In this New World Ice Gauntlet Build 2024 & Weapon Guide, we’ll be taking a look at the Ice Gauntlet in both PvE and PvP, a short to mid-range weapon that exclusively scales with intelligence. If you’re planning on running a ranged build focused on intelligence, this is a weapon you’ll want to consider.

New World Aeternum Bow Build Information

• Scaling Stats: Intelligence (100%)
• Damage Type: Ice
• Light Attack Damage: 100%
• Heavy Attack Damage: 140%
• Taunt Gem Compatible: No
• Best Intelligence Weapon Pairings: Fire Staff, Void Gauntlet, Rapier, Musket

New World Ice Gauntlet Build 2024 – Overview and Strategy

The Ice Gauntlet, like the Fire Staff, relies on mana for its spells, but not its attacks. Use your light and heavy attacks to help sustain your DPS when your Mana is low. You won’t see much more damage from spells compared to regular attacks unless you’re hitting multiple enemies, but not many spells in this weapon type are AOE-focused. As a result, you’ll need to watch your mana usage carefully. Crafting or finding mana potions early on can help until you unlock passives that make your spells more mana-efficient or deal more damage, reducing the amount of mana needed to take down enemies.

Another thing to note is the Ice Gauntlet’s heavy attack. It inflicts a 10% Slow on enemies for 3 seconds once every 6 seconds per target, which can be really helpful for keeping enemies at a distance or giving you time to reposition. This makes the heavy attack useful not just for dealing damage but also for crowd control in early fights.

Ice damage is also effective early in the game. Undead enemies, like the Drowned, are weak to it, while animals neither resist nor are vulnerable to it, meaning they take full damage. This makes the Ice Gauntlet a solid weapon choice early on, as it can handle undead easily and still perform well against animals.

New World Aeternum Ice Gauntlet Pros:

• Good Defensive Skills
• Excellent Crowd Control

New World Aeternum Ice Gauntlet Cons:

• Low Mobility
• Relies on good positioning
• Weak in Close Combat

Ice Tempest Skill Tree

Wind Chill

Starting with the Ice Tempest skill line, the first ability is Wind Chill. This is a short channel that pushes enemies back while dealing damage, but it has limited range and can be interrupted since it’s a channel. It doesn’t deal much damage for the amount of mana it consumes, so I don’t recommend using this ability if you’re using the Ice Gauntlet. Progressing this skill extends the channel’s duration and increases its damage which is not worth it.

Ice Spikes

Next is Ice Spikes, which shoots out a trail of ice with one large Spike called the Mighty Spike, that deals damage in a small AOE and pushes back enemies. It does about 1.5 times the damage of a regular attack but can be tricky to use. After casting, you can press the basic attack button to stop the spike in front of you instead of letting it travel the full eight meters, which helps ensure you hit with the main spike for maximum damage. Hitting with just the trail results in less damage, making it less useful unless you’re fighting multiple enemies. It’s also not very mana-efficient for single-target fights, but it can be effective in larger group fights. Progressing this skill line reduces its cooldown if an enemy is successfully hit by Mighty Spike, increasing the Mighty Spike’s damage, and adds a stagger effect to the trail of ice.

Ice Storm

The next ability, Ice Storm, is probably the best in the Ice Gauntlet lineup. It’s a large AOE that deals damage over time for 5s and slows enemies by 25%. Once upgraded, it increases its damage and causes enemies inside to take even more damage while inflicting them with root. Ice Storm is especially great in dungeons or PvP when enemies are grouped up, and it’s effective at range. In PvP, it’s common for multiple players to drop Ice Storm on the same group of enemies. What’s even better is that if you have the capstone that increases ice damage when enemies are in your ice abilities, other players’ ice damage will be enhanced too, creating a powerful synergy in group fights, whether in PvE or PvP.

As for passives, the capstone of this skill line, Ultimate Chill, increases the ice damage dealt to targets by 25%. Effectively strengthening the ice attacks of anyone who targets the same enemy as you. Note that this passive does not apply to Ice Pylon.

Builder Skill Tree

Ice Shower

Moving to the Builder skill tree, the first ability is Ice Shower. This creates a sheet of ice in a line in front of you that crowd controls and slows any enemies that pass through it. It’s a great defensive tool if you want to block enemies from rushing you, especially melee attackers. It essentially creates a barrier that can trap enemies, giving you more control over the fight. Progressing this skill line increases the Ice Shower’s duration, applies rend to the enemies inside the Ice Shower’s area, and applies haste to allies who enter the area, overall increasing its utility and allows you to use it more strategically.

Ice Pylon

Next is Ice Pylon, which summons a turret that shoots at enemies. The capstone of this tree dramatically increases the radius around the Ice Pylon, allowing you to benefit from its effects in a wider area. It also creates a frosted area around itself and it lasts for 15s unless it is destroyed. Progressing this skill line increases its damage, heals itself after 5s of no damage received, increases its firing rate if you dodge successfully, and the possibility to extend its duration if it hits an enemy successfully. Progressing this skill is the only way to get the Builder skill tree’s capstone, Ultimate Frost, which increases its frosted field radius to 5m and doubles the effect of Quick Frost (Movement speed increase) and Empowered Frost’s (Mana regen increase) bonuses.

Entombed

The last ability is Entombed, a defensive skill that encases you in ice with its own health bar, protecting you from incoming damage. While inside, enemies will need to destroy the ice before they can reach you, making it a great panic button, especially in PvP. Players often use this when focused by multiple enemies, as the ice’s health is significant, and it cleanses debuffs and increases defense once you exit. You’ll see teams in PvP use this to stall out attackers, forcing melee players to switch targets or move back and forth while ranged players can keep attacking uninterrupted. Pressing the basic attack button also allows you to knock back enemies within a 3m radius and leave the ice barrier. Progressing this skill grants you a fortified buff giving you increased armor.

New World Aeternum Ice Gauntlet Builds

Solo & Group Ice Gauntlet PvE Build – New World Aeternum

Solo & Group PvP Ice Gauntlet Build – New World Aeternum

New World Aeternum Ice Gauntlet Build – Weapons & Armor

Since New World: Aeternum Ice Gauntlet Builds scale only with intelligence, you’ll want to pair it with other intelligence-scaling weapons. Good options include the Fire Staff, Rapier, Void Gauntlet or Musket, each with their own advantages. The Fire Staff offers a similar playstyle but with a different damage type, providing more AOEs compared to the Ice Gauntlet. If you’re lacking AOE abilities, the Fire Staff could be a strong choice.

If you prefer a melee option, the Rapier is a good fit with its strong moveset. Alternatively, the Musket can give you even more range, which complements the Ice Gauntlet’s short-to-medium range. The Musket could be a solid option if you want to add long-range attacks to your arsenal.

As mentioned before, the Ice Gauntlet is a solid starting weapon due to its ice damage, which is effective against early game enemies. The key challenge is mana management, but you can overcome this by choosing the right passive abilities, staying near your Ice Pylon, and utilizing mana-efficient strategies. This will allow you to cast faster and enjoy a smoother experience.

Since you’ll be casting at range and aiming to avoid getting hit, it’s best to wear Light Armor, as this increases your damage by 15%. Maximizing your damage output ensures you can quickly kill enemies and move on, allowing for a more efficient and enjoyable playthrough.

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So that wraps up our Ice Gauntlet build and weapon guide be sure to check out our other weapon guides including Void Gauntlet, Fire Staff and Life Staff. If you have any questions about the game, don’t forget to check out the New World Wiki. What are your thoughts on the Ice Gauntlet? Are you planning to include it in your build? Which skills would you prioritize? Let us know in the comments!