New World Aeternum Great Axe Build Guide

Time: 2024-10-20 by mmojugg Game: New World Aeternum Guide

The Great Axe is one of the most formidable melee weapons in New World, combining devastating AoE damage, powerful crowd control, and effective gap-closing abilities. This guide will dive into the mechanics of the Great Axe and its skill trees (Reaper and Mauler) and provide tips on how to use it effectively in both PvE and PvP. Whether you're looking to dominate the battlefield or clear hordes of enemies, the Great Axe can be your weapon of choice in 2024.

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Weapon Mechanics: Strength Scaling and Damage Output

The Great Axe scales exclusively with Strength, so focusing on increasing your Strength stat will maximize your damage output. Each point of Strength increases damage, with the weapon following a progression of approximately 4.44 damage per point of Strength. For every four points, you'll gain around 19 additional damage, making Strength investment the key to success.

The Great Axe offers three types of basic attacks:

Light attacks deal 100% weapon damage.

Heavy attacks deal 120% weapon damage.

Charged heavy attacks deal a significant 160% weapon damage.

Given this scaling, charged heavy attacks are a powerful option, especially when paired with certain passive skills. The Great Axe primarily deals slashing damage, which is effective against certain enemies but rarely resisted, making it a versatile choice in various encounters.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Great Axe

Before diving into skill trees and abilities, it's essential to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Great Axe:

Pros:

High AoE damage: The Great Axe excels in cleaving multiple enemies, thanks to its wide, sweeping attacks.

Gap closers: Abilities like Charge allow you to close the distance between you and your target quickly.

Crowd control: Several abilities provide pulls, knockdowns, and slows, making the Great Axe effective at controlling enemies in both PvP and PvE.

Cons:

Slow attack speed: While the Great Axe deals massive damage, it has a relatively slow attack speed.

Long cooldowns: Some of its most powerful abilities have lengthy cooldowns, meaning you'll need to time them carefully.

Reaper Skill Tree: Focus on Single-Target Damage

The Reaper skill tree is designed to deal high damage to individual targets and help players close gaps on fleeing enemies. It emphasizes single-target damage, finishing moves, and mobility.

1. Charge

Charge forward up to 15 meters, dealing damage upon impact.

Effective for both gap closing and escaping dangerous situations. In PvP, this ability helps catch up with fleeing opponents or quickly cover ground.

Grit: Provides Grit, preventing you from being staggered during the ability.

You can trigger the attack early by pressing your basic attack button mid-charge. This flexibility allows you to adjust the timing for tactical benefits.

2. Reap

Pulls enemies within 8 meters toward you, dealing damage and staggering them.

If you slot a Carnelian Gem, Reap can act as a taunt in PvE, making it useful for tanks.

While Reap is useful in close-quarters combat, its shorter range makes it less effective than Charge for closing gaps.

3. Execute

Deals 200% weapon damage to targets and an additional 50% damage if the enemy's health is below 50%.

This is a powerful finishing move in PvE but risky in PvP due to its long wind-up time, giving opponents a chance to dodge.

If the target's health is below 30%, Execute guarantees a critical hit, making it extremely lethal when timed correctly.

Capstone: Blood Lust

Increases your movement speed by 20% and damage by 15% when an enemy is within 14 meters.

Blood Lust shines in PvP, especially against ranged or kiting opponents, as it helps you close gaps quickly while also boosting your damage.

Mauler Skill Tree: Focus on AoE Damage and Crowd Control

The Mauler skill tree is the AoE powerhouse of the Great Axe, providing abilities that excel at dealing damage to groups of enemies and controlling the battlefield. Here's a breakdown of its abilities:

1. Whirlwind

Perform up to four spins, striking enemies multiple times within a short radius.

Best used in PvE when surrounded by a group of enemies, especially when upgraded to increase spins and damage.

Its damage output is relatively low without significant upgrades, making it less effective in PvP.

2. Maelstrom

Pulls enemies toward you while dealing damage in a wide AoE.

Maelstrom has a quick cast time and is extremely effective in both PvE and PvP for controlling enemies.

Like Reap, Maelstrom can also be used as a taunt with a Carnelian Gem, making it valuable for tanks.

3. Gravity Well

Throws a projectile that creates a vortex, pulling enemies into its radius and rooting them for 1 second. Enemies inside are also slowed by 60%.

Gravity Well is a standout ability in PvP for locking down groups of enemies or preventing them from escaping. Its utility is somewhat less in PvE, though still useful for crowd control.

Capstone: Mauler's Fury

Effect: Boosts your damage by 3% per attack, stacking up to 10 times for a total of 30% increased damage.

Synergy: This capstone pairs well with Whirlwind and Maelstrom, allowing you to ramp up damage quickly, especially in group combat.

Weapon Pairings

The Great Axe pairs excellently with other Strength-based weapons for synergized builds:

War Hammer: Another Strength-scaling weapon, the War Hammer complements the Great Axe by offering additional crowd control abilities like stuns and knockdowns. Its strike damage also counters enemies' resistance to slashing damage, providing both PvP and PvE versatility.

Hatchet: The Hatchet is a fast, Strength-scaling weapon that excels in melee combat but also provides ranged attacks with its throwing ability. The Berserk ability offers healing and a movement speed boost, making it useful for escaping or catching enemies.

Armor Recommendations

Heavy Armor: Provides excellent protection and is highly recommended, particularly in PvP, where survivability is crucial when charging into groups of enemies.

Medium Armor: Offers a balance between mobility and defense, allowing you to perform the dodge roll while still providing good protection. It's a viable choice for PvE when you need some mobility to dodge boss mechanics but still want solid defense.

Light Armor: In rare PvE cases, you might opt for light armor for the damage bonus, but this is only advisable when you have strong healing support, as the reduced protection can make you vulnerable.

The Great Axe is an incredibly versatile weapon in New World, excelling in both PvE and PvP scenarios. Its combination of AoE damage, crowd control, and gap closers make it one of the best weapons for melee combat. Whether you prefer to single out enemies with the Reaper skill tree or control groups with the Mauler skill tree, the Great Axe can adapt to various playstyles.

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