Rapier / Fire Staff PvP Build
This build is a bit out of date, find the new version here!
This is a powerful damage build that is one of the fastest and most mobile things on the battlefield. This build excels at fighting outnumbered, thanks to its incredible ability to dodge attacks, and rewards good timing and decision making. The rapier is the damage weapon of choice, applying fast powerful backstabs. The fire staff is primarily for mobility and applying burns to the target before going in close for the kill. With a high skill ceiling, and no outright weaknesses, I find this build to be one of the most enjoyable playstyles New World has to offer!
Check out a video guide with gameplay for this build!
This build does big damage with the rapier, which scales off both Dexterity and Intelligence. The 150 points in Dexterity are not only great for damage, but a huge part of the builds defensive gameplay! The 150 points in Constitution is a must have for the critical damage reduction in endgame PvP. Ideally, this build would have 200 points in Intelligence for the mana sustain, however that would require getting very close to 600 gear score equipment. If you don’t get to 200, you can always use mana potions for Sustain.
Dexterity
50: +5% chance to critical hit. +10% skinning speed.
100: +5% thrust damage. +20% haste for 3s after skinning.
150: Dodges cost 10 less stamina. -10% decrease in weight of skinned items.
Intelligence
50: +10% damage to light and heavy magic attacks. +10% harvest speed.
100: +10% critical hit chance. 5% chance for 1 Azoth when harvesting.
150: +15% to elemental damage. -10% decrease in weight of harvested items.
Constitution
50: All health consumables 20% stronger. +10% logging speed.
100: Increase max health by 10% of your physical armor. -10% reduction on durability loss for tools.
150: -10% to critical damage taken. -10% decrease in weight of logging items.
Equipment
The best rapier perk for this build is Rogue, ideally paired with Keenly Enchanted (and if you’re rich or super lucky, Keen as the final legendary perk!). The fire staff benefits from the Keen and Keenly Jagged perks, and Vicious as the 3rd perk if you can get it. Both weapons have the gambit gem for a 15% damage bonus while not at full stamina, as a dodge-heavy build, this is perfect.
The armor is Tier 5 Faction Gear that you can buy from your faction vendor. This allows you to easily get your attributes of choice, and all the gear have Resilient and Refreshing perks! These two perks are arguably the best perks for armor in PvP, but if you can get your hands on armor with Sundering Riposte / Resilient and Empowering Fireball / Resilient, then the build would be perfect!
The Healthy perk on the necklace is a must have for PvP, and ideally you can pair it with divines or the Stamina recovery perks. Hearty on the ring is excellent for this build’s roll-heavy playstyle, and pairs best with Keen Awareness as the second perk for the increased critical chance. The Ill-Gotten Gain Earring is perfect for this build, and quite easy to get once you’re level 52 or higher from the rifle boss in Lower Slag Mine: Edengrove!
Ideally, all the armor and jewelry should have Wilderness Ward Gems, a great defensive option for the physical meta today.
As always, you want to try to use the best food and potions that you have available! For the buff food, I use a Tier 5 Dexterity / Intelligence food (Filet In Mushroom Sauce) to increase the maximum attributes of the build. You can use whatever food works best for your situation. I went with this option because it was much cheaper than the pure Intelligence meal!
Active Skills
Rapier
Riposte - 4/4 Upgrades
A fantastic counter-move that allows you to absorb an incoming attack and return with a stun. You also gain a moment of invulnerability if you successfully Riposte an attack. The much lower cool-down this patch, makes Riposte an excellent tool for dealing with aggressive melee fighters. Finally, after a successful counter-stun, you can roll behind your opponent and hit them with a huge backstab heavy attack!
Evade - 5/5 Upgrades
Evade is arguably the Rapier’s best skill. It not only allows you to have a brief moment of invulnerability, but makes you more mobile, can be used to attack, and can cancel any ability or action! This is a very unique effect and gives the Rapier a high skill ceiling for PvP combat. Evade is also great when chained with dodge roll, especially since you gain stamina for using it!
Fleche - 4/4 Upgrades
This is not only an amazing gap-closer for attacking and getting away, but it is also a quick way for you to get behind an opponent and hit them with a strong backstab. This is also a very fast skill to cast and does quite a bit of damage on the initial hit too!
Fire Staff
Fireball - 1/3 Upgrades
This skill hits hard, is rather quick to cast, and has a large AOE blast radius that makes it much easier to hit a moving target. The AOE field it makes is not the most useful in a mobile fight, and is why I did not invest past the first point in Fireball.
Incinerate - 4/4 Upgrades
A great AOE blast that will apply burning to everything hit while knocking it back. It can work great for attacking and pushing people off you, but can put you in a really bad position if your opponents have Grit and are immune to the knockback! This skill is your most flexible skill, so feel free to use something else here if you want!
Burn Out - 3/3 Upgrades
Burn Out is amazing. It causes you to quickly rush forward, and quite a distance too, while dealing damage to anyone you hit, leaving a strong burn on them. This skill is great for applying offensive pressure and also for escaping to safety. The only downside is that burnout has a longer cast time.
