We at MeinMMO recently asked you which weapons you prefer in New World. Shockingly, our editor Benedict Grothaus found that only 10% chose the axe!
What kind of weapon is this? The axe is one of the 11 weapons in New World and is a rather small melee weapon. Instead of running around with a gigantic Dane axe or a sword and shield, the axe serves as your only small hand axe.
Of course, it is inconspicuous, that little blade on a stick. But damn, it is really strong! And with 10.24%, it barely achieved a miserable 4th place in the ranking of the most popular weapons in New World.
When I played New World, I also found the axe boring at first and thought the other weapons would be cooler. You probably made the same mistake – but I forgive you. It also took me a while to fall in love with the axe.
Still, I can’t simply let this survey stand. Many of you probably don’t even know what you’re missing out on. The axe is really awesome (ha, that rhymes, and what rhymes is good!).
Don’t believe it? But it’s true!
The best skill is also the coolest
What can the axe actually do? You have two paths you can take with the axe, just like with any weapon. The two options are the skills weapon throw or berserker. In combination, these skills are even excellent as beginner build for New World.
With the weapon throw, you focus on attacking enemies from a distance. You will later even use disease and debuff effects to keep enemies at bay to limit their regeneration.
In the berserker tree, you go fully into melee combat. This skill is why the axe is the undisputed king of all weapons.
What exactly makes the axe so strong? With berserker, you increase your dealt damage for a few seconds. The skill was even so strong that it received a major nerf before the open beta started. If you further develop the skill, it gets even stronger:
- your movement speed increases for the duration
- you heal yourself while berserker is active
- activation removes all control effects
- while berserker is active, you cannot be interrupted or staggered
The other skills of the tree further support you in your blood rage. The charge brings you quickly to an enemy and with the rain of blows, you deal many hits in succession to literally chop up even tough enemies.
But the best part is that you cannot die. Literally, at least for a short time. If you’ve skilled “Defy Death,” lethal damage instead sets you to 0 HP and you become immortal for 3 seconds. During that time, you can happily continue slaughtering – like a true berserker!
Perfect weapon for wild vikings
Those who play the axe might as well put on a helmet and chainmail and sit with a horn full of mead in front of the computer. Because the axe is the ideal weapon for any viking – and that alone makes it my absolute favorite.
The idea is even reflected quite precisely in the gameplay of the weapon, because with the abilities, you are not only a real monster in PvE, but also a pesky opponent in PvP.
Enemies run away? Charge and follow them. Getting crowded? Berserker on, heal and deal – the dead will no longer bother you. Are there too many enemies even for you? In the 3 seconds of immortality, you can take at least one enemy with you to the grave.
Additionally, you can choose in the fully developed tree to shorten your cooldowns or free yourself from control effects when your hit points drop. This makes you increasingly dangerous the more people beat on you.
With “Against all Odds,” you even become stronger when facing a superior force. 10% more damage for every enemy nearby also hurts other players badly. And the poor NPCs won’t see a tomorrow.
Thanks to the damage reductions, you can even be used as a tank if necessary, albeit with a very offensive orientation. So you are a true jack-of-all-trades! Well, the only thing you can’t do is heal others and distribute buffs. But the other weapons also need a small chance – after all, we still need victims!
So maybe you should reconsider which weapon you will play in New World. And if you want to complain now that I claim 90% of you have no idea: come on, I have an axe! And you?
