Season 10 of New World, launched on October 13, has already sent waves of chaos through Aeternum. The fog-shrouded spires of Nighthaven, mutated expeditions, and blood-soaked Catacombs are demanding players rethink their builds, and one combination is quickly dominating the meta:the Greatsword + Rapier DPS setup. This hybrid melee build blends raw damage, mobility, and New World Coins sustained burn effects to create a lethal force in PvE content. Whether you're soloing trials or coordinating with a full raid group, mastering this combo can elevate your DPS output and make even the toughest bosses flinch under relentless pressure.
 
Why Greatsword + Rapier Excels in Season 10
 
The key to the Greatsword + Rapier dominance lies in its versatility. Season 10's verticality-haunted ruins, narrow staircases, and sprawling raid arenas-demands a balance of mobility, crowd control, and sustained damage. The Greatsword delivers heavy-hitting sweeps that excel at crowd management and stack Overcharge for burst damage. Meanwhile, the Rapier adds evasive mobility and persistent DoTs that keep your damage ticking between heavy swings.
 
A core component of this setup is Doroth's Blade, a Season 10 artifact that synergizes perfectly with the combo. Heavy attacks from the Greatsword apply burning stacks, which the Rapier can then trigger to explode for massive AoE damage. This interaction allows the build to excel in both single-target boss fights and multi-mob scenarios, delivering consistent parse-leading DPS. Community benchmarks show this combo outpaces traditional Fire Staff builds by roughly 15-20% in sustained combat situations like Isle of Night, provided the player maintains precise positioning and timing.
 
Core Mechanics and Playstyle
 
To maximize this build, it's essential to understand the flow between the Greatsword and Rapier. The Greatsword's role is to initiate combat, applying Overcharge stacks with heavy swings and sweeping attacks. Its crowd-clearing capability ensures that mobs stay controlled while you set up higher-value targets.
 
Once the Overcharge stacks are applied, switching to Rapier allows you to exploit these stacks. The Rapier's DoT abilities and fast, evasive moves maintain pressure while keeping you agile. Proper spacing and movement are crucial-getting clipped by enemy attacks will reset your stacks, drastically reducing burst potential. The dance between heavy hits, mobility, and stack management is the core of this build's strength, making it highly skill-intensive but rewarding for those who master it.
 
Artifact and Gear Optimization
 
Season 10 has introduced a number of tweaks that directly affect Greatsword + Rapier effectiveness. Beyond Doroth's Blade, prioritize perks and gear that enhance burn damage, critical strike chance, and mobility. For armor, balance between mitigation and dexterity is key-Rapier dodges are frequent, so overinvesting in heavy armor can compromise your agility, while too little mitigation leaves you vulnerable to high-damage hits in Catacombs or dungeon elites.
 
Weapon perks that increase critical hit damage, burn stacking duration, or reset cooldowns on heavy attacks synergize well with this build. Community consensus suggests a mix of attack speed, burn amplification, and Overcharge extension to maintain uptime and maximize damage output.
 
Strategies for Raids and Expeditions
 
In large-scale PvE encounters, positioning is everything. Place yourself where you can maximize sweep coverage with the Greatsword while staying in range to apply DoTs with the Rapier. Rotating between mobs efficiently ensures burn stacks are consistently consumed for maximum effect.
 
For elite bosses or high-damage scenarios, consider coordinating your timing with other players' cooldowns. Overcharge explosions paired with heavy AoE attacks from allies can significantly increase raid efficiency. Solo players benefit from using terrain to control line-of-sight, funneling enemies into sweep paths and exploiting the Rapier's mobility for constant repositioning.
 
Season 10's Catacombs and expedition updates emphasize vertical gameplay, so mastery of movement-leaping between platforms, climbing ledges, and dodging AoE-is essential. The Rapier's speed ensures you remain mobile while maintaining burn uptime, making it an indispensable component of this DPS combo.
 
Economy and Fast-Tracking Gear
 
Grinding for artifacts and optimal gear can be time-consuming. Players can accelerate progression using New World coins from reliable sources like MMOEXP, which allows faster acquisition of Doroth's Blade, perk rerolls, and necessary resources. Understanding the Season 10 economy is crucial, as inflation affects umbral token prices and crafting costs. Efficient resource management can save hours of farm time while keeping your build competitive in the latest content.
 
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
 
Neglecting Positioning - Even with maxed gear, sloppy movement leads to lost Overcharge stacks and reduced DPS. Prioritize mobility and awareness at all times.
 
Overextending Heavy Attacks - Spamming Greatsword swings without planning stack consumption reduces efficiency. Balance heavy attacks with Rapier's DoT rotations.
 
Ignoring Artifact Synergy - Doroth's Blade is central to this build. Attempting the combo without optimized artifact perks dramatically lowers damage output.
 
Conclusion
 
The Greatsword + Rapier combination in New World Season 10 represents a perfect storm of heavy-hitting power, mobility, and burn-based DPS. By mastering the interplay between Overcharge stacks, DoTs, and precise movement, players can dominate the fog-laden spires of Nighthaven, tackle brutal Catacombs, and emerge as raid MVPs. Proper gear optimization, artifact synergy, and strategic positioning elevate this build from strong to meta-defining, making it a must-play setup for both solo adventurers and coordinated raid groups.
 
For those looking to cut down grind time, utilizing resources like  buy New World Gold coins and understanding the Season 10 economy ensures you can gear up efficiently, maintain optimal perks, and New World Gold coins focus on mastering the fluid, lethal dance of the Greatsword + Rapier DPS beast. With practice and precision, this build turns you into a whirlwind of destruction-capable of shredding mobs, bosses, and everything in between.