The New World community is currently waiting not so patiently for the big Aeternum update in October. While we’re killing time, I thought it would be fun to theorycraft some artifact concepts.
I love the idea of artifacts, but I do believe Amazon has played a little too safe with them so far, with few living up to the “build-defining” promise intended for them. I think there’s a lot of potential for artifacts that really shake up how the game is played.
Setting expectations
Before I get into my actual design concepts, I want to set some clear expectations. This is a list of concepts that I think would be cool as a player, so it’s not going to be giving an equal shake to all playstyles. You’ll note there’s a lot of weapons for focus builds in here because that’s what I play the most.
Also, the numbers in my proposed artifact traits are just rough ballpark estimates. They would certainly require a lot of tuning to actually be balanced. I encourage you to judge these ideas based on their overall concepts rather than specific numbers.
Paladin’s Morningstar (flail)
Lightbringer: When a player is effected by one of your flail buffs, they heal for 20% weapon damage every second. Your charged heavy attacks fire a bolt of divine light that travels forward 30M and heals any friendly player it touches for 80% weapon damage. Healing scales exclusively from focus. All healing from other weapons reduced by 50%.
It’s been a great disappointment for me and many other players that there neither the flail nor the void gauntlet is viable as a main healing weapon, making life staff still the only true choice for a healer’s main weapon. I thought I’d pitch some ideas for artifacts that aim to make flail and VG viable alternatives. The reduced healing effect from other weapons is to avoid making healers too overpowered by letting them get the full benefit of a life staff and another healing weapon.
This one leans into the flail’s plentiful buffs by making them also apply a heal over time effect. Heavy attacks provide an option for burst healing when you need it.
Twisted Benediction (void gauntlet)
Soulfeast: When your Disintegrate damage over time effect deals damage, it also heals a nearby friendly player for 10% weapon damage per stack of Disintegrate. Healing scales exclusively from focus. All other void gauntlet healing increased by 50%, and all healing done by other weapons reduced by 50%.
Much like the above, this one turns a signature feature of the void gauntlet, the Disintegrate DoT, into a source of healing. That plus increased healing from your active abilities should make for a dynamic aggressive healing style.
Swordsaint’s Katana (sword)
Kensei’s Technique: While you have no shield equipped, the cooldowns of Reverse Stab and Whirling Blade refresh 100% faster and they deal 15% additional damage.
People have been asking for an option to play sword without a shield pretty much as long as New World has existed. Technically you can do it now, but there’s no benefit to it, so you’re just making your blocks weaker for no reason. An artifact is the perfect opportunity to make shieldless sword a viable playstyle without the need for a full revamp of the weapon.
I originally thought of just giving a damage buff to shieldless players, but that was a bit boring. Reduced cooldowns on your offensive abilities gives the no shield playstyle a genuinely different feel, almost like it was a whole new weapon. I didn’t include Leaping Strike because I thought that much mobility could be oppressive in PvP.
I flavoured it as a katana because that’s highly requested as a new weapon type, but realistically I don’t think there’s a lot of design space for a katana in a game that already has three different sword weapons. This feels like a good compromise option to give the katana-lovers what they want while leaving the developers free to spend their resources on more original weapon concepts.
Pugnacious (Blunderbuss)
Obdurate: Holding down the right mouse button now activates block instead of aiming down your sight. Successfully blocking an attack reloads one ammunition.
Short-ranged and scaling off strength, the blunderbuss feels like a weapon that wants to be part of a melee bruiser build, but like other ranged weapons, it can’t block, which always felt awkward to me. Trading in aiming down your sight, which isn’t essential on such a short range weapon, for an actual block allows blunderbuss to be the in-your-face brawler weapon it was always meant to be.
Hama Yumi (bow)
Blessed Arrows: 99% of this weapon’s damage is converted to arcane, and if your focus is higher, replace your base weapon scaling with focus. Damage dealt with this weapon reduced by 20%.
Shrine Maiden’s Fortune: When you hit with a light attack, a helpful spirit gathers around you for 10 seconds, stacking up to 5 times. When you hit with a charged heavy attack, releases all spirits, which seek nearby injured allies and heal them for 80% weapon damage. Healing scales exclusively with focus.
One of my favourite RPG archetypes is that of a divine archer (or the Kikiyō build, as I like to call it), but it’s one you almost never see.
The intention of this is not for it to be viable as a main healing weapon, but as a way for a focus player to put out some respectable damage while still contributing to heals during times when people aren’t at immediate risk of dying. Ideally it should be a significant damage increase over a life staff while still not quite doing as much damage as a dex-based bow build.
With the potential for great self sustain, it can also be an excellent solo weapon.
Nergal’s Rotloop (ring)
Circle of Decay: Your damage over time effects deal 75% more damage. All other damage you do is reduced by 50%.
It’s always frustrated me a bit that while New World has many weapons with DoTs, it doesn’t really have any builds where DoTs are the sole or primary source of damage. I really want that classic Affliction warlock-style “they’re already dead, they just don’t know it yet” gameplay.
I’m unsure how this would interact with the rapier’s Flourish and Finish in terms of how the ability is coded, but my intention is that this should not increase Finish’s damage.
Ancient Heartgem Shard (amulet)
Fallen Hero’s Echo: Your heartgem rune charges 50% faster.
This is meant to be an option for people who feel New World‘s three active abilities per weapon is too limiting. With a faster recharge, your heartgem ability can be used as more regular part of your rotation.
Sutekh’s Amplifier (amulet)
Azoth Overcharge: Your heartgem rune charges at half the normal speed but deals 150% more damage.
And the inverse of the above. This makes the heartgem abilities much closer to the “ultimate” abilities they were mistakenly described as by the community when first introduced.
Circle of Life (logging axe)
Endless Renewal: When you cut down a tree while outdoors, there is a 20% chance it immediately respawns.
In a dev video a few months ago, someone asked about the possibility of artifact gathering tools. The developers admitted they hadn’t considered the possibility but quite liked the idea. I decided to imagine what such artifacts might look like.
The “while outdoors” restriction is meant to prevent these extra mechanics slowing down dungeon runs.
Reap and Sow (harvesting sickle)
Evolving Blossoms: When you harvest a fiber plant while outdoors, there is a 10% chance it immediately respawns as a plant of the next highest tier (if any).
Devouring Claw (skinning knife)
Skinreaper: When you skin a creature’s corpse and there are no other players within 30M, you also skin all other nearby skinnable corpses.
If you’re farming skins, you’re probably pulling a lot of mobs and then AoEing them down. This saves a lot of time harvesting the corpses. The nearby players restriction is to prevent griefing by stealing other people’s kills.
Too Deep (pick axe)
They Are Coming: When you harvest a mining node while outdoors, there is a 15% chance that it spawns a Corrupted monster. This monster will drop valuable minerals when killed.
Drums in the deep…
I imagine the monster being a little tougher than the average mob but still readily soloable. It would drop its rewards for anyone who taps it.
Fish Tale (fishing rod)
Lucky Catch: When you hook a fish, there is a 15% chance to instantly reel it in.
I imagine this having flavour text like, “I swear it jumped right in the boat!”
Pitch your own
Have an idea for an artifact you’d like to see? Share it in the comments!
New World’s Aeternum is a land of many secrets. In MassivelyOP’s Vitae Aeternum, our writers delve those secrets to provide you with in-depth coverage of all things New World through launch and beyond.
