New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (2024)

Quick Links

  • Archetype Tier List

    • Ranking Criteria
  • S Tier Archetypes

    • Soldier
    • Ranger
  • A Tier Archetypes

    • Destroyer
    • Occultist
    • Musketeer
    • Mystic
  • B Tier Archetypes

    • Swordbearer

Choosing the right weapon in New World: Aeternum can make all the difference in your leveling journey. One of the first choices you'll make is selecting an archetype. Archetypes provide new characters with two starting weapons and bonuses to three Trade Skill professions. There are seven archetypes, featuring some popular weapon pairings that offer synergy in both playstyle and stat distribution.

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If you’re unsure which Archetype to pick, don’t stress about it too much, you'll get more weapons soon and be free to swap to any other weapon combination. More importantly, will be the boosts you get to Trade Skills, if you choose to stick around for end-game activities.

Archetype Tier List

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (2)

Here's a list of all the Archetypes in New World: Aeternum.

  • Destroyer
  • Musketeer
  • Mystic
  • Occultist
  • Ranger
  • Soldier
  • Swordbearer

Ranking Criteria

The tier placement for each archetype in this list is determined by the following criteria:

  1. Trade Skill Usefulness
    • Due to being able to swap weapons freely, the boost to level 50 in three trade skills is the most important criterion.
  2. Weapon Synergy
    • Weapons that work well together and if they share the same stat priorities place higher in the tier list.
  3. Damage and Utility
    • High damage output or useful skills that provide mobility, damage mitigation, crowd-control, or healing rank higher.

Tier

Archetypes

S

Soldier

Ranger

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (3)

Sword and Shield + Hatchet

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (4)

Bow + Spear

A

Destroyer

Occultist

Musketeer

Mystic

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (5)

Great Axe + War Hammer

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (6)

Ice Gauntlet + Fire Staff

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (7)

Musket + Rapier

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (8)

Void Gauntlet + Life Staff

B

Swordbearer

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (9)

Greatsword + Blunderbuss

S Tier Archetypes

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (10)

These archetypes have time-tested weapons, good stat synergies, and must-have trade skill bonuses for endgame. They stand out as the unrivalled best options to get a head start on the competition.

Soldier

Firstly, both weapons share the same stat scaling, Strength and Dexterity. The Hatchet stands out as a very strong and capable weapon in New World, especially for solo leveling. Its versatility shines in both melee and ranged combat. One of the main reasons it's so powerful is the Berserk ability. This skill boosts your damage output, removes all stuns and bleeds, increases movement speed, and even grants life steal. The Sword and Shield provides a good balance between offense and defense. However, its damage output is lower compared to other weapons.

  • Trade Skills: Weaponsmithing, Mining, Smelting

For Trade Skills, it doesn't get any better than these three. They are top tier, not only due to being able to craft the best weapons at max level, but you'll also be self-sufficient in gathering and refining materials with Mining and Smelting.

Ranger

The Spear is an S-Tier weapon on its own, ideal for players who want a blend of crowd control and damage over time. It excels in stacking bleeds and debuffs on enemies, making it a potent weapon for longer fights. The Spear is not only great for single-target damage but can also disrupt groups of enemies.

The Bow is a good ranged weapon for players who like to keep their distance. Its AOE abilities are solid for crowd control, and its single-target damage is reliable. However, it requires good aim and timing. Another great benefit to these weapons is that they both scale well with Dexterity.

  • Trade Skills: Engineering, Logging, Woodcutting

Logging and Woodcutting are good for early game gold making, whereas Engineering provides a way to craft some weapons as well as useful tools for other professions.

A Tier Archetypes

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (11)

These archetypes also have good stat synergies, decent weapon skills, but their trade skills aren't the best choices.

Destroyer

Both of these weapons scale off of Strength, making it a great choice. This combo is one of the best choices for PvP and will likely be seen with most coordinated groups.

The Great Axe earns its place due to its devastating damage output. It’s a solid choice for players who prefer heavy, crushing hits. Its AOE abilities make it useful for handling groups of enemies, although it may not offer as much survivability in prolonged fights. The War Hammer is another slow but powerful weapon that specializes in crowd control. It’s useful for stunning and controlling enemies, but its lack of mobility and slow attack speed make it less ideal for solo play.

  • Trade Skills: Armoring, Skinning, Leatherworking

When it comes to Trade Skills, you'll be able to craft a lot of useful equipment with Armoring and Leatherworking. Skinning will be able to provide the majority of the raw materials required.

Occultist

Both the Ice Gauntlet and the Fire Staff scale off of Intellect. The Ice Gauntlet offers strong crowd control and utility abilities. While it’s useful for slowing down enemies and controlling the battlefield, its damage isn’t as high as other weapons. The Fire Staff delivers high damage from a distance, however, its lack of defensive options makes it less ideal for solo players who can’t afford to take too much damage.

  • Trade Skills: Jewelcrafting, Mining, Stonecutting

The Trade Skill bonuses here are an excellent selection useful for gathering, then crafting Gems, Rings and Amulets. These professions are also a solid choice to make some gold at max level.

Musketeer

Both the Musket and Rapier scale from Dexterity and Intelligence, so that is certainly a positive. The Rapier is an agile weapon with fast attack speed and powerful counters. It excels in hit-and-run tactics, allowing you to avoid damage while dealing consistent strikes. It does lack AOE options, limiting its use in group fights.

The Musket can deal good damage from a distance, but it requires precision and long reload times. It can also be difficult to manage multiple enemies with the Musket’s slower pace. Overall, this combo would be well suited for a single-target playstyle.

  • Trade Skills: Armoring, Harvesting, Weaving

The trade skill bonuses here work very well together, offering a good boost to source your materials and refine them into crafts.

Mystic

The Life Staff scales off of Focus, while the Void Gauntlet scales off of Intelligence first, Focus second. This is the classic healer best suited for group play. The Life Staff excels in healing and support abilities are fantastic for group play, but it lacks any real offensive capabilities. The Void Gauntlet provides debuffs and utility but lacks the raw damage output of other weapons.

  • Trade Skills: Arcana, Harvesting, Weaving

The trade skills aren't particularly exciting, though Arcana is certainly useful for important consumables and crafting some weapons. Harvesting and Weaving do pair with eachother, though the crafts made are not going to be the most sought after at end-game.

B Tier Archetypes

New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (12)

Still a good choice for weapons, but dear lord the trade skills leave something to be desired.

Swordbearer

It's worth mentioning that these two weapons do pair quite nicely together. The Greatsword is one of the best weapons, capable of dealing significant damage and maintaining mobility. While it's slower compared to some other weapons, its area-of-effect (AOE) abilities allow you to take down groups of enemies efficiently. The Blunderbuss offers solid close-range damage but struggles at longer distances. Its burst damage is great for solo fights but requires careful positioning.

  • Trade Skills: Cooking, Fishing, Leatherworking

You may be wondering then why is the Swordbearer at the bottom of this list? Bad. Trade. Skills. Leatherworking is fine but you don't have a gathering or refining trade skill paired with it. Cooking is a trade skill almost all players will level at some point but isn't vital. Fishing has yet to be seen as worthwhile.

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New World: Aeternum - Archetype Tier List (2024)
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