New World Healer Build 2023 - The Ultimate Guide for PvP

Check out the PvE Healer Guide.

Intro

This guide is brought to you by BagginsTV, in collaboration with NWDB.

All information is based on the latest version of New World, and is accurate for the Brimstone Sands update.

If video guides are more up your street, then all the information can also be found in my YouTube video right below.

Baggins' video guide is up to date with Season 3. The written guide rework is a work in progress.

If you're more of a reader, however, or are looking for all the handy links and item info pages all in one place, then read on!

Weapon Choices

Life Staff + Rapier

This is the most common PVP healing build, as Rapier provides a lot of utility and escape to keep you away from those looking to hunt healers down.

Life Staff + Void Gauntlet

This is another build that can work in PVP, and has a multitude of ways you can play it. In this guide, we’ll be covering the more aggressive "off-healer" spec which focuses on dealing damage, but also provides some healing to your team too - most effective in small-scale PVP.

​Note: There are many other variations of healing builds you can run in PVP, such as Ice Gauntlet + Life Staff or Warhammer + Life Staff, but to keep this build concise we will focus on the two builds listed above.

Attributes

• 310 FOC + 200 CON — This is the standard build for Life Staff + Rapier.
  Note: You may choose to go 350+ Focus and 150 Con, but you are much more susceptible to dying.
• 200 INT + 150 FOC + 155 CON — This is the ideal build for Life Staff + Void Gauntlet. 200 Intelligence allows you to push good damage whilst sustaining mana via the "dodge gives mana" bonus, 150 Focus gives us +20% extra healing to still be able to do some healing, and 150+ Constitution gives us the survivability we need to stay in melee with the [ability_ability_voidgauntlet_voidblade].
  Note: In order to reach the above stat thresholds you will need to use Attribute Food. The best (and cheapest) attribute food you can get is [item_foodfoccont5] for an extra +24 Focus and +16 Constitution, or the [item_foodintfoct5] for +24 Intelligence and +16 Focus for the Void Gauntlet build.

Weapon Skills

Life Staff

Standard Build

The classic PvP healer tree. If in doubt, this should be your main tree when healing against other players.

Note: Some may opt to take [ability_ability_lifestaff_lightsembrace] with the [ability_upgrade_lifestaff_protection_givestam] upgrade over [ability_ability_lifestaff_divineembrace], as it provides Stamina with every heal. Whilst this can be useful in 3v3 Arena, [ability_ability_lifestaff_divineembrace] provides much larger heals, and if you have [perk_perkid_ability_lifestaff_divineembrance] it often has a shorter cooldown too.

Damage Dealer Build

Built to compliment the Void Gauntlet Damage build.

Rapier

Standard Build

This build is focused on best utilizing the Rapier’s defensive abilities.

Note: We are not using the Rapier to deal damage with this healing build. It is used to keep yourself out of danger from nearby enemies by using any combination of a dodge, [ability_ability_rapier_riposte], [ability_ability_rapier_aerial_lunge_intro] and [ability_ability_rapier_evasion]. Do not spend time doing Light or Heavy attacks with the Rapier - that is not what this build is designed to do.

Void Gauntlet

Damage Dealer Build

Focuses on damage dealing and disabling.

Note: The general idea of this build is to throw down your [ability_ability_lifestaff_scaredground], [ability_ability_lifestaff_beacon] and [ability_ability_lifestaff_orbofprotection] next to your target, then switch to the Void Gauntlet, activate [ability_ability_voidgauntlet_voidblade], [ability_ability_voidgauntlet_scream] and then [ability_ability_voidgauntlet_decayingorb] to slow their escape or burst some damage.

Equip Load

Light Equip Load is the classic. Due to the large boost in outgoing healing it provides and the huge benefit of the Quick Roll, you should be sticking to a Light Equip Load for all healing.

The best way to achieve this whilst maximizing your armor rating is to equip a Light Helm, Light Gloves, Light Legs and Light Boots, and a Medium Chest.

Perks to Aim For

Weapon Perks

Life Staff

For all your builds, you want your Life Staff to have [perk_perkid_weaponlife_healoutgoing] and [perk_perkid_weapon_cdrbasic], as well as either [perk_perkid_ability_lifestaff_divineembrance], [perk_perkid_ability_lifestaff_orbofprotection], or [perk_perkid_ability_lifestaff_beacon].

Rapier

For healing builds, you should be looking for [perk_perkid_ability_rapier_riposte] and [perk_perkid_weapon_hasteoncrit], plus [perk_perkid_common_cdr] or [perk_perkid_common_cdrondodge], on your Rapier.

Void Gauntlet

Since Void Gauntlet is usually used in damage-orientated Healer builds, you'll be looking for [perk_perkid_ability_voidgauntlet_scream_disease] and an Attunement Perk, as well as your choice of [perk_perkid_weapon_empoweroncrit], [perk_perkid_weapon_dmgcrit], [perk_perkid_weapon_critchance], [perk_perkid_weapon_hasteoncrit] or [perk_perkid_weapon_dmgbasic].

Gear Perks

Armor

Your armor pieces should have [perk_perkid_armor_defcritdmg], as well as any combination of [perk_perkid_common_cdr], Relevant Ability Perks, [perk_perkid_armor_durcc], [perk_perkid_armor_rangedefense_physical], [perk_perkid_armor_rangedefense_elemental], and [perk_perkid_armor_dodgesuccess_fortify]. You should also make sure to have one count of the [perk_perkid_legs_dodgesuccess_stamina] perk, and this should specifically be on your Legs piece.

Amulet

Your Amulet should have the [perk_perkid_amulet_hp] and [perk_perkid_amulet_stamonlow] perks, plus your choice between [perk_perkid_amulet_durfortify], [perk_perkid_amulet_defslash], [perk_perkid_amulet_defthurst], [perk_perkid_amulet_dodgesuccess_cleansedot], or [perk_perkid_amulet_healing]. It should be noted that [perk_perkid_amulet_healing] is your best choice for the third perk if you are running Void Gauntlet.

Ring

Having [perk_perkid_ring_maxstamina], [perk_perkid_ring_healing], and [perk_perkid_common_cdr] on the ring is ideal, but the third perk can be any one of the following: [perk_perkid_ring_crit], [perk_perkid_ring_healperdmg], [perk_perkid_common_cdrondodge], or [perk_perkid_ring_dmgvoid]. However, [perk_perkid_ring_dmgvoid] instead of [perk_perkid_common_cdr] for the third perk is also great if you are running Void Gauntlet.

​Earring

You'll want to have [perk_perkid_earring_potioncdr], [perk_perkid_earring_healthonpotion] and [perk_perkid_common_cdr] is BiS, but the third perk alongside [perk_perkid_earring_potioncdr] and [perk_perkid_earring_healthonpotion] can be any one of [perk_perkid_earring_healthregen], [perk_perkid_earring_staminaregen], [perk_perkid_common_cdrondodge], or [perk_perkid_common_cdronhit].

Ability Perks

As mentioned in the section above, it will help you as a healer to acquire certain Ability Perks on your Armor and Weapons.

Due to the way weapon swap mechanics work (any perks on a weapon are only active whilst you have the weapon drawn) it may be best to aim to have your main healing ability perk on your Life Staff and pick up the other ability perks on your armor.

For PvP, it is generally recommended to have [perk_perkid_ability_lifestaff_divineembrance] on your Life Staff, [perk_perkid_ability_voidgauntlet_scream_disease] on your Void Gauntlet, and [perk_perkid_ability_rapier_riposte] on your Rapier.

Every other Life Staff, Rapier and Void Gauntlet perk is best to have on your armor. Some recommended armor ability perks to include on your armor as a healer are [perk_perkid_ability_lifestaff_orbofprotection], [perk_perkid_ability_lifestaff_sacredground], and [perk_perkid_ability_lifestaff_beacon], as well as [perk_perkid_ability_rapier_fleche] if you are running Rapier, or [perk_perkid_ability_voidgauntlet_voidblade_lifesteal] if you are running Void Gauntlet. [perk_perkid_ability_voidgauntlet_decayingorb_reducebuffs], while not mandatory, is also an option.

Best Drops to Farm

Weapons

Life Staves

• [item_2hstafflife_glowinglifecrystalstafft5_v2] is BiS for the Standard Healing Build.
• [item_2hstafflife_staffofthethronet5_v2] is a great Life Staff in large scale PVP fights, but requires you to swap [ability_ability_lifestaff_divineembrace] for [ability_ability_lifestaff_beacon] in the Standard Healing Build.
• [item_1625_0201_2hstafflife_t5] and [item_2hstafflife_willoftheancientst5_v2] are both Life Staves with no ability perks on them, but are very easy to acquire and will help you as a beginner PVP healer.

Rapiers

• Rapiers with Constitution or Focus stats alongside [perk_perkid_ability_rapier_riposte] and [perk_perkid_weapon_hasteoncrit] do not exist as a drop, so you will have to buy or craft one.

Void Gauntlets

• [item_1hgauntletvoid_scourgeofthedepthst5_v2] is our best bet for [perk_perkid_ability_voidgauntlet_scream_disease] Void Gauntlets, but does not have an ideal set of perks, so you may look to buy or craft one.

Armor

• [item_lightlegs_sagaciouspantst5_v2] are a great Leg piece to use, despite not having resilient, as they still provide some other great perks.
• [item_lighthead_clericscowlt5_v2] is a nice headwear item you can farm relatively easily, and will be effective if facing many Bow or Musket users.
• [item_mediumchest_pvp_namedt5] is a great Chest Piece that can be purchased from the PvP Track rewards.

Note: Other named PvP items can be obtained from the PvP rewards track, provided your track Level is 5 or higher. They’re not perfect, but can be used to fill out any lacking areas within your PvP armor.

Amulet

• [item_amulett5_droplet_v2] is probably the easiest amulet to farm for and has a good set of perks, especially for those running Void Gauntlet with their Life Staff.
• [item_amulet_pvp_namedt5] provides both [perk_perkid_amulet_hp] and [perk_perkid_amulet_stamonlow] but the third perk, [perk_perkid_pvp_amulet_dodgesuccess_dmg], does not benefit Rapier users much.

Ring

• There are no named rings that drop with [perk_perkid_ring_maxstamina] and [perk_perkid_ring_healing] on them, so you will have to buy or craft yourself a ring for PvP healing.

Earrings

• There are also no named earrings that drop with [perk_perkid_earring_potioncdr] and [perk_perkid_earring_healthonpotion] on them, so you will have to buy or craft yourself an earring, as well.

Heartrunes

• [item_runestoneformt3b] is going to be our best option for PvP healing as it provides CC Immunity for the duration it’s active, as well as increasing our damage absorption and providing us with additional healing. You can use this anytime you’re in danger and don’t have potions or Rapier abilities to get you out of trouble.
• [item_runegraspingvinest3c] is also a viable option for the Void Gauntlet damage-healing hybrid, as it provides great brawling potential by rooting your enemy, increasing the damage they take via rend, and reducing the damage they do to you via weaken.

Gems

The [item_diamondcutt4] is the go-to gem for Lifestaff as it’s the only gem that increases our outgoing healing, provided we’re at full health.

In your Rapier, [item_ambercutt4] will be our best option although it doesn’t matter much, as we’re not looking at the Rapier as a damage option.

In the Void Gauntlet, [item_opalcutt4] will provide us with the most consistent damage boost, provided you can dodge before every attack chain.

With Armor and Jewelry, you generally want to maintain a balance of Physical and Elemental damage absorption so you’re not weak to one particular damage type. [item_diamondcutt4] and [item_malachitecutt4] offer a good balance of both.

Note: If you notice you’re facing off against one particular type of weapon way more than others, it is advised to socket 2 to 3 gems against that damage type. For example, during the release of Brimstone we are going to be going against many Greatswords which do Slashing Damage, so slotting some [item_moonstonecutt4] will help us stay alive.

Runeglass

Socketing a [item_runeglass_gem_diamond_stamina] into your Life Staff will decrease your outgoing healing by 3%, however the pros likely outweigh the cons here as more stamina means you’ll be able to dodge and stay alive longer, meaning more healing for your allies.

In general, using the Energizing version of each of the recommended Normal gems listed above will be your objective. However, for Void Gauntlet Damage builds, using Leeching Runeglass in your armor and weapon may be more beneficial, as standing in your [ability_ability_lifestaff_scaredground] whilst attacking a target using [perk_perkid_ability_voidgauntlet_voidblade_lifesteal] and [ability_passive_voidgauntlet_healoncrit] will provide a massive amount of Lifesteal, keeping you in the fight for much longer.

Tips for Healing

Playstyle Tips

General Tips

The biggest recommendation when it comes to healing in New World is to set up your Target Group Member healing keybinds. Removing the Cycle Target Up / Down keybind might be daunting, but once you’ve built the muscle-memory to select group members quickly, you will find you’re able to react to damage and heal teammates much faster.

Note: Make sure to only bind keys for members 2 to 5, and completely remove the binding for member 1. Target Group Member 1 is you, and there is already a keybind for this (default CTRL, re-bindable under Target Self) which makes it much harder to fumble and self-heal by accident.

As a follow on to rebinding your healing, a great idea (if you want to) is to invest in a new peripheral for your PC - specifically, an MMO mouse. A gaming mouse with at least 4 thumb buttons on the side of it allows you to bind your Target Group Member options to these side buttons for the quickest possible reactions.

If you need to quickly heal yourself, hold down CTRL before casting the ability, this will place the heal on yourself. This only works with the targetable abilities - [ability_ability_lifestaff_divineembrace], [ability_ability_lifestaff_lightsembrace], and [ability_ability_lifestaff_scaredground].

If a healing target is out of your line-of-sight but you need to heal them, you can instead start casting a heal on a party member who’s in sight, then press your keybind to select the group member who is out of sight, and the heal will end up casting on them. This is easier to do with [ability_ability_lifestaff_divineembrace] / [ability_ability_lifestaff_lightsembrace] due to their cast time, but can be done with [ability_ability_lifestaff_scaredground] if you’re very quick.

PvP Tips

Make sure to set up a keybind for toggling group mode on and off, as this can help you in large-scale PVP fights to heal any of your nearby allies (group mode off) then go back to healing your specific team (group mode on).

Ability Rotation

Before using any heal, try to always dodge to activate [ability_passive_lifestaff_protection_healingondodge] and, if possible, land a Heavy Attack to activate Intensify. This will increase your healing by up to 50% (based on your number of stacks of Intensify) which can make a huge difference.

For those of you running standard healing builds with Void Gauntlet, do not spend time attacking with the Void Gauntlet. Unless you’re trying to push extra damage (such as when an expedition boss or the Outpost Rush Baroness is near to death), Void Gauntlet should only be swapped to in order to use one of its abilities, after which you should swap back to Life Staff ASAP.

Don't rely purely on Life Staff abilities. By using the Life Staff's Light and Heavy attacks on both enemies and teammates, you can reduce your cooldowns via [perk_perkid_weapon_cdrbasic] and [ability_passive_lifestaff_healing_cdronlight], as well as provide a pretty substantial amount of healing with [ability_passive_lifestaff_healing_healonlight], so the more time you spend with the Life Staff in hand, the more effective a healer you are.

In-Game Settings

A good thing to remember is that if you are using [ability_ability_lifestaff_scaredground], [ability_ability_lifestaff_orbofprotection] and [ability_ability_lifestaff_beacon], you should turn targeted healing off.