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New World's Void Gauntlet is a healer's best friend, but its damage-dealing capabilities are nothing to be sniffed at. A combination of damage buffs and heals built into the VG's kit means it's usually paired with a Life Staff, but its powerful Void Blade can also be used for solo PvE content and in PvP.

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You will most commonly see the Void Gauntlet alongside a Life Staff, but you could also try out other builds like the Fire Staff and Void Gauntlet. That's part of the magic in New World - plenty of builds are viable, and it's up to you to experiment with them!

Updated February 17, 2024, by Sean Murray: The Void Gauntlet can make for an incredibly potent soloist build in New World, but only if you've got the right tactics to make it work. This guide can give you the information you need to get the most out of your Void Gauntlet, and now that it has our refreshed formatting, it's a little easier to read. We've also given this guide more links to other helpful New World topics.

Void Gauntlet Overview

New World Void Gauntlet

The Void Gauntlet serves as a powerful debuff and healing tool, not a primary DPS weapon. Most of the abilities on the Void Gauntlet focus on dealing small increments of damage while applying some sort of debuff, one of which is called Disintegrate.

  • Disintegrate: Deals 5% weapon damage per second while reducing the target's damage absorption by 5%.
    • Stacks up to three times.
    • Lasts eight seconds.

Some abilities also inflict Root or Weakening, giving this weapon immense versatility in PvP. Additionally, the Void Gauntlet's default attacks and certain abilities will heal you for a small chunk of damage dealt (average of around 20%). This plays nicely with the Void Gauntlet's block, draining your HP in exchange for mana.

The strength of your healing is affected by the Focus stat and gear perks. Both Intelligence and Focus scale the weapon's damage output, with Intelligence granting better damage scaling. With that said, the Void Gauntlet itself doesn't deal much damage on its own.

To use this weapon as a primary DPS option, you'll need to support it with a plethora of buffs and Intelligence scaling; raw Focus scaling won't cut it. The good news is your abilities take care of most of this for you.

Void Gauntlet Trees

New World Void Gauntlet Build 2

All of the Void Gauntlet's passives and active skills are divided evenly between two categories or skill trees:

  1. Annihilation: Encourages a more aggressive melee playstyle. Enhances critical, healing, and grants player buffs.
  2. Decay: Focuses on applying debuffs to weaken targets and enhance allies, perfect for support players.

Both trees have quite a few passives that lower cooldowns, improve healing, and grant additional avenues for regenerating your mana.

Annihilation suits ranged tools like the Life Staff, Fire Staff, and Ice Gauntlet extremely well. Use your back bar weapon to debuff the target or enhance yourself, then push forward with your Annihliaton abilities to take them out. Decay is best used alongside melee weapons or the Life Staff to debuff targets extensively, enhancing the damage of your party.

However, dedicated healers shouldn't rely on the Void Gauntlet to solve their DPS woes in solo content.

Void Gauntlet Weapon Pairings And Impressions

The main issue with a true support Life Staff + Void Gauntlet combo is you deal minimal damage if you spec solely into Focus. You lack the survivability to make up for this, can't use a shield to draw aggro, and lack movement skills to reposition. If you want to double down on supporting your team, this will work, but you're making some large sacrifices.

However, if you do a split between Intelligence and Focus, then this pairing becomes much more potent. You'll need good gear to pull it off, but a 150/150 split is ideal for this weapon. If you want to use the Void Gauntlet for DPS, you need to invest in Intelligence.

We expect the Void Gauntlet to be a great utility tool alongside DPS weapons like the Fire Staff or Rapier. The Void Gauntlet is best used as a hybrid weapon; don't overspecialize in utility or damage to get the best results.

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Void Gauntlet And Life Staff Build

New World Life Staff

This combination is a no-brainer. Both scale from Focus, both heal you, and both provide an immense amount of utility. Before dedicated healers get too excited, the damage of the Void Gauntlet won't complement your Life Staff at all unless you partially spec for Intelligence, making this weapon best suited for solo PvE builds that use the Life Staff selfishly. This also applies to its PvP applicability.

However, if you do make a stat split between Intelligence and Focus, you end up with a build that's absurdly tanky and can dish out a reasonable amount of damage—nothing on par with a Hatchet or Fire Staff, but it's more than enough to win 1v1 duels in PvP. If you love the Paladin playstyle but want a more magic-infused version, this build is right up your alley.

It's important to remember that in this build the Void Gauntlet is a complementary weapon - heal mainly with your Life Staff, but rotate to the Void Gauntlet to place down your debuffs, buff your allies, and regenerate mana through Essence Harvest.

Best Masteries For The Void Gauntlet

New World Void Gauntlet Build 2

Skill

Effect

Recommended Masteries

Void Blade

  • Description: Replace your light and heavy attacks with Void melee swipes, dealing 100% and 150% damage, respectively.
    • Attacks inflict Disintegrate. Caps at x3.
    • Lasts for 15 seconds.
    • Activating the ability mid-use will prematurely end Void Blade.
  • Fortified Blade: Gain 20% damage absorption for 5 seconds after using this skill.
  • Leeching Blade: Successful thrust attacks heal for 5% weapon damage per Disintegrate stack on the target. Scales exclusively with Focus.

Petrifying Scream

  • Description: Stun and Root targets in a 5m cone in front of you, dealing 100% weapon damage.
    • Disables enemy movement for 2 seconds when hit.
  • Bone-Chilling Voice: Enemies under 50% hit by the scream are stunned for 3 seconds.
  • Fortifying Echoes: Gain Fortify for each enemy hit, increasing physical absorption by 10% per hit. Stacks up to 3 times.

Baleful Tether

  • Description: Fire a projectile that tethers you to an enemy, Weakening it and Empowering you by 4% per second. Tether lasts 10 seconds.
    • Caps at 20% Empower.
    • Tether has a 15m radius. Breaks if the tether exceeds that range.
  • Tethered Refresh: Successful hits against the tethered target reduce your Void Gauntlet cooldowns by 5%.
  • Soul Eater: Regain 80% of weapon damage as health if the tethered target dies. Scales exclusively with Focus.

Void Blade turns your arm into an energy sword while active, replacing your default projectile attacks with melee swings. Backstabs done with Void Blade are guaranteed critical hits, making this extremely powerful against immobile targets. Your crits will heal you thanks to Leeching Agony, giving you great sustain. If that wasn't enough, you also gain a 20% Fortify when using this skill.

Activate Void Blade right after Petrifying Scream lands to dish out some solid damage.

Petrifying Scream is one of the strongest CC abilities in New World, not only stunning targets but flat-out preventing them from moving for a few seconds. Use this moment to land as many hits with Void Blade as possible, preferably backstabs to deal critical damage. You also gain Fortify after using this skill, so you can use it to give yourself some breathing room.

Orb of Regret is the perfect healing pair with the Life Staff, dealing debuffs but also returning to your character as a healing orb that does AoE heals.

Most of your passive masteries enhance your critical hits, assist with sustain, and even grant Empower for using your skills. Voidcaller, your capstone, also helps with healing and deals a little bit of AoE damage.

We do not recommend Void Blade for high-end Expedition mutations. You will need the healing and damage buffs of Oblivion. For the ideal build, go Orb of Regret, Petrifying Scream, and Oblivion.

Best Masteries For The Life Staff

New World Void Life Staff Tree

Skill

Effect

Recommended Masteries

Sacred Ground

  • Description: Create 3m of hallowed ground that heal allies for16% weapon damage per second.
    • Lasts 12 seconds.
  • Holy Ground: Regenerate stamina and mana 50% faster while in Sacred Ground.
  • Blessed: While allies are in Sacred Ground, they are healed for 50% more.

Light's Embrace

  • Description: Heal targets for 80% weapon damage + 30% more for each buff on that target.
  • None

Beacon

  • Description: Shoot out a projectile that deals 146% weapon damage to enemies, attaches to its target, and heals all nearby allies for 16% weapon damage per second for 10 seconds.
  • Radiance's Blessing: Beacon lasts 5 seconds longer.
  • Speed of Light: When Beacon heals someone, they gain +20% movement speed for 3 seconds.

Sacred Ground is arguably the strongest healing ability in the game, granting an immense amount of passive healing and better resource recovery. Stay within your Sacred Ground whenever possible.

Light's Embrace is incredibly strong on this build since the Void Gauntlet provides so many buffs that persist when you swap weapons. It also acts as a good panic heal in tough PvE or PvP content.

Beacon gives passive healing and haste, making it an excellent ability for just about all content. Throw this atop yourself whenever you can.

Of course, you can experiment with different healing builds. We like to run Divine Embrace over Beacon and Orb of Protection over Light's Embrace, depending on what sort of in-game activity we're doing. Experiment with your builds and find something you're comfortable with.

Best Attributes And Gear

  • Attribute: 300 Focus, 150 Con for a pure Healer build
  • Armor: Light Armor (Healing bonus)
  • Perks: Blessed is BiS on the Void Gauntlet for a Healer build, weapon perks should match your taste in abilities, and something like Keen is also great

Focus entirely on Focus for this Healer build. You will also want some Constitution to take care of any difficulty you're having in PvE. This build can be changed to more Intelligence for Void Blade scaling in PvP. Experiment and see what works best for you.

Light armor is 100% recommended for this build because of it provides substantial healing boosts and the mobility of the double roll is crucial to avoid mechanics in many of the boss fights. You could, maybe, if you felt like it, try Medium armor for PvP, but we still wouldn't recommend it.

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Void Gauntlet And Fire Staff Build

New WOrld fire staff

Since the Void Gauntlet mostly scales with Intelligence, it pairs exceptionally well with mage weapons like the Fire Staff. This build focuses on maximizing the damage of Fire Staff through the Void Gauntlet's various passive buffs and utility effects. You'll have solid crowd control, mobility, and the potential to deal some serious burst damage to stunned targets.

The Void Gauntlet will also give you a means of healing, making this otherwise squishy build feel much more durable.

Best Masteries For The Void Gauntlet

New World Void Gauntlet Utility Build

Skill

Effect

Recommended Masteries

Petrifying Scream

  • Description: Stun and Root targets in a 5m cone in front of you, dealing 100% weapon damage.
    • Disables enemy movement for 2 seconds when hit.
  • Bone-Chilling Voice: Enemies under 50% hit by the scream are stunned for 3 seconds.
  • Fortifying Echoes: Gain Fortify for each enemy hit, increasing physical absorption by 10% per hit. Stacks up to 3 times.

Oblivion

  • Description: Create a 5m rift that deals 30% weapon damage per second and grants 20% Empower to yourself and allies.
    • Lasts 6 seconds.
    • Persists when you swap weapons, including the Empower buff.
  • Withering Oblivion: Your attacks inflict Weaken to targets inside the radius, reducing their damage by %% for 5s per hit. Stacks up to 3 times.
  • Invigorating Oblivion: +15 stamina per second for self and friendlies inside the radius.

Essence Rupture

  • Description: Fire a projectile that inflicts Essence Rupture for 10 seconds, healing anyone that hits the target for 20% of the damage done.
    • Does not work with damage-over-time.
    • Persists when you swap weapons.
  • Invigorating Rupture: Players receive 15 stamina when hitting a ruptured target.
  • Overflowing Essence: Friendlies within 4m of the affected target are healed for 80% of your weapon damage when Essence Rupture ends. Scales exclusively with Focus.

Petrifying Scream forces a target to stand in place for two seconds, giving you enough time to swap to Fire Staff and use Pillar of Flame or another damaging skill. It also grants Fortify, making it somewhat safer to use your skills in close range.

Oblivion deals solid damage with this setup and, more importantly, gives you 20% Empower while inside the rift. Paired with the absurd stamina regen it grants, you should have no problem avoiding attacks while dishing out some serious damage.

Essence Rupture marks a target for ten seconds, causing anyone who hits the target to heal and recover some of their stamina. This seriously helps your resource management and makes this build much more durable during tough PvE boss fights or group PvP encounters.

Best Masteries For The Fire Staff

New World Fire Staff Tree w Musket Combo Alt

Skill

Effect

Recommended Masteries

Pillar of Flame

  • Description: A targeted spell that deals 134% weapon damage over a small radius.
    • Damage occurs shortly after casting.
  • First Strike: Pillar of Flame deals 40% more damage to foes at full health.
  • Arson's Advantage: Gain 10% of your max mana per enemy hit by Pillar of Flame.

Fireball

  • Description: Fire a fireball that deals 140% weapon damage on impact and leaves a 3m burning field.
    • Burning field deals 10% weapon damage per second for 6 seconds.
  • Scorched Earth: Fireball's burning field lasts 9 seconds.
  • Clear Mind: While above 50% mana, gain 10% Empower (deal increased damage).

Burn Out

  • Description: Dash through targets, dealing 129% weapon damage on hit. Passing through targets inflicts burn.
    • Burn deals 10% weapon damage per second for 8 seconds.
  • All In: Fire Staff cooldowns are reduced by 5% for each foe hit by Burn Out.
  • Heat It Up! Burn Out goes 50% further.

Pillar of Flame is one of the hardest-hitting AoE attacks in the game. Stun a target with your Void Gauntlet, use your Fire Staff to cast Pillar of Flame, and watch their health bar chunk.

Fireball also deals great damage and applies a burning field, dealing small ticks of damage each second. Once again, this pairs nicely with Petrifying Scream and Oblivion.

Burn Out is your only movement skill, but it's a good one. Use this to reposition in or out of a fight whenever you see fit.

Best Attributes And Gear

  • Attribute: Intelligence and Focus
  • Armor: Light

Intelligence is your main stat for this build, scaling the damage of both the Fire Staff and Void Gauntlet. You want to reach at least 150 Intelligence, preferably 200. If you can, invest a few points into Focus so your Void Gauntlet heals are useful. Consider putting 50 points into Dexterity for the critical chance increase.

For armor, light is a good pick with the great stamina regen this build has. You should be able to dodge rather frequently with this build, letting you avoid plenty of attacks in PvE and PvP. You'll also get a solid damage and healing boost while wearing light armor, further improving what this build is capable of.

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New World: Complete Guide And Walkthrough
This guide hub for New World includes links to the best builds in the game, the best weapons, and other general news and updates.