When you reach level 60 in New World, you’ll officially unlock the endgame for Amazon’s MMO. At this point, the grind becomes all about acquiring the best gear with the highest Gear Score possible. To do this, you’ll need to understand how the game’s High Watermark system works, including how it affects your overall Gear Score.
In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know, including how to increase your Watermark.
How New World’s Watermark System Works
Though gaining experience is important for improving when you’re below level 60, you will start to rely on your Gear Score to improve your overall power once you reach the cap. This is where the Watermark system comes into play. Essentially, your Watermark determines the possible Gear Score of each item that drops for you in the game world.
Each item category has a separate Watermark, which means your Watermark for helmets, gauntlets, chest armor, and more will all be different. It also works this way with weapons like Swords, Hatchets, Spears, and so on. As a level 60 player, your primary goal is increasing that Watermark, for this will allow you to acquire better items that will increase your Gear Score.
At the moment, the highest Watermark you can acquire is 590, though we expect this could change in future updates. Once you reach level 60, you’ll begin with a High Watermark score of 500 on all of your items. That means you can only find weapons and armor with a Gear Score of 500. However, there’s a small chance you can find something with a score that is up to five points higher than your current High Watermark. So, for example, you could find a piece of chest armor with a score of 505. That would then increase your maximum Watermark to 505, allowing you to find new items with a score up to 510.
It’s important to note that items you buy on the Trading Post, as well as gear that you craft or receive via quest rewards, will not affect your Watermark.
How to Increase Your High Watermark
If you want to upgrade your Gear Score and increase the maximum Watermark on your items, then you’re going to want to focus on a few specific activities found through the game world.
First, killing level 60+ Elite mobs can be a great way to grind for drops. The only downside to this farming method is that AGS has made Elite enemies much more difficult to kill, so you’re going to want to bring a party along for the ride. Some good farming spots for Elite enemies include Siren Strand and Caminus. You’ll also find a lot of players around Myrkgard in the Shattered Mountains. Try to avoid large groups, though, as the more people there are in an area, the lower your chances of receiving loot will be. Additionally, you can loot Elite Supply chests, many of which are found all throughout the map. Though they have a 23-hour cooldown, they can be a good way to get some extra drops quickly.
Another good way to find items with higher Gear Scores is to complete Dungeons and Expeditions. These are some of the most difficult sections of the game, so you’ll need a complete party with a Tank and Healer to survive them, especially on higher difficulties. You can also take part in Outpost Rush and Corrupted Breaches.
The final thing you can do to increase your overall chance of getting better Watermarked items is to use gear that increases your Luck. Luck-based gear isn’t going to actually influence the score on the items you get; however, it can increase the rarity of the drops that enemies give you. Unfortunately, there’s no specific way to farm for exact item types, so you’ll just have to take whatever New World gives you.
