Best New World Rapier Builds for PvP and PvE

In this New World Best Rapier Builds guide, we will be discussing one of the strongest builds in New World....

In this New World Best Rapier Builds guide, we will be discussing one of the strongest builds in New World. We will be helping you regarding different skill combinations that you need to make to get the most out of Rapiers in New World.

New World Rapier Builds

Rapier Attribute Scaling

The main attributes that Rapier benefits from are Dexterity and Intelligence. Dexterity provides increased damage, survivability and critical hits. It is up to you to put points into them effectively. Although it goes without saying that a small portion of your attribute points should be saved for Constitution, to give out a little health boost.

Rapier Weapon Combinations

Since the Rapier is a melee single enemy focused weapon, it combines best with weapons that provide range and give you area of effect abilities. So, the weapons that pair best with rapiers are:

  • Muskets
  • Bows
  • Fire Staff
  • Ice staff

Strengths and Weaknesses

With the Rapier, the whole focus is on mobility. The goal is to get in and out of combat quickly, and deal huge amounts of damage to a single target. These are its strengths, along with that it works well against Corrupted and Beast mobs.

On the other hand, it being a melee only weapon, having no AoE attacks serve to its disadvantage. It is also weak when facing Lost and Angry Earth enemies.

Rapier and Fire Staff PvP Build

Best Rapier Masteries

Tondo

Slash so quickly that it extends the reach of your blade up to 5 meters which deals 50% of your weapon damage and applies a bleed effect which will continue to deal additional 85% weapon damage over 12 seconds. Bleed is stackable 3 times.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Thirst for Blood: Reduce Tondo’s cooldown by 10% when you apply the first bleed stack to your opponent.
  • And Again: If you hit only one target, even on a blocked hit, Tondo’s cooldown is reduced by 25%.
  • Proper Spacing: Increases initial hit damage from Tondo by 100% if you are at least 4 meters away from your target.

Evade

Perform a small sidestep in the direction you’re currently moving in, which cancels any current activity and grants temporary invincibility. During Evade, you can perform Light Attacks extremely fast.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Breathe In: Grants 20 stamina on use.
  • Allegro: Grants 20% movement speed for 3 seconds on use.
  • Adagio: Evading forward grants you 15% extra damage on your next light attack. Ends on hit or after 1 second.
  • Cresendo: Individual successful light attacks decrease the cooldown of this ability by 30% each.

Fleche

Gives you the ability to lunge forward 10 meters, piercing through enemies in your way, dealing 145% weapon damage.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Quick Lunge: Killing reduces cooldown by 80%.
  • Backside: A critical hit within 5 seconds of performing fleche deals 15% more damage.
  • Interruption: pressing a light attack during fleche will cause a single attack in continuation dealing 115% damage.

General Passives

  • Unerring: Deal 5% more damage to targets with a rapier bleed.
  • Engarde: Deals 10% extra damage when your target has more than 50% health.
  • Red Curtains: Cooldowns are decreased by 5% whenever you land a critical strike.
  • Perfectionist: Deal 10% more damage when your health is full.
  • Swiftness: Each hit grants +3% Haste for 3 seconds (up to 15%).
  • Momentum: Deal 30% more damage on one hit, for 3 seconds after performing an ability.

Best Fire Staff Masteries

Fireball

Shoot a heavy fireball that deals 140% weapon damage. Leaves a burning field on impact area, that lasts 6 seconds and deals 10% weapon damage. Along with this get its first passive ability Scorched Earth, to increase the burning effect’s duration to 9 seconds.

Incinerate

Causes a fiery explosion around you, that deals 130% weapon damage. Enemies are pushed back 3 meters, and deals burning damage for 6.0 seconds. Get its 3 passives from its tree branch as well;

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Scorched: more stacks for each incinerate hit.
  • Cauterize Wounds: Heals for 20% of ability damage.
  • Flame Out: causes incinerate to have two waves

Burn Out

Dash forward through enemies, dealing 129% weapon damage and burning for 8 seconds for 10% weapon damage. Along with its passive:

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • All in: reduces Fire staff cooldowns for each enemy passed through.
  • Heat it Up: Burn out is 50% faster.

General Passives

  • Spell Focus: Heavy attacks restore 5% mana.
  • Clear Mind: Gains empower while holing fire staff and over 50% mana
  • Singe: light attacks leave foes burning for 3% weapon damage for 6 secs
  • Spellslinger: Abilities have increased critical chance.
  • Flare: Heavy attacks don’t consume mana
  • Prophet of Fire: Increases crit damage by 15.
  • Pyromania: gains +15% damage while holing fire staff and over 50% HP
  • Let it Burn: Burns now cause you to gain fortify for 2 secs.
  • Watch it Burn: Critical strikes now burn target for 6 seconds and 3% damage.
  • Combat Speed: Using abilities hastens you for 5 seconds.

Attributes

You need Intelligence with this build, to make the most out of your abilities and ensuring you survive long enough to cast them. Hence the distribution is as follows:

  • Dexterity: 50
  • Constitution: 110
  • Strength: 5
  • Intelligence: 300
  • Focus: 5

Recommended Armor

  • Voidbent Breastplate
  • Primeval Omega Light Gloves of the scholar
  • Voidbent Leggings
  • Primeval Omega Light Boots of the scholar

Rapier and Fire Staff PvE Build

This build focuses more on covering up the weaknesses of the rapier with fire spells when exploring out in the New World.

Rapier Best Masteries

Riposte

Go into a defensive stance for 1 second. If attacked during this stance, counter the attack and stun the attacker for 1.5 seconds. A successful Riposte makes you invincible momentarily.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Insult to Injury: If the Riposte is activated successfully, all your attacks become uninterruptible for 3 seconds.
  • Priority: Decreases the cooldown of other Rapier abilities by 20% when landing a Riposte stun.
  • Lasting Consequence: The stun from Riposte is increased to 2 seconds.

Evade

Perform a small sidestep in the direction you’re currently moving in, which cancels any current activity and grants temporary invincibility. During Evade, you can perform Light Attacks extremely fast.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Breathe In: Grants 20 stamina on use.
  • Allegro: Grants 20% movement speed for 3 seconds on use.
  • Adagio: Evading forward grants you 15% extra damage on your next light attack. Ends on hit or after 1 second.
  • Cresendo: Individual successful light attacks decrease the cooldown of this ability by 30% each.

Fleche

Gives you the ability to lunge forward 10 meters, piercing through enemies in your way, dealing 145% weapon damage.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Quick Lunge: Killing reduces cooldown by 80%.
  • Backside: A critical hit within 5 seconds of performing fleche deals 15% more damage.
  • Interruption: pressing a light attack during fleche will cause a single attack in continuation dealing 115% damage.

General Passives

For this build we will take all of the passives from the Grace skill tree, leaving out only Controlled breathing, and replacing it with Engarde. Which will be the only passive taken from the Blood skill tree.

Fire Staff Best Masteries

Meteor Shower

Calls down a rain of meteors that rain on target area for 6 seconds. Which deals an initial AoE damage for 6 seconds. Get this along with all its passives:

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Immolation: Gives 1% mana back for each target hit.
  • Fiery determination: Gives you grit (stagger resistance) while casting meteor shower
  • Judgement of Helios: All hits after initial impact do 25% weapon damage.

Fireball

Shoot a heavy fireball that deals 140% weapon damage. Leaves a burning field on impact, that lasts 6 seconds and deals 10% weapon damage. Along with this get its passives:

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Scorched Earth, to increase the burning effect’s duration to 9 seconds.
  • Catch: Direct Hits give you 10% mana regen and reduce cooldowns on fire staff abilities by 7%

Incinerate

Causes a fiery explosion around you, that deals 130% weapon damage. Enemies are pushed back 3 meters, and deals burning damage for 6.0 seconds. Get its 3 passives from its tree branch as well;

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Scorched: More stacks for each incinerate hit.
  • Cauterize Wounds: Heals for 20% of ability damage.
  • Flame Out: Causes incinerate to have two waves

General Passives

  • Spell Focus: Heavy attacks restore 5% mana.
  • Fiery Restoration: Heavy attacks reduce fire staff cooldowns by 10%
  • Singe: Light attacks leave foes burning for 3% weapon damage for 6 secs
  • Spellslinger: Abilities have increased critical chance.
  • Flare: Heavy attacks don’t consume mana
  • Prophet of Fire: Increases crit damage by 15.
  • Clear Casting: If you spend 3 seconds without taking any damage, you deal 5% more damage
  • Pyromania: Gains +15% damage while holding fire staff and over 50% HP

Attribute Distribution

This build relies a lot on the fire spells, and is even more dependent on intelligence and mana, with the rapier serving as more of a backup weapon in case any enemies get too close.

  • Dexterity: 5
  • Constitution: 130
  • Strength: 5
  • Intelligence: 315
  • Focus: 5

Recommended Armor

We will be going with light armor for this build.

  • Syndicate Alchemist Jacket of the Occultist
  • Syndicate Alchemist Handcovers of the Occultist
  • Syndicate Alchemist Leggings of the Occultist
  • Syndicate Alchemist Footwear of the Occultist

Rapier & Musket PvP Build

The following are some of the strengths and weaknesses that the players need to consider for this particular PvP build if you have Rapier as your main weapon.

For the secondary, we will be using Musket in this build to provide you with range while not compromising on any damage. With this PvP build we will be focusing on dealing massive damage and restraining your opponent’s movements.

Best Rapier Masteries

For this build, you need to unlock the following masteries from the Rapier skill trees.

Riposte

Go into a defensive stance for 1 second. If attacked during this stance, counter the attack and stun the attacker for 1.5 seconds. A successful Riposte makes you invincible momentarily.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Insult to Injury: If the Riposte is activated successfully, all your attacks become uninterruptible for 3 seconds.
  • Priority: Decreases the cooldown of other Rapier abilities by 20% when landing a Riposte stun.
  • Lasting Consequence: The stun from Riposte is increased to 2 seconds.

Evade

Perform a small sidestep in the direction you’re currently moving which cancels any current activity and grants temporary invincibility. During Evade, you can perform Light Attacks extremely fast.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Breathe In: Grants 20 stamina on use.
  • Allegro: Grants 20% movement speed for 3 seconds on use.
  • Adagio: Evading forward grants you 15% extra damage on your next light attack. Ends on hit or after 1 second.
  • Crescendo: Individual successful light attacks decrease the cooldown of this ability by 30% each.

Fleche

Gives you the ability to lunge forward 10 meters, piercing through enemies in your way, dealing 145% weapon damage.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Quick Lunge: Killing reduces cooldown by 80%.
  • Backside: A critical hit within 5 seconds of performing fleche deals 15% more damage.
  • Interruption: pressing a light attack during fleche will cause a single attack in continuation dealing 115% damage.

General Passives

The general passives from the Rapier skill trees that you need to unlock for this build are:

  • Refreshing Strikes: Decreases all cooldowns by 1% on any hit.
  • Engarde: Deals 10% extra damage when your target has more than 50% health.
  • Desperation: All attacks dealt when stamina is below 40% deal 10% more damage.
  • Swiftness: Each hit grants +3% Haste for 3 seconds (up to 15%).
  • Red Curtain: Critical strikes decrease all cooldowns by 5%.

Best Musket Masteries

For this build, you need to unlock the following masteries from the Musket skill trees.

Powder Burn

Causes your next shot with the Musket to deal 110% weapon damage and inflict Burn on the target that deals 20% weapon damage per second for the next 9 seconds. Does not stack or add onto other overload shots.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Backdraft: Standard shots from the Musket deal 12% bonus damage if the target is on fire.

Traps

Place a trap that lasts for 20 seconds. When activated, makes the target Rooted, immobilizing the target for 3 seconds.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Trapped Damage: Traps now also apply Rend to the target, increasing damage to the trapped targets by 20% for 3 seconds.
  • Scent of Blood: When dealing damage to trapped targets, regen 100% of weapon damage done as health.
  • Double Trap: Allows you to have two active traps.

Stopping power

Overloads your musket causing the next shot to deal 120% damage, staggering and knocking back target 3 meters.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Lasting Impression: Reduces target’s stamina regeneration by 10% for 8s.
  • Supplementary Repulsion: Targets are slowed by 10% for 8 seconds.

General Passives

The general passives from the Musket skill trees that you need to unlock for this build are:

  • Critical Reload: Landing 3 headshots within 5 seconds grants an instant reload
  • Ballistic Advantage: Damage fall off from standard Musket shots on targets 50 or more meters away is now removed.
  • Hit Your Mark: The further the target is from you, the greater headshot and critical hit damage you will deal to them. Damage goes up to +15% at up to 100 meters away.
  • Called shot resupply: headshots reduce cooldowns by 10%.
  • Hustle: Grants Haste when you Dodge, increasing movement speed by 10% for 3 seconds.
  • Tactical Reload: Musket is automatically reloaded whenever you Dodge. Has a 6 second cooldown.
  • Kick ‘em When They’re Down: Deal 10% more damage to enemies with an active crowd control status effect such as Root or Stun.
  • Salt on The Wounds: Deal 10% increased damage to targets below 30% health.
  • Weakened Defense: Targets blocking with shields take 50% more stamina damage, and targets without shields take 10% increased armor penetration.
  • Lethal Combo: Increases musket damage by 20% to targets effected by the trapper tree status effects.

Attribute Distribution

The distribution of attributes is also very important. The players will want to give most of their points to Dexterity, Rapier scales with Dexterity so most of your damage will come from that. But for this build we want to cover a bit of focus, intelligence and constitution too.

With the points from leveling up, your stats should like something like this

  • Dexterity: 125 points
  • Constitution: 45 points
  • Strength: 29 points
  • Intelligence: 17 points
  • Focus: 29 points

Recommended Armor

For this build, we recommend you use the following gear:

  • Covenant Adjudicator Helm of the Barbarian
  • Covenant Adjudicator Breast plate of the Barbarian
  • Covenant Adjudicator Gloves of the Barbarian
  • Covenant Adjudicator Leggings of the Barbarian
  • Covenant Adjudicator Shoes of the Barbarian

Rapier and Bow PvE Build

This build gives players using rapiers some much needed long-distance attacks and more AoE coverage to help dealing with groups of enemies.

Best Rapier Masteries

For this build, you need to unlock the following masteries from the Rapier skill trees.

Riposte

Go into a defensive stance for 1 second. If attacked during this stance, counter the attack and stun the attacker for 1.5 seconds. A successful Riposte makes you invincible momentarily.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Insult to Injury: If the Riposte is activated successfully, all your attacks become uninterruptible for 3 seconds.
  • Priority: Decreases the cooldown of other Rapier abilities by 20% when landing a Riposte stun.
  • Lasting Consequence: The stun from Riposte is increased to 2 seconds.

Evade

Perform a small sidestep in the direction you’re currently moving in, which cancels any current activity and grants temporary invincibility. During Evade, you can perform Light Attacks extremely fast.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Breathe In: Grants 20 stamina on use.
  • Allegro: Grants 20% movement speed for 3 seconds on use.
  • Adagio: Evading forward grants you 15% extra damage on your next light attack. Ends on hit or after 1 second.
  • Cresendo: Individual successful light attacks decrease the cooldown of this ability by 30% each.

Fleche

Gives you the ability to lunge forward 10 meters, piercing through enemies in your way, dealing 145% weapon damage.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Quick Lunge: Killing reduces cooldown by 80%.
  • Backside: A critical hit within 5 seconds of performing fleche deals 15% more damage.
  • Interruption: pressing a light attack during fleche will cause a single attack in continuation dealing 115% damage.

General Passives

The general passives from the Rapier skill trees that you need to unlock for this build are:

  • Refreshing Strikes: Decreases all cooldowns by 1% on any hit.
  • Engarde: Deals 10% extra damage when your target has more than 50% health.
  • Desperation: Deal 10% more damage when stamina is below 40%.
  • Controlled Breathing: Gain 3 stamina on hit
  • Red Curtains: Cooldowns are decreased by 5% whenever you land a critical strike.
  • Swiftness: Each hit grants +3% Haste for 3 seconds (up to 15%).
  • Momentum: Deal 30% more damage on one hit, for 3 seconds after performing an ability.

Best Bow Masteries

For this build, you need to unlock the following masteries from the Bow skill trees.

Poison Shot

Shoot a poisoned arrow that spawns a cloud of poison 3 meters wide that lasts for 6 seconds. Targets inside the cloud are poisoned, dealing 10% weapon damage per second for 20 seconds.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Infected arrows: deal 12% weapon damage for 20 seconds.
  • Direct Hit: Directs hits no deal 150% damage

Evade Shot

Step back 5 meters and shoot an arrow, dealing 125% weapon damage.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Evasive Knockback: Evade Shot knocks targets back 2 meters.
  • Go the Distance: Evade Shot grants +15% Haste for 5 seconds.

Penetrating Shot

Shoot an arrow that travels for 100 meters, piercing through enemies in its path, dealing 150% weapon damage.

Passives to Unlock in Order

  • Blood Soaked Arrow: Damage is increased by 10% after each attack with the bow.
  • Deep Strike: Penetrating Shot deals 20% extra damage to enemies 20 or more meters away from you.

General Passives

The general passives from the Bow skill trees that you need to unlock for this build are:

  • Dodge and Weave: Grants 10% haste for 2 seconds after you dodge.
  • Evasive Tactics: Grants 20% extra damage for 5 seconds after you dodge.
  • Catch me If You Can: if there are 3 or more foes within 3 m range you gain haste.
  • Mark: Deal 10% more damage to targets suffering from a debuff.
  • Knee Shot: Leg shots cause 10% slow for 2 seconds.
  • Long Range: Enemies 10 or more meters away take 20% more damage.
  • Finishing Shot: Deal 20% extra damage to enemies under 50% health.
  • Surprise Attack: Deal 20% more damage if you haven’t damaged the target in 10 seconds
  • Arrow Range: Arrow travel distance is increased by 100% before they start to fall down.
  • Bullseye: Bow shots critical chance is increased by 10%.

Attribute Distribution

You will need to spend most of your points on Dexterity and Constitution for this build. The main focus should be on Dexterity, but we recommend not spending all of the points in Dexterity and save some for Constitution to increase your survivability.

So, here is the perfect attribute distribution for this build. Focus, Intelligence and Strength are pretty much useless here so just stick with default values. These attributes include added armor bonuses.

  • Dexterity: 355
  • Constitution: 100
  • Strength: 5
  • Intelligence: 5
  • Focus: 5

Recommended Armor

For this build, we recommend you use the following gear:

  • Unholy Silence of the ranger
  • Harbinger of Defeat
  • Voidbent Grips
  • Harbinger of Gloom
  • Harbinger of Evil
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Ali is a passionate RPG gamer. He believes that western RPGs still have a lot to learn from JRPGs. He is editor-in-chief at SegmentNext.com but that doesn't stop him from writing about his favorite video ...