New World Season 10 Nighthaven All Weapons Guide

As New World Aeternum dives deeper into the shadowy enigmas of Season 10: Nighthaven, the ancient zone's catacombs and fallen kingdoms are calling players to unearth forgotten powers—and that means rethinking your arsenal.

With dual weapon scaling shaking up attribute investments, fresh mastery perks adding layers to every swing, and the new Isle of Night raid demanding coordinated chaos, choosing the right weapon feels more vital than ever.

Whether you're chaining CC in PvP skirmishes or stacking debuffs on hulking bosses, this guide breaks down each weapon's strengths, synergies, and Season 10 tweaks to help you carve your path through the gloom. If you're gearing up for Nighthaven's mysteries, why not bookmark MMOJUGG for all your Aeternum updates? Swing by our New World Aeternum shop to grab some Gold Coins, Trophies, matrix, and more to boost your adventure.

Rapier: The Duelist's Dance of Precision and Burst

Rapier remains a cornerstone for players who thrive on agility and outmaneuvering foes, blending elegant footwork with lethal precision in close-quarters clashes. In Season 10, its dual scaling—primarily dexterity with a touch of intelligence—opens doors to hybrid setups that reward clever attribute juggling, especially past the 350 dexterity threshold where intelligence kicks in for extra punch without heavy diminishing returns.

Light armor amplifies its mobility edge, letting you dodge and weave like a shadow, while medium armor offers a tankier twist for sustained brawls. Its skill trees split into Blood for raw, devastating bursts (think Bloody End's capstone, a PvE powerhouse despite PvP counters) and Grace for evasive mastery, where Reposte counters threats and Evade resets attacks for aggressive chains. Season 10's new mastery perks like Keen Tondo II boost critical hits on bleeding or weakened targets, making it deadlier in duels.

Pair it with the musket for a dex/int sniper-melee hybrid that shreds at range before closing in, or the bow for mid-range kiting that keeps pressure constant. For melee purists, the spear adds tracking and CC to cover the rapier's blind spots.

A standout tip: Master Evade not just for damage but as an animation cancel—slip out of any rapier skill mid-cast to mix up your rhythm, dodge incoming hits, and chain into bursts that leave opponents guessing. In Nighthaven's vertical ruins, this fluidity turns ambushes into your playground.

Sword and Shield: The Versatile Guardian of Frontlines

No weapon combo screams reliability like sword and shield, a staple in both PvE raids and PvP wars for its unmatched utility and role flexibility. Scaling with strength and dexterity, it dominates endgame slots—up to three in 10-player raids for debuff extension via Perk One, or 10–20 in wars for tanking and disruption.

Season 10 enhances this with Contagious Upheaval II, spreading debuffs for team-wide chaos, and Fortifying Shield Rush II for grit-building fortify stacks.

In PvE, it's the debuff extender supreme; stack two for infinite durations on bosses. PvP shines in builds like sword-hatchet for assassin chases, sword-great axe for gap-closing frenzy, sword-spear for CC lockdown, or pure tank with Defensive Formation's aura reducing ally damage taken. Medium or heavy armor fits its tanky core, with light for hybrid damage dips.

Pro move: Chain a heavy attack into abilities like Shield Rush for extended lunge range—cancel the recovery to tag distant targets without committing fully. In the new Tower of Calomel OPR map's layered arenas, this reach control turns vertical fights into your domain.

Hatchet: The Frenzied Multi-Tool of Haste and Survivability

Hatchet's wild versatility lets it slot into nearly any build, from offhand utility to main-hand berserker, dishing haste, fortify, rend, exhaust, and more. Strength-scaling with Season 10's dual tweaks, it pairs seamlessly across archetypes, thriving in OPR, 3v3s, open-world ganks, and even Angry Earth PvE with the right setup.

New perks like Crippling Feral Rush II add slows and damage amps, perfect for aggressive dives.

As a main hand with sword and shield, Berserk unleashes blistering speed and power for hyper-aggressive play. Light or medium armor keeps you nimble. Pair with great axe for chase builds, flail for CC-heavy support, or warhammer for bruiser zergs. Its Defy Death passive makes it beginner-friendly, turning lethal hits into second chances.

Key advice: Lean into the haste stacks from Rending Throw and Berserk—time your engages to overwhelm before foes react. In Nighthaven's catacombs, where tight spaces amplify close-range frenzy, hatchet turns procedural traps into kill zones.

Flail: The Empowering Anchor for Team Sustain

Flail, often wielded one-handed with a shield for utility or solo for self-heals, focuses on strength scaling with focus for healing output in Season 10's healer meta.

It claims 1–2 slots in 50-man wars and raids via Leader of the Pack's empower boosts and Arcane Vortex's flowing stability for ally CC immunity—lifesavers in chain-stun hellscapes.

PvP favors support roles: flail-life staff for fortify/weaken synergy, flail-void gauntlet for buff/debuff overload, or flail-warhammer for stun-combo assassinations with Arcane Eruption. In PvE, it's mandatory for 50% weaken and offhand utility with life staff or sword-shield tanks. New Burdening Smite II extends PvP CDs and penetrates, while Mending Vortex II heals on hits.

Tip: Position Arcane Vortex proactively in teamfights—its stability bubble lets allies push through CC, flipping engagements. For Nighthaven's man-beast hordes, this turns mob swarms into empowered slaughters.

Spear: Tactical Control with Bleed and Lockdown

Spear excels in close-to-mid melee, blending CC, bursts, and bleeds for control-heavy tacticians. Dexterity primary with strength secondary in dual scaling, it hits diminishing returns post-350 dex, so splash strength for hybrid gains.

Light armor for mobile damage, medium for brawling grit. Zoner tree controls space with knockdowns; Impaler sustains via bleeds and debuffs—essential PvE for heavy CC.

Pair with bow for ranged poke-to-lockdown, rapier for duelist mobility, or hatchet for bursty beginner safety. Season 10's Bleeding Sweep II adds bleeds on finishers, Leeching Cyclone II heals multi-target spins.

Pro tip: Chain Vault Kick > Sweep > heavy for stun-knockdown punishes—practice light/heavy weaves for fluid combos. In Isle of Night's puzzle bosses, this lockdown shines for staggering adds.

Great Sword: Stance-Swapping Flexibility and Tempo Mastery

Great sword defines adaptive power, flipping between onslaught offense and defiance defense with a stance swap—every move heavy, every choice rhythmic. Equal strength/dex scaling fits bruiser hybrids; Season 10 bumps base damage to 77 and adds Leeching Crosscut II for scaling lifesteal.

PvE loves its consistent DPS, rend via Sky Slash, weaken from Roaring Rupture.

Pair hatchet for defy-safety aggression, spear/sword-shield for control, or rapier for kiting offense. Medium armor balances its weight.

Advice: Flow with the weapon—commit in onslaught for bursts, defend in defiance for sustain. Master Relentless Rush's root removal for Nighthaven's vertical climbs, turning leaps into strikes.

Great Axe: Strength-Fueled Chase and Cleave

Great axe roars with 100% strength scaling, a chase monster boosted by Season 10's crit multiplier to 1.35 and Crippling Reap II for slows.

Sword-shield for survivable pursuits, warhammer for zerg brawling, flail for CC-chase balance—stat splits key for synergies.

PvE cleaves packs; PvP excels in Enraged Set high-risk stacks. Medium/heavy armor suits its raw power.

Tip: Balance whirlwind fortify with maelstrom weaken—time Reap for slowed chases. Abyss artifact's B-tier STR/INT aids swaps in catacomb ambushes.

Warhammer: Crowd-Shattering Control Hammer

Warhammer's pure strength scaling delivers deliberate, fight-altering impacts—AOE CC king for bruisers and tanks. Season 10 ups base damage to 93, with Empowering Armor Breaker II amping post-block breaks.

Shockwave stuns multiples; Armor Breaker rends huge.

Pair great axe for gravity well pulls into detonations, sword-shield for tank control. Heavy armor maximizes its frontline role.

Strategy: Time Shockwave for tempo swings—pair with sets like Tenacity for grit after staggers. In 10-player Isle of Night, it staggers set-pieces effortlessly.

Bow: Kiting DOTs and Burst from Afar

Bow rules close-mid range with projectile kiting, AOE DOTs, and single-target nukes—dex-only scaling, so max it to 350 before passives in other trees.

Light armor's dodge boost is essential; avoid hip-fire, prioritize heavies for speed/damage. Skirmisher for distance DOTs, Hunter for burst intimacy. Season 10 adds base damage (84) and Enfeebling Poison Shot II weaken.

Pair hatchet for disengage safety, spear for DOT/CC closes, rapier for duelist evasion.

Tip: Weave lights/heavies into abilities for cancels—max burst. Explosive Arrow empowers kiting in Nighthaven's haunted woods.

Blunderbuss: Chaotic Close-Range Nukes

Blunderbuss terrorizes melee with strength/int scaling, two-shot bursts before reloads—reload offhand to stay mobile. Season 10's Exhaustive Net Shot II cripples stamina, Leeching Shrapnel Blast II heals.

Tempest Fury artifact for aggressive sustain, Life Taker for kill chains, Finisher for patient bursts, Sin for debuff tilts.

Perks like plague nades shred heals—dive mid-range, pressure relentlessly. Pair with ice gauntlet for utility escapes.

Tip: Swap offhand during reloads for flow; unending pressure feels unstoppable in OPR towers.

Musket: Ranged Burst with PvE Crossover

Musket delivers sniper bursts from afar, dex/int scaling for low-con DPS. Season 10 tweaks base to 98, crit to 7%, with Crippling Powder Burn II slows.

Pair rapier (kite-safe), void gauntlet (glass-cannon burst), or ice gauntlet (team DPS). Artifacts: Finisher rapier, Life Taker void, Deep Freeze ice.

PvP low-con shines; PvE with rapier rivals top parses.

Tip: Maximize Shooter's Stance empowers—hop builds seamlessly into expeditions.

Fire Staff: Flashy Mana-Fueled Mayhem

Fire staff's int scaling melts at all ranges—backline meteors or burnout dives. Season 10 tunes PvP damage to 15% reduction, but Empowering Meteor Shower II stacks empower.

Juggle mana, perfect cancels, save stamina. Artifacts: Deep Freeze ice for control, Life Taker for aggression, Abyss for brawls. Elemental Charged Set swaps magic/non-magic.

Weave autos into abilities for rhythm—confidence turns casts into spectacles. In Nighthaven story beats, burnout highlights treacherous alliances.

Life Staff: The Dedicated Healer's Lifeline

Life staff, focus-only scaling, turns every light attack into heals—group essential. Season 10's light load +30% outgoing healing, with Unstoppable Divine Embrace II grit.

Sacred Ground amps all heals 50%; PvE: Protection/Beacon for tanks; PvP: Divine Embrace/Splash for focus-fire.

Pair flail/void for PvE support, rapier/hatchet for PvP escapes.

Tip: Pre-place Sacred Ground—prioritize in Arenas' healer limits.

Focused Set boosts outside zones.

Ice Gauntlet: Strategic Frost Dominion

Ice gauntlet's int scaling commands space—Ice Wall roots/rends, Ice Tomb escapes. Season 10's Unbroken Windchill II roots on stacks, Empowered Spike II bursts rooted foes.

Refreshing Frost cycles abilities; pair fire/void/blunderbuss for damage max.

Perks: Healing Tomb for iframes, Unending Thaw for chill uptime.

Tip: Manual tomb breaks grant fortify—command catacomb chaos with precision.

Void Gauntlet: Debuff Utility and Lockdown

Void gauntlet's int/focus scaling strips buffs via Oblivion, locks with Void Scream combos. Season 10's Voracious Blade II lifesteals from low-HP targets, while Putrefying Scream II cuts heals.

PvE offhand tether/essence rupture for solo sustain; endgame life staff swap for debuffs.

PvP: Ice gauntlet for staying power, 4–6 war slots for single-target finishes. Counter with Jyn +4 Invig.

Tip: Switch to offhand for tether weaken—Lifetaker B-tier aids hybrids.

Season Pass Rewards: Fuel Your Grind

Season 10's reward tracks sweeten the grind, with free tiers offering EXP boosters, Gypsum Orbs, and skins like the S10 Hatchet Artifact, while premium unlocks transmogs, mounts like Foxy, and weapon cosmetics such as Curse of Eternity Life Staff for that extra flair.

Stock up on these to customize your Nighthaven legend.

FAQs on New World Season 10 Weapon and Classes

What's the biggest Season 10 change for weapon builds?

Dual scaling across most weapons lets you hybridize attributes more effectively, reducing reliance on single-stats and encouraging creative perk charms and set mixes like Enraged for risky DPS.

Which weapon is best for PvE beginners in Nighthaven?

Hatchet offers easy survivability with Defy Death and versatile utility, pairing well with sword and shield for safe progression through catacombs and expeditions.

How do the new mastery perks affect PvP meta?

They add conditional boosts like slows and empowers (e.g., Exhaustive Net Shot II on blunderbuss), shifting focus to CC chains and elemental synergies over raw power.

Are there free rewards in the Season 10 pass worth chasing?

Absolutely—the free track includes Gypsum Orbs for gear upgrades, faction tokens, and transmogs like Strides of Misfortune Boots, plus EXP boosters to hit level 70 faster.

Can I use the same PvP build in PvE after the update?

Yes, weapons like musket and fire staff crossover seamlessly, but tweak for focus healing on supports and new infix perks for optimized debuff uptime.

Thanks for Reading

Stay sharp, adventurer. As Nighthaven's mysteries deepen and your arsenal evolves, let MMOJUGG be your tactical outpost—bringing you the latest builds, patch breakdowns, and gear strategies to stay ahead of the meta. Whether you're theorycrafting in the catacombs or dominating the Isle of Night, we've got your back.