Unveiling the Power: What Gear Score Does in New World
Gear Score in New World is a fundamental numerical value that represents the overall potential strength of your character’s equipped gear. It’s not a direct measure of your damage output or survivability but rather an indicator of the potential power you can wield based on the quality and level of your equipment. Think of it as a guideline, a way to assess the relative potency of an item and your character as a whole. It’s a key driver for character progression, particularly at the endgame. While it doesn’t directly affect your stats, it serves as a gateway to tackling more challenging content and unlocking the full potential of your build. Simply put, a higher Gear Score usually means better stats on your equipment, therefore, better performance.
Gear Score serves several crucial purposes:
- Gatekeeping Content: Many of New World’s challenging endgame activities, such as Mutated Expeditions, have minimum Gear Score requirements. This ensures players are adequately equipped before attempting these encounters.
- Power Scaling: Higher Gear Score generally correlates with better base attributes on your armor and weapons, which leads to increased damage, mitigation, and overall combat prowess.
- Item Comparison: Gear Score provides a simple metric to quickly compare the relative strength of different items. Even if an item has different stats, you can use the Gear Score to get an idea of whether it is an upgrade or not.
- Progression Tracking: It serves as a tangible measurement of your character’s growth and progress, providing a clear sense of achievement as you acquire better equipment.
- Foundation for Expertise: The Expertise System, while no longer in the game, tied into Gear Score and affected the potential maximum Gear Score of your items.
- Indirect Damage and Attribute Influence: Although Gear Score doesn’t directly affect attributes, it drives the stats found on gear which ultimately boosts your damage output, overall defense, and other aspects of your character.
Understanding Gear Score is essential for any player looking to make the most of their New World experience. It is a tool to be used to help you progress, and understand if your gear is useful for higher level content.
Understanding the Nuances of Gear Score
While Gear Score is an important metric, it’s vital to understand what it doesn’t do:
- Directly Boosts Damage or Healing: Gear Score itself does not increase damage or healing. It is the stats on the items that influence your character.
- Guarantees Success: Having a high Gear Score doesn’t guarantee victory in challenging content. Player skill, build optimization, and team coordination are still critical.
- Directly Boosts Attributes: Gear Score does not directly modify your character’s attribute points. The Gear score of your equipment is an indicator of the quality of stats, which ultimately affects your character’s attributes.
Gear Score is primarily about item quality and potential, not raw power itself. A high Gear Score means that your equipment has better attributes and higher base stats, leading to better performance. Therefore, Gear Score is a measure of the maximum potential performance of a player.
How Gear Score is Calculated
The precise formula is complex and subject to change, but it generally incorporates the following factors:
- Base Item Level: The starting level of an item when it is crafted or dropped.
- Item Tier: Higher tiers of items have higher Gear Scores.
- Attribute Rolls: The amount of additional stats like Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Focus, and Constitution the item gives.
- Perks: The presence of powerful perks can also influence gear score.
Some resources suggest an elaborate calculation, for example:
ATK% + HP% + DEF% + EFF% + ER% + (CC% × 1.5) + (CD% × 1.1) + (SPD × 1.9) + (Flat ATK / 10) + (Flat HP / 50) + (Flat DEF / 6)
But you do not need to understand this equation, as in game it is a number that will appear on the item when you obtain it.
Gear Score and the Expertise System (Past)
The Expertise System was a system that dictated the potential maximum Gear Score of an item. This system has now been removed from the game. Previously, your Expertise level for a given item slot determined the maximum gear score that could drop for you in that slot. It required players to engage in a grind to maximize their Expertise levels across all gear slots. While it’s gone, it’s worth mentioning as it was previously a core mechanic related to Gear Score.
Gear Score: FAQs
1. What is the max Gear Score in New World?
The maximum Gear Score that items can drop at is 700. You can find this gear in high-level zones, named enemies, and chests.
2. Is a higher gear score always better?
Generally yes. A higher gear score often results in higher base stats on your gear and an increase to your overall character power. However, you should always prioritize perks and attribute rolls that synergize with your build.
3. Does gear score affect damage directly?
No, gear score does not directly affect your damage. Instead it is a numeric representation of an item’s potential power based on its attributes and level. While damage output is increased due to the underlying stats on the items, the gear score itself does not directly affect damage.
4. How do I increase my Gear Score?
Increase your Gear Score by acquiring better gear through crafting, questing, participating in expeditions, and defeating enemies.
5. What is the difference between Gear Score and armor rating?
Gear Score is a numerical value that represents the potential power of your items. Armor Rating is a stat found on your armor that indicates how much physical damage you will block.
6. What is Gear Score Lite?
Gear Score Lite deducts points for gear that does not have full gems or enchants.
7. What Gear Score do I need for Tempest’s Heart Expedition?
For the Tempest’s Heart Expedition, a Gear Score of around 550-570 is recommended.
8. What gear score do I need for Mutated Expeditions?
The minimum Gear Score to participate in Mutated Expeditions is 650 for Level 1, 675 for level 2 and 700 for Level 3.
9. How important is Gear Score in PvP?
Gear Score plays a crucial role in PvP. A higher Gear Score generally translates to better stats, which will result in a significant advantage. However, skill and build knowledge are also crucial in PvP.
10. Does Gear Score affect my movement speed?
No. Your movement speed is dependent on the type of armor you are wearing (light, medium, or heavy) and movement speed increasing perks.
11. What is the fastest way to get Umbral Shards?
The fastest way to get Umbral Shards is by completing Mutated Expeditions at a higher level.
12. How many shards does it take to get 625 in New World?
Upgrading a piece of gear from 624 to 625 costs 2500 shards. It takes a significant amount of shards to upgrade your gear to max gear score.
13. What is the difference between gear score and expertise?
The Expertise System used to dictate the potential maximum Gear Score of an item, based on your Expertise level for the gear slot. However, the Expertise system has been removed from the game.
14. What is the easiest expedition in New World?
The Garden of Genesis is typically considered an easier expedition due to straightforward mechanics.
15. How is Gear Score calculated?
It is determined by the base item level, item tier, and attribute and perk rolls. The higher the base item level, tier, and quality of attribute rolls and perks, the higher the gear score of an item will be.
Conclusion
Gear Score is a cornerstone mechanic in New World. It serves as both a guide for progression and a benchmark of player’s potential strength. While it doesn’t directly boost stats, the quality of stats and attributes it represents makes a significant difference in your character’s overall power. Mastering the ins and outs of Gear Score is essential for any aspiring adventurer in Aeternum. Understanding how Gear Score affects your character will allow you to choose the best gear and maximize your performance. By focusing on your Gear Score and obtaining better gear, you’ll be well on your way to conquering the challenges of New World.