As an avid New World player with over 500 hours invested, the recent Brimstone Sands expansion has completely reinvigorated the endgame with its massive influx of build-defining artifacts. I‘ve been farming these relentlessly since they released, and want to spotlight the 10 that stand out as absolute top-tier.
Void Gauntlet – Tempest Heart Final Boss
This sinister looking gauntlet overflows with tendrils of void energy. It‘s styled after the enemies you face in Tempest Heart like Isabella, with a gnarled finger design.
The void gauntlet unlocks the unique Voidblade skill-line that spends mana to deal 20% bonus Void damage. Combined with the gauntlets built-in perks:
- Enchanted – +10% Critical Damage
- Keen – Reduces cooldown of skills by 5%
It becomes a phenomenal weapon for boosting caster DPS. These perks even enable hybrid melee-caster builds, letting you wield a Void Blade in one hand and sword in the other!
To obtain it, defeat Isabella the Tempestuous in the final boss encounter of the Tempest Heart expedition. This requires entering a long questline to attune all shadow monoliths. Expect it to take 1-2 hours.
I‘d rank the Void Gauntlet as #1 priority for any magic DPS build, regardless of whether you play Ice Gauntlet, Fire Staff, or pure caster. It outshines even named weapons like Siren‘s Melody thanks to the Voidblade skills.
Butcher – Dynasty Ship Yard Final Boss
This grisly set is comprised of a Sword & Shield styled from whalebones and tattered naval flags. The ominous steel shield has spikes jutting out, while the sword sports a wicked harpoon style blade.
For tanks, it provides:
- +20% Threat Generation
- 3.5% Leech on targets below 50% HP
- +150 Constitution
While the Butcher Sword has:
- Mortal Refreshment – Restore 10 Stamina on kill
- Mortal Critical Hits – +10% Crit Chance if target below 30% HP
- Wide arc Whaler‘s Reach sweep that applies Rend for big AoE threat
With top-tier threat generation letting you hold aggro combined with AoE attacks to maintain it, this set catapults Strength-based tanks to the next level. Any tank should farm Admiral Blake relentlessly for a Butcher Set, it‘s just that powerful for the role.
Enchanted Chess Piece – Imperial Palace
This ornate chess piece amulet practically radiates arcane energy, with purple glowing runes etched into its surface. Visually, it resembles the final boss Lord Ysabel and his shadowy chesspiece minions.
For Constitution Tanks, it provides:
- +10% Fortify Effect
- +150 Constitution
- +10% Threat Generation
- Nature‘s Boon – 20% of Damage taken is stored and converted into Mana over 10 seconds
With powerful defensive buffs letting you face-tank hits combined with bonus threat to control enemies, this amulet enables even more aggressive tanking play. It has great synergy with the recent Oakflesh perk for tanks. The natural mana sustain from Nature‘s Boon works wonders to fuel pricey oakflesh too!
While the drop rate is low, it can drop from any named elite or supply stockpile within the Imperial Palace expedition. I recommend equipping maximum Luck gear (+40 total) as well as Aktun + Pork Schnitzel food (+32) to maximize chances while farming. It took my company around 15 full clears before seeing our first Enchanted Chess Piece, so be ready for a long grind!
Tumbler‘s Shoes – Season Pass
These flamboyant shoes clearly take inspiration from the assassins and dancer outfits seen around the new Tumbler and Whispering Sands zones. They have scimitar styled heels and scarves that flow as you move.
For offense-oriented builds they provide exceptional mobility and damage:
- Dodging grants Empower increasing Damage by 10% for 10 seconds
- Dodging heals for 10% of max health over 10 seconds
- +150 Dexterity
With fluid acrobatic animations and visual flair, I love pairing these with light armor for ultra mobile DPS builds that danced around enemies. The bonus damage and self healing after each dodge quickly adds up!
As part of the Free Season Pass rewards, these stylish shoes are a must-grab for Rogues. They outclass most other medium/light boots outside of ultra rare named legendaries.
Pestilence – Rare World Drop
This foreboding iron-grey axe is covered in dark oozing growths and crackling violet energy around its jagged, rusted blade. Visually it invokes death and decay.
Stats:
- +18.8 Intellect
- +23.8% Void Damage
- Plagued Strikes – Hitting an enemy grants a 18% chance to inflict Nullifying Oblivion, reducing healing by 50% for 10s.
Combined with the Clear Out axe mastery that hits 5 targets, Pestilence excels at amplifying Void Blade‘s already insane multi-target damage. Against tightly packed enemies, you barrage them with void tendrils while reducing their healing – leading to quick deletes.
Its biggest downside is the rarity. Pestilence only drops from named expedition elites at a sub 1% chance. After countless hours grinding mutations, I‘ve still yet to obtain this coveted axe! If RNG blesses you with a Pestilence, treasure it dearly.
Azoth Tree Essence Earring – Zenith Gypsum Crafting
This teal-green tinted metal earring resembles twisting vines and leaves with a glowing azure gemstone. Its elongated pointed shape evokes imagery of ancient forests.
Perks:
- +23 Dexterity
- Rooted – Gain 10% damage resistance for 4s after dodging.
- Nimble – Dodge stamina cost reduced by 20%.
For Dexterity DPS builds, the defensive mobility boosts provided by Rooted and Nimble synergize amazingly with medium armor. With Tumbler‘s Shoes and Keeper weapons, you reach near permanent uptime on +20% damage and 60% damage resistance just through dodging!
The earring is randomly obtained by crafting any Zenith gypsum cast at an arcana station. I recommend regularly converting unused gypsum types into Zenith to roll for this incredibly powerful yet attainable earring.
Cursed Doll – Imperial Palace / Starstone Burrows
This unnerving porcelain doll artifact has mismatched button eyes and eerie red painted lips. Style-wise it mirrors the creepy dolls and marionettes common around the Imperial Palace.
Perks:
- +23 Intelligence
- Oblivious Obliteration – Oblivion Orb applies Rend on critical hit.
- Exploited Weakness – Deal 15% more damage to targets suffering abnormal statuses.
For main weapon options, it has fantastic synergy with both the Fire Staff‘s Burn Out detonation wave and Void Gauntlet skills. Any Crowd Control mage build relying on stacking debuffs will see big damage gains from Cursed Doll.
The 3% drop rate from Supply Stockpiles in both the Imperial Palace and Starstone Burrows makes Cursed Doll reasonably attainable with some dedicated farming. Just be sure to come prepared with plenty of luck gear!
When farming artifacts, you‘ll want to maximize your chances by stacking as much Luck as possible from gear, trophies, and consumables. Here‘s what I bring on targeted artifact runs:
| Gear | Luck | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Amulet: Specter Crescent | +13 | Faction vendor purchase |
| Ring x2: Specter Signet Ring | +11 each (+22) | Faction vendor purchase |
| Earring x2: Solitary Soul Earring | +10 each (+20) | Bead token gypsum craft |
| Armor pieces x5 | +5 each (+25) | Use Luck attribute armor |
| Total Luck | +80 | Cap is +40 actual effect |
For perks that further boost Luck:
- Blessed – +25 max base luck cap
- Prosperous – Improves Luck scaling
Combine with the powerful luck food Pork Schnitzel at +32 and the Minor Trophy Luck furnishing for near the max possible drop chance!
Having run hundreds of artifact expeditions both individually and in coordinated groups, I definitely notice a sizeable difference in legendary drops when fully buffed out on luck versus Runs without luck gear. Give it a shot on your next Targeted farm.
The team at Amazon Game Studios have done an amazing job revamping New World‘s endgame with Brimstone Sands. The sheer variety and build-defining power of artifacts has brought theorycrafting and min-maxing to entirely new levels. I‘m blown away by how creative some of the perk combinations can get!
While the rarer artifacts like Pestilence and Butcher‘s Set still elude me personally, I‘m motivated to push towards uncovering their secrets inside challenging new mutators and raids arriving soon. Hopefully my guide to target farming locations helped provide some guidance.
Let me know which artifacts you‘re having fun playing around with in the comments section, as well as what kind of content you‘d like to see next! I may just have a guildee with that perfect artifact who can provide pointers.
Stay tuned for more artifact updates here as the meta continues evolving! I anticipate plenty of balance changes and new surprises on the horizon from the New World team given their steady patching pace.
Together we‘ll keep striving towards crafting the perfect character build.