New World War Hammer Build 2024 - PvE & PvP
Oct. 14, 2024New World: AeternumWar Hammer BuildsdealStrike Damage, making them especially effective against enemies weak to this damage type, like theUndead, which you’ll encounter early on, such as theDrowned. Many dungeons in the game feature these enemies, so it’s a solid choice when fightingCorruptions, during early game, or in dungeon runs. If you’re playing aStrengthbuild, having aWar Hammeron hand is highly recommended. Additionally,Light Attackswith theHammerdeal 100% damage,Heavy Attacksdo 130%, andCharged Heavy Attacksdeliver an impressive 170% damage—tied with theBowfor the highest in the game.
New World Aeternum War Hammer Pros:
New World Aeternum War Hammer Cons:
TheWar Hammerhas two skill trees:JuggernautandCrowd Crusher.Juggernautfocuses more on single-target damage, whileCrowd CrusheremphasizesAoEand crowd control.
Wrecking Ballis a versatile skill where you strike the ground dealing damage whileknocking downyour target. It also grants yougritwhile executing the skill, making it impossible for you to be staggered. Progressing this skill line allows you to also knock down nearby enemies by expanding its radius and gives you a 20% fortify, boosting your armor. Despite its usefulness, it does come with a long animation, something common across manyWar Hammerabilities, so timing is key.
Mighty Gavelacts like a pseudo-execution ability when upgraded, dealing more damage to low-health targets. While it delivers significant damage, it has a long animation, so you’ll need to time it carefully, and its range is shorter than expected, making it easy to miss. This is taunt gem compatible, taunting enemies that are hit with this ability. Progressing this skill line also allows you to deal 25% more stamina damage as well as granting you a 30% haste.
TheArmor Breakerskill is a powerful attack that deals 160% weapon damage and penetrates the target’s armor by 35%. If you’re facing heavily armored enemies, this skill helps negate some of their protection, boosting your damage output. Progressing this skill line grants yougritand inflicts enemies with 30%rendfor 10s.
Many of the passives in theJuggernauttree focus on increasing damage orStaminadamage, making them great if you’re looking to deal more damage overall. However, theCapstoneability,Justice for All, only affectsMighty Gavel. It grants yougritwhile executing the ability, increases the critical hit rate by 20%, and reduces other War Hammer skills’ cooldown by 10% if you land it successfully, so if you’re not using that skill, it’s better to skip thisCapstone.
TheCrowd Crushertree offers some powerful abilities, starting withShockwave. ThisAoEskillstaggersandstunsenemies, which is a huge advantage in bothPvEandPvP. You can upgrade it to increase damage, and enemies caught in theAoEwill beweakened, dealing 10% less damage for 10 seconds, making it perfect for setting up combos or softening up enemies before moreAoEs. The stun is also handy because it prevents enemies from interrupting you, so if you’re following up with abilities likeGreat Axe‘sspin-to-winor otherWar Hammerskills, you won’t be disrupted.
Next isClear Out, which is great for controlling the battlefield. While it doesn’t deal much damage, it knocks enemies back, creating space when things get overwhelming. It’s especially effective after you’ve used other abilities and want to scatter grouped-up enemies. This knockback is helpful in bothPvEandPvP, letting you catch your breath or break up a group of attackers. Progressing this skill line grants you and your alliesfortify, increasing your armor by 20% for 4s, as well as granting you 30% haste for 4s.
Path of Destinyadds a bit of range to theWar Hammerby sending out a shockwave in a line that damages and staggers enemies when upgraded. It’s useful for softening targets from a distance, especially inPvPif you’re holding off on charging in or need to catch fleeing enemies. It also works well for interrupting enemies at range, which adds flexibility to the hammer’s typically close-quarters playstyle. Completely progressing this ability reduces this skill’s cooldown by 5% for every enemy that is hit.
Some standout passives in this tree includePrevailing Spirit, which heals you when you hit enemies affected by aCrowd Crusherability, andAcceleration, which reduces cooldowns when hitting debuffed targets with light attacks. These are great for staying in the fight longer and cycling through your abilities faster.
ForPvP,Aftershockis fantastic as it slows enemies hit by yourCCabilities, making it easier to control the battlefield and lock down opponents.CCis crucial inPvP, so this skill can be a game-changer.
What makes theWar Hammerspecial is its exceptionalcrowd control, more than most other weapons. The trade-off is that you have to be up close, which can be challenging, particularly inPvP, but when you can pull it off, theWar Hammeris one of the best for locking down multiple enemies at once.
TheGreat AxeandHatchetpair well with theWar Hammersince they both scale withstrength. TheGreat Axelets you charge in with itsChargeability, then follow up with the hammer’sCCsand stuns. Once enemies areCCed, you can unleashAoEdamage with theGreat Axeabilities without worrying about interruptions, which works well in bothPvEandPvP. InPvP, this combo is effective—you can charge in, useSpin to Win,CCthe group, and then go in for anotherSpin to Win.
TheHatchetoffers some nice utility through itsBerserkability, which buffs your damage and increases your run speed, helping to make up for theWar Hammer‘s lack of gap closers. WhileBerserkdoesn’t directly close gaps, the speed boost helps you catch up to enemies more easily. It’s not as effective as theGreat Axein that respect, but still quite strong. TheHatchetalso has an ability that prevents death every 60 seconds, which gives you a 3-second window of survival. This is great forPvEandPvP—it can buy you time toCCor finish off your opponent.
The Greatsword, like the Great Axe has phenomenal AoE capabilities, making it a solid choice for after enemies are Stunned. Additionally, it deals both Thrust and Slash damage allowing you to cover all 3 damage types between these two weapons, which is great for PvE.
A key downside of theWar Hammeris its short range, which becomes especially noticeable inPvP. InPvE, enemies often come to you, so the hammer’sAoEabilities shine. But inPvP, where mobility is crucial, it can be harder to land hits without something like theGreat Axeto close the distance.
You’ll likely want to runmediumorheavy armorwhen using theWar Hammersince you’ll be up close, taking damage. If you don’t stay alive, you won’t be able to land your abilities. TheWar Hammeroffers some passive buffs to defense or armor, so make use of those to improve your survivability.
When looking for stats on your weapons, focus onstrength,critical chance, or effects that boost damage oncrits. Since back attacks are automaticallycrits, positioning yourself to land those will increase your damage output significantly. You can also look for weapon effects that enhance specific abilities you use, butstrengthandcrit chanceare generally the best to focus on.
Keep an eye out for more weapon guides likeSword & Shield,Greatsword,Flail and ShieldandGreat Axe, Don’t forget to check out theNew World Wikifor more details. If you have any other questions about the game, let me know. What weapons are you planning to use at launch? What builds are you thinking about? Feel free to share in the comments!
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
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