Hatchet Abilities and Skill Trees for New World

While this page focuses on assessing the viability of abilities and skill tree nodes, it also gives a bit of advice on how to use them. The gameplay section of our Hatchet guide has additional information regarding the usage of abilities and each of our Hatchet PvP Builds and Hatchet PvE Builds has a detailed gameplay section that explains how to play the build.

Additional information on these abilities can be found below.

• Feral Rush — 12s CD: Leap forward and strike twice. First Hit: 115% weapon damage and staggers. Second Hit: 130% weapon damage.
• Dispatch — If target is below 30% health, Feral Rush deals 20% more damage.
• Crippling Strikes — If Feral Rush hits a target in the back, it inflicts root, immobilizing the target for 2 seconds.

Summary: This is a frequently used PvP ability that has great crowd-control potenital with a burst of damage and subtle mobility. It allows assassin builds to chase targets down and escape danger. It is not often needed in PvE.

Crafting Material: Steel Hatchet Charm - Crippling Feral Rush: When you successfully hit with Feral Rush cause a 20% (29% on weapon) slow for 3 seconds.

• Berserk — 18s CD: Enter a berserk mode that increases all attack damage by 20% for 12 seconds. (Cooldown for this ability will not start until the mode ends.)
• On The Hunt — While Berserk is active, your movement speed is increased by 20%.
• Berserking Refresh — While Berserk is active, gain a portion of your health back every 4 seconds, up to 30% of your maximum health.
• Berserking Purge — Remove all stuns, slows, and roots from yourself when you activate Berserk.
• Uninterruptible Berserk — While Berserk is active, your attacks are uninterruptible and you can't be staggered.

Summary: This is the best PvP and PvE ability the Hatchet has. Its versatility allows for a player to increase damage and speed while also getting a haste buff. It has innate Grit which will prevent staggers, but also removes all crowd-control effects. It can be used even when stunned.

Crafting Material: Starmetal Hatchet Charm - Refreshing Mighty Gavel: Increase Crit Chance by 14% (27% on weapon) while under 50% HP while Berserking.

• Raging Torrent — 15s CD: Perform 4 fast attacks, each dealing 90% weapon damage.
• Aggressive Approach — Hitting a target with Raging Torrent grants haste, increasing movement speed by 20% for 6 seconds.
• Final Blow — Press light attack at the end of Raging Torrent to perform a final attack that deals 120% weapon damage.

Summary: This is commonly used in PvE, but not often in PvP. It has great damage output in single-target and AoE fights, but it is prioritized for its cooldown reducation capabilities when paired with its perk to maximize Berserk uptime.

Crafting Material: Orichalcum Hatchet Charm - Refreshing Torrent: Every hit of Raging Torrent reduces all Hatchet cooldowns by 4.8% (8.5% on weapon).

• Rending Throw — 8s CD: Throw a hatchet up to 25 meters, dealing 110% weapon damage and applying rend, reducing target's damage absorption by 10% for 10 seconds.
• Targeted Impact — Rend duration increased by 4s if the target is further than 6 meter away.
• Opportunistic — If Rending Throw hits a target with an active debuff, it deals an additional 20% damage.
• Second Wind — If Rending Throw hits a target with an active debuff, its cooldown is reduced by 20%.

Summary: This can be a useful ability in PvE combat when not paired with a second weapon for Rend, or other party members who can contribute rend. It only applies to one target at a time, but thanks to its quick cooldown it can be a potent damaging filler ability and apply to multiple targets.

Crafting Material: Reinforced Steel Hatchet Charm - Sundering Shockwave: Ranged Hatchet attacks deal 21% more damage (31% on weapon) vs Rending Throw targets.

• Social Distancing — 18s CD: Throw a hatchet up to 25 meters forward, dealing 115% weapon damage and inflicting 30% slow for 5 seconds. If standing still or moving backwards, you will dodge backwards obtaining momentary invulnerability. If moving sideways or forwards, you will continue moving unhindered.
• Quick Power — If Social Distancing hits a target with an active debuff, gain haste, increasing your movement speed by 20% for 6 seconds.
• Stay Back — Social Distancing applies a 1s root to targets farther than 6 meter saway.

Summary: This is ability is used strictly in PvP environments. It is a great movement ability to quickly get out of crowd-control or avoid danger. Its main usage is for its root on targets who are attempting to escape. This can be used to close gaps, or prevent escapes.

Crafting Material: Reinforced Starmetal Hatchet Charm - Sundering Clear Out: Social Distancing attacks within 6m reduce the cooldown by 30% (49% on weapon).

• Infected Throw — 15s CD: Leap into the air and throw a hatchet that deals 120% weapon damage. This attack inflicts 30% disease and 10% weaken to your target for 10 seconds.
• Mortal Power — Increased the duration of disease and weaken to 10 seconds when hitting targets below 50% health.
• Aerial Transmission — Creates a 3 meter radius disease and weaken cloud on impact that lingers in place for 6 seconds.

Summary: This is a great utility option in PvP and PvE combat. It can be useful at times in PvP if you are a ranged player who does not need escape and want to apply an exhaust. Alternatively, in PvE this can be taken instead of Rending Throw if your group can reach Rend cap.

Crafting Material: Reinforced Orichalcum Hatchet Charm - Exhausting Infected Throw: Direct hits with Infected throw causes Exhaustion reducing targets stamina regeneration by -20% (-30% on weapon) for 10 seconds.

• Enraged Strikes — Great free damage for executing low health targets. Is primarily a PvE perk, but does have PvP viability.
• Accumulated Power — Necessary for the PvE rotation. You will only light attack, so this is a free damage increase.
• Relentless Fury — Not often taken since you almost never heavy attack with a Hatchet.
• Against All Odds — By far one of the strongest offensive Hatchet perks. In both PvP and PvE this should be taken for a free damage increase that stacks up to 50%.
• Fortifying Strikes — This is not needed due to the high amount of passive defensiveness with the Hatchet. It also requires you to hit a single target 3 times for it to activate, so it has low uptime.
• Frenzied Purge — You remove all debuffs with Berserk anyway, so this is a wasted passive. It has a 60 second cooldown and only works below 30% health.
• Defy Death — This is the ultimate passive that should always be taken. It is incredibly strong for PvP, and gives you great PvE survivability. As long as you swap to your Hatchet in moments of need, this will frequently save your life.

• Aimed Throw — This is a great utility pick to allow you to do some ranged damage. It is needed in a throwing focused build.
• Critical Throw — This applies to melee and ranged attacks. It is free critical hit chance that should always be taken.
• On Fire — Only worth taking if you play a throwing dedicated build.
• Rejuvenating Crits — This should always be taken in PvP and PvE. It gives more dodge opportunities from the bursts of stamina.
• Exploitation — This should always be taken in any PvP and PvE. There will always be a debuff applied to a target and this is free damage.
• Hurling Force — This is only necessary in a throwing Hatchet build, but it can add some additional damage when using Rending Throw.
• Adrenaline Rush — Very strong for PvP mobility, especially when paired with the 150 Dexterity passive. It gives you great stamina management and survivability.
• Persistent Hinderance — This ultimate passive is great if you choose to dedicate to only throwing Hatchets. Otherwise, this is a wasted option and Defy Death is better. Often times it may not be worth taking this passive, even when throwing, because of the survivability you would receive.