In this New World Spear Build 2024, we’re focusing on the Spear in both PvE and PvP. This weapon scales with both dexterity and strength, but it has stronger dexterity scaling. The spear boasts one of the longest reaches in the game, making it a great choice for attacking enemies with shorter weapons. While it works well with strength-based weapons, you’ll get more damage by prioritizing dexterity. However, a mixed build can still be effective if you’re pairing it with other strength weapons.

New World Aeternum Spear Build Information

• Scaling Stats: Dexterity (90%), Strength (65%)
• Damage Type: Thrust & Strike
• Light Attack Damage: 100%
• Heavy Attack Damage: 130%
• Charged Heavy Attack Damage: 165%
• Taunt Gem Compatible: Yes
• Best Dexterity Weapon Pairings: Rapier, Bow, Hatchet, Musket
• Best Strength Weapon Pairings: Great Axe, Warhammer, Greatsword

New World Spear Build 2024 – Overview and Strategy

Now some basic info before we get into the New World Spear Build 2024; light attack with the spear deals 100% damage, the heavy attack hits for 130%, and the charged heavy attack reaches 165%, which is impressive. Only the War Hammer hits harder with its 170% charged heavy. What stands out about the spear’s charged heavy attack is its extended reach, allowing you to hit targets farther than you’d expect. In a game where mobility is key, having extra reach is a huge advantage, making it a great way to initiate combat. The spear primarily deals thrust damage, which is especially effective against animals. However, undead enemies resist thrust damage, so it’s not the best option in areas like dungeons or quests with undead enemies.

That said, the Sweep, Cyclone and Vault Kick abilities deal strike (blunt) damage, which is effective against undead and neutral against animals. So, if you’re switching between fighting animals and undead while questing, having those three abilities slotted can help you handle undead more effectively while your regular attacks deal with animals.

One downside of the spear is its narrow hitbox. It’s not as effective at hitting multiple enemies with basic attacks compared to other weapons with horizontal attacks. While you can hit multiple targets, you’ll need to position yourself more precisely than with other weapons, which can make it trickier to deal with groups when your abilities are on cooldown.

New World Aeternum Spear Pros:

• Strong Crowd Control
• Versatility in Playstyle
• Effective in Both PvE and PvP

New World Aeternum Spear Cons:

• Lack of Burst Damage
• Limited AoE abilities
• Less Effective Against Agile Opponents

Zoner Skill Tree

Now for this New World Spear Build 2024, let’s start with the Zoner skill tree. This is your AoE and utility tree, packed with passives that significantly boost damage. If you’re looking to maximize damage, the passives here are essential. Both Cyclone and Sweep are your go-to AoE abilities, especially effective against undead. These abilities will be your primary way to deal AoE damage with the spear.

Cyclone

Starting with Cyclone, it hits everything around you in a 360-degree arc and applies a 30% slow effect for 3s. This is great when you’re surrounded, and it really shines in PvP. Slowing down enemies for three seconds gives your team the chance to finish them off. It’s also invaluable in dungeons, where you face a lot of undead enemies. If you’re using a spear in dungeons, Cyclone is almost a must-have since it gives you that much-needed strike damage. Progressing this skill line restores your stamina per skill hit and allows the skill to now push enemies back.

Javelin

Next, we have Javelin, which isn’t an AoE ability but lets you throw your spear and knock down targets when upgraded. This is highly useful in PvP for stopping enemies trying to escape, giving your team time to catch up. It’s also a solid opener in group combat—throw the Javelin, knock down an enemy, and have your team jump on them before they get up. It doesn’t deal massive damage, but it’s a great tool for gaining control in battle, even up close if needed. It’s easier to use this skill now because of the lock-on feature which lets you target enemies with ease. Progressing this skill line allows you to reduce the spear’s cooldown by landing headshots and increases Javelin’s damage.

Sweep

Sweep is another solid ability, hitting enemies in a 120 to 150-degree arc in front of you and knocking them down. It’s useful in both PvE and PvP. In dungeons, it can help knock down multiple enemies at once, preventing them from damaging your team while also giving you the chance to hit several enemies at once—something the spear struggles with outside of abilities. In large-scale PvP, Sweep can also be effective, but it’s less likely to be used in smaller PvP skirmishes. Progressing this skill line grants you grit, preventing you from being staggered while using the skill, and allows you to do a follow-up attack.

The capstone of this tree, Reserved Strength gives you +25% damage when at full stamina. Since attacking with a spear doesn’t consume stamina, this is a strong bonus as long as you’re not dodging or blocking much. If you’re focusing on light and heavy attacks or using abilities without much evasion, this capstone is a significant damage boost, making it perfect for questing, dungeons, or situations where you want to take down enemies as quickly as possible.

Impaler Skill Tree

Now for this New World Spear Build 2024, let’s dive into the Impaler skill tree. This tree is mainly focused on single-target damage, making it perfect for quickly taking down one strong enemy in PvE or PvP. Most of the passives here, like those in the Zoner tree, are designed to boost your damage or critical hit chance. If you’re playing a spear build, you’ll likely need passives from both trees to maximize your damage output. While you can’t grab both capstones, the Zoner capstone generally outshines the Impaler one, so prioritize it, but still invest in some Impaler passives.

Perforate

The first ability to look at is Perforate. This delivers three quick hits in rapid succession, dealing slightly less damage than a normal attack but landing those hits fast while inflicting a 5% rend to the enemy that can be stacked thrice. It’s a great skill, especially considering the rhythm of the spear—the first attack is slow, the second faster, and then there’s a brief pause. You want to fit your abilities in between two light attacks, like light attack, light attack, ability, rather than breaking the combo too early, which can slow down your next attack. A good flow would be to start with a charged heavy attack, follow it up with Perforate, then go light attack, light attack, and use another ability. Progressing this skill line increases rend‘s effect and also inflicts weaken to the target, reducing their outgoing damage.

Skewer

Skewer is another strong ability that applies a bleed effect. It allows you to rush the target and stab them with your spear. The bleed doesn’t deal massive damage but can be a game-changer in both PvE and PvP. It constantly pressures enemies, and in PvP, it’s particularly annoying, making it harder for opponents to escape. For PvE, this ability works well against enemies that run through or past you, like animals, often finishing them off after they’ve already escaped your range. It has decent reach, comparable to a charged heavy attack, so it’s another solid opener before you chain into light attacks and Perforate. Progressing this skill increases its damage, grants you a 20% Empower for 10s if Skewer gets a critical hit, and increases bleed‘s duration.

Vault Kick

Vault Kick might not be something players use much early on. Its range is shorter than expected, and the stun isn’t always necessary for questing when you’re just trying to kill enemies quickly. However, against tougher enemies or in PvP, a stun can give you time to heal or deal damage without retaliation. The main reason to consider Vault Kick is its final upgrade, which reduces the cooldowns of your other abilities by 30% if you land the hit. This is huge for keeping your ability rotation going, shaving 4 to 5 seconds off cooldowns in some cases. Note that this ability is taunt gem compatible, which allows you to taunt enemies you hit with Vault Kick. Progressing this skill line grants you a 20% empower and reduces other spear ability cooldowns by 30% for each successful Vault Kick hit.

Lastly, the Exploited Weakness capstone increases your damage by up to 30% for each debuff on the target. While this is strong, it can be harder to maintain compared to the Zoner capstone, unless you pair the spear with a secondary weapon like a hatchet that can apply debuffs. Overall, the Zoner capstone will likely be easier to use for most players, so I recommend sticking with that.

New World Aeternum Spear Builds

Solo PvE Spear Build – New World Aeternum

Solo PvP Spear Build – New World Aeternum

Group PvE Spear Build – New World Aeternum

Group PvP Spear Build – New World Aeternum

New World Aeternum Spear Build – Weapons & Armor

Good weapon pairings for the Spear typically revolve around other dexterity-based weapons. A rapier or a ranged weapon like the musket or bow work well. Even though the hatchet primarily scales with strength, it still benefits from dexterity. It’s a solid choice, especially for getting debuffs on your target before they get close. This way, in PvP, you can weaken them from a distance and really punish them when they close in.

If you’re leaning towards a ranged setup, the musket or bow lets you soften enemies before switching to the spear when they come in close. One downside of the Spear in PvP is its limited mobility—it doesn’t have many tools to close the gap on fleeing players. That’s where a weapon like the rapier, with its forward-moving abilities, can be handy for catching up to enemies. Or, if you’re using a hatchet, the movement speed bonus can help you close the distance quickly.

On the other hand, if you’re more comfortable with kiting, you could stick with a bow or musket and just pick off enemies as they try to run. Since these also scale with dexterity, they fit naturally with the Spear.

Ultimately, it’s all about what activity you’re doing. If you’re hunting, a musket pairs great with the Spear for long-range shots. If you’re focused on PvP or questing, a hatchet or rapier might be more practical, giving you extra abilities for close combat and frequent ability use.

For the Spear, you’ll generally want to go with light armor to maximize your mobility and damage output. Light armor provides a +15% damage bonus and allows you to dodge roll, which is excellent for avoiding damage and keeping your distance when needed. This works well with the Spear’s focus on dexterity, giving you the agility to engage in quick attacks and reposition easily.

However, if you find yourself in situations where you’re getting hit often, you might consider medium armor for a balance between damage and survivability.

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That wraps up our Spear weapon guide. We’ve got more weapon guides including Musket, Rapier, Bow, and Hatchet on the way, so keep an eye out for those. If you have any more questions about the game, feel free to check out the New World Wiki. What do you think of the Spear? Let us know in the comments!