Greatsword Tank Information

The Greatsword is a new weapon that was introduced into New World with the Brimstone Sands release.

It has some use as a Tank when you are looking to be Tanky while also doing damage.

Typically, you wouldn’t use both Sword and Shield alongside the Greatsword as they are close in similarity, and you lose a lot of utility by not using a War Hammer or Spear.

When using a Greatsword it pairs well with a Warhammer for add pulls if you are going for Crowd Control and Utility or with a Spear if you are trying to push more damage on Boss fights.

Below you’ll find the best abilities, passives and perks when using the Greatsword for Tanking in New World.

Abilities

  • Steadfast Strike
  • Calamity Counter
  • Roaring Rupture

Perks

  • Bane (Ancient, Angry Earth, Beast, Corrupted or Lost)
  • Trenchant Strikes

Gems

  • Pristine Carnelian

Greatsword Tank Build

Greatsword Tank

Steadfast Strike

Stab your greatsword forward to impale your foes, then pull back to rip the blade out. Restores 20 stamina on each hit.

First Hit: 40% weapon damage and staggers.
Second Hit: 120% weapon damage and pulls target 1.5m towards you.

This ability generates 150% threat.

Enter defiant stance after the second attack of this ability ends.

Cooldown: 18 seconds

Calamity Counter

Block for 2s while reducing block stamina damage taken by 90%, then unleash a counterattack that strikes all foes within a 4m radius.

• No Blocks: 80% weapon damage.
• 1 Block: 80% weapon damage and staggers.
• 2 Blocks: 80% weapon damage and staggers longer.
• 3 Blocks: 80% weapon damage and causes a knockback.

This ability has grit. (Grit prevents you from being staggered by incoming attacks.)

Reactivate this ability or use light attack to counterattack earlier.

Enter defiant stance when the counterattack of this ability ends.

Taunt Gem Compatible: If you have a Carnelian gem equipped in your greatsword, activating this ability inflicts taunt for 8s to all enemies within 8m. (Taunt causes monsters to focus only on you.)

Cooldown: 20 seconds

Roaring Rupture

Stab the ground and send out a shockwave with a 4m radius that deals 120% weapon damage. Gain 8% fortify for 5s for each foe hit. (Max 3 stacks.)

This ability generates 200% threat and has grit. (Grit prevents you from being staggered by incoming attacks.)

Enter defiant stance when this ability ends.

Taunt Gem Compatible: If you have a Carnelian gem equipped in your greatsword, this ability inflicts taunt for 8s to all enemies hit. (Taunt causes monsters to focus only on you.)

Cooldown: 20 seconds

Greatsword is an alternative Main-hand weapon that you use in place of Sword and Shield to deliver more DPS. It’s requires much more effort and is better used by an experienced Tank.

By using Greatsword you also get access to additional sources of Rend and Weaken which are debuffs you can’t get with a Sword and Shield. The downside is it can be hard to manage your Stamina and you take increased damage compared to the Sword and Shield.

Maximising the Greatsword:

  1. Use Relentless Rush for positioning and moving quickly into fights and for outputting DPS.
  2. Hit Calamity Counter for the AoE Taunt
  3. Apply Weaken to enemies with your Roaring Rupture
  4. Inflict Rend on the enemy by maintain your Faultless Defender passive

Named Greatswords

These are obtainable Greatswords that you can farm, some are easier to find than others. Blade of the 19th is picked up via a Brimstone Sands Quest so it’s the easiest to use at the start.

Join: The Tank Club Discord