Hatchet Bruiser PvE Build for New World

In PvE combat a Bruiser will play in light armor to maximize damage. The Hatchet has some of the highest damage potential in the game for PvE. With this build, the Great Axe is primarily used for AoE output and its ability to group enemies together. The Hatchet will be for primary damage.

• Berserk — This is your main DPS cooldown. Try to activate this before large burst damage windows. It will also provide movement speed and self-healing.
• Raging Torrent — This will be your only real active weapon ability. It has great single target damage when used with maximum empower stacks, and does have AoE damage potential as it can hit multiple enemies.
• Rending Throw — This is your main source of Rend. It is only able to hit one target at a time, but it results in increased damage and is great for boss fights.

• Reap — This can be used to pull enemies into Gravity Well, or be used to start off a CC combo so that enemies are closer together.
• Maelstrom — This ability offers single-target and AoE burst. It then deflects all incoming projectiles, and it pulls enemies within its range. It will also apply a weaken with its perk.
• Gravity Well — This is the best crowd-control ability in New World. It is mostly used on trash packs so that your group can quickly kill enemies with AoE abilities.

This is the best pairing with a high damage weapon like the Greatsword or Hatchet. It is used for trash packs, and non-boss enemies. It is fantastic for AoE damage and great crowd-control to group up enemies.

In PvE you want to play with as little Constitution as possible. As such, it is best to play around 50-100 Constitution.

The Hatchet does have Defy Death so you are able to play a bit more risky than normal!

Slot	Perks	Gem	Weight	Attribute	Source
Great Axe	Refreshing Move Thwarting Strikes Bane Perk (Expedition Specific)*	Cut Pristine Diamond	-	Strength	Crafted/BoE
Hatchet	Thwarting Strikes Bane Perk (Expedition Specific)* Keenly Empowered	Cut Pristine Diamond	-	Strength	Crafted/BoE
Helmet		Helmet	Ward Protection Perk Refreshing Ability Perk** or Any Viable Third Perk	Elemental Damage Reduction Gem (Mutator Specific)	Light	Strength or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Chest		Helmet	Ward Protection Perk Refreshing Ability Perk** or Any Viable Third Perk	Elemental Damage Reduction Gem (Mutator Specific)	Medium	Strength or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Gloves		Helmet	Ward Protection Perk Refreshing Ability Perk** or Any Viable Third Perk	Elemental Damage Reduction Gem (Mutator Specific)	Light	Strength or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Pants		Helmet	Ward Protection Perk Refreshing Ability Perk** or Any Viable Third Perk	Elemental Damage Reduction Gem (Mutator Specific)	Light	Strength or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Boots		Helmet	Ward Protection Perk Refreshing Ability Perk** or Any Viable Third Perk	Elemental Damage Reduction Gem (Mutator Specific)	Light	Strength or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Amulet	Health Divine Protection Perk (Mutator Specific)*	Elemental Damage Reduction Gem (Mutator Specific)	-	Strength or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Ring***	Slash Damage Keen Awareness Leeching	Elemental Damage Reduction Gem (Mutator Specific)	-	Strength	Named Drop***
Earring	Refreshing Toast Purifying Toast or Regenerating Refreshing	Elemental Damage Reduction Gem (Mutator Specific)	-	Strength or Constitution	Crafted/BoE

*: The type of Bane and Ward that you slot into your gear will be dependent on the expedition you are in and the type of enemy that you are facing. For example, if you are fighting Angry Earth enemies in Genesis you will want Angry Earth Bane and Angry Earth Ward. Your amulet protection perk will be similar. Depending on the elemental type of the Mutator you are in, you can wear an elemental protection amulet for more defensiveness instead of completely switching your gems.

**: The ability perks that you need are Insatiable Gravity Well, Keen Berserk, and Refreshing Torrent. The optional perk you can take is Enfeebling Maelstrom to reduce enemy damage.

***: Legate's Ring is a best in slot drop from Grave Offerings in Brimstone Sands. You can pick this up during a chest run, or focus specific locations. It is best because Slash Damage and Keen Awareness cannot normally be on an item together. Since you do not need Hearty, this is best.

Overall with gearing, this is the ideal loadout of perks for a best in slot build. With that being said, be sure to refer to the Great Axe Perks guide or War Hammer Perks guide to have a better understanding of other flexible perk options to fit into your build. You can decide what you are most comfortable with.

For more specific information on optimizing your gems in PvP and PvE please refer to our dedicated guides.

This will increase physical damage dealt by a flat percent, but it has an internal cooldown attached to it. This means that if you swing two light attacks with a Great Axe, only every other swing will have the damage increase. This drastically reduces its effectiveness over time. In PvE it is crucial to play with all Cut Pristine Opal so that you can play with lower Constitution.

Use Brutal Heartrune of Detonate in PvE for maximum damage output.

Brutal Heartrune of Grasping Vines and Stalwart Heartrune of Stoneform are secondary utility options.

Your Heartrune will be used similarly in PvP and PvE scenarios. As such, please refer to our Great Axe guide or Hatchet guide for tips on how it can be used most effectively.

• Use Rending Throw to apply rend.
• Use Berserk
• Use Raging Torrent and light attack at the end for its extra attack.
• Only use light attacks, this will be your main source of damage.
• Use Raging Torrent when other abilities are on cooldown when using Refreshing Torrent
• Maintain your Rend and use Berserk on cooldown.
• Repeat

• Use Gravity Well on clumps of enemies.
• Use Reap to pull enemies together before Gravity Well or to pull ranged ones into it.
• Use Maelstrom when targets are fully stacked together for AoE burst.
• Light attack until abilities are active again.
• Repeat

When using the Great Axe or Hatchet in PvP and PvE there are many similar aspects that go into gameplay decisions and rotations. To learn more about how you can improve your gameplay, use certain secondary weapons, or additional information on specific abilities, please refer to the Gameplay section of the Great Axe page or Hatchet page.

For more information on the most frequently asked Great Axe or Hatchet questions please refer to the FAQ section of the Great Axe, or Hatchet, for answers on PvP and PvE topics!