Bow and Rapier PvP Build for New World

The Bow is an incredibly strong PvP damage weapon that can be played in any content. It is an easy weapon to learn, but it is difficult to master its techniques properly. This is by far one of the strongest weapon combinations there is.

• 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.

Use this if you prefer to have a burst damage option. At times, this can be significantly better for players using Dexterity builds. It acts similarly to Riposte by staggering the target, and it has a follow up ability that can deal damage or be quick mobility. This can be a great way to pick up quick kills on low health targets.

Use this if you prefer to have a survivability option with Riposte. This ability can be easily at times if used incorrectly. Nonetheless, it will give you a moment of invulnerability and will certainly save your life at times.

For this build, it is most optimal to use 350 Dexterity, 100 Constitution, 150 Intelligence. This mix of attributes allows you to not only maximize damage output with these weapons, but also support your survivability and cooldown reduction.

Once you are more comfortable with this build, you can transition more and more Constitution towards Intelligence (which allows you to dish off more damage through elemental damage with your bow).

Slot	Perks	Gem	Weight	Attribute	Source
Bow ( Hoplite Bow)	Distained Infliction Keenly Jagged Arboreal Attunement	Runeglass of Arboreal Amber	-	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Rapier	Keenly Empowered Refreshing Evasion Omnidirectional Evade	Runeglass of Ignited Opal	-	Dexterity	Crafted
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

The goal of this build is to maximize the overall damage output with your bow. Regarding artifacts, you may consider replacing the Hoplite Bow with either the Boltcaster or Aconite if you prefer. Additionally, you can utilize the Featherweight light chest artifact paired with two pieces of the Heavy Frigid Dawn set to increase your overall survivability.

This build works very well for those of you that are good at dodging, and that's primarily due to the additional health regeneration and buffs gained after succesfully dodging an enemy's attack.

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 Rapier 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.
• Use Flourish and Finish to secure kills on targets who are pushing you.
• Use Evade, Fleche, and Riposte as ways to escape danger and reposition.

When using the Bow or Rapier 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 Rapier page.

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