In New World, weekly mutators drastically change the way players approach expeditions. Some weeks reward burst damage and New World coins optimized pulls, while others punish teams with mechanics that demand precise coordination. Among the more polarizing affixes is Silence, which locks down your ability to use skills until the bar is broken through sustained ability use.

For months, speedrunners and high-end dungeon pushers had found a way to “game” the silence bar mechanic by spamming musket abilities while running between pulls. This allowed silence bars to be dropped in controlled situations, keeping damage rotations smooth during big packs and bosses. However, in a stealth change this week, the developers adjusted silence interactions — and suddenly the musket trick is gone. Many assumed this meant Silence weeks were dead for speedrunning.

Surprisingly, that isn’t the case. While Silence does introduce time losses compared to more forgiving mutators like Shrivelled, coordinated groups can still maintain competitive clear times, especially in dungeons such as Starstone Barrows (SD). This guide will break down how to handle Silence weeks post-change, what adjustments your group should make, and how to minimize wasted seconds.

Understanding Silence After the Change

The Silence mechanic now functions more rigidly:

The Silence bar fills as you use abilities in combat.

Once full, it locks out all abilities until the bar is broken through continued ability use.

Previously, spamming abilities like musket shots allowed you to “pre-pop” silence before combat, giving your team control over when the lockout happened. This no longer works.

The implication is that silence is now reactive instead of proactive. You can’t always ensure that silence is consumed at convenient times — you need to manage it during live combat.

The Impact on Speedrunning

Time Loss vs. Shrivelled

Shrivelled weeks allow full uptime on rotations, making them ideal for raw DPS speedruns.

Silence weeks inherently introduce downtime when silence bars pop at bad times, forcing players to rely on light and heavy attacks.

On average, groups will lose 15–25 seconds per dungeon due to silence interruptions. That’s significant, but not catastrophic for competitive runs.

Dungeon Variability

Starstone Barrows (SD) remains viable because its pulls and boss fights are short, letting teams absorb silence lockouts without losing too much.

Other dungeons with longer phases or constant AoE demand may feel more punishing until optimized strategies emerge.

Group Composition Adjustments

When preparing for Silence weeks, you’ll want to tweak group setups for reliability rather than pure DPS.

DPS

Burst builds (e.g., Great Axe, Bow) are slightly worse since silence can disrupt rotations.

Sustained damage builds (e.g., Fire Staff, Rapier) are more forgiving, as they can maintain pressure with basic attacks.

Healers

Life Staff users should prepare for downtime by staggering heals and weaving heavy attacks. Consider Beacon and Sacred Ground placement early in fights so they persist during silence.

Tanks

Tanks must lean more on taunt uptime and heavy attacks. Sword & Shield remains reliable, though silence can occasionally delay defensive cooldowns.

Optional Flex

Some groups bring a nature-oriented build (e.g., Hatchet with healing passives) for smoother sustain during silence lockouts.

Strategies for Managing Silence

1. Predict and Plan

Since silence bars trigger consistently after enough ability use, experienced groups can predict when the lockout will hit. Call out when you’re close to triggering silence so the group isn’t caught mid-burst.

2. Use Pull Timing

On trash packs, allow silence to trigger before a major pull if possible. A short lockout on small mobs is better than silence triggering during a boss phase.

3. Optimize Light/Heavy Attacks

During silence downtime, efficient weaving of light and heavy attacks ensures DPS isn’t completely dead. Practice weapon swaps that let you maximize non-ability damage.

4. Pre-Cast Heals

Healers should drop long-duration heals right before silence triggers. That way, the group still benefits from strong sustain even while ability-locked.

5. Communication Is Key

Silence weeks punish uncoordinated groups. Voice comms (or quick callouts) allow the team to adjust rotations and minimize overlap of lockouts.

Dungeon-Specific Notes

Starstone Barrows (SD)

Why It Works on Silence Weeks:

Short boss fights mean silence lockouts rarely eat into more than a single DPS rotation.

Pulls can be staggered so silence triggers during downtime.

Tips: Use silence downtime during corridor runs between pulls, where DPS isn’t critical.

Plant-Themed Dungeon (Nature Pulls)

Nature damage makes big plant-named pulls trivial, but compost mobs drag runs down if silence hits mid-fight.

Solution: Break compost groups into smaller pulls and trigger silence between them.

Other Expeditions

The verdict is still out. Longer, more sustained fights (such as Isabella’s phases) may be more punishing, since silence downtime is harder to absorb. Expect evolving strategies as players test them.

Comparison With Other Mutators

Silence vs. Shrivelled – Silence is slower, but still manageable; Shrivelled is easier for speed clears.

Silence vs. Nature/Compost – Compost mobs combined with silence are especially punishing; however, nature resistance makes certain pulls smoother.

Silence vs. Elemental Variants – Elemental mutators don’t disable abilities, so silence remains the most intrusive in terms of rotation disruption.

Final Thoughts

While the removal of the musket silence trick initially looked like a death blow to Silence weeks, reality shows it’s an inconvenience, not a deal-breaker. Groups willing to adapt their strategies — predicting silence triggers, adjusting comp for sustain, and coordinating pulls — can still achieve competitive clear times.

Silence will never be as smooth as Shrivelled weeks, but buy New World coins with preparation, it becomes just another wrinkle in the mutator system. For now, Starstone Barrows is the clear go-to for Silence speedrunning, while the community continues to refine strategies for other expeditions.

In short: Don’t write off Silence weeks yet. Treat them as a coordination check rather than an automatic disqualification for pushing times, and you’ll still find ways to compete on the leaderboards.