The Best Great Axe Build in New World

Learn how to create the best Great Axe build in New World, a two-handed weapon that excels in DPS and crowd control in PvP and PvE. As a two-handed weapon, the Great Axe has slower damage output, but it more than makes up for it with being able to attack two or more targets at once. Additionally, higher-level Great Axe perks have some self-healing options as well, making the Great Axe one of the best weapons in New World.

Unlike weapons such as the Hatchet, Sword and Shield, or Spear, the Great Axe doesn't have any ranged options for its Mastery Trees. Instead, its Mastery Trees are split into powerful single-target attacks and multi-target attacks. Both trees are excellent for damaging and crowd control, which is why the Great Axe is a useful weapon for both DPS-focused builds and Tanks Builds.

The Reaper is the first Mastery Tree for the Great Axe, and it has abilities that focus on bringing enemies closer to the player and finishing them off quickly. The Mauler tree focuses on bundling enemies together and attacking them all at once. Although the Mauler abilities deal less damage than the abilities in the Reaper tree, they require far less precision to land attacks. A Great Axe is easy to craft, but it can also be earned by claiming New World Twitch drops from select content creators.

These are the Great Axe abilities:

• Reap (Reaper): Extend the axe outward by 5 meters and pull enemies back in, dealing 110% weapon damage.
• Charge (Reaper): Charge 10 meters dealing 120% weapon damage after reaching a target.
• Execute (Reaper): A powerful overhead attack dealing 200% weapon damage. Deals 300% weapon damage to foes under 50% health.
• Maelstrom (Mauler): Fast-spinning attack that pulls targets inward and deals 110% weapon damage.
• Whirlwind (Mauler): Spin attack dealing 50% weapon damage to all nearby enemies. The user spins again if they land a hit, up to four times.
• Gravity Well (Mauler): Throw axe to create a vortex that pulls foes to its center for 3 seconds. The move ends with a burst dealing 125% weapon damage.

The best Great Axe build uses Execute, Maelstrom, and Whirlwind, all perfect abilities for a New World Tank Build. Since the Great Axe does a great job of handling crowds, abilities like Whirlwind and Maelstrom are ideal for separating a few members and landing multiple attacks. Execute is a powerful move that should be used to finish off enemies, which is particularly useful when a couple of enemies are close to one another.