New World is great in that it offers players a multitude of weapons to choose from, each catering to a different playstyle. It seems that developers are hard at work introducing new and exciting weapons too, thanks to the Void Gauntlet making its way to Aeternum. What's even better is that all of the weapons currently present in New World are fairly balanced, with each offering up some pros and cons for those willing to master them.
When it comes to ranged weapons, players have the choice of slinging spells via staff, launching arrows from a bow, or firing from long range by using a musket. The latter is perhaps one of the hardest-hitting weapons in all of New World but it's not without its drawbacks. Here's a look at some of the pros and cons of using a Musket in both PvE and PvP settings.
PRO: The Musket Offers Superior Range
The musket is perfect for players that don't want to engage the enemy head-on and instead plan to strike from the shadows. Thanks to its superior range, musket users are capable of downing enemies before they even have a chance to properly engage them. If a player can position themselves correctly by using the terrain around them, they can make it incredibly difficult for enemy players to know where their shots are coming from. Even better, musket users can use the high ground and obstacles around them to make it harder for A.I. opponents to reach them, giving them time to do some serious damage or outright kill them before taking any damage themselves.
CON: Skill Shots Are Necessary For Good DPS
Thanks to how New World's targeting system works, players won't simply be able to "point and click" their way to victory. There is no "auto-engage" feature in the action-based MMO, meaning players will need to aim all of their abilities and spells. This translates directly to the musket, which has to be aimed via third-person style like any other third-person shooting mechanic. Unfortunately, there isn't a lock-on mechanic, meaning musket users will have to directly aim every one of their shots. This can be a headache for those that aren't used to aiming.
PRO: Muskets Can Cause Enemies To Burn
Damage over time (DOT) can be incredibly useful in any MMO, specifically when it pertains to PVP. By overloading an enemy with a variety of DOTs, it can make it difficult for them to adequately heal as the damage will slowly chip away at their health pool, in top of the normal damage a player will be doing with other attacks.
To make musket users even more dangerous, developers gave them access to a skill called powder burn, which deals heavier damage than a normal shot in addition to applying a burn to the target that lasts nine seconds. This can be a great way to keep consistent damage on an enemy and pressure them while the musket player moves to a safer position to re-engage them.
CON: Muskets Take A Long Time To Reload
One of the most glaring issues when it comes to muskets are their abysmal reload time. They are easily one of the most powerful weapons in the game and their ability to output massive spikes of damage is balanced by forcing users to reload after each individual shot. For reference, those that use staves can freely sling spells so long as they have the mana and players that use a bow can rattle off arrows as quickly as they can knock them.
But musket users will have to sit through a small but burdensome reload animation after shooting, which gives enemies time to engage them if they're not far enough away. A musket user is at a severe disadvantage up close, so it's important to consider reload time when making a plan of attack.
PRO: Muskets Have Some Defensive Abilities
Although the musket should be considered a long-range weapon that rewards players who stay out of enemy reach, that doesn't mean it's completely defenseless. Players that decide to take on this weapon will have access to two skill trees, with one focusing on additional damage and the other offering up a series of tactical skills that can make musket users difficult to catch. Those that use traps can guard themselves against melee users by baiting them into a three-second immobilization (while simultaneously making them a sitting duck), and the Stopping Power skill gives musket users an escape by knocking back and staggering any pursuers.
CON: Muskets Are Purely Dexterity Based
Although muskets are some of the hardest-hitting weapons in all of New World, it's important to note that they only scale with the Dexterity attribute. This isn't a problem for those that are going to use a musket as their primary form of DPS but it does severely limit the kinds of "builds" that a player can put together. Those that pour all their points into Dexterity are limited to the Rapier and Spear if they want a matching melee weapon that scales just as highly.
Sword and Hatchet are also viable options but use Dexterity as their second attribute. At the end of the day, musket players shouldn't have a hard time finding at least one viable melee item to keep on them but the pure Dexterity nature of the musket does limit their choices compared to some other builds.
PRO: Musket Users Are Incredibly Dangerous In Group PVP
Musket users are perhaps one of the most dangerous players to encounter in a group PVP setting. When weapons are flying and players are attempting to fend off melee-based attackers, musket players can find a high perch to sit back and pick off enemies one by one. In a one-on-one setting, those that know how to effectively dodge can make quick work of a musket user but in a group setting, it's incredibly difficult to dodge incoming shots while simultaneously fighting other foes. Players using the musket that understand their worth as a "sniper" can be downright devastating and quickly turn the tides of a large-scale battle.
CON: Musket Users Can Struggle With Some PVE Content
The musket can devastate enemies in PVP but it's a different story in some PVE content. As players progress through the world of Aeternum, they'll encounter incredibly strong foes with massive amounts of health, foes that are capable of dishing out some serious damage. The bosses in New World are capable of punishing players that don't guard against their attacks or effectively move out of range of their stronger spells.
Because of the muskets need to reload and the many abilities that keep players "stationary when shooting," it can be difficult for pure musket players to take on some of the harder PVE content as a solo act.
