This week's mutation is hazardous Hellfire
I am very sorry, dear readers, for the terrible delay in getting this article out. To be perfectly honest, I’m feeling a bit disillusioned with New World. What could cause this, you might wonder? Was it the slow response to the server transfer debacle and failure to own the mistake? Or the season almost completely devoid of content, the pathetic excuse for “improved mutation loot“, the mediocre and uninspiring batch of artifacts, or the unnecessary merging of cooldowns for regen and health potions? Perhaps you might imagine I’m upset about the senseless vandalism of all chestwear skins from the elbow to the wrist, prior to finally giving us the ability to hide gloves and almost completely destroying the reason to do so.
You’d be right that all these things are issues, but the final straw was the sheer robbery of my time and effort on the hideous PVP server, only to deny me the coveted reward of a Sausage Painting. Be warned, fellow gamers, that if you claim the Mystery Box on your main character, you can’t open it. That’s right, you can claim it, but you can’t open it. I reached out to Support, whose response was, “I am sorry to inform you that we cannot reverse this action or transfer the item to another server.” Well, thanks for nothing!
Oh, and the mutations suck this week too. Whose bright idea was it to unify them, meaning that we’re stuck with double silence in every mutated dungeon? I am so sick of this team smoothing the edges of the game without any understanding of what makes it good. I’ll be skipping mutations this week, it’s not like they improved the loot at all anyway.
Contents
Mutation
- Ignited – 50% of all enemy damage is Fire.
- Fiery – Burn is applied on hit – M1: 4% Fire damage over time, M2 & M3: 8% Fire damage over time.
- Enflamed – Enemies with this title cast a Burn zone that deals Fire damage over time. M1: 20%, M2 & M3: 40%.
- Explosive – Enemies with this title explode on death, dealing 70% Fire damage.
Promotion
- Mage Hunter – Enemies drain mana on being hit. M1: 10% drain, M2 & M3: 20% drain.
- Suppressor – Enemies cast a silence zone on attacking players.
Curse
- Blowback – Using abilities builds up to cause a zone of Silence that prevents the use of abilities. When it expires, the zone explodes, dealing 65% Fire damage.
- Truncated – During active periods of Silence, players lose natural mana regen. Standing in the Silence zone grants 25 mana per 0.75 seconds.
Consumables
- Flame Protection Amulet
- Rubies in Armor/Jewelry
- Desert Sunrise
- Fire Absorption Potion
- Honing Stone
- Attribute bonus food
Gearing up
- M1 – Opals in your armor is fine
- M2 – Add the Flame Protection Amulet
- M3 – Swap most of your Opals for Rubies
- Enchanted Ward – Aim for 4 or 5 pieces with this perk
- For more detailed advice on gear, check out our Gear Guide.
Dodge Explosions
Explosive enemies go boom! Not only does this do a big chunk of damage but it also throws you around, even off the edge of the dungeon, if you’re close. Look for the title and be ready to dodge or get out of the way.
The floor is lava
The Burn zone from Enflamed enemies can get pretty hot, so make sure you’re stacking on, and staying in, the heals. Leaving and returning to this space may cause an (unintended?) double stack of burn, so either stay with the clump or stay out of the fire.
M2 - Healers gonna hate
This promotion is particularly hard on healers due to Mage Hunter. Something to note is that the mana drain only occurs if you hit the Mage Hunter mob, so if there are other targets to use for cooldowns etc, try to hit them instead. Suppressor is annoying for everyone, since the silence stops your abilities from working. At least this one doesn’t blow up.
M3 - Strategic Abilities
Silence is incredibly annoying for every class. Tanks can’t taunt, Healers can’t heal, DPS can’t debuff or optimise damage. The excellent thing about Blowback is that you can see the gauge and can set off the silence deliberately, before entering a big fight. If you can’t help setting it off in the middle of a fight, try to stack and then move the group.
The Depths
Enemy Type: Corrupted
Weaknesses: 30% Arcane 20% Thrust 15% Nature
Consumables
- Sapphire gem Arcane damage*
- Corrupted Ward potion – 10% damage absorption
- Corrupted Coating – 15% bonus damage
- Corrupted Combat Trophy – 3/4/5% bonus damage x3
- Thrust damage – Spear, Rapier, Bow, Musket, Blunderbuss
Note: *Elemental damage gems in your weapons are simply recommendations based on the elements your enemies are weakest to. Your playstyle may suit non-elemental gems better and you are encouraged to continue using those if so.
Artifact: Lost Stopwatch Amulet
Dropped by Commander Thorpe.
- +32 Magnify (selectable attribute)
- Stunny Gaze: Taunts are active. Generate 300% more threat. Stuns last 1s longer, but base damage is decreased by 10%.
- Empty Socket: Attach a gem to add its effect.
- Purify: When you are hit while below 50% Health, you lose all debuffs (90s cooldown. Does not trigger off persistent damage, DoT effects, or blocked attacks).
- Health: Increase max health by 7% of the base value.
Strategy and tips
There are lots of teleports, trigger platforms and azoth staff nodes in this expedition, as well as a plethora of ranged enemies. Use the twists and turns to your advantage by getting out of their line of sight and forcing them to come to you.
Main Damage Type: Void
The Archdeacon begins the fight in the centre of his arena, although he can move around if players do. He summons Corrupted dogs and has a nasty Ground Wave spell that you’ll need to dodge. Try to keep the dogs in the clump so they get killed by the hits on the Archdeacon.
When he gets to about 50% life, he’ll become invincible and channel a red beam to the east side of the arena. While the Archdeacon is invincible, mines will periodically spawn and if they are not destroyed they will explode and apply Void damage to everyone in the room. If you learn the timing, you can dodge this explosion. Two DPS should step on the teleport pad, which will take them up to a platform where two mages spawn. After killing the mages, one DPS needs to use their Azoth Staff on the node so they can both return to the main arena. Azamela will resume his normal state.
At about 20% health, the Archdeacon starts channelling again, this time with an additional green beam to the west side. You need to split the group and clear each platform as soon as you can. If the dogs are clear, the healer can remain on the ground and heal each side, but usually they will go up with the tank and DPS on the green side. Surviving the bomb damage at this point is the hardest part, clear quickly, dodge if you can, and use potions carefully to stay alive.
Main Damage Type: Fire
Thorpe has been with us since the first sea voyage to Aeternum, so we should be familiar with his moves by now. His great sword does a large amount of Fire damage as well as Slash. Even when behind him, some of his moves swing back, so DPS need to be careful. When he charges, stay out of the firey trail.
Thorpe is pretty chatty and you can use his voice lines to tell what is going to happen next.
- “Ha! Pathetic!” = he goes off the tank and attacks one of the other group members
- “This will be the last time we meet” = he rises and becomes invincible while he casts a beam that spawns two behemoths. Don’t get hit by the beam and kill the adds while the tank holds Thorpe away.
- “Prepare to have your soul crushed” = aka The Big Sticky Finger. Thorpe points a beam across the room and slowly rotates. It’s pretty slow so easy enough to stay away from or you can suck under it.
- “Time to taste Corrupted Steel” = slams down his sword – don’t be too close.
- “I will crush you beneath my heel, ant!” = he summons a beam of fire and directs it at one player, leaving a circle of fire on the floor.
Interesting Loot
- M3 – Expedition Captain’s Set – Heavy armour with Strike Conditioning and Grit Ward, upgradeable.
- M3 – Gleaming Pitch weapon set for skins – split stat Con/Weapon scaling attribute, Keenly Empowered/Blessed, Weapon Ability Perk.
- Deep Amulet – Health, Shirking DoT Cleanse + Random perk and attribute.
- Deep Ring – Keen Awareness, Enfeebling + Random perk and attribute.
- Deep Earring – Empowering Toast, Nimble + Random perk and attribute.
Garden of Genesis
Enemy Type: Angry Earth
Weaknesses: 30% Fire 20% Slash
Consumables
- Ruby gem Fire damage*
- Angry Earth Ward potion – 10% damage absorption
- Angry Earth Coating – 15% bonus damage
- Angry Earth Combat Trophy – 3/4/5% bonus damage x3
- Slash/Fire damage – Hatchet, Axe, Great/Sword, Fire Staff
Note: *Elemental damage gems in your weapons are simply recommendations based on the elements your enemies are weakest to. Your playstyle may suit non-elemental gems better and you are encouraged to continue using those if so.
Artifact: Freya's Francisca Hatchet
Dropped by The Blighted Greenskeeper.
- +38 Magnify (selectable attribute)
- Thrown Mastery: Thrown Axe projectiles reduce all axe skill cooldowns by 25% (5s cooldown).
- Empty Socket: Attach a gem to add its effect.
- Empowering Rending Throw: Ranged Hatchet attacks deal +40% damage against Rending Throw targets.
- Refreshing Move: Light and Heavy attacks reduce your active weapon cooldowns by 2.5% (0.2s cooldown).
Strategy and tips
This Garden is full of snares and Blight, so this is one time you might choose to use Powerful Incense over Desert Sunrise. Genesis is the shortest expedition and lots of players are used to speed-running it, so expect to have to keep up with your group. There’s a lot of skipping, and the boss in the secret room is rarely killed. Right at the start, you will need to collect some Concentrated Blight to unlock the first door. You can find this down the first staircase to the left, just be careful of the patrolling archer.
Main Damage Type: Strike
This fight is the most difficult in the expedition. There are two main methods of killing him, “All In” and “4 and 1“.
The Caretaker spawns in a large boggy room, all alone. He’ll jump around a bit and will slap out a long tendril at the furthest player, so be careful if you’re playing range. When you get his health down to about 70%, he’ll move to the centre of the room and start putting up a wall of thorns. This is where the group has to decide whether to stay inside the wall with him, or to go outside and deal with the adds that spawn.
All In
The All In method is a DPS check. Everyone enters the ring with the Caretaker and does as much damage as they can. A Genesis Cap mushroom will spawn – you need to destroy the first one to avoid a wipe. The person who kills the Genesis Cap will receive an Empower buff. After, he’ll start diving under the floor and emerging periodically to attack. You can just avoid the lunge by watching and moving. After 7 lunges, the Caretaker will stand up and you can fight him again. Sometimes the walls will go down and let in the adds at this point, so you have to kill him very quickly. If the group can’t kill him fast enough and ends up dying to the adds, you may need to try the 4 and 1 method.
4 and 1
This method involves sending one player (usually the tank) inside the thorn wall, while the rest remain outside. The tank needs to play defensively and also destroy the Genesis Cap mushroom when it spawns. Outside the wall, there will be three lots of adds spawn, the first one on the side near the entrance. A point will light up, indicating where the spawn is going to occur. The outside group need to kill each spawn of adds as quickly as they can, then move clockwise around the wall to fight the next group. After a period of time, the walls will come down, allowing the tank to help with any remaining enemies. The Caretaker will go into the wall phase again, this time everyone should go in and do the All In method as outlined above.
Main Damage Type: Nature and Strike
The Greenskeeper is a snake-like boss, with poison to boot. The main attacks are Strike damage, but you should be able to avoid those. The AOE poison and ranged attacks are Nature damage and it’s more likely you might be hit by these. This is a relatively easy fight, as long as you know what to expect.
- Poison Pools – if you see a stream of poison headed your way, run to the edge of the arena. A large pool of poison is about to appear at your feet, so you need to get it as far from the group as you can. Also try to avoid dropping it on boulders if possible.
- Scream – if you’re playing ranged, the Greenskeeper may send out a scream wave at you. This can be dodged.
- Projectile – she also throws three quick projectiles, which can also be dodged
- Boulder – an outline of a circle will appear on the floor at the feet of a player, just before a boulder drops. You can easily move out of the way in time if you see it. These boulders are used later, so it’s important there is room around the back. Make sure you’re not fighting at the edge of the arena, especially if you are ranged.
- Burrow – the Greenskeeper will tunnel under the ground and come up under a player. If you get hit, it does a large amount of Strike damage. It will keep tunnelling to the furthest player, so to shorten this section, the group can stand together in a Sacred Ground and block.
- The Floor is Poison – later in the fight, the floor will be covered in a wavy poison. If there is no boulder between you and the Greenskeeper, you’ll be instantly killed. Everyone should hide behind a boulder, unless you have Defy Death, in which case you can live through it.
Interesting Loot
- M3 – Blighted Growth’s Set – Light armour with Nature Harnessing and Shirking Fortification, upgradeable.
- M3 – Mossbourne weapon set for skins – split stat Con/Weapon scaling attribute, Mortal Power/Blessed, Weapon Ability Perk.
- Garden’s Amulet – Health, Fortified + Random perk and attribute.
- Garden’s Ring – Keen Awareness, Hearty + Random perk and attribute.
- Garden’s Earring – Healthy Toast, Nimble + Random perk and attribute.
The Ennead
Enemy Type: Ancient and Corrupted
Weaknesses: Ancient: 30% Lightning 20% Strike 15% Void. Corrupted: 30% Arcane 20% Thrust 15% Nature
Consumables
- Topaz gem Lightning damage* | Sapphire gem Arcane damage*
- Ancient Ward potion | Corrupted Ward potion – 10% damage absorption
- Ancient Coating | Corrupted Coating – 15% bonus damage
- Ancients Combat Trophy | Corrupted Combat Trophy – 3/4/5% bonus damage x3
- Strike damage – Hammer, Void damage – Void Gauntlet | Thrust damage – Spear, Rapier, Bow, Musket, Blunderbuss
Note: *Elemental damage gems in your weapons are simply recommendations based on the elements your enemies are weakest to. Your playstyle may suit non-elemental gems better and you are encouraged to continue using those if so.
Artifact: The Wall Tower Shield
Dropped by Heru.
- Shield Wall: Gain 5% base damage reduction You cannot dodge, but have 33% more stamina. (While active or sheathed)
- Chromatic Ward: You take 25% less damage from all elemental sources.
- Sturdy: Receive 10% less Stamina damage while blocking.
- Keenly Fortified: Gain 10% Fortify for 3s on critical hit (10s cooldown).
- Cannot add Gem Setting Pin
Strategy and tips
The Ennead is a bit of a maze and there are many different ways you can go and still reach your final destination. The fastest way is to take the first left in the passageway after the first room, kill all the beetles, then hug the wall on the right, fight the two sphinx and then proceed up to the mini-boss guarding the door. Beware the Horus Guardians, as they teleport backwards away from the fight. Try to position them so they have a wall behind them and cannot get too far away. Some of the mini-bosses have attacks that do high damage, including Shai in the first room. If you are dying to this, consider taking your Con up to 100. On top of the mutation elemental damage, many of the attacks here are Fire or Void, so if you need somewhere to put your resistance over the 50% cap, these are good choices.
After the first boss, the enemies become Corrupted instead of Ancient. In M2 and M3, you may consider rebuffing at this point or even changing weapons. After the second boss, we return to Ancient for the final section.
Main Damage Type: Fire
This giant beetle is the first boss you will face. When you first enter the arena, there is a chance Khepri will charge, so be ready for it. As well as the physical attacks, Khepri emits a Solar Blast that does Fire damage. Watch out when the beetle launches into the air, because it is going to land with a slam. This gives you plenty of time to prepare a dodge. In the early part of the fight, it will do one slam but as the fight progresses, it will do two and then three, which is harder to dodge successfully.
Periodically, a solar beam will be targeted at each player. In most cases, you should be able to just fight through this, with good heals. For M3, you may want to use one of the pillars in the room to hide behind, which will stop the beam from damaging you.
Main Damage Type: Void
The General is Corrupted, so most of the elemental attacks in this fight are Void, including the corrosion blobs on the floor. There are a couple of Fire attacks, from the Archer phase, so try to stay out of those. General Crassus takes three different forms in this fight, each with their own signature moves.
Legionnaire Phase
This is the opening form, where General Crassus uses a spear. He begins flanked by two Signifiers and some trash mobs. It’s always good to clear Signifiers first, as they have a large area of effect Rend debuff. Watch out for the Phantoms – a row of ghostly soldiers that can hit hard. If this phase takes too long, additional enemies will spawn from a plate at each end of the arena. This is too far for the tank to taunt both of them, so DPS will need to manage these mobs and kill them or bring them to the clump.
Sagittarii Phase
At about 70% health, Crassus will return to the centre of the arena and his weapon will transform into a bow. He’ll also summon 4 allies around him. The bow attacks do fire damage, so make sure you keep moving around. Adds will continue to spawn on the plates and need to be kept under control or the healer won’t be able to heal.
Signifier Phase
In the final phase, at about 40% health, Crassus transforms into a Signifier with a staff. Two cyclops are spawned at the same time. Rather than fight these, DPS should move on to the boss and allow the tank to kite the Cyclops around the arena. It’s important to kill Crassus as fast as you can to finish the fight.
Main Damage Type: Fire
So, you’ve probably already noticed that Ennead has an extra boss fight, and to top that off, the final battle is with not one but two bosses. First we fight Anpu and then Heru, but when Heru dies the first time, they both rise up and we have to fight them together. The final deaths need to be within 10 seconds of one another, or else they will both respawn. So when one gets down to 1-2 bars of health, change your target to the other one.
Anpu
The big guy is Anpu and he spawns at the back left corner of the arena. On entering, the whole team should run up and fight fairly close to the pillar he spawns near. The tank should keep him on the far side of the pillar, and the furthest player needs to keep the pillar between them and Anpu, so that when he charges the pillar blocks him.
- Fire circle – when Anpu lifts his leg, he will spin fire around himself. Step back until this is over.
- Fire charge – Anpu will charge at the furthest player. Use a pillar to block him. He will leave a trail of fire which causes a fire DoT, so it’s best to reduce this by making him hit the closest pillar rather than charging across the arena.
- Cleave – Anpu will slam the ground and cause a line of seismic damage to head toward a player.
- Bolt – Apnu will throw two fast projectiles at a ranged player. These can be dodged if you’re quick.
Heru
Once Anpu is killed the first time, Heru will spawn near the glyph at the back of the arena. At this point, players need to be prepared to move toward the four pillars in the arena, so a ranged weapon can be useful.
- Judgement of the Gods – you will get a beam on you that causes a stun – make sure you’re not standing in fire when it takes effect.
- Divine Doom – a beam of light targets each player, causing fire damage. Just move out of it.
- Sun Beam – circles of fire move around the arena, be careful not to stand in them.
- Pillars – Heru will teleport to the middle of the room and hover in the air. Each pillar will start glowing and need to be disabled via interacting with it. While there are any pillars that haven’t been disabled, a wave of damage will periodically sweep the room. There is enough time to disable a pillar before the wave, if you start as soon as its available, otherwise you will need to dodge the wave or heal through it. Group coordination is key here and it’s best to assign pillars before the fight begins.
Interesting Loot
- M3 – Sun Lord’s Set – Light armour with Grit Ward and Refreshing, upgradeable.
- M3 – The Pharaoh’s weapon set for skins – split stat Con/Weapon scaling attribute, Keen/Desperate Prayer, Weapon Ability Perk.
- Legate’s Amulet – Health, Shirking DoT Cleanse + Random perk and attribute.
- Legate’s Ring – Keen Awareness, Enfeebling + Random perk and attribute.
- Legate’s Earring – Refreshing Toast, Nimble + Random perk and attribute.
2 Responses
Whoever wrote this, deserves a medal.
Thanks, I was a *tiny* bit salty this week 😛