaken armor with the axe, benefiting the entire group.
Additionally, the healing you get from the Berserker ability of the axe is useful, as well as the disease and weakness that the attack Infectious Throw inflicts.
How do I distribute the attributes? As with the build with sword and hammer, you focus on 250 strength and 200 constitution.
What skills do I use with the sword?
- Spinning Blade
- Shield Bouncer
- Defiant Stance
With the right gem, Shield Bouncer and Defiant Stance become your abilities that provoke enemies. Defiant Stance also reduces incoming damage, which is important for survival. The Spinning Blade, on the other hand, is an offensive ability that hits all enemies in the vicinity.
In general, you distribute most skill points in the Defender tree. You skill everything except the line of the ability Shield Charge and the passive Restoration (the last effect of Defiant Stance). Particularly important effects are Defensive Training (which grants you a buff when you successfully block) and Defensive Formation, which reduces damage to allies when you block.
From the Swordmaster tree, you want besides the Spinning Blade the passive abilities Opportunities (to reduce opponents’ armor), Redeeming Justice (to remove debuffs from you), and Counterattack (for additional damage when you successfully block an attack).
What skills do I use with the axe?
- Berserker
- Tearing Throw
- Infectious Throw
The ability Berserker is one of the strongest in New World. You gain passive movement speed, health points, free yourself from a stun, and your attacks cannot be blocked. The skills Tearing Throw and Infectious Throw serve to deal additional damage to enemies and apply debuffs.
In the Berserker skill tree, you go through the entire line of the eponymous ability downwards. The centerpiece is the passive Defy Death, which waits at the bottom. Every 75 seconds, it prevents you from dying and instead makes you invulnerable. Through the ability Reinforcing Punches, you take less damage when you hit the same target multiple times in succession.
In the Throw tree, you skill each of the abilities, with Tearing Throw only going up to the ability Targeted Strike. Additionally, the passive Booze can be useful, as throws against enemies with debuffs you inflict with your ability regenerate your stamina, allowing you to dodge more often.
What does the gear look like? For gear, you should aim for the greatest possible defense. Accordingly, you use heavy armor with attributes like constitution and a bit of strength to improve both of your weapons. Both the axe and the sword have strength as a primary attribute.
What does the rotation of abilities look like? You usually start the fight with the sword and engage with your abilities Spinning Blade and then Shield Bouncer. Then you try to block some incoming attacks and use Defiant Stance when you need more Provoking and want to prevent incoming damage.
For some damage, you switch to the axe and first activate the ability Berserker. This way, you heal yourself and your attacks cannot be blocked. You deal significant damage with Tearing Throw and Infectious Throw. Then you switch back to the sword, block incoming damage, and wait for the cooldowns of the axe to recharge.
It is fundamentally important to block strong attacks from enemies and especially from bosses with a shield and block. Blocking with the shield also helps against ranged attacks that cannot otherwise be blocked.
Is there an alternative playstyle? Yes, for those who like to play offensively on the side, you can also play a combo of sword and fire staff. Here, the aggro is primarily held through AoE damage. Alternatively, the build 1 from this guide can also be played well.
Hammer and Waraxe
Why is this combo played? The waraxe is excellent for pulling enemies together, making it very useful as a tank. The hammer, in turn, provides CC and has skills that generate aggro, which is a must for tanks.
How do I distribute the attributes? In this combo, a combination of 250 points in strength and 200 in constitution is also suggested. The reasons remain unchanged; you want the extra stamina and the damage from strength, as well as the defense from constitution.
What skills do I use with the hammer?
- Demolition Hammer
- Shockwave
- Path of Destiny
With the ability Shockwave, you gain Provoking, while the other two abilities are primarily there to keep the enemies under control.
In the Moloch skill tree, you use the passives Crashing Spawn and Exhaustive Strikes to unlock the ability Demolition Hammer. There, you also take the talent Safety Measures, which grants you the buff Reinforcement, resulting in less damage taken. Under no circumstances should you skill Space, as this would throw enemies away from you, which you actually want to prevent.
In the Crowdbreaker tree, you can skill your attacks all the way to the end. A strong passive here is Outnumbered, which reduces damage taken when surrounded by multiple enemies. Additionally, you get a bit of self-healing from Lasting Spirit whenever you use a CC ability. Finally, you unlock the last bonus Aftershock, allowing you to constantly slow enemies so they can’t run away from you.
What skills do I use with the waraxe?
- Maelstrom
- Gravity Well
- Charge
With the waraxe, you have a good mix of CC and self-preservation. You heal passively for 10% of damage from a critical hit, and hits on enemies who are below 30% health also heal you for 10% of the damage dealt. You also take 10% less damage when there are 3 or more enemies in the immediate vicinity.
With the ability Charge, you quickly reach enemies. The passive Blood Rage at the very end of the skill tree is also helpful. This allows you to run faster when you are directly watching enemies.
What does the gear look like? For gear, you have a choice this time. Most tanks use heavy armor for maximum defense. However, you can also go for medium armor to be a bit more active in dodging. For attributes, you still focus on constitution and strength to improve both weapons. Both the hammer and the waraxe have strength as a primary attribute.
What does the rotation of abilities look like? You usually start the fight with the Gravity Well on the waraxe to pull enemies together at a point. Then you charge in with Charge and use Maelstrom to pull enemies toward you and generally take aggro from all.
Immediately after, you switch to the hammer, using the ability Demolition Hammer to throw enemies around you to the ground and slow them down. Shockwave is also there to stun enemies and can additionally be used to build more aggro.
What do you think of the dungeons so far? Have you been in there as a tank or in another role? Feel free to write it in the comments.
Those who want to craft the best gear for each build should definitely take advantage of crafting. Here, we’ll tell you how it works:
New World: This is how crafting works, through which you can get the best gear in the game.
