Can You Tank with the Greatsword in New World? A Comprehensive Guide
Fast answer first. Then use the tabs or video for more detail.
- Watch the video explanation below for a faster overview.
- Game mechanics may change with updates or patches.
- Use this block to get the short answer without scrolling the whole page.
- Read the FAQ section if the article has one.
- Use the table of contents to jump straight to the detailed section you need.
- Watch the video first, then skim the article for specifics.
The short answer is yes, you can tank with the Greatsword in New World, but it’s a nuanced playstyle. While the classic Sword and Shield remain the quintessential tanking choice, the Greatsword offers a more aggressive and damage-oriented approach to holding aggro and protecting your team. This guide dives deep into the viability, strengths, weaknesses, builds, and strategies for successfully tanking with the Greatsword in New World.
Greatsword Tanking: A Viable Alternative?
The Greatsword brings a unique flavor to tanking. It’s not about passively absorbing damage like a traditional tank. Instead, it focuses on proactively mitigating damage through dodging, blocking, and healing while simultaneously dishing out significant damage to maintain threat. This is a more dynamic and engaging style of tanking that can be incredibly rewarding.
However, it’s crucial to understand that Greatsword tanking has limitations. It demands a higher level of skill, awareness, and gear optimization compared to Sword and Shield tanking. It also typically requires a different approach to stat allocation and perk selection.
Strengths of Greatsword Tanking
- High Damage Output: The Greatsword boasts impressive damage scaling with both Strength and Dexterity, allowing you to deal considerable damage while tanking. This not only helps hold aggro but also contributes significantly to overall group DPS.
- Aggressive Playstyle: The Greatsword’s mobility and offensive capabilities promote an active and aggressive tanking style. This can be particularly effective in situations where passively blocking isn’t the best option.
- Area of Effect (AoE) Threat Generation: The Greatsword excels at hitting multiple targets, making it easier to maintain threat against groups of enemies.
- Versatility: The Greatsword’s dual scaling opens up diverse build options, allowing you to synergize with various secondary weapons.
- Fun Factor: Many players find Greatsword tanking more enjoyable than traditional tanking due to its fast-paced and proactive nature.
Weaknesses of Greatsword Tanking
- Lower Base Mitigation: The Greatsword lacks the innate block stability of a shield, making you more vulnerable to sustained damage if not played well.
- Higher Skill Requirement: Successfully tanking with a Greatsword requires excellent timing, positioning, and awareness of enemy attack patterns.
- Gear Dependency: Greatsword tanking requires specific gear perks and attributes to maximize survivability and threat generation.
- Limited Crowd Control: While the Greatsword deals decent damage, it lacks the dedicated crowd control abilities of weapons like the War Hammer.
- Not Ideal for All Content: Greatsword tanking may not be the optimal choice for all types of content, particularly high-level expeditions that require immense damage mitigation.
Building Your Greatsword Tank
A successful Greatsword tank relies on a well-optimized build. Here’s a breakdown of key components:
Attributes
- Strength: Strength is crucial for increasing your damage output and contributes to threat generation.
- Dexterity: Dexterity further boosts your damage and also improves your dodge effectiveness.
- Constitution: Constitution is essential for increasing your health pool and overall survivability.
The optimal attribute distribution will depend on your specific build and playstyle. A common approach is to prioritize Strength and Dexterity equally while having enough Constitution to survive incoming attacks.
Skills and Abilities
Key Greatsword skills for tanking include:
- Relentless Rush: Provides gap closing and threat generation.
- Grit: Prevents you from being staggered during attacks.
- Roaring Rupture: Deals high damage and applies rend, increasing damage taken by enemies.
- Skyward Slash: A great AoE attack.
- Steady Rush: Provides damage absorption.
Choosing the right skills and passives is crucial for maximizing your tanking potential. Experiment with different combinations to find what works best for you.
Gear and Perks
- Armor: Heavy armor is generally recommended for tanking, as it provides the highest physical and elemental armor rating.
- Perks: Seek out perks that enhance your survivability, threat generation, and damage output. Examples include:
- Refreshing: Reduces cooldowns, allowing you to use your abilities more frequently.
- Fortifying: Grants fortify when hit, reducing incoming damage.
- Threatening: Increases threat generation.
- Shirking Fortification: Grants fortify when dodging.
- Gems: Use gems that provide elemental resistance to mitigate specific types of damage encountered in expeditions and open-world combat.
- Weapon Perks: Look for weapon perks that benefit your tanking playstyle, such as increased threat generation or damage bonuses against specific enemy types.
Secondary Weapon
Choosing the right secondary weapon is critical for complementing the Greatsword’s strengths and weaknesses. Popular options include:
- War Hammer: Provides excellent crowd control and AoE debuffs.
- Sword and Shield: Offers superior blocking capabilities and additional defensive options, though a bit redundant with Greatsword.
- Spear: Provides solid single-target damage and crowd control, along with decent scaling.
- Hatchet: Provides Berserk for increased damage and Defy Death for survivability in a pinch.
Greatsword Tanking Strategies
- Aggro Management: Use your abilities and heavy attacks to generate threat and keep enemies focused on you.
- Positioning: Maintain optimal positioning to protect your teammates and control the flow of combat.
- Dodging: Master the art of dodging to avoid taking unnecessary damage.
- Blocking: Use your block sparingly to mitigate high-damage attacks that you can’t dodge.
- Healing: Utilize potions and self-healing abilities to maintain your health.
- Communication: Communicate with your team to coordinate strategies and manage threat effectively.
Final Thoughts
Tanking with the Greatsword in New World is a viable and engaging option for players who enjoy a more active and damage-oriented playstyle. While it requires more skill and gear optimization than traditional tanking, it can be incredibly rewarding in the right hands. By understanding the Greatsword’s strengths and weaknesses, optimizing your build, and mastering the core tanking strategies, you can become a formidable Greatsword tank in New World.
The skills you develop in New World, such as strategic thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork, can translate to other areas of life. The Games Learning Society explores these connections further, researching how games can contribute to education and personal growth. You can learn more at GamesLearningSociety.org.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Greatsword tanking suitable for beginners?
No, Greatsword tanking is generally not recommended for beginners. It requires a higher level of skill and awareness compared to traditional Sword and Shield tanking.
2. What are the best gems for a Greatsword tank?
The best gems for a Greatsword tank will depend on the type of damage you expect to encounter. Generally, gems that provide physical or elemental resistance are good choices.
3. How important is dodging for Greatsword tanking?
Dodging is extremely important for Greatsword tanking. It’s crucial for mitigating damage and avoiding staggers.
4. What stats should I prioritize on my Greatsword tank gear?
Prioritize Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. The exact balance will depend on your specific build and playstyle.
5. Which secondary weapon is best for a Greatsword tank?
The best secondary weapon depends on your playstyle and the needs of your group. Popular options include the War Hammer, Sword and Shield, and Spear.
6. Can I use a Greatsword tank in PvP?
Yes, the Greatsword can be effective in PvP, but it requires a different build and playstyle than PvE tanking.
7. How do I generate threat as a Greatsword tank?
Use your abilities and heavy attacks to generate threat. Focus on skills that have increased threat generation.
8. What’s the difference between a Greatsword tank and a traditional Sword and Shield tank?
A Greatsword tank is more damage-oriented and requires a more active playstyle, while a Sword and Shield tank focuses on passively absorbing damage and providing crowd control.
9. Is Greatsword tanking viable in high-level expeditions?
Greatsword tanking can be viable in high-level expeditions, but it requires excellent gear, skill, and team coordination.
10. What are the key skills to focus on with a Greatsword tank?
Focus on skills that provide damage mitigation, threat generation, and mobility, such as Relentless Rush, Steady Rush, and Roaring Rupture.
11. How much Constitution do I need as a Greatsword tank?
The amount of Constitution you need will depend on your gear and playstyle. Aim for enough to survive incoming attacks without sacrificing too much damage output.
12. Are there any specific consumables I should use as a Greatsword tank?
Use health potions, regeneration potions, and attribute foods to enhance your survivability and damage output.
13. What is the best armor weight for a Greatsword tank?
Heavy armor is generally recommended for its superior protection, but medium armor can also be viable if you prioritize mobility and dodging.
14. Does Greatsword tanking require a specific playstyle?
Yes, Greatsword tanking requires a more active and aggressive playstyle than traditional tanking. You need to be constantly moving, dodging, and attacking to maintain threat and mitigate damage.
15. Where can I find more information about tanking in New World?
You can find more information about tanking in New World on the official New World forums, online guides, and community discords.