In this article I’ll give you a complete run down of the Arcana crafting skill. After this guide you will know where to find the ingredients needed to craft, as well as overall tips that will set you on your way to leveling up this skill easily.
What is Arcana?
New World has caught the attention of many fans of the MMO genre, including mine. I’ve been playing this game since launch, and participated in the beta, both open and closed. New World is Amazon Games latest game which launched on October 28th 2021. New World allows players to level up certain non-combat skills, known as Trade Skills. They are:
- Crafting (Weapon Smithing, Armoring, Engineering, Jewel Crafting, Cooking, Furnishing and Arcana)
- Gathering (Mining, Tracking + Skinning, Fishing, Logging and Harvesting)
- Refining (Smelting, Stonecutting, Leatherworking, Weaving and Woodworking)
In this guide, I will be focusing on the Trade crafting skill: Arcana. Arcana is a crafting skill focused on crafting magical weapons but can also craft potions and imbue weapons with special coats. If you want to craft better and more powerful weapons/potions you will need to level up your Arcana level. If you wish to begin your journey in Arcana, simply head on over to an Arcane Repository which can be found in most Settlements. Arcana is not something I focused on early on, but as I progressed through the game, I found it to be more beneficial to me (and my pockets) to utilize this trade skill. Arcana can be a great way to make gold and I will explain how further on.
How to utilize this profession?
As stated earlier, the Arcana profession in New World allows you to craft magic weapons, potions, and tinctures among other things. Magic Weapons can be crafted from Tier 1 up to tier 5, and even coat weapons as well. (Only from Tier II though)
So, how do you begin this crafting adventure? To get started with Arcana, simply gather some raw materials (wood, water etc.) and make your way over to an Arcana Repository or campfire, and press the default key of “E” to begin crafting. Arcana at a campfire is mainly limited to health and mana potions. To craft magic weapons and weapon coats you will need to find an Arcana Station.
You should always be aware of the Arcana Station Tier. You can’t craft a Tier V weapon at a Tier 1 station. This is where the easy part of Arcana comes in. Every time you craft something, you will be awarded Arcana crafting XP, making leveling up Arcana easy. You will gain more XP depending on the item. For example, a Common Blight Tincture will award you 36 XP points when crafted, but crafting an Orichalcum Fire Staff will award you with 3565 XP points. Leveling from 0-15 is pretty simple.
All that is needed is to craft x57 Common Blight Tincture. You can obviously change it out for other potions as well, but that will give you more or less an idea on the item required to progress further. A more detailed leveling table will be provided below. When crafting at an Arcana Station, keep in mind that your crafted items have a small chance to gain one or more randomly generated perk. Of course, you can add certain materials to the crafting process to increase the chances of getting your desired perk. Consider doing this if you wish to get a desired perk on the weapon you want, and if you have the Azoth to spend of course.
What can you Arcana craft exactly? With Arcana, you can craft the following:
- Magical Weapons and Weapon Coatings
- Tinctures and Potions
- Elemental Infusions
General leveling tips
Remember when I said Arcana was easy to level up because everything you craft awards XP? Well, what if I told you there were even better and faster ways to level up? You’d probably ask me why it’s important to level up. Well, the higher your Arcana level, the more powerful weapons you can craft. You will also unlock more recipes including more powerful versions of the ones you already own.
Let me be the one to tell you, that crafting Potions is the best way to level up Arcana. Yes, crafting weapons provide a ton more XP, but they also cost a TON more resources to craft. With Potions, you can gather all the required resources with the Harvesting skill alone. I have created a table which shows you exactly how many potions you need to craft to move up in levels. These figures are based on Mana and Health potions as you will most likely use a few in your travels.
Arcana leveling table
| Level | Required Experience | Required Potions |
| Level 0-1 (Tier I) | 100 XP | x17 weak health / mana potions |
| Level 1-50 (Tier II) | 11,025 XP | x460 common health / mana potions |
| Level 50-100 (Tier III) | 86,250 XP | x959 strong health / mana potion |
| Level 100-150 (Tier IV) | 404,550 XP | x1,349 powerful health / mana potion |
| Level 150-200 (Tier V) | 1,379,500 XP | x2,225 infused health/mana potion |
As stated earlier, you will need to use an Arcana Station of the right Tier to craft the appropriate items. You can’t craft a Tier V potion at a Tier I Station. If I can offer any advice here, don’t waste high-tier resources crafting low-level recipes. You will waste your rare resources. And, if you have any excess potions that you don’t need anymore, consider selling them at the trading post for gold coins. Told you Arcana can be good on your pockets.
Weapon Coats
So earlier I mentioned you can “coat” your weapons. What does this mean exactly? It’s not as if you are coating your Fire Staff in chocolate ice-cream. Because you can’t. But you can coat it with an energy that will provide you with a damage boost towards a certain enemy type. There are coatings for each enemy type: Lost, Corrupted, Ancients, Beasts and Angry Earth. Keep in mind only one coat can be applied at a time, and it will only last for a specific time. Coating also only starts at Tier II. Here are the damage % buffs that are applied and how long they last.
| Tier level | % Damage buff | Duration |
| Tier II | 9% | 5 minutes |
| Tier III | 11% | 10 minutes |
| Tier IV | 13% | 15 minutes |
| Tier V | 15% | 20 minutes |
How and where to find raw materials needed for Arcana
Ok, so now that you know how to craft and what to craft. The question is, where do you find the materials needed to craft?
The raw materials needed for Arcana can be obtained in many different ways. If you’re planning on taking my advice of crafting mainly potions to level up, then harvesting is the way to go. If you are looking to craft weapons as well then you will need to level all your gathering skills such as mining, skinning, logging, and harvesting. Without leveling them, you won’t be able to gather the right materials needed.
The most common materials required for Arcana are:
- Whisperwood – Obtained by chopping down trees
- Jade Collar – Drops from certain enemies and can also be found in Elite Chests.
- Water – can eb obtained at a well, river or pond. Simply press default “E” key.
- Oil – Harvested from Seeping Stones. Need at least 20 mining skill.
Final thoughts
Whether you like crafting or not, I highly recommend trying the Arcana profession out. The weapon coats can really improve your damage bonus against certain enemies, making certain areas a breeze if you have the right weapon coat on. You can also always sell unwanted, crafted items that you no longer need for gold. And remember, as always, if you find yourself short on materials or items needed for crafting and are looking for safe and cheap New World coins, you can buy it right here from SSEGold.com. It’s quick, safe and the prices are competitive!
New World is currently playable on Windows only.
