Flail Showcase

11.09.2023 - 16:35 / newworld.com

Greetings, Adventurers!

The Flail is a versatile one-handed weapon with the option for an offhand shield. Use arcane magic to enhance its attacks and buff allies or debuff enemies to aid in victory. Through a combination of melee, arcane magic, and strong defenses, the wielder can bolster their group’s effectiveness without having to drop the offensive. We joined the Design Team for a deeper look at the Flail’s design, weapon comparisons, and Weapon Mastery Trees, plus some other neat tidbits.

What the Flail lacks in raw damage, it makes up for in survivability, support, and utility. Whether you swipe, thrust, strike, or unleash magical AoEs, all attacks have buffs/debuffs that alter their combat function.

Versatility is another notable quality of the weapon. Several Flail passives and upgrades function differently based on your shield type and the combat situation. This customization extends to playstyle. Most abilities feature support-focused attack upgrades, so solo players can potentially forego these skills to better spec themselves out for their own survival.

Attack speed: Medium

Effective range: Extended Melee

Buffs: High

Debuffs: High

Roles: Support and Tank

Strengths: Survivability, utility and versatility, support, defense

Weaknesses: Low damage, 1v1 combat

Unique Mechanics:

Extra range:

Flail tip extends during attacks to add additional reach.

Impairment:

A status effect that combines both a damage over time effect and weaken.

Here’s a breakdown of how the Flail compares to other weapons:

Life Staff

Weaker than: Healing, Range

About the same as: DPS, Buffing

Stronger than: Debuffing, Melee

Void Gauntlet

Weaker than: Damage, Range, Healing

About the same as: Buffing/Debuffing

Stronger than: Crowd Control, Survivability

Sword/Shield

Weaker than: Fewer Defensive Actions, Tanking, DPS

About the same as: Buffing/Support

Stronger than: Utility, Ally Support

Hatchet

Weaker than: DPS, Speed

About the same as: Self buffing

Stronger than: Support

Similar to the Sword, most Flail damage will scale to Strength, however the weapon’s utility and support will be linked to Focus instead of Dexterity. All healing, and various other support functions, scale exclusively with Focus.

Flail and Shield

Strength: 90%

Focus: 65%

Sword and Hatchet

Strength: 90%

Dexterity: 65%

Void Gauntlet

Intelligence: 90%

Focus 65%

Ice Gauntlet / Fire Staff

Intelligence: 100%

Life Staff

Focus: 100%

Greatsword

Strength: 80%

Dexterity: 80%

Great Axe and War Hammer

Strength: 100%

Spear

Strength: 65%

Dexterity: 90%

The Flail is a solid weapon for Focus or Strength builds. Due to its support traits, it is not intended to be a strong DPS backup for other Focus builds. Aid in melee ranged combat and help your allies succeed with these