Ice Gauntlet Blunderbuss PvP Build for New World

There are a few variations of Ice Gauntlet and Blunderbuss that allow for the weapon combination to be played in a plethora of ways. This build uses light armor and specifically focuses on burst damage aspects of the Ice Gauntlet with the incredibly high damage ouptut of the Blunderbuss. The Blunderbuss will function as your primary weapon, and although at times it can be an awkward weapon to use, this has some of the highest damage output in New World and offers great debuff potential and utility.

There are TWO versions of this build:

• Option 1: Blunderbuss Focused - This will be paired with a Support IG build and adopt a hybrid attribute distribution to maximize Blunderbuss damage.
• Option 2: Ice Gauntlet Focused - This has less burst and can be more difficult to play. It lacks CC and prioritizes Ice Spikes for damage. Your Blunderbuss will have moderate damage still and will offer secondary burst.

This variation of the Blunderbuss can be used with a War Hammer or an Ice Gauntlet in either light or medium armor. The attributes and Blunderbuss build will always be the same no matter what weapon you choose. You will only need change gear sets depending on your second weapon perks.

• Net Shot — When combined with Exhaustive Net Shot this is a powerful CC ability that will slow a target and make them vulnerable to exhausting themselves and being easily taken down. It will deal a moderate amount of damage but allow you to quickly close gaps. It can also be a fantastic source of mobility if you use this while walking backwards so that you can escape enemies.
• Azoth Shrapnel Blast — This is the Blunderbuss's highest damaging ability. This should always be used immediately after firing off a basic attack so that you can deal a potent burst of damage. It has incredible range, AoE potential, and when used in combination with a regular shot it can take away a significant amount of health. It should also be used on clumps of enemies to take advantage of the bomb it leaves on the ground after being used.
• Splitting Grenade — Aim to use this on Gravity Well or other clumps of enemies. It will deal a great amount of initial burst damage, but it can also leave a devastating damage over time effect that lasts 10 seconds and can stack up to 3 times depending on how many of the bombs hit the target. This is the greatest source of AoE damage on the Blunderbuss.

This is the optimal build for maximizing cooldown usage and being able to get more abilities out for burst damage.

• Ice Spikes — When used properly this is one of the highest damage abilities in the game. If you aim at the target's feet and slightly to the right it will allow for all of the Ice Spikes to hit one target. This is because the largest Spike will shoot out two seperate projectiles. If tight enough to the hit box a target will take three devistating hits that can all critically strike. This can be reactivated earlier to shorten its range and immediately cause the Mighty Spike to strike the target.
• Ice Storm — This activates a large AoE damage ability that has high overall damage ouput but also results in large amounts of crowd control (CC) opportunity. Those within the ability will be slowed and when using the perk Unending Thaw the slowing effect will last an additional two seconds. This makes them prone to being rooted from Heavy Freeze. It is fantastic for frontlines due to its stacking damage component based on the number of players within the storm.
• Entombed — The most common use for this ability is for survival. It can be held in times where there is heavy damage, to avoid incoming CC, or simply for damage reduction. Also, when used correctly it can be used for cooldown reduction through Refreshing Frost.

• Ice Shower — When used properly this is one of the most incredible forms of AoE CC that New World has to offer. An Ice Gauntlet player can quickly move their camera to adjust its placement, but anyone caught in this ability will be rooted, rended, and thanks to Deadly Frost they will also receive a damage over time effect (DoT). This can be used to kill entire groups of enemies and should be used in combination with abilities like Gravity Well

It would be most optimal to play at 100 Constitution, but this can be difficult. With proper positioning, defensive perks, and knowledge you can be very successful. If you want more defensiveness, you can generally play with higher Constitution because you will be using Mortal Empowerment to increase damage. If you would prefer, you can play with 150 Constitution. This fits best with a Support Ice Gauntlet build.

This is the optimal attribute distribution when playing with an Ice Gauntlet emphasis and you are looking to primarily deal damage with Ice Spikes and Ice Storm.

Slot	Perks	Gem	Weight	Attribute	Source
Ice Gauntlet	Unending Thaw or Deadly Frost Refreshing Move Enchanted or Chain Fire	Runeglass of Ignited Opal	-	Intelligence	Crafted/BoE*
Blunderbuss	Enchanted Flame Attunement Plagued Splitting Grenade	Runeglass of Ignited Opal	-	Intelligence	Crafted/BoE
Helmet	Ability Perk* or Refreshing*** Resilient Freedom or Elemental Aversion***	Runeglass of Ignited Onyx	Light	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Gloves	Ability Perk* or Refreshing*** Resilient Freedom or Elemental Aversion***	Runeglass of Ignited Onyx	Light	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Chest	Ability Perk* or Refreshing*** Resilient Freedom or Elemental Aversion***	Runeglass of Ignited Onyx	Medium	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Pants	Refreshing or Freedom Resilient Shirking Energy	Runeglass of Ignited Onyx	Light	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Boots	Ability Perk* or Refreshing*** Resilient Freedom or Elemental Aversion***	Runeglass of Ignited Onyx	Light	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Amulet	Health Stamina Recovery Slash Protection	Cut Pristine Opal	-	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Ring	Invigorated Punishment or Mortal Empowerment Fire Damage Hearty	Cut Pristine Opal	-	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Earring	Refreshing Toast Purifying Toast Refreshing	Cut Pristine Opal	-	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE

*: Depending on your preference and RNG, you can run Crystalline Curse when you have 200 Arcana. Otherwise you will have to try to get an alternative to drop. This will also decide where your Ice Gauntlet perks will work into your gear.

**: The ability perks you need to make sure are in your build are Plagued Splitting Grenade, Leeching Shrapnel Blast, Exhaustive Net Shot, Unending Thaw, and Deadly Frost.

***: Freedom, Elemental Aversion, and Refreshing, are all viable options. When using Freedom you should stack 3 or 5 times. Any combination of these perks is viable.

Overall with gearing, this is the ideal loadout of perks for a best in slot build. With that being said, be sure to refer to the Ice Gauntlet Perks guide or the Blunderbuss Perks guide to have a better understanding of other flexible perk options to fit into your build. You can decide what you are most comfortable with.

For more specific information on optimizing your gems in PvP and PvE please refer to our Ice Gauntlet Gems guide or Blunderbuss Gems guide.

When focusing on burst damage Brutal Heartrune of Detonate will always be one of the top picks, and it should be used in this build. You just need to play safely after activating it.

For a safer alternative that can increase your burst potential, Cunning Heartrune of Detonate can be an option. It will decrease detonate damage but increase damage output from your Blunderbuss or Ice Gauntlet.

Brutal Heartrune of Grasping Vines is another great option that has more group utility and synergy. This can be extremely effective when locking down a target. The Vines will make them more vulnerable and they will take a great deal of damage from your Blunderbuss.

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

• Use Net Shot to close gaps by slowing priority targets. This will allow you to stay closer and make your Blunderbuss more effective.
• (If chosen) Use Ice Shower on clumps or priority targets to set up a kill combo.
• When targets are low health or clustered, prioritize shooting a basic shot from your Blunderbuss and following it up with an immediate Azoth Shrapnel Blast. (This ability can be used by itself to quickly execute enemies).
• Use Splitting Grenade on AoE clumps or a priority target. This can be reactivated to split earlier and control the location where it drops.
• Drop a Ice Storm on large groups for additional damage.(This could also be used before all other abilities if there is a large group)
• Use aimed shots from your Blunderbuss as a filler until abilities are off cooldown, or for quick bursts of damage.
• Heavy attack with Ice Gauntlet when a player is under the effect of Unending Thaw and you can secure a Heavy Freeze opportunity.
• Use Entombed for survival or damage mitigation.
• Repeat

• Use Ice Shower and root the target, this will apply rend.
• Use Splitting Grenade and immediately detonate it at the target's feet.
• Fire a basic shot from your Blunderbuss and immediately follow it with Azoth Shrapnel Blast

When using the Blunderbuss or Ice Gauntlet 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 Blunderbuss guide or Ice Gauntlet guide.

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