New World Aeternum Leveling Weapon Tier List

Whether you're a new or returning player in New World, selecting the right weapon for leveling can make your journey through Aeternum much smoother. While there are no inherently bad weapons, some perform better than others when it comes to leveling efficiency, allowing you to breeze through mobs and quests. 

This guide breaks down the best weapons for leveling, explaining their strengths and weaknesses to help you make an informed choice.

The Fire Staff stands out as one of the best weapons for leveling due to its high single-target and AoE (Area of Effect) damage. Its range makes it easy to pull mobs from a distance, which is incredibly valuable when questing in crowded zones. One of the Fire Staff's key advantages is that it kills most enemies before they even reach you, so the lack of self-sustain and CC (Crowd Control) abilities doesn't pose a major issue during leveling. Its only drawback is its reliance on Intelligence (INT), making it harder to pair with other popular leveling weapons. However, as a solo weapon, it's incredibly powerful.

The Hatchet was once the king of leveling, primarily because it used to offer a reliable self-heal. While that ability has been nerfed, it now relies on life-steal, which means you'll need to actively fight to heal. Despite this change, the Hatchet remains a strong leveling choice thanks to its high single-target damage and staggers immunity, making it easier to farm mobs without interruption. It also scales with Strength and Dexterity, making it versatile for pairing with other melee or ranged weapons. The Hatchet's ranged attack options also give it flexibility in pulling mobs, further adding to its appeal for early-game leveling.

The Spear offers a great combination of crowd control, bleeds, and debuffs, making it a strong choice for leveling. With abilities like stuns, sweeps, and knockdowns, it can control multiple mobs efficiently, locking them down while dealing solid damage. Like the Hatchet, the Spear scales with Strength and Dexterity, making it a versatile weapon that pairs well with other leveling weapons. Additionally, it has a ranged attack with the Javelin ability, though most players skip this in favor of its melee-focused skills during leveling. The Spear is highly effective for quickly locking down tougher mobs and clearing areas.

The Greatsword is a solid all-around weapon that excels in both single-target and AoE damage, making it one of the best choices for leveling. It offers decent defensive capabilities, including self-heals and survivability skills, allowing players to sustain themselves through tougher fights. The Greatsword scales equally with Strength and Dexterity, like the Hatchet and Spear, so it integrates well into mixed-attribute builds. Its ability to transition seamlessly into both PvE and PvP makes it a versatile option that remains relevant even in the late game.

The Life Staff is an excellent choice for leveling due to its unparalleled self-sustain. You essentially never have to worry about your health while wielding the Life Staff, as it allows you to constantly heal yourself. However, its damage output is low, especially in AoE situations, so it's best paired with a secondary weapon that can deal high damage. For players planning to participate in group content like dungeons, the Life Staff makes it easier to find parties since healers are always in demand. The downside is that gearing for Life Staff leveling can be tricky, as you'll need Focus gems for your secondary weapon to maximize its effectiveness.

The Sword and Shield combo is a solid choice, especially for players looking to dabble in tanking while leveling. It scales with Strength and Dexterity, making it a good match for weapons like the Spear and Hatchet. While it doesn't deal the highest damage compared to other weapons in the same tier, it offers solid AoE damage. It has recently seen ability overhauls that make it more viable for leveling. The Sword and Shield also provide the option to tank early-game dungeons, which can be a valuable role for new players.

The Great Axe offers a mix of AoE and single-target damage, along with some self-sustain through abilities like Reap. Although it lacks a true ranged attack, Reap allows you to pull mobs in from a short distance, making managing larger groups of enemies easier. The Great Axe's strength lies in its high mobility and quick mob-clearing capabilities, which can make leveling faster. The Charge ability lets you move swiftly between mobs, reducing downtime between kills, which is particularly useful when completing kill quests.

While the Rapier is a fantastic weapon for high-level PvE content, it doesn't shine as much during the leveling process. Its full potential is only unlocked after progressing far enough down the skill tree and obtaining the right perks, such as Leeching Flurry. This reliance on specific abilities and perks makes it harder to use effectively early on. However, the Rapier offers very high single-target damage and decent self-sustain once the build is complete, making it a solid choice for advanced players who know how to maximize its potential.

The Bow is another strong contender for leveling, especially in crowded early-game zones where players are competing for mobs. Its range allows you to tag enemies from a distance, ensuring you get credit for kills even when multiple players fight over the same targets. The Bow excels in single-target damage and provides some mobility, which is less important now that mounts are available but can still be helpful. When paired with Dexterity-based weapons like the Spear or Rapier, the Bow offers a solid leveling experience.

The Ice Gauntlet is a decent ranged weapon with good single-target and AoE damage, though it functions more as a utility weapon. It pairs well with the Fire Staff, offering additional crowd control and burst damage with abilities like Ice Storm and Ice Spike. However, its lack of mobility and burst damage compared to other weapons in this tier makes it a bit slower for leveling. The Ice Gauntlet does offer excellent crowd control, which can be useful for surviving tougher fights.

The Void Gauntlet shines when paired with the Life Staff for leveling, as it partially scales with Focus. It provides a mix of melee (Void Blade) and ranged attacks, giving players flexibility in different combat scenarios. While it doesn't offer the burst damage of the Fire Staff, its utility and sustain make it a strong choice for players focusing on healing builds during leveling.

The War Hammer is another solid option for AoE damage and crowd control. Its effectiveness in soloing tougher PvE content becomes apparent later in the game once players can access specific perks like Trenching Recovery. However, it lacks the consistent damage and utility of other weapons in higher tiers during the early leveling process. The War Hammer excels in group content, making it a great secondary weapon for dungeons or expeditions.

Once considered a poor choice for PvE, the Musket has seen improvements that make it more viable for leveling. With abilities like Sticky Bomb and Powder Burn, the Musket offers decent damage and the ability to pull mobs from long distances. While it's still not as effective as other ranged weapons like the Bow or Fire Staff, it's a solid choice for players who enjoy the Musket's playstyle and prefer to keep their distance from enemies.

The Blunderbuss offers high burst damage and decent AoE, but its lack of self-sustainability and mobility makes it less effective for leveling than other weapons. It pairs best with Strength-based melee weapons like the Great Axe but is more commonly used in PvP builds. The Blunderbuss is a situational weapon that can be fun to play but isn't the most efficient for leveling.

The Flail is a unique weapon with good AoE damage and debuffs, but it lacks the raw power and utility of other weapons in the same tier. It takes longer to reach its full potential, making it a weaker early-leveling choice. However, it can still be effective when paired with the right secondary weapon and build.

Choosing the right weapon for leveling in New World Aternum depends on your playstyle and the attributes you want to focus on. While the Fire Staff, Hatchet, Spear, and Greatsword stand out as the top performers, other weapons like the Life Staff and Bow offer strong alternatives depending on your preferences. Ultimately, all weapons in New World are viable for leveling, but this tier list highlights those that can make your journey through Aeternum faster and more enjoyable.

Stay tuned with MMOJUGG for more news and guides for New World Aeternum!