New World Season 3 Best Tank Builds & Weapon Combos (PvP & PvE)

We will discuss exciting and effective tank builds for both PvE & PvP in the Rise of the Angry Earth expansion of New World!

New World Best PvE/PvP Tank Builds & Weapon Combos in Season 3

The Season 3 update in New World introduced exciting changes for builds, including a level cap increase to 65, gear score increase up to 700, and new food buffs providing 48 additional stats. Additionally, artifact weapons, armor, and jewelry have been introduced, allowing for unique playstyles. In this guide, we will cover three different builds, discussing attributes, weapon mastery, armor, gems, and more.

We will provide you with the top 3 tank builds for PVP and PVE in New World Season 3. Each build will be explained, including the recommended attributes, weapon masteries, weapon and gear perks, gems, specific gear, and strategies for maximizing damage and defense. We will also demonstrate the best gameplay using different weapons, helping you understand which abilities to use first against your enemies and much more. If this interests you, let's dive right in!

1. Sword and Warhammer Tank Build

The Sword and Warhammer weapon combination right now is super strong in Season 3 Expedition, and in general for PVP because you can survive multiple enemies, and with the spells we have selected, you can easily hold aggro and tank all the incoming damage and then on top of all this on the side you can do even AoE damage. If you're looking for one of the best tank builds for PVP and PVE, then try this one out, and don't forget to have fun.

Attributes:

Strength: 100

Dexterity: 5

Intelligence: 5

Focus: 5

Constitution: 200

First of all, get your strength to 150 and then start building your Constitution, and around level 60 you should have 250 Strength and 200 Constitution.

Gear:

Full Heavy Armor + Shield - For your gear you want to go with full heavy armor and you have to use a shield as well.

Gems & Runes:

Malachite Gem for the Sword and Warhammer in PvP

Carnelian Gem for the Sword and Warhammer in PvP

Onyx Gems for Armor & Jewelry

Weapons (Skills, Perks & Gameplay):

These are the weapon masteries you want to have:

Primary Weapon: Sword Skills & Perks

Second Weapon: Warhammer Skills & Perks

PvE & PvP Gameplay (How To Play & Skill Rotation):

Let's go over to the gameplay where we'll show you the best way to play this build:

For the Sword weapon, the first Q spell is called the Shield rush and the spell makes your character run very fast for 5m, and if you hit the target while running he will get knocked back. Then the second ability is called the Shield Bash and when you use it, it will deal a bit of damage and stun your enemies in front of you for 3 seconds, and by the way this ability is the longest stun in the game, and if you're using the Taunt Gem for PVE, this ability activates the Taunt passive as well which will make all the mobs that you hit aggro on you instead of your teammates. And then the third ability is called the Defiant Stance which you can activate and for the next 8 seconds your resistance is increased or again if you're using the Taunt gem, you can activate the spell and increase your thread level which will make all the mobs target you for the second time, and as a tank, this is mainly what you want to keep on doing.

For the War Hammer Weapon, the first Q spell is called the Wrecking Ball which when used makes your character strike down the ground with Warhammer dealing 130% damage and flattening your Target in 1.5M range. The second ability is called the Shockwave, and when using the spell it will give us the ability to slam down the hammer and create a small airquake, and all targets standing in it will get done for 2 seconds. And lastly, we have the F ability called the Path of Destiny which creates a huge electric wave and all enemies standing in this path will be taking a bunch of damage.

So the way you want to use this build for PVP or for PVE is to first of all remember your main job as a tank which of course is to keep all the enemy's attention on you, which you can do by first of all activating the Shield Bash ability, and in the next few seconds try to hit as many mobs as you can. Or in PvP you mainly use this ability to stun the target for three whole seconds, then when that ability effect has run out use your defiant stance and this time all the enemies in an 8m range will automatically aggro on you. Or in PvP use this ability when the enemy players are constantly doing damage to you so for that time you mainly want to use that Shield mechanic and keep on blocking the incoming damage. And then lastly if you ever see a Healer or other DPS player in trouble or if he gets overwhelmed by mobs or players, then use the Shield Rush ability and knock back the target. Then after that is done we can switch to the Warhammer and this weapon's main objective is to deal damage stun your enemies and flatten the target. So while your most important tanking skills are on cooldown, you want to use the Warhammer and on grouped-up enemies use the Shockwave and then Path of Destiny, and this will stun and do damage. Then lastly use the Wrecking Ball and flatten your target depending on the circumstances, you may need to change up your play style but by far this is one of the best tanking builds in the game.

The same principle works in PvP and PVE, the only big difference is that instead of holding aggro you use the same abilities in the same order on the enemy players, and then well you mainly want to tank and block the damage with the sword and shield, and then to stun and deal damage switch to the Warhammer.

2. Greataxe Warhammer Tank Build

This Greataxe and War Hammer weapon combination is very good because you can still survive for very long but at the same time deal a bunch of damage. If you're looking for a very powerful tank SL Melee Bruiser build that is used by the best players and is very good for all the activities PVP or PVE related to it, then this is the best weapon combination for you.

Attributes:

Strength: 250

Dexterity: 5

Intelligence: 5

Focus: 5

Constitution: 200

First of all, get your Strength to 100 or even 150 and then start building your Constitution, and around level 60 you should have 250 Strength and 200 Constitution.

Gear:

Medium or Full Heavy Category - For your armor, you can this time make a choice to go with the medium or full heavy category, we have seen a bunch of players going with the medium armor and having the ability to have three medium jumps while being melee is very good, or on the other hand being a bit tankier is better for some other players, so we would recommend to try out both these setups and see which one is better for your playstyle. If you choose to go with the heavy category, you want to go with full heavy armor and for your character to look better you can equip a shield on your back as well, or then if you choose to go of the medium category then your setup should be the heavy helmet, heavy chest armor, medium gloves, light pants, and medium boots.

Gems & Runes:

Opal Gem for Greataxe & Warhammer in PvP

Carnelian Gem for Greataxe & Warhammer in PvE

Onyx Gems for for Armor & Jewelry

Weapons (Skills, Perks & Gameplay):

These are the weapon masteries you want to have:

Primary Weapon: Greataxe Skills & Perks

Second Weapon: Warhammer Skills & Perks

PvE & PvP Gameplay (How To Play & Skill Rotation):

Now let's move over to the gameplay where we will show you the best way to play this build:

For Greataxe weapon, the first Q ability we have is the Gravity Well which you can just aim and shoot, and if you hit the target in that electric storm he will take damage and get stunned. Then the second ability is called the Melstrom which performs a fast-spinning attack which deals damage and pulls targets closer to you. Lastly, we have the F ability called the Charge and this is a dash ability that will damage and give you more mobility.

For the Warhammer weapon, the first Q spell is called the Shockwave, and when using this spell, it will give us the ability to slam down the hammer and all players standing in it will get stunned for 2 seconds. Then for the second ability, we have the Path of Destiny which creates a huge electric wave, and all enemies standing in this path will be taking damage in AOE range. And then lastly we have the F ability called the Wrecking Ball, and which when used strikes down the ground with your Warhammer dealing additional damage and flattening your target.

So the way you want to attack an enemy is by first of all using the great axe and then activating the Gravity Well which will stun your target and then follow that up with the Melstrom ability which will do damage and pull your target closer to you. Then at this point switch to the war hammer and use the Shockwave and then Path of Destiny. And then lastly when all the other spells are on cool down hit the enemy with the Wrecking Ball and flatten your Target. And then from this point switch back to the Greataxe and keep on using the heavy attacks and if you ever need to use the blocking system then do that as well. And then lastly always save your Charge ability to run away from the enemy or to catch him, so save it for later, and don't forget to use your medium or heavy jumps to escape enemy abilities. With this build, there is no one best way to use your spells, the most important thing is to know what each ability does, and with time and practice you will know what to do, of course, don't forget all the same principles and tips and tricks that we explained for the first build.

3. Sword Hatchet Tank Build

The Sword and Hatchet weapon combination is definitely in the top three best tanking builds in the game. And if you're thinking about playing this build then the damage self-healing and buff SL debuffs that you will get or due to the enemy will be very great for PVP and PVE.

Attributes:

Strength: 250

Dexterity: 5

Intelligence: 5

Focus: 5

Constitution: 200

You always want to split all your attribute points to have so divide 50% into Strength and 50% in Constitution, and around level 60 you should have 250 Strength and 200 Constitution.

Gear:

Full Heavy Armor + Shield - For your gear you again want to go with full heavy armor and this time you have to use the shield as well.

Gems & Runes:

Opal Gem for Sword and Hatchet in PvP

Carnelian Gem Sword and Hatchet in PvE

Onyx Gems for Armor & Jewelry

Weapons (Skills, Perks & Gameplay):

These are the weapon masteries you want to have:

Primary Weapon: Sword Skills & Perks

Second Weapon: Hatchet Skills & Perks

PvE & PvP Gameplay (How To Play & Skill Rotation):

Now let's go over to the gameplay where we'll show you the best way to play this build:

For the Sword weapon, as we already have covered the sword weapon in the previous build so we will just skip the same two abilities that are the same and we will only take a quick look at the last third ability called the Reverse Stab. This ability makes your target do 175% damage and as we have selected the Tactician perk, not only we will do a lot of damage but as well with a successful hit all your cooldowns will be reduced by 25%.

For the Hatchet weapon, the first Q spell is called Berserker which after activating makes your character enter berserk mode which increases your damage and movement speed by 20% each, then every 4 seconds you get held back which can be up to 30% of all your maximum health, and then as well the berserk mode itself removes any stun or slow that the enemy has applied to you. Then the second R ability is called the Raging Torrent which performs four normal fast attacks. And then lastly the third ability is called the Rending Throw which when using a mixture of characters throws the Hatchet dealing damage and applying a Rand effect which reduces the enemy's damage observation by 10% for 10 seconds. And lastly, when you hold the right Mouse button you'll be able to throw an Axe and as you always block all the damage of the Sword and Shield, this Hatchet throwing ability comes in very handy.

So moving over to the combat play style first of all we would suggest that as the tank no matter if in PvP or PVE from distance, always use your Hatchet and with the left click keep on throwing your axe at the enemy. In PVE this is a great way to aggro mobs on you from very far distances. So then when the enemy comes close to you switch to the sword and first of all stand the Enemy by using the Shield Bash ability and then right after use the reverse stab. Then from here most likely the mobs in PVE or the player in PvP will now try to do all the damage, so your next goal is to survive, so you can activate the Divine Stance and keep on using the blocking mechanic. Then after that ability has run out, switch to the Hatchet and activate Berserker mode which will give you speed speed healing, and damage increase. And on top of all this for PVE, this is another stun ability that will make all the mobs aggro on you, so just keep on using the auto attacks and the R ability whenever it gets off cooldown. And then lastly on only specific bosses in PVE or in PvP for specific targets, use the Rending Throw ability and that's about it.