If you've played any RPG, you'll be familiar with the attribute system found in New World. Attributes represent your character's core strengths, and have a gigantic impact on the direction you'll be taking your build as you progress through the game.
In this guide, we'll break down the basics of the attribute system, attribute points, and how you should approach attributes while levelling.
Read More: New World Weapons List: Every Weapon, Their Mastery Trees, and What Attributes They Use
What Are Attributes?
Attributes in New World refer to five core stats that hugely impact aspects of your character. While there aren't any barriers to trying vastly different playstyles as you level, having attributes that don't match your weapons and perks will significantly hamper the effectiveness of your character in PvE and PvP. The five different attributes are:
- Strength
- Every point increases your damage with the war hammer, sword, and hatchet.
- Dexterity
- Every point increases your damage with the sword, hatchet, rapier, musket, and bow.
- Intelligence
- Every point increases your damage with the fire staff and ice gauntlets.
- Focus
- Every point increases your mana recovery and healing done to yourself and allies.
- Constitution
- Every point increases your health pool.
Each have their own dedicated progression bar and provide bonuses to certain weapons that you can use in combat. Once you've decided which weapons you like best, it's best to invest points into the attributes that improve the performance of those weapons. However if you do want to change your attributes you can! All it requires is a small amount of money from your part, then you can totally rebuild your character from the ground up.
You gain a set number of attribute points every level. While early on you'll only receive a small amount - maybe 2-3 per level - gaining a level when you're 50+ grants substantially more.
Attribute Bonuses
Through investing points into specific attributes, you can unlock passive abilities at certain milestones that enhance aspects of your character related to said attribute. While the individual bonuses provided by a single point isn't by any means negligible, it's these milestone bonuses that you should be aiming for when building up a character.
- Strength
- 50 points: Gain a 15% damage increase to melee weapon light attacks, alongside an 10% increase to mining speed.
- 100 points: Gain 20% damage increase to melee weapon heavy attacks, plus 20 encumbrance which allows you to wear heavier armour.
- 150 points: Gain an 50% stamina damage increase from melee weapon light and heavy attacks. Also ore and gems you mine weigh 10% less.
- 200 points: Gain 20% increased damage on enemies affected by a stun, slow, or root. Also, gain 10% mining speed.
- 250 points: Stamina regeneration, which typically requires you to not attack, now occurs during light and heavy attacks with melee weapons. In addition, gain a 10% yield increase from mining.
- 300 points: All Light and heavy attacks with melee weapons give you grit, which stops you from being staggered during attack animations. You also gain a 25% chance to fully mine an ore node in one swing.
- Dexterity
- 50 points: Gain a 10% chance to critical hit, also gain a 10% increase to skinning speed.
- 100 points: Gain 5% piercing damage on all attacks. Also, gain 20% haste for a short time after skinning an animal.
- 150 points: Dodging costs 10 less stamina. Skinned Items weigh 10% less.
- 200 points: Gain a 20% increase to backstab and headshot damage. Also, skinning is 10% faster.
- 250 points: Gain a 30% increase to critical hit damage on enemies affected by a stun, slow, or root. Also gain a 10% yield increase when skinning.
- 300 points: Ammo has +15% chance of being returned when used. Also, attacks are guaranteed to be critical hits after dodging.
- Intelligence
- 50 points: Gain a 10% damage increase to light and heavy magic attacks. Also, harvesting is 10% faster.
- 100 points: Gain a 20% increase critical hit damage. Also, there is now a 5% chance to gain 1 azoth when harvesting.
- 150 points: Gain a 20% increase to elemental damage. Also, harvesting items weigh 10% less.
- 200 points: Gain 10 mana after dodging. Harvesting is 10% faster.
- 250 points: Gain a 30% duration to damage over time (DOT) spells. Also gain a 10% yield increase when harvesting
- 300 points: The first hit on a full-health enemy deals 30% more damage. Also, fast traveling costs 10% less.
- Focus
- 50 points: Gain an additional 10% to your passive mana regeneration rate. Also fishing line tension is increased by 10%.
- 100 points: Mana pool increased by 20%. Also, gain 10% additional yield when salvaging.
- 150 points: Gain a 20% boost to outgoing healing. Also fishing items are now 10% lighter.
- 200 points: Gain a 20% increase to the duration of casted buffs. Also, your fishing line tension is increased by 10%.
- 250 points: Gain +30 mana on any kill you or your group are responsible for. Fish you catch are now 10% larger.
- 300 points: When your mana bar is depleted, gain 200% mana regen for 10s with a one minute cooldown. Fast traveling now has a 10% cooldown reduction.
- Constitution
- 50 points: All health consumables are now 20% stronger. Logging speed is increased by 10%.
- 100 points: Your max health is now increased by 10% of your physical armour defensive stat. All tools now have a 10% reduction on durability loss.
- 150 points: Gain a 20% reduction to damage taken from critical hits. The weight of logging items is also decreased by 10%.
- 200 points: Gain a 20% increase to armour. Logging is now 10% faster.
- 250 points: Gain a 80% reduction to incoming damage while at full health. Also, gain 10% additional yield when logging.
- 300 points: All stuns, slows, and roots you cause gain a 30% increased duration. In addition, you have a 25% chance chop to down a tree in one swing.
Now that you understand what attributes are, alongside the many bonuses they provide, you should have an easier time plotting out the growth of your character as you progress through the game. If you'd like to learn more about the weapons impacted by attributes check out our weapon tier list, or if those profession bonuses caught your eye you can read our professions perks overview instead.