Monster Type Guide for New World
In New World you will come across many different types of enemies. This guide will help you identify the different enemy types and recognize their strengths and weaknesses. We will also cover the different expeditions that each family is found in so that you can be prepared.
Overview
Monsters in New World are broken down into five monster families and each
one has damage types that they are strong and weak against. You can tell if your
damage is strong against your foe because the damage number will be in yellow
and there will be an upward-facing arrow next to the number. If your damage is
being reduced due to type the number will be blue and there will be a
downward-facing arrow next to the number. You can convert any weapon's damage
type to be up to 50% of a particular element by socketing the associated gem in
the weapon. There are perks for each of the family types that increase damage
against these foes like Corrupted Bane that can be found on weapons.
There are also perks that absorb damage from them like
Lost Ward.
Ancients
These monsters are mostly found in or around ancient ruins and can be
quickly identified due to their skeletal nature. They take reduced damage
from Slash and Fire damage but take increased damage from
Strike, Void, and Lightning damage. This makes the War Hammer the ideal
weapon for these encounters as it deals all Strike damage. If you are using a
Fire Staff, we recommend either partially elemental converting to
Lightning damage by socketing a Topaz gem or switching to a different
weapon when facing Ancients.
Expeditions
There are two Expeditions that feature Ancient foes.
The Starstone Barrows, located in Everfall, is an Expedition that has a
recommended level of 35. You can obtain a Quest that grants you a
Starstone Tuning Orb by completing the Side Quests in Everfall. The second
Expedition is the Lazarus Instrumentality, located in Reekwater, which
is an endgame Expedition with a recommended level of 60. While most of the
foes within the Expedition are Ancient-type, the final boss is uniquely
typeless. You can obtain a Quest that grants you a
Lazarus Tuning Orb from
both The Shattered Mountain and Reekwater.
Corrupted
You can recognize a Corrupted due to the red theme that always accompanies
them. These enemies are fairly abundant in New World and in the story are
portrayed as the primary antagonists. There are a lot of different Corrupted
foes ranging from mad farmers to fearsome bears or terrifying demons. As you
venture further north through Great Cleave and Shattered Mountain you will
find new and fearsome Corrupted foes. The city of Myrkgard sits at the
farthest north point in Shattered Mountain and is the home base of the
Corrupted. If you venture there expect to encounter fierce resistance.
Corrupted take reduced damage from Strike and Ice damage but
take increased damage from Thrust, Nature, and
Arcane. If you are using an Ice Gauntlet, we would recommend
either partially elemental converting to Arcane damage by socketing a
Sapphire gem or switching to a different weapon when facing Corrupted
foes.
Corruption
Areas of high Corruption can inflict Corruption damage to the player. When in these areas a Corruption meter will appear on your screen and tick down over time. Once the meter reaches zero you will take damage and the meter will reset to full. The rate at which the meter depletes will depend on the level of the corruption zone and buffs on the player that help resist corruption. Corruption Tinctures and Elixirs allow you to reset your Corruption Affliction and gain resistance to Corruption for a short period of time. There are also perks that can be found on armor that increase the amount of base Corruption Resistance you have.
Expeditions
There are two Expeditions filled with Corrupted foes, The Depths and
Dynasty Shipyard. The Depths has a recommended level of 45 and is
located in Restless Shore. You will go through this Expedition as a part of
the Main Quest line. Dynasty Shipyard is located in Ebonscale Reach and has a
recommended level of 55. Ebonscale Reach is home to several new types of
Corrupted foes so be prepared to face a large amount of these within the
Expedition. You can acquire a Dynasty Tuning Orb from
completing Side Quests in Ebonscale Reach and from the Main Quest Line.
Angry Earth
The Angry Earth is the land of Aeternum's answer to the Corrupted. These tree-like foes are aggressive in their defense of nature. The Angry Earth has also recently started being associated with a disease known as the Blight. Discovering why the Blight is spreading is part of the storyline for the Angry Earth zone of Edengrove. The Angry Earth are also the last monster family that you will encounter in New World as they do not appear until Brightwood. Some Angry Earth foes are able to be chopped up for wood using a Lumber Axe. Angry Earth take increased damage from Slash and Fire but are resistant to Thrust and Lightning damage.
Blight
Areas of high Blight concentration, which are typically look like yellow clouds near the ground, can inflict the Blighted debuff on players. When entering one of these areas a Blight meter will appear and tick down over time. Once the meter reaches zero you will be Blighted which is a 3-minute affliction that does some damage over time and drastically reduces incoming healing. It is highly advisable that you avoid being Blighted at all costs. Blight Tinctures and Elixirs allow you to remove Blighted and gain resistance to it for a short period of time. There are also perks that can be found on armor that increase the amount of base Blight Resistance you have.
Expeditions
The Garden of Genesis, located in Edengrove, is the only Expedition to feature Angry Earth foes and has a recommended level of 60 making it an endgame Expedition. The Blight also plays a major role in this Expedition so we recommend that you bring at least a few Blight Tinctures or Elixirs to cleanse yourself of the Blight. Completing Side Quests in Edengrove and Shattered Mountain will lead you to a Quest to enter the expedition.
The Lost
The Lost are populated with people who have gone insane due to coming back to life one-too-many times. In New World no one truly dies due to a mysterious power of the island of Aeternum, the land on which the game is set; some lose their minds during this process and become Lost. The Lost feature zombie-like foes and ghosts. They are resistant to Thrust and Void damage, but are weak to Strike, Ice, and Nature damage. The ghost-type enemies can be particularly scary due to their fast movement speeds and ability to have elemental damage attacks that drain your Stamina or stun you.
Expeditions
New World's first Expedition, Amrine Excavation, features Lost-type foes. Within the expedition you will fight zombie-like enemies, ghosts, and even large monstrosities. We recommend being at least Level 23 for your first foray into this expedition. You can obtain Tuning Orbs for this Expedition from the Main Quest line and from Side Quests in both Windsward and Everfall.
Beasts
Beasts are the natural wild animals that you would expect to find roaming the world in a non-magical setting. Wolves, Boars, Alligators, and Bears all fall into this category. In higher level Territories you can find Corrupted versions of many Beast-type foes, these count as exclusively Corrupted-type and may behave differently than their non-Corrupted versions. They are only weak to Thrust damage and are not resistant to any type of damage.
Changelog
- 29 Sep. 2021: Guide added.
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DonTheCrown is a professional Twitch broadcaster who has been streaming since 2017. His content has focused primarily on Path of Exile with over 9,000 hours in the game. He is excited about covering the release of New World, after having hundreds of hours in the testing stages of the game.
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