Bow and Greatsword PvP Build for New World

The Bow is an incredibly strong PvP damage weapon that can be played in any content. The Greatsword complements this by adding great burst damage for targets who are in melee range. It also can be a supplemental support weapon to remove crowd-control effects and add mobility.

• Rapid Shot — High damage cooldown that launches three quick shots and staggers targets which opens up a vulernability window to secure kills or interrupt casts.
• Penetrating Shot — High damage ability that can be weaved into another heavy shot. This will go through multiple targets. Try to finish off kills with this ability.
• Explosive Arrow — Great damage option that can be weaved into another heavy attack to potentially one shot squishy targets. This shot fires off quickly and can be used as a source of empower or an execute.

• Relentless Rush — This will deal AoE damage primarily, but it is also important to use on cooldown to get its empower effect. Additionally, in PvP this can be used while in Onslaught stance to root a target or it can be used to get out of CC because of its perk effect.
• Skyward Slash — This is your primary Rend tool. It also has great single-target and AoE damage.
• Steadfast Strike — This is your pull and lockdown tool. It will lunge a far distance, hit the target, stagger them, and pull them back with the second hit. This is great for securing kills and survivability. It will heal you, and provide cooldown reduction. and heal you.

For this build, it is most optimal to use 350 Dexterity, 200 Constitution, 25 Focus, and 25 Strength. This mix of attributes allows you to not only maximize damage output with these weapons, but also support your survivability and cooldown reduction.

Slot	Perks	Gem	Weight	Attribute	Source
Bow ( Hoplite Bow)	Distained Infliction Keenly Jagged Arboreal Attunement	Runeglass of Arboreal Amber	-	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Greatsword ( Serenity)	Balanced Blade Trenchant Strikes Trenchant Crits Refreshing Move	Runeglass of Arboreal Amber	-	Magnify	Artifact
Helmet	Refreshing Shirking Heals Health	Elemental Damage Runeglass or Sighted Runeglass (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Chest	Refreshing Shirking Heals Penetrating Rapid Shot	Elemental Damage Runeglass or Sighted Runeglass (Moonstone or Onyx)	Medium	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Gloves	Refreshing Shirking Heals Empowering Explosive Arrow	Elemental Damage Runeglass or Sighted Runeglass (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Pants	Enchanted Ward Shirking Heals Shirking Energy	Elemental Damage Runeglass or Sighted Runeglass (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Boots ( Tumbler Feetwraps)	Shirking Blessing Physical Aversion Refreshing Shirking Heals	Elemental Damage Runeglass or Sighted Runeglass (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Magnify	Artifact
Amulet ( Ankh)	Center of Attention Health Divine Stamina Recovery	Cut Pristine Moonstone	-	Magnify	Artifact
Ring	Refreshing Thrust Damage Hearty	Cut Pristine Emerald	-	Dexterity or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Earring	Refreshing Toast Purifying Toast Empowering Toast	Cut Pristine Emerald	-	Dexterity or Constitution	Crafted/BoE

This build heavily relies on your ability to dodge correctly. When you time your dodge to avoid an opponent's attack, you will gain not only a burst of health, but also a small amount of empower allowing you to dish off even more damage.

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

When playing with a Bow you have great damage output, as such, use a defensive Heartrune. Either Stalwart Heartrune of Stoneform or Cunning Heartrune of Stoneform are great options that will keep you alive through defensive buffs and crowd-control immunity.

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

• Open on a target with a heavy shot into a Explosive Arrow immediately after.
• Use Rapid Shot to do damage quickly or potentially stagger a target.
• Weave a heavy shot into a Penetrating Shot when trying to finish a target.
• Shoot heavy or light Bow shots at low health targets to secure kills, or to apply damage pressure.
• Swap to Greatsword if a target is close and use Skyward Slash (or heavy attack), to get into Onslaught, and apply Rend.
• Use Relentless Rush to do damage and root the target.
• Charge a heavy Greatsword attack and hit the target from behind if possible.
• Use Steadfast Strike if the target starts to escape to pull them back. This can also be used for quick bursts of healing or potential cooldown reduction.

When using the Bow or Greatsword 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 Bow page or Greatsword page.

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