Alongside the Bow, the Rapier is one of the most popular weapons in New World, and rightfully so. In the game’s default DPS-healer-tank meta triangle, it’s hard to beat the Rapier for sheer damage output. If you have good supports and tanks on your team, then the best thing you can do is embrace the DPS role with this powerful Rapier build.
Best Rapier build in new World
The Rapier has two skill trees: Blood and Grace. The first one is focused on dealing heavy damage-over-time by applying Bleed stacks on enemies, and then bursting them down by consuming the stacks for instant damage. The Grace tree instead focuses on movement and counter-plays and requires more finesse.
Blood
It’s best to invest most of your skill points for this New World Rapier build in the Blood skill tree. The one-two punch of the Tondo and Flourish and Finish abilities deals heavy single-target damage in surprising bursts, which can catch many players by surprise. This is most useful in PvP, though it can still work great against high health targets in PvE activities.
- Tondo: Make a slashing attack with an extended reach. This strike deals direct damage and applies a Bleed effect that will deal 100% weapon damage over 12 seconds. This can stack up to three times, each new stack refreshing the previous application. It’s worth noting that Bleed is not considered a debuff, and currently there is no easy way to counteract it in New World.
- Flourish and Finish: Flourish performs an attack which knocks enemies back. Making a light attack immediately after Flourish will continue this ability by automatically performing Finish. Finish lunges forward, consuming all Bleed stacks on any target hit, and dealing 110% of their damage instantly.
Recommended active abilities: Tondo with Thirst for Blood and And Again, and Flourish and Finish with all three associated perks.
Recommended passive abilities: All six Blood tree passives, including Bloody End.
Grace
The Grace skill tree revolves around movement, and can thus be countered by certain crowd control abilities — or even by server latency. For that reason, we are not relying on it to carry the build but instead investing in the Evade ability and just a few supplementary perks.
- Evade: Perform a small sidestep in your current movement direction which cancels any current activity and provides momentary invulnerability. Light Attack’s made during Evade are performed faster.
Recommended active abilities: Evade with the Allegro, Adagio, and Breathe In perks.
Recommended passive abilities: Swiftness. This unassuming little passive perk will help you deal with slowing effects from enemies. Movement is key to surviving as a squishy Rapier user, and you can’t afford to get immobilized.
This Bleed-focused build is currently one of the best ways to with when using a Rapier in New World. What second weapon you choose to pair the Rapier with is up to you, but note that your best option would be another Dexterity weapon. The Musket is a great choice to cover you at longer ranges.
