New World: Scorpion's Sting Sword and Shield (SNS) Build Guide
Gear Overview
Armor
1. Frigid Dawn:
· Head: One piece to benefit from its perks.
· Body: A medium chest piece with Hasted Vigor and Contagious Upheaval. Hasted reduces the potency of incoming damage over time (DOT) effects by 7% and grants 10% haste for 5 seconds. While you can get by without Hasted, Contagious Upheaval is essential to maximizing your damage and utility.
2. Light Gloves:
· Bleed Sweep and Circuit Heals: I picked these up for their effectiveness in applying bleed damage and for additional healing via Circuit Heals.
3. Tumbler Feet Wraps:
· This artifact is fantastic! The intrinsic perk gives you 15% Empower and additional healing for dodging attacks, which is crucial for maintaining survivability in PvP fights.
4. Shield:
· Jagged Floatsome: With Accelerated Resolve and Keenly Jagged, plus Sturdy, this is an excellent shield for reducing stamina damage while blocking. You can acquire it from the Barnacles and Black Powder dungeon.
Weapons
1. Scorpion's Sting:
· The core of this build! The Javelin ability pulls enemies towards you while dealing 100% weapon damage. Pair it with an Aroreal Opportunist gem for additional execute damage and a poison DOT, which aids in recovery.
· Perks:
· Sunder Javelin: Reduces target armor by 41%.
· Trenching Strikes: Increases heavy melee attack damage, combining well with your Coupe ability.
· Plague Strikes: Inflicts a disease effect that reduces healing on your target.
2. Spear (Jackalope Antler):
· This weapon grants additional void damage and includes perks like Keen Speed and Empowering Leaping Strike, making it a versatile option in your arsenal.
Heart Rune
· Stalwart Heart Rune of Stone Form: This rune is versatile for both defense and offense, offering immunity to interruptions while you attack.
Accessories
1. Amulet: Gorgon’s Amulet with Divine Slash Protection and Health, keeping your survivability high while maximizing incoming healing.
2. Ring: Soul Pollen, equipped with Hardy for greater resilience in PvP.
3. Earring: Healthy Toast combined with Healing Heart and Regenerating, which helps maintain your health effectively throughout battles.
Stat Distribution
Focus on:
· 300 Dexterity: Boosts your damage and affects weapon swapping.
· 200 Constitution: To increase your HP for survivability.
· 25 Focus: Enhances healing output.
Skill Trees
Spear Skill Tree
Utilize the following passives to maximize combo potential and reduce cooldowns:
· Exploited Weakness: Deal 10% increased base damage for each debuff on your target (max 30%).
· Cuda Gro with Sweep: Follow up with a heavy stab after executing a basic attack during Sweep.
Sword and Shield Skill Tree
Key passives include:
· Leadership: Grants Empower to all group members, boosting damage by 10%.
· Defender's Resolve: Increases base damage by 20% when active.
Combat Strategy
1. Engage and Evaluate: Start with your SNS to gauge your opponent’s abilities and playstyle. Land light and medium attacks to bait dodges.
2. Capitalize with Combos:
· Use Leaping Strike, then follow up with a medium attack and Upheaval.
· Switch to your spear to maintain pressure and roll catch with Javelin.
3. Dodge and Weave: Between your abilities, ensure you dodge often to reduce cooldowns and maintain aggression.
Final Thoughts
The Scorpion’s Sting build is one of my favorites, and it's an excellent way to finish season 7 with style! If you've made it this far in the guide, thank you for your continued support. Remember, Season 8 is just around the corner, so join MMOEXP for live build testing and theory crafting starting this Tuesday. If you're looking to enhance your experience, don’t forget to buy New World Gold coins to improve your gear and resources. Happy hunting, and see you in the game!