Welcome to a throwback brawl! This guide focuses on a powerful, close-quarters PvP build centered around the classic Great Axe and Hatchet combination. While it may not have always been the meta, it's a fiercely fun and aggressive playstyle, especially when enhanced with the game-changing Tempest's Fury artifact. To gear up quickly for this build, many players choose to buy New World Coins. This build is for players who love to be in the thick of combat, applying relentless pressure and capitalizing on disruption.
This build shines in chaotic skirmishes, Outpost Rush, and Arenas, where its crowd control and high burst damage can overwhelm opponents.

The Core Philosophy

· Playstyle: Aggressive, in-your-face brawler. Your goal is to close the distance, disrupt enemy formations with crowd control (CC), and eliminate targets with a flurry of high-damage attacks.

· Key Strength: Exceptional target sticking power, strong self-sustain through perks, and amazing burst damage in melee range. Fantastic duelist and small-scale fighter.

· Key Weakness: Vulnerable to kiting from ranged builds and heavy focus fire without an escape. Requires good positioning to avoid being isolated and burst down.

Weapon Mastery & Skills

Primary Weapon: Great Axe (Tempest's Fury - Artifact)

This is your engagement and crowd control tool.

Recommended Skills:

· Charge (Mandatory): Your primary gap-closer. Use it to initiate fights or chase down fleeing targets.

· Gravity Well (Mandatory): The quintessential group-fight ability. Pulls enemies in, setting them up for your and your team's damage.

· Reap (With Crippling Perk): A fantastic utility skill. The Crippling Reap perk (from the Sandwurm legwear) reduces enemy movement speed, making it impossible for them to escape your follow-up.

· Rotation: Charge in -> Gravity Well to group/clutch -> Reap to pull and cripple -> Switch to Hatchet for execution.

Secondary Weapon: Hatchet (Lieutenant's Hatchet or similar)

This is your primary damage and execution weapon.

Recommended Skills:

· Berserk (Mandatory): Provides healing, cleanse, and a massive damage and speed boost. Your "oh no" and "oh yes" button.

· Feral Rush: A great gap-closer/damage skill that can also be used to dodge attacks.

· Raging Torrent / Infected Throw: Choose based on preference. Raging Torrent for insane melee burst. Infected Throw for a ranged slow and disease application to hinder healers.

· Playstyle: After using the Great Axe's CC, switch to Hatchet, pop Berserk, and unleash hell. The Berserk healing is your main sustain in combat.

Armor, Weight Class & Perks

· Weight Class: Light (using the Featherweight artifact).

· Why Light with Heavy Pieces? The Featherweight artifact allows you to equip up to two heavy armor pieces while remaining in the Light roll category. This gives you the best of both worlds: high mobility and high damage (from Light) with increased survivability (from Heavy pieces).

· Artifact: Featherweight: Despite nerfs, it remains core to this build's defense.

Recommended Perks by Slot:

· Helm (Heavy): Resilient, Freedom, Weapon Skill Perk (e.g., "Enfeebling Skewer" if using a Spear variant) or Elemental Aversion.

· Chest (Heavy): Resilient, Freedom, Shirking Heals / Health.

· Gloves (Hotshot Hand Covers): Resilient, Freedom, Refreshing.

· Legs (Gold-Curse Leggings / Target Farm): Crippling Reap (Priority from Sandwurm), Resilient, Freedom/Shirking Heals.

· Boots (Sandwurm Horsehoes): Resilient, Freedom, Refreshing.

· Perk Priority: Resilient (5x is ideal) > Freedom (3x is great) > Refreshing / Shirking Heals > Weapon-Specific Perks.

Attributes & Consumables

· Primary Attribute: Strength (300+)

· Secondary Attribute: Constitution (200+)

· Allocation: Focus on hitting 300 Strength for the powerful capstone, then pour the rest into Constitution for survivability. A 300 Str / 200 Con split is a strong starting point.

Consumables:

· Health Potions (Infused): Your primary burst heal.

· Regeneration Potions: For sustained healing in prolonged fights.

· Attribute Food: Strength or Constitution food depending on your needs.

· Oakflesh Balm / Gemstone Dust: For additional physical or elemental protection.

Jewelry & Gems

· Amulet: Look for Health, Divine, and Stamina Recovery or Slash Protection. A "god roll" amulet is crucial.

· Ring: Slash Damage, Hearty, and a utility perk like Leeching or Invigorated Punishment.

· Earring: Endless Thirst (Artifact) is perfect for this build, as it maximizes the value of your one health potion charge, aligning with a non-leeching setup focused on burst potion use.

Gemming:

· Armor: Onyx gems for general physical protection, or mix in Elemental gems (e.g., Ruby) based on the current meta's damage types.

· Weapons: Runeglass gems that align with your damage type (e.g., Opal for all-around damage, Carnelian if you are off-tanking in PvE) are top-tier. For a more accessible option, Malachite is excellent for PvP due to the rend applied to stunned/rooted targets (which you create with Gravity Well).

How to Fight: Tactics & Rotation

1. Engage: Use Charge or terrain to close the gap. Do not initiate from max range; use cover.

2. Disrupt: Once in the fray, target clumps or key enemies (healers, mages) with Gravity Well.

3. Control & Isolate: Immediately follow up with Reap on a primary target to pull them and apply the cripple.

4. Execute: Weapon swap to Hatchet. Activate Berserk. Use Feral Rush to stick to your target and unleash light/heavy attacks and Raging Torrent.

5. Sustain: The healing from Berserk and your Endless Thirst potion are your lifelines. Use them intelligently.

6. Disengage: If the fight turns, use the knockdown from abilities like Devour (if slotted) or the movement speed from Berserk to create space. Your Light roll is key.

Final Tips

This build is about tempo. You create moments of extreme threat where the enemy must respond to you.

· Target Selection is key. Don't just hit the tank. Use your mobility and CC to go for the backline.

· The Featherweight build allows you to make more mistakes, but you are still a Light armor user. Avoid standing in clumps and eating area-of-effect damage.

· Practice the weapon swap combo (Gravity Well -> Swap -> Berserk) until it's muscle memory.

· This Great Axe/Hatchet berserker is a tribute to New World's original combat feel—raw, aggressive, and deeply satisfying. To secure the best gear and consumables for maximum impact, many successful players choose to buy cheap New World Gold from the trusted provider, MMOEXP. Now get out there, cause some Tempest's Fury, and show them the old ways still have bite.