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.

This is the most optimal damage split for a bow in PvP combat. In Wars it may be best to go with 150 Constitution, or if you are just wanting to be a bit more defensive.

Slot	Perks	Gem	Weight	Attribute	Source
Bow	Enchanted or Vicious Attunement Perk or Chain Damage Perk Keenly Jagged	Elemental Damage Gem***	-	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Greatsword	Trenchant Strikes Plagued Strikes Attunement Perk or Chain Damage Perk	Runeglass of Ignited Opal	-	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Helmet	Ability Perk* or Elemental Aversion** Resilient Refreshing Evasion	Elemental Damage Runeglass** or Sighted Runeglass*** (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Chest	Refreshing Evasion Resilient Elemental Aversion**	Elemental Damage Runeglass** or Sighted Runeglass*** (Moonstone or Onyx)	Medium	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Gloves	Ability Perk* or Elemental Aversion** Resilient Refreshing Evasion	Elemental Damage Runeglass** or Sighted Runeglass*** (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Pants	Refreshing Evasion Resilient Shirking Energy	Elemental Damage Runeglass** or Sighted Runeglass*** (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Boots	Ability Perk* or Elemental Aversion** Resilient Refreshing Evasion	Elemental Damage Runeglass** or Sighted Runeglass*** (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Amulet	Health Stamina Recovery Thrust Protection	Cut Pristine Emerald	-	Dexterity or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Ring	Mortal Empowerment Thrust Damage or Elemental Damage*** Hearty	Cut Pristine Emerald	-	Dexterity or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Earring	Refreshing Toast Purifying Toast Refreshing Evasion	Cut Pristine Emerald	-	Dexterity or Constitution	Crafted/BoE

*: The ability perks you need to make sure are in your build are Penetrating Rapid Shot, Refreshing Penetrating Shot, and Empowering Explosive Arrow.

You may use Greatsword perks for more utility, but these are often overshadowed by defensive armor perks.

**: Elemental Aversion or Freedom, are viable third perk options. You can interchange any of these perks along with Refreshing Evasion.

***: Dex players will often use an elemental damage gem that matches the Attunement perk on their weapon. This will still deal significant damage because of the primary scaling with base weapon damage. The gem will then split that value by 40% and scale with Intelligence or Focus (Nature). Since you then use an elemental damage Runeglass and perk on your Ring, this will increase the elemental damage dealt by the weapon, its Attunement, and its DoT effect. This also avoids some players increased resistances to Thrust and Physical damage sources.

****: Technically, if you have a maximum 15 stacks of Mortal Empowerment, then you reach empower cap due to passives. The elemental damage bonuses on Runeglass count toward this cap. As such, only when you are at 15 stacks, it is a damage increase to use Sighted Runeglass, such as Runeglass of Sighted Emerald, since this is a flat damage increase. This is a very marginal top end damage increase that applies when you are at very high stacks. For all purpose content, it is better to pursue elemental variants.

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!