Mage
Arcane scholar - weaves a steady rhythm of spells where every fourth strike erupts into a guaranteed comet, and freezes foes solid when cornered.
How it plays
The predictable one. Arcane Rhythm makes every fourth attack a guaranteed comet - no proc, no variance, you can count it - and Ice Stasis fires once when you drop low and buys two turns. Arcane Ward blunts the opening. Mage is the class where you can work out the outcome in advance, which is either the point or the problem depending on temperament.
Passive
Arcane Ward Takes 10% less damage from all sources during the first 2 rounds of every fight.
Skills
Arcane Rhythm · Lv 10
Every 4th attack is a guaranteed comet: double damage that ignores block.
Ice Stasis · Lv 25
Once per fight, when HP drops below 25%, freezes the enemy - they lose their next turn.
Stat priority
- 1. INT (damage + HP + magic resist)
- 2. END (HP + survivability)
- 3. LUCK (crits)
Why those stats
Intelligence for damage, health and magic resistance. Endurance because the class has no evasion at all and has to eat what it is given. Luck last - the comet is guaranteed, so crit matters less here than anywhere else.
The common mistake
Stacking Luck. The class's damage comes from a fixed cadence rather than procs, so crit is worth measurably less on a Mage than on any other class, and every point spent there is a point not spent surviving to the next comet.
Ascension paths
Comet Sage
The deterministic comet machine.
Cryomancer
Proactive control / defense.