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There are five Core Attributes, which are fewer than other RPG games, but rather than feel limited by the lack of abilities from other games, think of it as a way to help further streamline the process. These are Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Focus, and Constitution.
Using The Core Attributes
Every time a character goes up a level, they’ll be prompted to put another point in the Core Attribute of their choice. The shortcut to the character creation screen is the “K” key, but you can also find the Core Attributes screen by hitting ESC and choosing the Character option.
The next window has five tabs. The first is a section for a character’s Bio, in which a player can flex their RP muscles and write some backstory. The second tab is where the points for Core Attributes are organized. The next three tabs are for weapon talent trees, Trade Skills, and in-game achievements. These features are used for other customization options such as professions or specific combat abilities.
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The Core Attributes
Strength
Party Roles. Defenders or DPS classes that specialize in melee damage will focus their attention on this Core Attribute. A character’s Strength determines how effective they are with their weapon of choice. Primary Weapons. All the big shiny ones that bash the hardest; the battleax, great ax, greatsword, and warhammer. Secondary Weapons. Only the spear uses Strength as its secondary Attribute Score.
Dexterity
Party Roles. DPS, so melee fighters and archers will have most of their points in Dexterity. This is the primary Attribute Score for ranged and smaller, faster melee weapons. Primary Weapons. The character’s skill and effectiveness with the musket, rapier, bow, and spear are determined by Dexterity. The bow scales with Dexterity alone. Secondary Weapons. A sword and shield combination and the hatchet both use Dexterity as a secondary score.
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Intelligence
Party Roles. Ranged or melee damage, but mostly of the magical sort. Characters with a high Intelligence score are magic users first and foremost. As a secondary Core Attribute, it’s also important to finesse weapon users and ranged damage dealers. Primary Weapons. Ice Gauntlets and Fire Staves use Intelligence as their primary attribute score. Neither weapon uses a secondary one. Secondary Weapons. Muskets and rapiers use Intelligence as a secondary Attribute.
Focus
Party Roles. New World makes it easier to create and level a healer by giving them a single attribute on which to rely. A character’s Focus level also contributes to how efficiently they recover mana. Primary Weapons. The Life Staff was previously the only weapon under this category, but a recent patch introduced the Void Gauntlet. The Life Staff does damage and can heal the player and their party members. The Void Gauntlet can only be used to heal the player and is used more as a DPS weapon. Secondary Weapons. Focus is only used as a primary Attribute score and doesn’t scale with any other weapons.
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Constitution
Party Roles. Extra hit points and carrying capacity are great for any character, but Constitution is the one Attribute Score that doesn’t scale directly with weapon skills. For Defenders, however, this Core Attribute is extremely important because of the extra Taunt abilities. Primary Weapons. Every melee weapon gets some extra Taunt benefits from extra points in Constitution, granting special abilities every time a character reaches another threshold. For example, rapier users get Riposte, and players equipped with a warhammer get Shockwave.
Buffs And Bonuses
Players can use potions, food, and special items during crafting to boost their Core Attributes and improve a variety of abilities. Regardless of a character’s class or role, they should level their Cooking skills in order to take advantage of the many recipes that improve Core Attributes specifically.
Although this type of crafting isn’t usually connected with fighting classes, some high-level ability with the Arcane Repository is useful even if your character isn’t a magic-user. There’s a veritable catalog of potions and tinctures available provided the materials are at hand. Players can also find potions at the Trading Post if they still need to level their crafting skills.
How To Respec
A lot of players will experiment with certain Core Attributes and then decide to try another build. This is fairly easy to do in New World, especially when compared to other MMOs, since there are no class restrictions holding a player back if they want to go from Defender to Healer.
At the bottom of the Core Attributes tab, there’s a “Respec” button that a player can use to wipe their scores and start over. This process is free until the character reaches Level 20, and then it’s available for a fee that scales depending on the level.
New World is currently available on PC.
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