Season 10 of New World: Aeternum, also known as Nighthaven, has fundamentally reshaped the game’s combat and equipment systems. The introduction of revamped weapon perks, set items, and gear stat adjustments has created both challenges and opportunities for players. Veterans accustomed to previous seasons may find familiar weapons less effective in direct comparison, but Season 10 rewards creativity, experimentation, and strategic thinking. This guide focuses on high-damage builds centered around the New World Coins Inferno Fire Staff, artifact synergies, and DPS rotations, while also highlighting the importance of personalized experimentation.

The Overhauled Weapon System

One of the most significant changes in Season 10 is the complete reworking of the weapon system. This overhaul includes:

Revamped Weapon Perks: Perks now emphasize synergy with elemental damage types, attack speed, or status effects. Fire, Ice, and Nature-based weapons have more defined roles, making perk selection a crucial component of DPS optimization.

Set Items: Players can now equip multiple pieces from a set to unlock unique bonuses. These bonuses can significantly boost elemental damage, critical hit potential, or defensive capabilities, encouraging build specialization.

Rebalanced Stats: Attributes such as Intelligence, Focus, Critical Chance, and Haste have been fine-tuned to support a wider variety of playstyles. High-risk, high-reward builds now require careful rotation management to maximize damage output.

With these changes, Season 9 weapons may feel underpowered, but this encourages players to experiment with new combinations, discover hidden synergies, and adapt their combat style to the new system.

Why the Inferno Fire Staff Shines

The Inferno Fire Staff has emerged as one of the most versatile and damaging weapons in Season 10. Its ability to deliver both single-target and AoE damage makes it an excellent choice for PvE and PvP alike.

Key Features:

Primary Scaling: Intelligence boosts the raw damage output of fire abilities, while Focus enhances burn duration and damage-over-time effects.

Top Perks:

Flame Conduit: Increases burn damage by a significant margin, ideal for sustained fights.

Ignition: Grants a chance to trigger AoE fire explosions on critical hits, excellent for mobs and clustered enemies.

Mana Efficiency: Reduces the cost of abilities, ensuring longer rotations without running dry.

Artifact Synergies: Pairing the Fire Staff with artifacts like the Blazing Ember Sigil or Pyromancer’s Band increases elemental damage, particularly against burning targets. These artifacts enhance the natural strengths of the Inferno Fire Staff, creating a potent combination for high DPS.

Secondary Weapons and Hybrid Builds

While the Inferno Fire Staff excels at elemental damage, pairing it with a secondary weapon can provide crowd control, mobility, or additional burst potential:

Ice Gauntlet: Ideal for controlling enemy movement and freezing key targets while the Fire Staff continues to deal burn damage.

Great Axe: Complements the Fire Staff for hybrid melee builds, allowing you to switch between ranged burn and heavy cleave attacks.

Bow: Offers ranged utility and debuffs that can amplify elemental damage from the Fire Staff, particularly in group settings.

Hybrid builds that combine elemental magic with control or mobility options are particularly effective in Season 10’s elite dungeons and PvP encounters, offering both versatility and raw damage potential.

Gear Perks to Maximize DPS

Season 10 has made gear perks more impactful than ever. Players should focus on perks that enhance elemental damage, critical hits, and rotation efficiency:

Elemental Damage Bonus: Gear that boosts fire, ice, or nature damage complements weapon perks and maximizes output.

Critical Damage/Chance: Essential for burst-heavy rotations, particularly when combined with perks that trigger AoE effects on critical hits.

Resource Efficiency: Mana regeneration or ability cost reduction helps maintain consistent DPS during extended fights.

Defensive Resilience: Certain elite mobs and PvP opponents now have elemental resistances. Choosing gear that mitigates incoming damage ensures survival without sacrificing offensive capabilities.

Combining these perks with set bonuses can result in devastating synergies that amplify damage, improve survivability, and optimize your playstyle.

Effective DPS Rotations

Mastering ability rotations is key to maximizing DPS in Season 10. Here are some recommended combos for Fire Staff-focused builds:

AoE Burn Rotation: Fireball → Flame Wave → Ignite → Fireball

Single-Target Burst: Fireball → Fire Blast → Ignite → Empowered Fireball (when mana is sufficient)

Crowd Control Hybrid: Fireball → Ice Gauntlet Freeze → Flame Wave → Fireball

Timing these rotations with artifact effects, such as burn damage amplification from the Blazing Ember Sigil, can increase total damage output by 20–30%, enabling players to efficiently clear elite mobs, dungeons, or PvP opponents.

Experimentation is Key

While the builds above highlight some of the most effective strategies, Season 10 rewards creativity. The new system encourages players to explore unconventional weapon-perk combinations and discover synergies that suit their personal playstyle.

For example:

Mixing high-burn elemental weapons with crowd-control melee options can create a “glass cannon” setup that devastates enemies while requiring careful positioning.

Pairing DPS-focused weapons with support artifacts can balance sustained damage and survivability for solo players.

Customizing rotations based on enemy type, dungeon mechanics, or PvP encounters ensures that no two fights feel exactly the same.

Experimenting with these combinations not only improves performance but also keeps gameplay fresh, offering a sense of discovery alongside measurable combat efficiency.

Conclusion

Season 10 of New World: Aeternum challenges both veterans and newcomers to rethink their approach to combat. The Inferno Fire Staff, when paired with the right artifacts, gear perks, and secondary weapons, offers unparalleled flexibility and high DPS potential. Mastering rotations, leveraging set bonuses, and prioritizing elemental perks allow players to dominate both PvE and PvP content.

Ultimately, experimentation remains the key to success in Season 10. By finding unique weapon-perk synergies and tailoring builds to individual playstyles, players can maximize damage output, adapt to different encounters, and enjoy the full depth of Aeternum’s evolving combat system. Whether clearing dungeons, taking down elite mobs, or cheap New World Coins engaging in PvP battles, Season 10 rewards creativity and skill, making it an exciting chapter in New World’s ongoing evolution.