New World Ward and Protection Guide
In New World, surviving tough Expeditions and Raids as a tank requires more than just high health and defense — you need the right Ward and Protection perks. Whether you’re facing corrupted enemies in Tempest’s Heart or tackling a Void Mutation in Ennead, using the correct potions, shields, amulets, and gems can significantly reduce incoming damage and increase your chances of survival.
This guide covers everything you need to know about Ward and Protection gear, including the best combinations for different boss fights and Mutation types. We’ll break down which Protection perks to equip, which gems to slot into your gear, and how to adjust your setup for different Expeditions and Raids. If you want to tank effectively in New World’s toughest content, this is the guide for you!
New World Ward Potions
Angry Earth
- Genesis
- Barnacles & Black Powder (Last Boss)
- Hive of Gorgon
Ancient
- Ennead (1st & Last Boss)
- Lazarus Instrumentality
- Starstone Barrow
- Glacial Tarn
Beast
- Sandwurm
- Savage Divide
Corrupted
- Dynasty Shipyard
- Ennead (After 1st & before Last Boss)
- Tempest Heart
- The Depths
Human
- Empyrean Forge
- The Hatchery
- Glacial Tarn
Lost
- Amarine Excavation
- Barnacles & Black Powder
- Starstone Barrows
New World Protection Perks
When facing bosses in Raids and Expeditions, incorporating Protection perks can significantly reduce incoming damage based on the boss’s damage type. To effectively counter each boss’s attacks, it’s essential to equip specific Protection perks on your Amulet.
To optimize your strategy, it’s advisable to collect multiple Amulets with different Protection perks, allowing you to switch them according to the boss you’re up against.
In addition to using Protection perks on your Amulet, you can also employ Shield Wards, which are Protection perks used on your Shield. For instance, if you need Slash Protection, you’d use Slash Protection on your Amulet, and Slash Shield Ward on your Shield. In more challenging boss encounters, you might choose to stack both the Amulet and Shield Wards for added protection. However, in most cases, using just a Shield with the appropriate Protection perk will suffice.
By equipping the right Protection perks on your Amulet and Shield, you’ll be better equipped to withstand the varying damage types of different New World bosses, enhancing your chances of success in Raids and Expeditions.
Amulets can have Flame Protection, Frozen Protection, Nature Protection, Void Protection, Thrust Protection, Slash Protection, Arcane Protection, Lightning Protection and Strike Protection.
Shields can have Flame Shield Ward, Frozen Shield Ward, Nature Shield Ward, Void Shield Ward, Thrust Shield Ward, Slash Shield Ward, Arcane Shield Ward, Lightning Shield Ward and Strike Shield Ward.
| Expedition | Boss | Protection Perk |
|---|---|---|
| Barnacles and Black Powder | All Bosses | Slash Protection |
| Dynasty Shipyard | All Bosses Zhou Taiying | Slash Protection Void Protection |
| Empyrean Forge | All Bosses | Flame Protection |
| Genesis | Alluvium Marl, the Caretaker The Blighted Greenskeeper | Strike Protection Slash Protection |
| Lazarus Instrumentality | Cilla Chardis | Slash Protection Strike Protection |
| Savage Divide | Kurok Mahantaram | Strike Protection |
| Starstone Barrows | Simon Grey Greundgul the Regent | Strike Protection Slash Protection |
| Tempest’s Heart | Neishatun Isabella | Strike Protection Slash Protection |
| The Depths | Archdeacon Azamela Captain Thorp | Void Protection Slash Protection |
| The Ennead | All Bosses General Crassus | Flame Protection Void Protection |
| Raid | Boss | Protection Perk |
|---|---|---|
| Sandwurm | Shah Neshen the Devourer | Strike Protection |
| The Hatchery | Razhan the Hordemaster | Flame Protection |
| Hive of Gorgon |
|
New World Mutation Gems
When engaging in specific content, it’s essential to utilize particular gems to mitigate incoming damage, especially in Mutated Expeditions and Raids within New World. These Mutations come in four types: Void, Nature, Ice, and Fire, adding 3 extra levels of difficulty to Expeditions, with the mutation types and expeditions rotating weekly.
To effectively handle these challenges, you should consider equipping an Amulet with a corresponding protection perk and embedding the appropriate gems into your gear:
- Amethyst: Provides protection against Void Mutations.
- Amber: Offers defense against Nature Mutations.
- Aquamarine: Guards against Ice Mutations.
- Ruby: Provides protection against Fire Mutations.
For Raid content, while they don’t have mutations, they pose formidable challenges as large group encounters. To minimize incoming damage during Raids, you’ll need to employ the same strategy by using the following gems:
- Jasper (Strike Protection): Effective against Sandwurm encounters in Raids.
- Ruby (Flame Protection): Suitable for dealing with The Hatchery in Raids.
By thoughtfully selecting the right gems and utilizing the protective perks on your Amulet, you’ll be better equipped to face the formidable challenges presented by Mutated Expeditions and Raids in New World.
New World Best Tank Gems
For general use doing overland, bosses, elite areas and normal expeditions you simply socket Onyx gems and this will provide the most benefit.
It’s important to note that stacking mitigation towards a mutation type is essential and there is also a kind of cap on the amount of mitigation you can stack against each element which is 50%.
An additional way to setup for Mutated Expeditions would be to use Opal gems in all of your gear except for your amulet. You could use a specific amulet for each mutation that has an elemental protection perk for example for a Fire Mutation, you use an amulet with the Fire Protection perk and then also socket a Ruby gem then use Opal gems on the remainder of your gear.
