New World's ranged weapon choices seem scant at first, offering only a choice between muskets and bows. However, there's a wondrous variety of both weapons, enough to make even the most dedicated arms collector happy. Not many other MMORPGs offer muskets at all, making them a novelty for gamers who play medieval or fantasy-based games that don't often have firearms.
The bows in New World come in several different kinds, including longbows, hunting bows, and bows intended for stealth. These all fall under the same ability score. This makes it easier than other RP adventure games, where different types of bows need separate ability scores. The bow depends on the Dexterity skill, while muskets scale with both Intelliegence and Dexterity. Some of these ranged weapons can be crafted with the right materials and skill level, in the Workshop using the Engineering skill. Here's how to get the best ones.
Muskets
Vinewrapped Musket (Tier II)
- Base Damage and Abilities: The stats are slightly above average for most Tier II weapons, with a gear score of 255, 80 base damage, and a 2% critical hit chance, which is essential on a ranged weapon.
- Quality: Uncommon
- Benefits and Buffs: The best thing about the Vinewrapped Musket is the healing ability it gives to Sticky Bombs, a special attack available in the musket talent tree.
- How to Acquire: This musket drops from enemies, or from Tier II weapon chests the player gets as quest rewards.
Calamity (Tier III)
- Base Damage and Abilities: Calamity is a solid Tier III weapon, although the stats are fairly average. There are a few nice features this weapon has on top of its 80 base damage. It has a gear score of 360 and a decent 2% Critical Hit Chance, making it one of the better ranged weapons for this level in the game.
- Quality: Rare
- Benefits and Buffs: Every musket build uses the Traps ability, and the Accelerating Traps enchantment on Calamity speeds up the character's movement by 12% after they they deploy one. Additionally, all light and heavy attacks do 7% more damage.
- How to Acquire: This is a crafted weapon that the character can make themselves, provided they have an engineering skill of 75 and some uncommon materials. Players can equip this gun as early as level 20, making it one of the best possible weapons for early to mid-levels.
Soaked Musket (Tier IV)
- Base Damage and Abilities: This is an average Tier IV musket, with a gear score ranging between 300-400. The the difference is that a character can equip it as early as level 27, when most weapons are of Tier II quality.
- Quality: Common
- Benefits and Buffs: None, as it the case with Common weapons. The gear score and base damage will vary, but it's worth it to be able to equip a Tier IV weapon at this point in the game.
- How to Acquire: The Soaked Musket is a random drop from enemies that roam in swamps or estuaries. There is a small chance it could drop from a weapon chest but these rewards often contain items of Uncommon quality or better.
Breachrunner's Musket
- Base Damage and Abilities: The Breachrunner's Musket is a Tier III weapon with the stats of one that's a Tier higher, with a 300-400 gear score and a base damage of 80.
- Quality: Rare
- Benefits and Buffs: This weapon is designed and intended to fight Corruption, especially for the purpose of fighting invasions and closing invasion breaches. It has a bonus to damage when fighting the Corrupted, plus enchantments that give the weapon Corruption and Void damage of its own.
- How to Acquire: Any Perks that focus on Intelligence and Dexterity are preferable, but this weapon's exact stats and bonuses has depend on how and where it drops. Players can either acquire it from a weapon chest as a quest reward, or as a random world drop from enemies.
Bows
Immoral Evermore (Tier II)
- Base Damage and Abilities: There aren't too many weapons in the New World catalog of Rare quality at Tier II, but Immoral Evermore is one of them. Like the Breachrunner's Musket, it has the stats of a level IV weapon, but it's possible for a lower-level character to equip and use it.
- Quality: Rare
- Benefits and Buffs: The enchantments on this bow would be great for any weapon. Opportunist gives the player bonus damage against targets with less than 30% health, and Refreshing Move reduces all active weapon cooldowns.
- How to Acquire: This weapon either drops from a random enemy in Arcturus, an expedition in Everfall, or comes out of the Tier II weapon chest the player gets for completing quests in the region.
Regent's Bow (Tier II)
- Base Damage and Abilities: Another bow of a higher quality than it appears, this one has similar stats to Immoral Evermore but is considerably easier to acquire. The gear score wavers near 300, the base hit damage is 64, and the 5% improvement to critical hit chance is generous for the level.
- Quality: Rare
- Benefits and Buffs: This bow has a damage bonus against Lost, one of the versions of undead creatures raoming Aeternum. It also comes with a handy gem socket that allows the player some options for customization.
- How to Acquire: The Regent's Bow is awarded as a random item from a Tier II weapon chest or as a world drop from a slain foe.
Inquisitor's Mark (Tier III)
- Base Damage and Abilities: A Tier III item with the stats to match, with a gear score of 300-400, and 64 base damage along with improvements to block and stagger damage.
- Quality: Rare
- Benefits and Buffs: A few unique and useful perks and enchantments make this better than the average bow. Cruel causes any creature that's already being affected by a crowd control or slow effect, like Trap or Stun, suffers 8% more damage.
- How to Acquire: This weapon is a rare drop from an enemy called Inquisitor Lucia, who also lends her name to it. She can be found in Cathedral de Vasquez in Brightwood, and a number of quests are available that will lead the player there.
Siren's Call (Tier IV)
- Base Damage and Abilities: A Tier IV epic item with some useful enchantments and a high gear score of around 490, although the damage stats are fairly average.
- Quality: Epic
- Benefits and Buffs: The enchantments on this bow make it worth the trouble of leveling Engineering and collecting the materials. Empowering Splinter Shot increases damage by 15% for 10 seconds or until the next attack. Chain Arcane is an elemental attack that bounces between close targets, dealing arcane damage. There's also a buff to all light and heavy attacks.
- How to Acquire: This is one of the more powerful crafted items available to players. It not only requires a number of rare items and materials, but the player's character must have a minimum level of 53 to equip it. Siren's Call is crafted in the Workshop using the Engineering skill with a minimum skill level of 142.