In New World, the Sword and Shield combination is the very first weapon that you are introduced to. It also happens to be one of the most powerful weapons in the game. But which builds are the best ones to play as? Of course, it will all depend on your play style. You need to know what perks, stats, and skills you find most valuable. If you want to have a great Sword and Shield build for both PvE and PvP, check out our preferred builds below.
Best Sword and Shield / Life Staff Paladin Build
This build may sound like a mouthful, but it’s incredibly valuable. It’s perfect for soloing as it has a high survivability rate since it requires high Focus and Constitution stats. Another great aspect of this build is the fact that you can switch between healing and tanking. With the Sword and Shield weapon, you’ll want to take advantage of the active skillsShield RushandShield Bash. For the Light Staff, you’ll want to focus on dealing tons of damage with the active skillsOrb of ProtectionandBeacon.
The entire purpose of this build is to decrease incoming damage while also boosting your healing and granting buffs to you and your allies.
Related:All Arcana Level Unlocks in New World – Items unlocked for every level
Best Sword and Shield / Hatchet Max DPS Build
This build focuses a lot on Strength and makes sure that you hit hard and fast. You’ll be able to keep enemies in check with passive skills likeSwordmasterandBerserkerto increase damage and speed. There are also many passive abilities that can cover a lot of distance, deal a ton of damage, and increase attack movement and speed. You’ll have to be careful since this build lacks HP and defense, but you’ll be doing so much damage that it’ll be hard to notice.
The mostimportant passive abilities to considerin this build would be both theEmpowered Stafffrom the Sword and Shield Swordmaster skill tree andDefy Deathfrom the Hatchet Berserker skill tree.
Best Sword and Shield / War Hammer Pure Defender Tank Build
Separate from the previous two builds, this one has great defense and even better tanking ability. This build focuses a lot on Constitution which is great for survivability. You’ll also enjoy the playstyle of this build if you’re fond of deflecting and knocking down your enemies with stun debuffs. This build also only uses abilities from the Sword and Shield Defender skill tree and the War Hammer Crowd Crusher skill tree. Another fun aspect of this build is that it allows you to be front and center without having to suffer the consequences of intense damage.
For more New World Guides check out bothBest Cosmetics in New WorldandAll Factions Rewards List in New Worldon Pro Game Guides.
