New World doesn't have classes the way other RPGs do, so players build their characters according to their role instead. Healers in New World are more straightforward compared to other classes. There's only one healing weapon, the Life Staff, and it depends on a single Attribute Point, Focus. The Mastery Points to complete the build are split into two categories that characters can mix and match depending on their specific custom build, but some are more important than others.
It seems limited compared to other party roles in New World, but that can be a good thing for players who want to take the healing role and play an uncomplicated game. On the other hand, healers in New World have lots of room when it comes to customizing their offhand skills, whether they be physical or magical.
5 Mastery Point Allocation
Most of the abilities in the Healing Staff Mastery Tree are PvP oriented. The staff can heal and do damage in combat, depending on the exact ability the player is using at the time. There is little variation between the optional builds for PvE and PvP, although there are some important differences. Here are the most important abilities in each category that every build needs to prioritize.
Healing
- Absolved. Light and heavy attacks with the Life Staff no longer consume mana.
- Blessed. Improves the effectiveness of Sacred Ground on healing by 50%.
- Desperate Speed. The cooldown on a Staff's healing abilities is reduced by 10% after healing an ally below 50% health.
- Divine Blessing. When you heal an ally that has less than 50% health, they heal 30% more.
- Holy Ground. Health and stamina regenerate 50% while standing in Sacred Ground.
- Intensify. Hit with a heavy attack, and the next three healing spells are 10% stronger. This effect can stack three times and is great for PvE.
- Sacred Ground. An Area of Effect (AoE) spell that extends in a 3m radius around the caster that heals both stamina and hit points. Optional for PvE but essential in a PvP build.
Protector
- Beacon. A powerful beam of light that damages enemies and heals allies simultaneously.
- Bend Light. Buffs healing abilities by 20% for five seconds after a successful dodge. Great for both PvP or PvE builds.
- Infused Light. Makes the AoE for Beacon 50% larger. It's optional, but for players who are healing in large-scale battles, this is important.
- Light's Embrace. Heal the target up to 80% initially, then up to 30% more for each buff they have.
- Radiance's Blessing. Makes Beacon last 5 seconds longer, which can make the difference between a group winning or losing.
- Spirits United. Improves mana regeneration for the whole group, helping out the DPS casters as well.
4 Crafting A Life Staff
The Arcane Repository is where players can craft a healing staff if they don't want to wait for a drop or a quest reward. This is the same crafting station where players can craft gauntlets, tinctures, and potions.
It's strongly recommended that healers level their Arcana skill not just so they can construct more advanced weapons but also for the healing potions and other handy items that come from this crafting skill. There's also a chance that a staff the player crafts themselves will have a random perk, like Refreshing Divine Embrace, that will buff an existing special ability.
At the lowest skill level, players can construct a basic healing staff with no more than iron ingots, leather, and Life Motes. Life Motes come from a plant called Lifebloom and are acquired through Harvesting, another skill in New World that requires the use of a sickle. The materials for more complex life staffs require more valuable and rare materials, some of which are only found in Expeditions or are dropped from elite enemies.
3 Pure Healer Build
This could be one of the easiest character builds in the game, and that's not often something a player can say about a healing class. The ability to put a vast majority of Attribute points in Focus and use a Life Staff as both a weapon and healing device makes equipment and abilities that much less complicated. A new option for this build is combining it with a Void Gauntlet for extra damage since this is the only other weapon to rely on the Focus Attribute score.
This character can carry two healing staves of varying abilities and perks, perhaps one for PvE and the other for PvP combat. The lack of any limitations when it comes to armor is another advantage this build can enjoy. A pure healing build can dress in full plate and stay close to the action in order to heal the melee fighters, making this more of a PvP "Healadin" build. Aside from putting points in the Focus score, the only other Attribute these healers need to worry about is Consitution for the extra hit points.
2 Healing And Magical Damage
There are a lot of nice options for magical damage in New World, and a magic-user that combines DPS with healing is a popular build. This fits well into any party, is equally useful while playing solo, and also has a lot of potential choices when it comes to mixing and matching some fabulous gear.
A character can carry two staves, one of Fire and the other of Life, or a Life Staff and a Frost or Void Gauntlet. Combine the weapons with a mix of leather and plate armor and it's an impressive image similar to a Priest or Shaman build. Bear in mind that this requires more points under Intelligence to use Fire Staves and Frost Gauntlets, but this character tends to stay out of melee range and relies less on Constitution.
1 Healing And Physical Damage
A player that chooses to combine their healing with physical damage is looking at a combination class similar to that of a Ranger or Druid and might have to prioritize several Attribute scores, which just means it might take a few extra levels to be as effective in combat as other builds.
Not all weapons that deal physical damage require two or even three Attribute points, however, and there are ways to streamline the process. Players that choose to equip their characters with melee weapons will opt for medium to heavy armor or use whatever perks and buffs they can to improve their dodge rating and resilience.
Ranged
- Bows. An ideal combination for a Ranger with healing powers, the bow is a fairly simple weapon that only requires points in Dexterity, so there is still plenty for strengthening Focus and Constitution.
- Muskets. A musket requires points in both Intelligence and Dexterity, spreading the Attribute points a bit thin for this build, which would take a ranged-damage position.
Melee
- Swords. Paladins often combine this weapon with a healing staff but players must be patient with the leveling process, as the sword skill needs points in both Strength and Dexterity.
- Rapiers. A refined weapon, the rapier requires skills in both Dexterity and Intelligence. Players building Bards or Rangers might consider this combination.
- Warhammers. Envisioning a Cleric? The only Attribute the warhammer needs is Strength, and an easy combination with Focus and Constitution.
- Battleaxes. Another nice option for a Cleric who favors edged weapons, or a Fighter with healing powers. Like the warhammer, a battleax relies only on Strength.
- Hatchets. Even though this is a one-handed weapon like a sword, it can't be combined with a shield. They also require two Attribute scores, Strength and Dexterity.
New World is currently available on PC.