Bow and Spear 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. With that being said, this is by far one of the strongest weapons there is. This version is one of the lesser played varianst. This build gives you much more survivability and another way to break out of crowd-control. Your preference of Bow secondary is dependent on your playstyle.

The goal of these bow abilities highlighted below is to dish off major DPS from a distance. This is primarily focused on taking down a single target, but can also dish off some AoE damage if used in a crowd (with Explosive Arrow). It's best practice to utilize these skills and keep them on cooldown as much as possible as your foe slowly gets closer and closer (which is when you'll then get your Spear out).

• 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.

Once your opponent gets a little too close for comfort, you can switch to your Spear and use it in a few different ways. For starters, you will be able to use the Spear for some crowd control, like using the Javelin ability to knock your foe down, or Vault Kick to stun them. After you handle that, you can then use your Skewer ability to apply a bleed, and then back up to recreate some distance between you and your foe, allowing you to take your bow out again to start dishing off more damage.

• Javelin — This is a ranged ability that does a significant amount of damage. It scales its damage based on the distance it is thrown, but it is a powerful close range CC tool that will knock a player down and enable a plethora of combos.
• Skewer — This is a high damage ability that also applies a bleed. It has some subtle mobility that will lunge to the targets, making it easy to chase.
• Vault Kick — This stun will be paramount in crowd-control combinations. It provides you withn enough time to reposition behind a target to quickly burst them down, or enable a follow-up CC ability.

Similar to the build highlighted above, this build introduces another skill that you can use to knock down your opponent, which is Sweep. Be sure to always use this if your foe gets too close!

• Sweep — This provides an AoE crowd-control ability that knocks a player down and can be followed up with a downward stab that counts as a heavy attack. This is a strong from of CC that does not count toward diminishing returns since it knocks the target on the ground. Use this if you are not confident in using Javelin.

When looking at attributes, you will want to prioritize DEX, as both the Spear and the Bow scales off of this attribute. You can consider picking up 50 or 100 STR for some additional passive bonuses, but be sure to focus moreso on DEX. Additionally, it's recommended to have at least 150 CON for survivability.

Slot	Perks	Gem	Weight	Attribute	Source
Bow	Enchanted or Vicious Attunement Perk Keenly Jagged	Elemental Damage Gem***	-	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Spear	Vicious Keenly Empowered Attunement Perk	Runeglass of Ignited Opal or Elemental Damage Gem***	-	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Helmet	Ability Perk* Enchanted Ward Refreshing	Elemental Damage Runeglass** or Sighted Runeglass*** (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Chest	Refreshing Vital Synergy Enchanted Ward**	Elemental Damage Runeglass** or Sighted Runeglass*** (Moonstone or Onyx)	Medium	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Gloves	Ability Perk* Enchanted Ward Refreshing	Elemental Damage Runeglass** or Sighted Runeglass*** (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Pants	Refreshing Enchanted Ward Shirking Energy	Elemental Damage Runeglass** or Sighted Runeglass*** (Moonstone or Onyx)	Light	Dexterity	Crafted/BoE
Boots	Ability Perk* Enchanted Ward Hasted Vigor	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 Empowering Toast	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. If you wish to use Spear perks too, Sundering Javelin, Enfeebling Skewer, and Keen Vault Kick all have some viability. They are often not needed to maximize the potential of survivability with your Bow.

**: 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 Spear 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 Javelin, Sweep, or Vault Kick on targets who are approaching you and when you need to keep them away. This can also be used to begin a CC combo.
• Use Skewer to apply burst damage, or for a quick form of mobility when you are exhuasted.

• Dodge and use Javelin to knock a target down.
• Dodge again and use Vault Kick.
• Dodge again and get behind the target, then use Skewer.
• Light attack and repeat the combo when it is available.

• Dodge and use Vault Kick to stun the target.
• Dodge again and use Sweep, follow this up with a light attack to use Coup de Grâce.
• Dodge again and get behind the target, then use Skewer.
• Light attack and repeat the combo when it is available.

When using the Bow or Spear 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 Spear page.

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