Here are the best passive abilities in New World

While the hard-hitting, flashy active abilities of New World are going to be a main draw for many players, the game’s weapons are often balanced out through a vast table of passive abilities that can be equally as exciting. When selecting the weapon that you want to progress through the game with, passive abilities are going to be an important factor to consider. 

From passively boosting your damage over time to increasing the amount of burst you might be able to do in certain scenarios, passive abilities play a large role in determining your character’s total level of effectiveness. But some passive abilities are too strong to ignore and, in some cases, are actually more appealing and relevant than some of the active abilities a weapon might have to offer.

With that in mind, here are the best passive weapon abilities in New World. 

Unerring (Rapier)

Periodically dealing damage over time through bleed effects is the trademark component of the rapier’s playstyle. By stacking these DoT effects on your target, you’ll see your damage slowly creep up throughout the course of an encounter as your enemy bleeds out. Unerring ensures that the damage you deal through your swipe attacks and heavy attacks is amplified whenever your target is bleeding out. On top of all the damage you’ll be dealing over time, you’ll be able to make the most (and then some) out of your standard attacks as well.

Salt on the Wounds (Musket)

The Musket’s Trapper skill tree is inferior in many ways to its Sharpshooter counterpart. But Salt on the Wounds is a strong enough passive to turn the Trapper archetype into a viable option. Salt on the Wounds acts as an execute-like ability that passively boosts the damage of your active abilities by 15 percent to targets under 30 percent. This passive ability can make the Musket an extremely formidable weapon in PvE content, where encounters could get tougher as enemies lose more health. 

Runes of Helios (Fire Staff)

Runes of Helios causes your fire spells to drop a rune on the ground at your feet, increasing your spell damage by 30 percent while standing on top of the rune. The rune itself has a two-meter radius and lasts for seven seconds, giving you plenty of flexibility and value from the passive. Plus, since you don’t have to spend any time casting an extra ability to place the rune or interrupt your rotation to boost your damage, Runes of Helios will naturally increase your throughput, especially when first entering combat and burning all of the abilities in your opening combo. 

Empowered Stab (Sword and Shield)

One of the most powerful passive abilities available for the Sword and Shield, Empowered Stab ensures that a successful heavy attack will grant you a 30 percent Empower buff for five seconds. Since Sword and Shield is a weapon combination that’s suited mainly for tanking, any extra damage you can tack on through passives is going to be a welcome addition. On top of the strong boost to damage that Empowered Stab will bring to your rotation, players using sword and shield can also look forward to damage boosts through other passives such as Counter Attack, Opportunist, Confidence, and Precision. 

Arcane Justice (Life Staff)

The active healing you’ll be pumping out with a Life Staff is nothing to scoff at. But you’ll manage to put up some decent healing numbers thanks to the Life Staff’s passive abilities as well. Arcane Justice is perhaps one of the most effective passives that the Life Staff has to offer. Whenever you’re hit in battle while equipping a Life Staff, Arcane Justice will passively activate a healing ward with a four-meter radius around you, restoring health for you and anyone who happens to be standing around you. Arcane Justice ensures that just in case your group’s frontline is ever breached, you’ll passively heal yourself and nearby allies for any damage that your tank wasn’t able to absorb.