The Ice Gauntlet is one of the strongest magic weapons in New World: Aeternum thanks to its combination of crowd control, burst damage, and survivability. Scaling primarily with Intelligence and dealing Ice damage, it excels at controlling space in PvP while remaining highly effective in PvE content. Whether you prefer deleting enemies with Ice Spikes or locking down entire teams with support utility, the Ice Gauntlet offers flexible playstyles for nearly every situation. The weapon shines because of abilities like Ice Storm, Ice Shower, and Entombed. Ice Storm slows and pressures groups, Ice Shower roots enemies in place, and Entombed provides emergency defense and cooldown management. Together, these tools make the Ice Gauntlet one of the most influential weapons in large-scale PvP. To fully optimize this powerful build and keep up with gear or consumables, you may want to buy New World Coins for a smoother progression.

Best Ice Gauntlet Builds

Ice Spike Assassin Build

This is the premier burst-damage setup. It is typically played in light armor alongside a Void Gauntlet secondary weapon. Your goal is to weaken targets from range before diving in for devastating Ice Spike combos.

Key abilities include:

· Ice Spikes – One of the highest burst abilities in the game. Aim slightly to the right of a target’s feet to land multiple hits from the Mighty Spike. A critical strike can instantly eliminate squishy enemies.

· Ice Storm – Deals AoE damage while slowing enemies and setting up Heavy Freeze roots.

· Entombed – Provides survivability, cooldown reduction, and defensive utility.

This build relies heavily on cooldown reduction perks like Iced Refresh and Refreshing Frost, allowing constant ability rotations.

Support Ice Gauntlet Build

The support setup is currently one of the strongest PvP meta builds. Played in medium armor with a Void Gauntlet, it focuses on utility and crowd control instead of pure damage.

Core abilities include:

· Ice Storm for slows and AoE pressure.

· Ice Shower to root, rend, and apply damage-over-time effects.

· Entombed for survivability and cooldown cycling.

This build thrives in wars and large PvP battles because it creates massive openings for teammates. Combining Ice Shower with Gravity Well can trap entire enemy groups for devastating follow-up damage.

Ice Pylon Build

Ice Pylon is more niche but surprisingly effective in both PvE and PvP. Proper positioning allows Pylon Burst to deal strong sustained AoE damage. While not commonly used in competitive PvP, experienced players can make it extremely effective in choke points and defensive fights.

Best Secondary Weapons

Void Gauntlet

The most common pairing for the Ice Gauntlet. The Void Gauntlet adds utility, debuffs, healing reduction, and cooldown support. Together, the two weapons create an excellent balance of offense and control.

Blunderbuss

The Blunderbuss offers explosive burst damage and aggressive melee pressure. It pairs especially well with Ice Shower and Ice Storm because rooted targets become easy shotgun kills.

Two popular setups include:

· Double Down Reset Build for rapid cooldown cycling.

· Unload Burst Build for massive combo damage through ability weaving.

Fire Staff

The Fire Staff is ideal for players wanting maximum ranged damage. Flamethrower builds are also surprisingly deadly because of their constant critical hits and stacking burn damage.

Recommended Attributes

For light armor burst builds, prioritize high Intelligence with around 150 Constitution. More experienced players can lower Constitution further for higher damage.

Support-focused medium armor builds should run roughly:

· 200 Constitution

· 50 Focus

· Remaining points into Intelligence

This setup dramatically increases survivability while boosting Void Gauntlet utility. Blunderbuss hybrid builds often prioritize Strength or Intelligence depending on which weapon is the primary damage source.

Essential Perks

The Ice Gauntlet heavily depends on weapon-specific perks.

Top ability perks include:

· Unending Thaw – Extends Ice Storm slows and increases damage.

· Deadly Frost – Adds damage-over-time effects to Ice Shower.

· Iced Refresh – Grants massive cooldown reduction after securing kills with Ice Spikes.

Important weapon perks include:

· Refreshing Move 

· Keen 

· Enchanted 

· Vicious 

For PvP armor, prioritize:

· Health

· Shirking Heals

· Freedom

· Elemental Aversion

· Refreshing

Best Artifacts and Heartrunes

Top artifact choices include:

· Lifetaker

· Featherweight

· Ankh

For Heartrunes, Grasping Vines is usually the strongest option because it adds even more crowd control to an already disruptive build. Detonate is better for aggressive burst setups.

Gameplay Tips

Master Cooldown Management

Refreshing Frost rewards proper positioning inside frosted areas. Casting abilities within Ice Storm or Ice Shower can rapidly reduce cooldowns and keep your rotation flowing.

Use Entombed Aggressively

Many players save Entombed only for emergencies. Experienced Ice Gauntlet players also use it offensively for cooldown reduction and repositioning.

Practice Ice Spike Accuracy

Ice Spike has a difficult hitbox but enormous damage potential. Practice aiming at enemy feet and reactivating Mighty Spike early to maximize damage.

Always Be Clicking

Light attacks help charge Heartrunes and reduce cooldowns through Refreshing Move. Even small moments of pressure matter.

Final Thoughts

The Ice Gauntlet remains one of the most versatile and rewarding weapons in New World: Aeternum. Whether you prefer assassinating enemies with Ice Spikes, controlling battlefields with support utility, or experimenting with niche Pylon builds, the weapon offers incredible depth and impact. Mastering cooldown management, positioning, and crowd control timing will separate average players from elite Ice Gauntlet users. If you want to speed up your progression and fully enjoy these playstyles, you can buy cheap New World Gold from MMOEXP to easily afford gear, consumables, and respecs.