Weapon Skill Tree Breakdown

Every weapon in New World has two skill trees that possess 3 active abilities and 16 passive abilities. As a player levels up a weapon, they unlock skill points that can be distributed into an active or passive ability – but there is a caveat. In order to unlock an ability or passive in the 2nd or onward row, the player must have first selected an ability or passive in the previous row. Taking a look at the graphic below, for example: if a player wants to obtain the Ice Storm ability in the Ice Tempest tree of the Ice Gauntlet, they must first select the ability or one of the two passives in the first row (Cold Reach, Ice Spikes, Critical Rejuvenation). In this example, the player chose the Cold Reach passive after reaching weapon level 2, which allowed them to obtain the Ice Storm ability. These abilities and passives forge the playstyle for every player in New World and all weapons will grant access to unique abilities and passives (click here to check out our Build Maker).

Active abilities, compared to passive abilities, force the player’s character to do something actively. Shooter’s Stance, for example, is an active ability that forces the player’s character into a kneeling position that reduces the musket reload speed by 75%. Taking a loot at the graphic to the right, there are two passives underneath Shooter’s Stance: Shoot More and Marksman. These ability passives behave like normal passives but act as a buff for that specific ability and are only allowed once the specific ability has been chosen. Because a player is allowed a maximum of 3 abilities, ability passives are usually worth the skill point.

Because a weapon starts at level 1, there are a total of 19 skill points that can be spent in any way the player likes. New World has incentivized the testing of different abilities and passives by allowing the player to change their skill points for free before weapon level 10; after weapon level 10, it will cost Azoth that increases depending on character level. At weapon level 10, it will cost the player 25 Azoth to reset their skill tree – at weapon level 20, it will cost the player 200 Azoth to reset their skill tree. Because of this, it is highly recommended that players test out different builds before hitting level 10 mastery.

It is important to note that the final passive in either tree of a weapon tree is usually very powerful, but only one of the two may be selected. That is because these final passives in either tree require at least one passive or ability in the previous row and a total of 10 attribute points spent in that specific tree. For example, the final ultimate in the Impaler skill tree for the Spear, Exploited Weakness, provides an incredible potential 30% damage increase. Unless a player is looking for a very niche and specific build, these final ultimate’s will almost always provide a great overall power increase. With only 19 available skill points, it would be wise to do some research on the higher tiered abilities and passives before selecting the earlier level ones.

As a player journeys through Aeternum, they will, and should, feel inclined to test and try out various types of weapons. Every weapon in New World offers a unique playstyle for the player and extends even beyond that with two separate trees. Depending on what the player is doing in New World, their build will be very different. For example, a PvP build will focus mainly on CC abilities while a PvE build will focus mainly on high damaging abilities. If you are interested in theorycrafting, we recommend checking out our Build Maker. This Build Maker will allow you to test out different builds and find the right fit for your playstyle. We also have PvP and PvE builds for every weapon if you would like to use those for inspiration.