Ice Gauntlet Medium Blunderbuss PvP Build for New World

The Blunderbuss is a weapon that can have incredibly high damage output regardless of armor loadout. This medium build plays adjacent to bruiser builds and is along the same lines as a Ice Gauntlet and Void Gauntlet support mage build, but with higher damage output. You have great tools for CC still, just far more kill potential.

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.

This is the default build for medium armor loadouts with Ice Gauntlet and Blunderbuss.If you wish to have more point presence, you can play with 200 Constitution by dropping to 150 Strength.

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	Heavy	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Gloves	Ability Perk* or Refreshing*** Resilient Freedom or Elemental Aversion***	Runeglass of Ignited Onyx	Medium	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Chest	Ability Perk* or Refreshing*** Resilient Freedom or Elemental Aversion***	Runeglass of Ignited Onyx	Heavy	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Pants	Ability Perk* or Refreshing*** Resilient Freedom or Elemental Aversion***	Runeglass of Ignited Onyx	Light	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Boots	Ability Perk* or Refreshing*** Resilient Freedom or Elemental Aversion***	Runeglass of Frozen Onyx	Medium	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Amulet	Health Stamina Recovery Slash Protection	Cut Pristine Opal	-	Intelligence or Constitution	Crafted/BoE
Ring	Invigorated Punishment Fire Damage Refreshing	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, Unending Thaw, Iced Refresh, and Leeching Shrapnel Blast. If you feel that you can fit it into your build, it can also be valuable to use Exhaustive Net Shot.

***: 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.

****: Regular Pants are an easily obtainable best in slot drop from a named enemy in Brimstone Sands. You will have to find Heka of the Crossroads at one of two possible spawns. During the day time they will be at the Southern end of the Valley of the Gods. At night they will be located at the acid pool East of the Cradle of Nu in the North.

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 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.

The optimal Heartrune for this build's playstyle will be Brutal Heartrune of Grasping Vines. Since you will be in melee range most of the time you can take advantage of enemies who are clumped together more easily. This will make them incredibly vulnerable not only to your damage, but your allies as well.

If you are wanting to have more burst damage output you can use Brutal Heartrune of Detonate.

Your Heartrune will be used similarly in PvP and PvE scenarios. As such, please refer to our Ice Gauntlet 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.
• 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 Ice Shower on enemies, priority targets, or choke points to provide CC to secure kills.
• 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

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 page or Ice Gauntlet page.

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