New World isn't the same as other MMORPGs when it comes to magical weapons. In fact, the game doesn't even officially refer to them as magical, instead attributing their powers to certain resources and energies, since Aeternum is intended to be an alternate version of the real world.
When the game was first released, players could choose between fire staves, life staves, or ice gauntlets when it came to a selection of magical weapons. The void gauntlet was added in a later patch, giving characters with high scores in Intelligence and Focus another customization option. The following weapons aren't exactly the most epic that players can find or craft, but considering their level, abilities, and how easy or difficult they are to acquire, these are relatively the best weapons for their level.
7 Hidden Depths (Tier V)
It's not obvious from the cryptic name, but this item is a life staff. It's of a Legendary quality, which means it's one of the best magical items a player can get, and it's recommended for characters who are healing in endgame content.
Some items of Legendary quality can be crafted, but Hidden Depths isn't one of them. It only drops from an elite enemy named Captain Thorpe, who can be found on Shattered Mountain. Bring some friends to slay him, and be prepared to do so more than once, as it's very likely he won't drop the staff the first time he dies.
6 Staff Of The Fiery Sacrifice (Tier III)
Most players that are leveling a character with a high Intelligence Attribute Score are going to rely on a Fire Staff for ranged damage. These weapons are just as useful during the leveling process as they are for endgame content, so it's nice to have a good one at lower levels.
Staff Of The Fiery Sacrifice is of rare quality and is one of the best magical weapons a player can have at mid-level. It's not only a good pick for the amount of damage it can do, but it's also nice because it's fairly easy to get. This staff is a random drop from enemies from level 28 to 36, so a player can find it in the wilderness and equip it themselves or sell it at the Trading Post.
5 Arctic Dusk (Tier III)
Any player who is keen on leveling a magic-user should have a high Arcane crafting skill anyway, and this rare gauntlet can be crafted at the Arcane Repository. There's nothing on the list of ingredients that's bind-on-pickup or limited to drops in Expeditions or from elite enemies.
The crafting materials needed are rare but can be acquired by solo players through the Trading Post or their own gathering skills. Characters need to have a crafting level of 85 to make it and be at least level 35 to equip it.
4 Starmetal Life Staff (Tier IV)
This is a Tier 4 item, but one of Common quality so it's much easier to find and craft. It also has more than decent stats for an item of this level of quality, making it ideal for a mid-level character with a healing build. Like many other weapons at this level that can be crafted using this skill, the main ingredient is a rare and valuable material known as Life Essence, which is also made at the Arcane Repository from materials acquired through the Gathering skill.
Players need a crafting level of 100 before making this staff at a Tier IV Arcane Repository, and despite the name, starmetal is not mandatory on the list of ingredients. Adding Azoth during the crafting process is also optional, but it's essential for the extra perks.
3 Taiyings Heart (Tier IV)
A powerful item of epic quality, this ice gauntlet is intended for high-level players who participate in group content at a high level. It scales with the Intelligence Attribute, so it's ideal for a character that also uses a Fire Staff or wants to switch to physical damage in the form of a musket for ranged and a rapier for melee.
The trick is finding this item, and it's one of the more difficult magical weapons to find. Bring some friends to the Dynasty Shipyard Expedition and take down the boss Empress Zhou for a chance to see this item drop. It's likely she'll have to die more than once before it appears.
2 Firevine Battlestaff (Tier V)
Build up that Pyromancy tree in earlier levels to give this badass staff justice when the character equips it. The Firevine Battlestaff is a Legendary Tier V item that randomly drops from the Garden of Genesis in the zone of Edengrove. By the time a player can enter this endgame instance, they should be at a high enough level to equip this max-level item.
The fact that this fire staff doesn't drop from a specific boss but virtually any Angry Earth enemy in the Expedition makes this one of the easier Legendary items a character can find. That's yet another feature that makes it one of the best magical weapons in New World.
1 Starmetal Void Gauntlet (Tier IV)
The newest choice for magical weapons, Void Gauntlets are different from other choices in a few ways. They are also crafted at the Arcane Repository, but they use Focus as their main attribute instead of Intelligence like ice gauntlets do and fire staves do.
This might seem like a minor change, but it gives players with a pure healing build a great option for a damage weapon that relies on the same score — something that didn't exist in the game beforehand.
New World is available now on PC.
