Greatsword Abilities and Skill Trees for New World

While this page focuses on assessing the viability of abilities and skill tree nodes, it also gives a bit of advice on how to use them. The gameplay section of our Hatcher guide has additional information regarding the usage of abilities and each of our Greatsword PvP Builds and Greatsword PvE Builds has a detailed gameplay section that explains how to play the build.

• Relentless Rush — 20s CD: Dash through foes while spinning and apply a 20% slow for 4s on hit. First Hit: 110% weapon damage. Second Hit: 120% weapon damage. Enter onslaught stance when this ability ends.
• Relentless Power — Gain 10% empower for 10s after hitting a target with Relentless Rush.
• Adaptive Rush — In onslaught stance, Relentless Rush applies root to targets it hits for 1s. In defiant stance, Relentless Rush heals for 15% of its damage.
• Relentless Refresh — Reduces ability cooldown by 50% when you kill a foe.

Summary: This is a frequently used PvP and PvE ability. It adds mobility, crowd-control, a means of escaping crowd-control, a damage buff, and AoE damage output. It is an essential addition to the Greatsword kit, especially in PvP.

Crafting Material: Starmetal Greatsword Charm - Relentless Freedom: Activating Relentless Rush removes roots and slows. Also increase Relentless Rush's critical hit chance by 12% (19% on weapon).

• Crosscut — 15s CD: Slash 3 times in a quick sequence. First Hit: 110% weapon damage. Second Hit: 130% weapon damage. Third Hit: 160% weapon damage. Enter onslaught stance when this ability ends.
• Unstoppable Cuts — Gain grit while performing Crosscut.
• Cross Execution — Base damage of the final strike is increased by 50% if the target is below 50% health. In onslaught stance, this threshold is increased to 75% instead.

Summary: This ability is typically only used in PvE. It is a great source of singel-target and AoE damage. It can also provide some defensiveness through its self-healing perk.

Crafting Material: Steel Greatsword Charm - Leeching Crosscut: The final strike of Crosscut heals you for 49% (72% on weapon) of the damage dealt.

• Skyward Slash — 18s CD: Swing up in a brutal arc, staggering your target, dealing 80% weapon damage and applying 2 stacks of 5% rend for 10s. In onslaught stance apply 1 additional rend. Enter onslaught stance when this ability ends.
• Skyfall Sword — Add a followup attack that deals 140% weapon damage by activating the skill again or using a light attack.
• Sickening Slash — The first attack applies disease which reduces healing by 20% for 10s. The followup attack strikes all foes within a 3m radius.

Summary: This is ability is always used in PvP and PvE. It applies 3 stacks of Rend to increase damage, applies and anti-heal, staggers, and provides AoE and single-target burst damage.

Crafting Material: Orichalcum Greatsword Charm - Skyward Nullification: Hitting a foe with Skyward Slash removes one of their buffs. Remaining buffs have their duration reduced by 20% (29% on weapon).

• Steadfast Strike — 18s CD: Stab your greatsword forward to impale your foes, then pull back to rip the blade out. Restores 20 stamina on each hit. First Hit: 70% weapon damage and staggers. Second Hit: 120% weapon damage and pulls target 1.5m towards you. Enter defiant stance when this ability ends.
• Steadfast Recovery — If the first strike of Steadfast Strike hits, you are healed for 50% weapon damage. In defiant stance, the first strike also inflicts 2 stacks of bleeding for 6s which deals 5% weapon damage every second.
• Steadfast Refresh — If the second strike of Steadfast Strike hits, reduce the cooldown of all other greatsword abilities by 20%.

Summary: This is incredibly powerful in PvP. It lunges and pulls enemies back toward you so that they cannot escape. It makes it easy to secure kills, or it can even help with survivability through its healing. It also has cooldown reduction potential if you can land both hits.

Crafting Material: Reinforced Orichalcum Greatsword Charm - Steadfast Purification: Each attack of Steadfast Strike reduces debuff durations on you by 14% (20% on weapon).

• Calamity Counter — 20s CD: Block for 2s while reducing block stamina damage taken by 90%, then unleash a counterattack that strikes all foes within a 4m radius. No Blocks: 100% weapon damage. 1 Block: 100% weapon damage and staggers. 2 Blocks: 100% weapon damage and staggers longer. 3 Blocks: 100% weapon damage and causes a knockback. Enter defiant stance when this ability ends.
• Jagged Counter — Counter attacks inflict bleeding for 6s for each power level. Each stack deals 5% weapon damage every second.
• Critical Calamity — Counter attack crit chance is increased by 25%. In onslaught stance, the counter attack gains an additional 25% critical hit chance. In defiant stance, the counter attack heals for 20% of its damage.

Summary: This is ability is great for defensiveness and can act almost like Riposte. It benefits from its perk by providing a quick burst of stamina to improve mobility. It is not often used in PvP combat.

Crafting Material: Reinforced Steel Greatsword Charm - Energizing Counter: When Calamity Counter is activated, immediately gain 20 stamina (29 on weapon).

• Roaring Rupture — 20s CD: Stab the ground and send out a shockwave with a 4m radius that deals 120% weapon damage. Gain 8% fortify for 5s for each foe hit. This ability generates 200% threat and has grit. Enter defiant stance when this ability ends.
• Purifying Roar — Cleanse 2 debuffs. after using Roaring Rupture.
• Adaptive Rupture — In defiant stance, the shockwave pushes foes outward 3m. In onslaught stance, the shockwave pulls foes 3m towards you.
• Intimidating Roar — The shockwave applies a 10% weaken for 10s on hit. Additionally, after a successful hit become uninterruptible for 5s.

Summary: This is a great utility in PvP and PvE. It can be used instead of Steadfast Strike to pull targets back toward you. Otherwise it has great defensiveness buffs through its fortify and weaken effects.

Crafting Material: Reinforced Starmetal Greatsword Charm - Slowing Rupture: Foes struck with Roaring Rupture are slowed by 23% (34% on weapon) for 5s.

• Path of Onslaught
• Outoing damage increased by 15%.
• Damage taken increased by 15%.
• Heavy attacks charge twice as fast but consume 10 stamina each.

• Giant Slayer — Low value passive, but still a damage increase. This is not generally taken.
• Heavy Blade — Typically always taken, this adds more damage to heavy attacks and since this is your primary source of damage, it is very valuable.
• Swift Onslaught — Great mobility pick that helps with chasing targets or escaping.
• Keen Posture — Always take this passive. It removes the need for critical hit chance since you will always critically strike after going into Onslaught.
• Aggressive Shift — This is a great passive for always being able to go into Onslaught and maximizing critical hits.
• Critical Comeback — Great utility and defensive passive that should always be taken.
• Crush the Weak — This is a somewhat wasted passive. It does add critical hit chance, but it is not ever necessary because of Keen Posture.
• Step and Strike — Fantastic empower effect that results in a free damage increase.
• Unrelenting Onslaught — This ultimate passive should always be taken. Since heavy attacks are your main source of damage you have a 10% cooldown reduction constantly. It is essentially a significantly stronger Refreshing Move.

• Path of Defiance
• Damage taken reduced by 15%.
• Outoing damage reduced by 15%.
• Guard Point: Block incoming attacks while charging heavy attacks.

• Cleansing Chain — Low value passive because its debuff duration reduction is negligible.
• Perfect Vigilance — Good passive for damage reduction. It can help reduce initial burst damage.
• Wary Posture — Great quick damage reduction. Although it is not active often, it can definitely save your life once in awhile.
• Blade Honing — This should always be taken when you are wanting to maximize damage output. This is almost always a free 12% because of all the buffs your receive from your Greatsword.
• Guarded Shift — This is almost never worth taking unless you are playing in a Greatsword tank build. But even then, you almost never commit to a block for a full 2 seconds.
• Arrow Deflection — This is worthwhile if you use Calamity Counter or are trying to use it for tanking.
• Faultless Defender — At first glance this may appear to be very strong when tanking. But in reality, it will only proc within the first few frames of a block being started, so it can be difficult to make use of it.
• Undying Defiance — This ultimate passive is a good survivability choice while tanking, but the Greatsword is almost always used only for its damage output. As such, this is commonly not taken unless you are a tank.