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Archery is an elegant and ancient practice, a graceful art form as well as a precise and deadly way of battlefield prowess. New World has some interesting options for players interested in building a character with bow expertise; a sniper in a PvP environment, a survivalist with simple weapons living off the land, or a warrior laying waste for the riches of Aeternum.
The best bow build in New World is a versatile one that works with PvP or PvE and also blends well with at least one other weapon, depending on the player's preferences. The role-playing possibilities are endless and include a soldier who wields their weapon with trained discipline as part of a unit or a rugged hunter that has crafted their own weapons and honed their skills alone.
Acquiring A Bow
The bow is easy to find or make, which is why many players start with a bow build even if they don't plan on leveling to the endgame with one. However, the bow requires ammunition in New World, unlike other MMOs where ammunition is either magical or unlimited depending on the nature of the ranged weapon. These can be crafted at the Workshop or found in chests, but they can't be retrieved from enemies without a special skill in the Mastery Tree.
- Crafting. The Workshop is where the bow is made, along with with the blunderbuss, the musket, and a variety of furniture. Only a few simple ingredients are required for the bow and the lowest level players can make one. Bows of a higher level require rare or expensive materials but are crafted at the same station.
- Drops. The bow is also a common drop from various enemies, especially humanoids, so it's easy to find one before even reaching a local settlement.
- Quest Rewards. The chests given as quest rewards often yield weapons, and weapons of better quality are often waiting therein. Some quest rewards also include the reagents needed to make higher-quality bows.
Attributes That Scale With The Bow
The Bow is one of few weapons that only scales with a single Attribute score, and in this case, it's Dexterity. This gives bow users a lot of options when it comes to choosing a secondary weapon because so many other weapons scale with Dexterity and one other Attribute. This also leaves more Attribute points available for Constitution which means more hit points, which is ideal for any character build
The Bow is strictly a ranged weapon, and although it has several abilities when it comes to close-range fighting and crowd control, archers should choose at least one other weapon to back them up at the close range. Other weapons that scale with Dexterity are the more obvious choices, but players that don't mind a long grind or a more varied level progression can go in another direction and choose Strength-based melee weapons or ranged magical weapons that scale with Intelligence.
Bow Mastery Trees
The two Bow Mastery Trees are organized into more precise attacks on one side, and more crowd control and AoE on the other. The ideal build is a mix of both depending on whether the character is intended for PvP or PvE action.
- Skirmisher. With more crowd control and battlefield management options, these skills fare better against multiple enemies of the humanoid persuasion. Evasive Tactics, which gives a 20% damage buff after a dodge, is important for any build. Rain of Arrows and Poison Shot are great AoE abilities and Barbed Arrows cause a DoT effect.
- Hunter. As the name suggests, most of these skills are better for PvE play, especially for those that choose to do battle against beasts or other creatures in the wild. Long Range and Finishing Shot are equally savage against humanoid and beast targets, making the character more destructive at long range against enemies that are already damaged. Concussion is the passive that culminates at the end of this branch.
Bow Weapon Combinations
- Hatchet. A weapon that scales with Dexterity and Strength, the hatchet makes sense for a player working on a Survivalist, Hunter, or Mountaineer build in tandem with a bow. It can be thrown or used in melee combat.
- Ice Gaunlet. A good choice for players that want access to a magical weapon without spreading their Attribute points too thinly, the Void Gauntlet only scales with Intelligence. The Fire Staff, which also scales only with Intelligence, works just as well in this equation.
- Life Staff. An easier leveling path means spreading out the Attribute points as little as possible, and with a Life Staff, the character only needs Focus. A bow makes a nice combination with the Life Staff for healers who would prefer to stay at max range and use as few Attribute points as possible.
New World is available on PC.