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This is a great way for ambitious and creative players to build unique Paladins with a variety of abilities and party roles. A New World Paladin can take on a variety of forms instead of the cookie-cutter medieval crusader aesthetic that often brands the class regardless of where they appear. A New World Paladin can still fill that mold, but there are other possibilities that the player is free to explore. The best Paladin build is entirely a matter of taste, and depends on the character’s background and abilities as well as their role in a party, so here are a few guidelines to get started.
3 The Ability Scores
Paladins are a combination class anyway, shifting roles between healing, defense, and damage. In New World, the allotment of points to certain ability scores determines the weapon proficiency of a character, whereas there are no requirements or restrictions when it comes to armor. Although heavy armor is often a prerequisite for the Paladin class, in this game it’s preferred, but not optional. Some Paladins that are dedicated to healing and are spending less time in melee range might opt for something lighter.
Strength. Paladins who want to go for the classic sword and shield build will prioritize Strength, the attribute that determines their effectiveness with these weapons. Dexterity. A Paladin who relies on damage and wants to wield a rapier or ranged weapon would focus on this score as opposed to Strength. The sword is the only melee weapon that requires points in both Strength and Paladins that favor a sword and shield build would also benefit from some extra Dexterity points. Intelligence. A Paladin who wants the ability to cast spells for the sake of Fire, Frost, or Void damage can put some points in this Attribute so they can use a gauntlet or DPS (damage-per-second) staff. Focus. An intrinsic part of the classic build, Focus is the score that’s essential in order to give a Paladin healing powers and also governs the character’s Void Gauntlet abilities. Constitution. This governs a Paladin’s hit points, and since this is probably a melee fighter, the more the better.
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2 Crafting Options
There are a lot of nice weapons, accessories, and other items that are given as rewards or dropped from bosses in New World, but players don’t have to run dungeons or raids various times to get the gear they want. The crafting system in New World isn’t restricted to one or two choices, so any character can craft any item, provided they know the recipe and their crafting level is high enough. For Paladins, however, it helps to focus on certain professions.
Weaponsmithing. A Paladin is often identified by their weapon, virtually always of the melee variety. No classes mean that there are no restrictions in New World when it comes to weapons either, so a player can equip and wield anything they make. Keep in mind, however, that certain weapons benefit more from the character’s main stat than others. Two-handed weapons like the warhammer rely solely on Strength, but a sword uses both Strength and Dexterity. Armoring. A Paladin usually wears an armor set of full plate, so find a Forge and start to level this crafting skill as soon as possible. Medium and light armor uses another crafting station, Outfitting , but the same crafting skill. Arcana. An essential skill for crafting a variety of helpful potions, the Arcane Repository is the station where magical weapons are crafted, and this is an important detail when building a Paladin. For example, a healing Paladin would need a Life Staff, and a DPS Paladin could equip a Void Gauntlet or a Fire Station. Jewelcrafting. This is a separate skill from Armoring but it also uses the Outfitting Station. Any Paladin is going to need Jewelry in the form of rings at first, then eventually necklaces and earrings to improve defense, damage, and threat generation. Engineering. This crafting skill is more important for characters that use muskets or bows, but it’s helpful for players who want to take advantage of other handy items that are made in the Workshop. That includes harvesting tools, potions that improve experience gain, and furniture for private homes. Cooking. There are plenty of meals players can prepare or consume to help with both crafting and combat. This is also the station where dyes are crafted, so if a Paladin thinks style and customization are important, they might want to visit the Kitchen once in a while.
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1 The Best Paladin Builds
The Classic Crusader
So, you wanna be a hero? This is a build for those that love the image of shiny metal and a sword and shield build. There aren’t any mounts on Aeternum, however, so the charging white steed has to get left out.
The keys to this build are a full plate metal armor set, a sword and shield, and healing powers. This Paladin will have points in Strength and Dexterity for their weapons, and Focus for their healing powers. Characters can equip two sets of weapons at once, so most of the time this Paladin will walk around with a sword and shield in their main hand and the healing staff readily available as a secondary weapon.
Oathbreaker
This is the pure damage build, the closest comparison being the Retribution Paladin build in World of Warcraft. Now that Void damage has been added, players can create Paladins that wield dark power that’s the opposite of the healing powers often associated with the class, giving this some interesting role-play potential.
An advantage this build has is that there are fewer Attribute Stats that need attention. This Paladin won’t be healing, which means that Dexterity is optional and they can ignore Focus entirely. A damage-based build, this Paladin will wield two-handed weapons that rely on Strength, and although the Void gauntlet is a nice touch this Paladin can wield Frost or Fire-based power just as easily.
The Healadin
A Paladin that puts most of their attribute points in Focus, with their secondary stats being Constitution and Dexterity. This gives a character a better dodge and mobility chance along with more hit points, all important aspects of a healing build. This Paladin can use lighter armor if they choose, but this doesn’t affect the character’s healing abilities, making it an aesthetic choice.
This is the only build that has a more dedicated role than others, with little room for any damage or tanking abilities unless a player wants to stretch their attribute points and doesn’t mind waiting a few more levels to be effective. However, it has more to offer when it comes to weapon choices. Players can build up their Focus and stay with the Life staff for healing and use a Void Gaunlet for damage, or put a few extra points in Dexterity for ranged weapons or finesse weapons like rapiers.
New World is currently available on PC.
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