New World: What types of damage are there and against whom do they deal the most damage?

In New World, there are different types of damage such as stabbing, slashing, or fire damage. In PvE, different monster types have vulnerabilities to these damage types. Anyone looking to prepare perfectly for a dungeon or have an easier time against a boss should definitely know these strengths and weaknesses.

What types of damage are there? New World offers three different types of physical damage and six different types of elemental damage:

• Slashing damage (sword, war axe, hatchet, great sword)
• stabbing damage (rapier, spear, musket, bow, blunderbuss, sometimes sword)
• bludgeoning damage (hammer)
• fire damage (fire staff)
• ice damage (ice gauntlet)
• nature damage (life staff)
• lightning damage
• arcane damage
• corruption damage (corruption gauntlet)

Can you have elemental damage on all weapons? Yes, that’s why some types are not assigned to a specific weapon. Through the socket system and the various jewels you can convert your weapon damage into fire damage or arcane damage.

Update February 1, 2023: New World has since removed resistances from the game. Enemies now only take additional damage.

How effective are the different damage types

What types of monsters are there? In New World, various types of enemies await you. These include the corrupted corrupted by Azoth, the giant nature creatures of the Angry Earth, or normal animals, referred to as beasts here.

Each of these monster types has specific weaknesses, which affects the damage dealt. In a table*, you can check the respective advantages:

*You can scroll the table horizontally

In which dungeon do you encounter which monster?

• Amrhein excavation – Mainly Lost and Ancestral Guardians
• The destroyed obelisk – Mainly Ancestral Guardians
• The Depths – Mainly Corrupted
• Dynasty’s End – Mainly Corrupted
• Lazarus Instrumentality – Mainly Ancestral Guardians
• Garden of Origins – Mainly Angry Earth
• Heart of Storms – Mainly Corrupted
• Barnacles and Gunpowder – Mainly Lost
• The Ennead – Mainly Ancestral Guardians or Corrupted

Will you adapt your damage type to the enemies in the open world and in dungeons? Or do you prefer to play however you want without the bonus? Feel free to write it here on MeinMMO in the comments.

More guides for New World can be found collected here:

New World Guides: All tips, tricks, and builds at a glance