The Greatsword in New World is the weapon of choice for players who want to dominate the battlefield with overwhelming power and New World coins sweeping strikes. It’s a two-handed juggernaut of destruction that rewards aggressive play, precise timing, and mastery over its unique stance system. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to unleash the fury of the Greatsword—from selecting the right abilities and attributes to executing devastating combos and surviving in both PvE and PvP.

Understanding the Greatsword's Dual Stance System

The Greatsword's most defining feature is its stance system, which gives it two playstyles:

Onslaught Stance: Focuses on offense, dealing high damage at the cost of defense. Activating Onslaught increases outgoing damage but lowers damage resistance.

Defiance Stance: Emphasizes survivability, with increased block stability and damage mitigation.

Switching between stances allows skilled players to flow between aggression and defense seamlessly. Managing these transitions is key to becoming an unstoppable force.

Core Attributes for Greatsword Builds

The Greatsword scales evenly with Strength and Dexterity (80/80 split), but most builds prioritize:

Strength: Maximizes raw damage output.

Constitution: Improves survivability, essential in solo play or frontline PvP.

Suggested stat spread (at level 60):

Strength: 300+

Constitution: 150–200 (for PvP), 100–150 (for PvE)

At 300 Strength, you gain a bonus that causes light attacks to stagger enemies, a powerful tool in crowd control.

Best Active Skills for Unleashing Fury

Onslaught Skill Tree

Relentless Rush

A fast gap-closer that applies Rend, reducing enemy armor. Perfect for starting your offensive chain.

Crosscut

A three-hit combo that deals massive damage. Use it after applying Rend to maximize effectiveness.

Skyward Slash

A vertical slash that applies Disease and weakens healing—excellent for dueling or PvP group fights.

Passive Highlights:

Keen Posture (guarantees a crit on next attack after a stance swap)

Unrelenting Onslaught (abilities reduce cooldowns when hitting foes with debuffs)

Defiance Skill Tree

While this guide focuses on offensive play, consider keeping Calamity Counter or Steadfast Strike for defensive flexibility when needed.

Weapon Pairings

To truly unleash the fury of the Greatsword, pair it with weapons that complement its aggressive tempo:

War Hammer: Offers crowd control and stuns, making it ideal for PvP or tanky PvE builds.

Great Axe: Enhances mobility and AoE damage for PvE farming or expeditions.

Sword and Shield: Provides more defensive tools and utility for solo play or organized groups.

Combos and Tactics

Basic PvE Combo (Burst Focus):

Start with Relentless Rush to close the gap and apply Rend.

Swap to Onslaught stance (if not already in it).

Use Skyward Slash for bonus damage and to apply Disease.

Finish with Crosscut for heavy burst.

PvP Engagement:

Open with Skyward Slash to cripple healing.

Relentless Rush to Rend and follow-up.

Use Crosscut as a finisher if the enemy is stunned or slowed.

Swap to Defiance stance and block or use Calamity Counter if pressured.

Timing is everything. Let your cooldowns cycle and switch stances intelligently to maintain pressure or survive retaliation.

Armor and Perks

Armor Type:

Medium Armor: Ideal for a balance of mobility, damage, and protection.

Light Armor: Maximize damage output (high risk/high reward).

Heavy Armor: Works well with Defiance-focused builds or tank roles.

Must-Have Perks:

Refreshing Move: Reduces cooldowns with light and heavy attacks.

Rogue: Increases backstab damage—devastating when flanking.

Enchanted: Boosts damage of light and heavy attacks.

Empowering Skyward Slash: Bonus damage on weakened targets.

Heartgem Ability Recommendation

For maximum carnage, the Detonate Heartgem works best with Greatsword builds. It allows you to dive into groups, blow up enemies with AoE damage, and chain into your Greatsword abilities for swift cleanup.

Tips for Unleashing Maximum Fury

Stance Dance – Swap between stances frequently to trigger passive bonuses and cheap New World coins adapt to the fight.

Use Terrain – The Greatsword has limited mobility. Use choke points and high ground to your advantage.

Control the Flow – Don’t spam abilities. Wait for debuffs like Rend or Disease to take effect before going all-in.

Practice Animation Cancelling – Light attack into ability combos can shave off frames and boost your DPS.

Coordinate in Groups – In wars or Outpost Rush, time your Onslaught skills with team stuns or roots to wipe clustered enemies.

Conclusion

Mastering the Greatsword in New World is about more than raw damage—it’s about mastering timing, stance shifting, and high-risk decision-making. With the right build, gear, and tactics, you’ll become a whirlwind of steel that few can withstand.

Now pick up that Greatsword, enter Onslaught stance, and unleash the fury!