New World Sword and Shield Tank Build 2024
Oct. 9, 2021You can then switch toSword&Shieldand attack, then useDefiant Stanceto taunt enemies further if you need to, as long as you have a Carnelian Gem in your Sword. Any remaining enemies can be taunted or interrupted withShield Bash, and then you can useUpheavalto reduce the cooldown of your Sword and Shield abilities by awhopping 25%, allowing you to use them again more quickly.
Each trash pull should follow a similar pattern, and Bosses will be slightly different depending on what they do. For instance, if there is a singular boss you’ll likely lead with Path of Destiny and then hit with Shield Bash to Taunt, and follow with Defiant Stance, and Upheaval. You can then useArmor Breakerto debuff the boss, increasing all damage your group will do to it, and hit with Shockwave to taunt it again, before swapping back to Sword and Shield.
Attributedistribution for this Build is rather straight forward since both Sword and Hammer scale withStrength. You just need to make sure you have someConstitutionas well since you will be getting hit quite often, and you will take some damage no matter how good you are.I suggest a 1.5:1 or 1:1 ratio of Strength to Constitutiondepending on how comfortable you are with tanking. If you’re not very, then you’ll want to go the 1:1 route for more Health, which will allow you to make more mistakes and survive. Higher Strength, means higher DPS, which can help speed up trash pulls, however.
TheSkillsfor this Build are optimized specifically forExpeditionruns, but will work fine in just about every PvE scenario. However, it is not 100% optimized for PvP, because you do not have a gap closing ability slotted. I highly recommend if you’re PvPing that you swap out Reverse Stab forLeaping Strikeso that you can close the distance on fleeing enemies more easily. You can leave the other abilities, since Defiant Stance still makes you harder to kill, andShield Bashcan stun targets.
Shield Bash– This ability is a single target taunt that helps you maintain control on Bosses and Mini-Bosses, as wells as stuns some of them. Use it to interrupt attacks, and make sure to use it when it comes off cooldown to keep aggro on the Boss, and to prevent it from attacking others.
Defiant Stance– This Skill is an AoE taunt that also buffs your defenses, making you harder to kill. Use this when you are pulling trash to keep them on you long enough for enemies to die. You can alternate between this and Shockwave as necessary.
Upheaval – The reason to use this Skill is because the final upgrade allows you to reduce the Cooldowns of your other Sword and Shields Skills by 25%. This is a huge amount and shaves over 5 seconds off of Defiant Stance, which is a lot! It can also transfer negative effects back to the Boss, if you have this Perk on your equipment.
Shockwave– This Skill is another AoE taunt, that also stuns enemies, preventing damage to your party in the process. It’s a good first ability when surrounded to gain aggro on enemies, and to gain some space to setup while enemies are stunned. Alternate between this and Defiant Stance to hold aggro on groups of enemies.
Armor Breaker– You mainly want this Skill to debuff Bosses with the Lasting Trauma passive. This reduces the protection of the Boss by 15%, greatly increasing your party’s damage out put against them. Try to maintain this debuff 100% of the time if you can, as the cooldown and debuff are nearly the same length.
Path of Destiny– The third Skill you use here is less important, and you can take what you like, but I like Path of Destiny here. It allows you to AoE from a distance as you approach, getting the first hits on enemies, providing just a bit more aggro then if you didn’t do it.
There are a lot of good passives in these two trees for any New World Sword and Shield TankBuild, and you should pick up as many defensive ones as you can. However, the capstone Leadership increases the damage of your group by 10% while you’re using a Sword. If you can debuff with Armor Breaker and then swap to Sword and Shield you’re group will deal a ton of damage against Bosses, and enemies alike. You might miss out on a defensive passive or two in order to get this, but it’s definitely worth it.
The twoWeaponsyou’ll need for this Build are a Hammer and a Sword, but you’ll also need a goodShield. The Hammer and Sword will both need sockets so you can slot the best Carnelian Gems you can find into them, helping you to generate threat with yourAbilities.
Look for Strength or Constitution on these Weapons and Shield, and other bonuses that impact any of the Skills listed above. Fortify on Crit is also good, as it makes you a bit tankier. Also, be sure to use the Shield with the best Block Stability rather than best Defense, as this will allow you to Block more hits before running out of Stamina.Brilliant Refractionor Symbiotes’s Brand are two great Swords, and are easy to get even before endgame! They can be farmed from Meldue, Soldier of Blight and he is located in Pendle Hollow in Brightwood.
There are also 3 different types of Shields in New World: Aeternum, and they operate similarly with some slight differences:
Round Shields are the lightest, with the lowest Block Stability but highest damage. Block Stability determines how much Stamina is consumed when you block an attack. Use this Shield type if you plan to maximize your damage with Defender Skills, which is ideal for questing or 1v1 PvP and solo questing, but not so great for tanking Expeditions or larger scale PvP where you might need to block a lot.
Kite Shields are twice as heavy as Round Shields, have 10% more Block Stability, and deal about 10% less damage. They are a solid middle ground between tankiness and damage, and are best used by those that plan to play a mix of offensively and defensively when playing Sword and Shield.
Tower Shields are twice as heavy as Kite Shields, which is a lot, and have 10% more Block Stability than Kite Shields, but do roughly 10% less damage. They are the ideal choice for would be tanks in larger PvP battles and in Expeditions where they will be absorbing a large number of attacks.
For this Build you’ll want a Tower or Kite Shield since you’ll be blocking a lot. Look out for the best one you get that gives CON or STR to help with attributes.
As you might expect you’ll be wearing fullHeavy Armorfor this New World Sword and Shield tank Build for maximum protection. You will get hit and you don’t want to die when that happens. Look forStrength and Constitution on your Armor, just like your Weapons, and if you are having trouble finding any, you can get good sets of this from yourFaction vendor. It’s not too expensive and it’s rather easy to farm tokens to get it.
Make sure to use Jewelry that gives youStamina, or gives you Stamina back every so often when you get low in order to help you Block more. The hardest part of tanking in New World is maintaining enough Stamina to keep Blocking, and there are some great Jewelry pieces for this.Check out our Guide on where to find some if you don’t know!
When playing a New World Sword and Shield Tank Build sure you eatFoodwhen tanking to help with your HP regeneration in combat.Health foodis based on your max HP, so the higher your Constitution the more HP you will regain with each tick. And don’t forget to bringHealth Potionseither, since you might need them now and again.
Pay attention to the little icon over enemies’ heads when you taunt them so you can see when it falls off. Wait until just after it disappears before you taunt them again because you cannot maintain 100% uptime in an AoE, and you don’t want to waste any time by reapplying when they are already taunted.
Remember thatyou can still dodge in Heavy Armor, even if it’s not the best Dodge. Some bosses are hyper aggressive and you may need to dodge from time to time in order to avoid many rapid hits you have to Block. Some chains will just chew through your Stamina, and are best avoided.
Lastly, if you are still having trouble staying alive, drop your points from Strength and just pump Constitution. You’re damage will suffer, but staying alive is more important. You can never have enough health as a Tank, and this will ensure you get the maximum benefit!
Stay tuned for moreNew World Build Guides, and be sure to check out theNew World Wikifor more information about the game.
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
Log in to leave a Comment
