New World Season 10 Nightheaven Top 5 Weapons

As New World Aeternum dives into the shadowy depths of Season 10: Nighthaven, the combat landscape is evolving faster than a corrupted beast in the wilds. With the level cap hitting 70 and gear scores pushing to 800, players are scrambling to adapt to fresh mechanics like infix perks and set bonuses that promise to redefine skirmishes and raids alike.

If you're knee-deep in gearing up, why not make it easier by bookmarking MMOJUGG for all your Aeternum insights? And while you're at it, swing by our New World Aeternum shop to snag some Gold Coins, Trophies, matrix, and more—perfect for fueling that next upgrade without the grind.

Ranged Weapons: The Sniper's Nightmare Reloaded

Season 10's Nighthaven update spotlights ranged weapons like the Bow, Musket, and Blunderbuss as absolute game-changers, especially in PvP where burst potential can turn the tide of an Outpost Rush or Arena brawl. These thrust-damage dealers thrive on the new infix perks, which act like mini-artifacts bolted onto your gear for that extra edge. Take Close Quarters, for instance: it amps ranged light and heavy attacks by 20% when you're within 10 meters, but slaps on a 5% incoming damage penalty. For Blunderbuss users, this is pure chaos—imagine closing the gap and unloading a shotgun blast that feels like a point-blank freight train.

It's less ideal for pure snipers on Musket or Bow who prefer distance, but if an enemy gets cheeky and rushes you, this perk sends them spiraling into the void. Stack that with Alternating Enchantment, and you're cooking with umbral shards. Basic attacks now trigger bonus damage on your next ability, and vice versa, with the exact multiplier still tuning up but rumored to hit high percentages—think 10–15% bumps that chain into devastating combos. Blunderbuss mains will salivate over this, especially when paired with the Enraged Set's one-piece perk, which lets you build stacks within 13 meters for absurd damage spikes. The catch? You're playing aggressive, so expect to eat some hits, but the payoff is nuking foes before they blink.

Offensive slots seal the deal here. Thrust Harnessing II gives a flat 2.5% damage hike to lights and heavies, synergizing beautifully with Enchanted II (1.8–2.3% more to basics) or Vicious II (2.3–3% crit damage). Go full glass cannon with Keen II for 3.2–4% crit chance, and you're primed to vaporize squishies. For headshot hunters, Keenly Jagged II or Keenly Empowered II procs bleeds or 10–13% empower on crits, filling the empowerment void these weapons often suffer from. Sundering Stacks II adds rend layers up to 5 times for 3.2–4% each, while Keen Speed II dishes 12–15% haste on crits—Blunderbuss, with its near-guaranteed hits, could run this for near-permanent speed boosts, turning you into an untouchable blender of lead.

Don't sleep on armor tweaks either. Sacrificial Empowerment II trades 1.2–1.5% base damage per piece for a 0.79–1% armor dip—ranged glass cannons laugh at the downside, stacking it to max for uncapped base damage gains (unlike empower, which caps hard). Trinkets got a broad nerf, dropping specialization efficiency by about 5%, but that's an indirect win for thrust abusers. Slap Cursed Enchantment on your ring for +10% basic attack damage (at -10% to abilities), which these weapons exploit mercilessly. Layer in Enchanted Totality or Attacks for even more light/heavy love, crowning you the one-shot sovereign.

Weapon Pairings

Infernal Blunderbuss is set to explode—Inferno now scales B-tier with both INT and STR, making it a PvP monster for strength-focused builds.

For PvE, Lifetaker Musket shines with self-buffs and the Shooter's Stance tweak (slight damage uptick), pumping out sustained DPS on bosses. Bow pairs killer with Finisher for 15% bleed amp or Lifetaker for DoT ticks on hits. Oh, and the Musket's artifact got a glow-up: Shrapnel swaps headshot procs for any crit, spreading DoTs like wildfire—PvE farmers, rejoice.

PvE Melee: From Finisher Blues to Fresh Carnage

PvE in Nighthaven isn't just about tanking hits anymore; it's a DPS frenzy fueled by artifacts and sets that reward risky plays. Rapier hangs on despite Finisher's gutting, thanks to Doran's Blade—a fresh artifact that gobbles all burn stacks on heavy attacks, dumping 30% DoT into an instant nuke (up to three stacks at 10% each). It's like Finisher 2.0 for burn builders, tearing through expeditions without the old cooldown woes.

Serenity steals the show for raw output, though snagging it from the PvP track means casuals might grind tears. This artifact maxes heavy attack chains for obscene multipliers, perfect for methodical boss melts. Inferno pairs as the off-hand king, boosting secondary weapon damage by 15% inside 15 meters—slap it on Greatsword or Hatchet for greedy melee swaps that shred elites.

Hatchet emerges as a PvE beast via the Enraged Set: at five pieces, you hit 25% damage from enrage stacks, plus 8% more below 70% health for a 33% total surge. Berserker's Undeath clause revives you from zero, letting you YOLO into full-greed mode without fear. Greatsword laps this up too, with an Enraged heavy that chews three stacks for +20% damage, stacking with enchanted sets for light/heavy overkill. This meta ditches the old Finisher monopoly for a buffet of Serenity, Inferno, and Rapier spice—raids like the new Isle of Night will never be the same.

PvP Standouts: Tanky Swings and Debuff Nightmares

PvP gets gritty with defensive layers on offense-heavy weapons. Greatsword looks tankier than ever if Sturdy Fortification II slots in: 6.28–8% fortify per block (max three stacks), and in Defiance Stance's perpetual block, that's near-100% uptime. Pair with Prolonged Favor II for 7.9–10% longer self-buffs, and you're a blocking fortress dishing heavies.

Void Gauntlet (affectionately "Voya" to vets) counters buffs like a pro via Nullifying Oblivion Orb, slashing enemy buff duration in a radius while amping debuffs by 30%. It's gold for DoT stackers in PvP or PvE, turning your poisons into lingering horrors.

Flail buffs its artifacts into oblivion, especially with Powerful Eruption: 16% damage per impairment stack (up to three for 48%). With ability multipliers ramping in Nighthaven, trip-erupt chains become unblockable cheese—impair, erupt, repeat for crowd control hell.

Quick hits: Gravity Well Bow artifact drops soon, slinging map-wide pulls for war chaos in OPRs and Arenas. Warhammer goes full rend-bot with Sundering Destiny II, Shotwave, and Clear Out—three rends on one swing for 20% armor shred over six seconds, flipping zerg clashes in raids or PvP.

Season Pass Perks to Accelerate Your Grind

While you're theorycrafting these builds, the Nighthaven Season Pass sweetens the pot. The free track dishes 100 levels of goodies like EXP boosters, Gypsum Orbs, faction tokens, and even the S10 Hatchet Artifact at level 20—prime for that Enraged setup.

Premium (20,000 Marks of Fortune) unlocks exclusives: weapon skins (e.g., Enigma Red Hatchet), mount attachments, and bundles of Azoth Vials plus proficiency boosters to fast-track your gear score. Both tracks mix cosmetics like dyes and emotes with progression fuel, so whether you're free-to-play or investing, there's loot to chase across 10 segments.

FAQs on New World Aeternum Season 10 Weapon

Q: Are infix perks like Close Quarters equippable on all ranged weapons?

A: Yes, but they shine on thrust-based ones like Bow, Musket, and Blunderbuss. They're standalone on gear pieces, so slot wisely to avoid wasting sockets—up to four per item now.

Q: How does the Enraged Set change Hatchet PvE viability?

A: Massively—it stacks 25% damage at five pieces, plus 8% below 70% health, totaling 33%. With Undeath on Berserk, you can dip low safely for max output on bosses.

Q: What's the big nerf to trinkets in Season 10?

A: Base specialization dropped ~5%, making broad stats like +10% damage on rings more vital. Cursed Enchantment still rules for basic attack abusers.

Q: Can I mix Enraged Set pieces with other bonuses?

A: Absolutely—thresholds hit at 2/4 or 3/5 pieces, so blend with sets like Stifling for hybrid PvP/PvE without full commits.

Q: Is the Musket artifact worth chasing for PvE now?

A: Definitely—Shrapnel procs DoTs on crits, not just headshots, spreading damage in groups. Pair with Lifetaker for self-sustain in long fights.

Thanks for Reading

There you have it—a deep dive into Nighthaven's weapon shake-up that's got us all theorycrafting late into the night. Keep an eye on MMOJUGG for more Aeternum breakdowns as the meta settles.