Summary
- Ranger excels in mobility and damage in PvP but is vulnerable to Musketeers and swarm tactics.
- Musketeer is great for ranged combat, sniping, and zoning in PvP, but is weak against CC.
- Paladin excels in tanking, buffing, and self-healing in PvP, but is vulnerable when alone.
New World: Aeternum has changed how the game works and the PvP aspect has always been an important part of Amazon’s Survival MMORPG. With the ups and downs that this means for the meta of the game, new players might feel a little lost with all the previous game info mixed with the new one. More so with the Archetypes being enabled for every new character players create.

Related
New World: Aeternum – Harvesting Leveling Guide
Leveling up the Harvesting skill in New World: Aeternum greatly contributes to crafting bags, clothing, and more.
With that in mind, this ranked list will help players who want to dedicate themselves to Territory Battles and Faction PvP with the best meta builds. From the powerful Musketeer to the durable Paladin, here are the Best PvP Classes for New World Aeternum, ranked according to how viable they are in player-versus-player action.
Updated January 27, 2025, by Lucas Simons: Thanks to the most recent weapon rebalance introduced in New World: Aeternum, the Musketeer now dominates the PvP charts both in solo play and group play. This class offers versatility, firepower, and great utility, and is also great for creating effective fire focus during Faction War Fort defense. On the other hand, the Occultist has reached a prime status to become a viable PvP class, offering great crowd control and support fire abilities that make it excel at both solo and group combat. Both classes are fine choices for players getting into the game and trying PvP for the first time.
1
Musketeer
The Best Class In PvP, Ideal For Faction Wars
- Pros: Great at 1v1 Melee Scuffles, The Best Ranged Class for PvP
- Cons: Vulnerable When Aiming, Vulnerable To CC
- Main Attribute: Dexterity
- Secondary Attribute: Intelligence
The core of every good PvP army, the Musketeer is the most excellent range class in New World: Aeternum, thanks to its unbeatable sniping capabilities, their powerful zoning kit, and access to melee skirmish abilities which parry, counter, and bleed-out opponents. With a Rapier in one hand and a Musket Rifle in the other, the Musketeer can hurt greatly if left unattended, especially when assuming the Marksman Position. On the other hand, the Rapier skills focused on countering, parrying, and bleeding out opponents are great for a quick tactical switch.
Want to create a powerful firing line capable of taking down an entire guild? Then line up some Musketeers and let them rain death upon rivals. Tired of that pesky Ranger monopolizing farming spots for Faction Quests? No worries, get a Musket and snipe them down from a safe distance, they’ll never see it coming. When needing a reliable range damage source, there’s nothing better than the Musket, and in case things turn to a one-versus-one melee, the Rapier is the most powerful weapon to disable most one-handed and even two-handed weapon skills. Be careful with the crowd control effects though, since these are the main weakness of this class.
2
Ranger
The Best Combination Between Mobility And Damage
- Pros: Fast, Mobility, Lots Of Damage, Reposition Tactics
- Cons: Squishy, Weak Against Musketeers, Easily Overwhelmed by Duos
- Main Attribute: Dexterity
- Secondary Attribute: Constitution, Strength
Not as viable in PvP as many think, but still good for certain situations, and as counters to the powerful Swordbearers and Destroyers. Rangers excel at getting out of sticky situations thanks to their mobility and the passives from their Weapon Skill Branches. Bow and Spear in hand, Rangers are formidable opponents at long range and mid-range, and can also go toe-to-toe with most melee classes without losing terrain, especially during Fort Defense Battles.
The only downside of this class is that its maximum damage output is strictly bound to the amount of ammo they carry, and Ammo depletes fast in a PvP situation where arrows fly around without control. It is also particularly vulnerable to the Musketeer class because the Musketeer exceeds it at both maximum range and can take it down by sniping, and also when encountering this class on melee, the Ranger draws the shorter straw because of the Rapier most Musketeers carry. Focus instead on targeting isolated targets, especially Healers, Mystics, and the slow Destroyers.
3
Soldier
The Strongest Vanguard
- Pros: Reliable, Tanky, Lots of CC, Good at mid-range
- Cons: Slow mobility, Vulnerable to Swarm tactics
- Main Attribute: Strength
- Secondary Attribute: Constitution
Sturdy and able to hold the line for a long time, the Soldier is an oiled and deadly war machine that delivers punishing blows, crowd control effects, and rends the armor of their opponents both close and mid-range, thanks to its combination of Sword, Shield, and Hatchet. The tanking capabilities of this build are second only to its ability to deliver powerful skills shots that can cause Prone, Stun, Dazzle, and Pushback effects, making opponents turn around and run every time they see a player equipped with this Class. But they won’t go too far, since the Soldier is also equipped with the Hatchet, a hybrid mid-range/melee weapon that becomes ideal to take down and stun fleeing enemies.

Related
New World Aeternum: Cooking Leveling Guide
If you want to grow your cooking level in New World: Aeternum, this guide can give you some useful tips.
Since this is also one of the archetypes players can pick when they create a new character, it will give them a considerable advantage to train themselves from the early stages, no matter if they fight against NPCs. In large-scale battles, this class goes on a frontal assault and can deflect even powerful magic spells. On the downside, it is vulnerable to swarming and kiting, so, if players keep a close eye on the number of enemies surrounding them, and remain at the ideal distance from their support and other DPS, they’ll be fine. In Solo PvP, the ideal is to rush and bind targets with CC, so they cannot escape or ask for assistance from other players from the same faction.
4
Destroyer
All Raw Power, Highly Resilient
- Pros: Raw Power, Good at Crowd Control, Good Chaser
- Cons: Slow, Long Cooldowns, Vulnerable to Range Attacks
- Main Attribute: Strength
- Secondary Attribute: Constitution
Designed to rush at targets and deliver powerful blows that smite down their opponents, the Destroyer is the optimal class for those seeking the thrill of one-to-one combat, or for players who like to dive into the middle of a skirmish and blast down dozens of foes with wide-area crowd control skills. Thanks to its combination of Great Axe and Warhammer, the most powerful weapons in the game, this class is practically unstoppable. Built correctly, it has the stamina to spare, recover, life steal, good skill cooldown economy, and some incredibly efficient skill rotations between Axe and Hammer.
With the correct combination of Marauder (Great Axe Skill Left Branch) and Crowd Crusher (War Hammer Skill Right Branch), the Destroyer is capable of incredible feats in battle, twisting the flow of combat even when their team is on the losing end. Its main vulnerability is its lack of Ranged Attack Mitigation since Piercing Damage can hurt even the most powerful warriors. Built with heavy armor, it loses mobility but gains a lot of extra mitigation. However, when using light or medium armor, its mobility in combat is a great asset. Picking either playstyle will result in a powerful combat Class, ideal for Faction Conflicts and PvP Quests.
5
Swordbearer
Powerful, Fast, Good At Picking Up Foes
- Pros: Tanky, Resistant To CC, Chaser
- Cons: Vulnerable To Ranged DPS
- Main Attribute: Strength
- Secondary Attribute: Dexterity, Constitution
If players are familiar with Guts from Berserk, then they’ll probably feel like trying this build. With access to powerful and versatile Great Sword skills, able to shift between defensive and offensive stances, and also equipped with the powerful Blunderbuss (Shotgun) this Class/Archetype is ideal for one vs. one combat. But it is also extremely good for chasing down opponents, separating single targets from their pack, and punishing them into submission.

Related
New World: Aeternum – Best One-Handed Melee Weapons, Ranked
For fans of melee combat in video games, these are the best one-handed melee weapons available in New World: Aeternum.
Plus, it is extremely fun to play, with chain combos that feel really great despite the enormous blade they carry, and powerful close-range scattershots that can blast away enemy swarms and rushers. The bad thing is that it requires Medium Armor to operate efficiently, losing mitigation in return for mobility. This also turns it into an easy target for Musketeers and the most annoying ranged dealer: The Ranger, which is its natural counter due to its extreme mobility and dodge skills.
6
Occultist
The Best Mage For Faction War
- Pros: Powerful, AoE Blasts, Clear, Burst Damage, Mobility, CC
- Cons: Vulnerable To Melee Rushers
- Main Attribute: Intelligence
- Secondary Attributes: Focus, Constitution
With access to great ability combos thanks to its Ice Gauntlet and Fire Staff abilities, the Occultist excels at controlling the battlefield, allowing players to cause some serious AoE effects, slowing down foes and burning them to a crisp with a rain of fire. The Occultist also focuses on creating safe pathways for melee players to rush, by providing effective counter against ranged DPs trying to position themselves as shooting platoon.
The combination of the Ice Gauntlet’s crowd control abilities and the powerful nukes from the Fire Staff make this archetype the most versatile caster for solo play, and group strategy play. On the other hand, it is squishy, since it mainly focuses on Maxing out Intelligence to cause even more damage. Still, in the hands of an experienced player, it is really hard to counter them, and they often lead squads during faction wars. The best way to play it in groups is to stay close to mid-range Destroyers and Swordbearers to support them, and in return, receive protection from melee rushers.
7
Paladin
A Bastion Of Defense, Supporter, And Powerful Attacker
- Pros: Tanky, Buffer, Self Heal, Good Vanguard and Lead, Great CC
- Cons: Vulnerable When Alone
- Main Attribute: Strength
- Secondary Attribute: Constitution, Focus
If players feel the need to punish Evil, or in this particular case, to punish other players, then the Paladin build is what they need to aim for. Equipped with War Hammer and Sword and Flail, this battle-forged vanguard is capable of leading the charge into enemy territory, blasting crowds of enemies with heavy blows, and Arcane damage that will create whirpools of AoE where enemies cannot survive for long. With access to great mitigation passives, and even more powerful self-healing buffs, the Paladin excels at being the core of the assault team in group PvP. Surrounded by their allies, Paladins become even more powerful thanks to their passive healing.
When isolated, they become easy targets and lose healing power, but thanks to their incredibly powerful Crowd Crusher skill tree from the War Hammer skill specialization, they’re able to fend off multiple attackers for long, until the cavalry arrives and they become the Shieldbearers of the team once more. This build is heavy and powerful, though it lacks mobility and dodge due to its bulky armor. The good thing is that ranged attackers cannot do much against them, since most of the passives from both Weapons offer mitigation, empowering, and even Haste to lessen the burden of reduced mobility.



- Released
-
October 15, 2024
- Developer(s)
-
Amazon Games