Class Builds: Our Favorites

During our time with the game we have come across a few different ways to spec the different classes. These aren’t necessarily the best way to build out your characters, but merely a starting point. With so many abilities to choose from, the combinations are mind-boggling. Still, concentrate on selecting abilities that complement one another. Define what your character’s role is on the battlefield and stay true to that vision through thoughtful ability selection.

Skirmisher

Recommended Abilities

Ability	Name	Discipline
	Poisoned Weapons/Infected Wounds	Sabotage
	Parry/Effortless Riposte	Double Daggers
	Evasion	Subterfuge
	Evade/Hidden Step	Subterfuge
	Flank Attack/Skirmisher	Double Daggers
	Bloodied Prey	Double Daggers
	Unforgiving Chain	Double Daggers
	Spinning Blades/Neverending Spin	Double Daggers

Daggers are some of the highest DPS (damage per second) weapons in the game, and the dual-wield rogue has two of them. Therefore, seek out abilities that make these daggers even deadlier, like Poisoned Weapons, Flank Attack, and Spinning Blades. While rogues can dish out some heavy damage, they can’t take much in return. Therefore, rely on the default Stealth ability to sneak into close range and attack from the shadows. After striking, use Evade to jump out of the way or Parry to block the retaliating strike. Don’t get greedy—going toe-to-toe with heavily armored enemies won’t end well. So stick and move to stay alive.

Toxic Archer

Recommended Abilities

Ability	Name	Discipline
	Poisoned Weapons/Infected Wounds	Sabotage
	Explosive Shot/Chain Reaction	Archery
	Death from Above	Archery
	Leaping Shot/Rolling Draw	Archery
	Fighting Dirty	Sabotage
	Explosive Toxin	Sabotage
	Pincushion	Archery
	Full Draw/Stunning Shot	Archery

When equipped with Poisoned Weapons, a rogue archer can spread poison across the battlefield with ease, poisoning every opponent within a matter of seconds. This is why we always start with Poisoned Weapons when playing as a rogue archer. The damage inflicted by poison isn’t much, but it adds up over time, particularly once you increase the poison’s potency with Infected Wounds and its duration with Fighting Dirty. Add Explosive Toxin to make infected enemies explode, releasing a toxic cloud when they die, poisoning nearby opponents.

Tank

Recommended Abilities

Ability	Name	Discipline
	Shield Wall/Chevalier’s Step	Weapon and Shield
	Challenge/Throw the Gauntlet	Vanguard
	Bear Mauls the Wolves	Weapon and Shield
	Turn the Bolt	Weapon and Shield
	Shield Bash/Ring the Bell	Weapon and Shield
	Turn the Blade	Weapon and Shield
	Untouchable Defense	Vanguard
	It’ll Cost You	Vanguard

The weapon-and-shield warrior is perfect for tanking, particularly when equipped with abilities that help build guard and deflect damage. Shield Wall is always our first stop, giving our warrior the ability to build guard. While the default War Cry is great for taunting nearby enemies, Challenge comes in handy for taunting those distant enemies who are likely harassing your more vulnerable party members. Passive abilities like Turn the Bolt, Turn the Blade, and Untouchable Defense all reduce incoming damage, ensuring your warrior is around longer to defend allies.

Berserker

Recommended Abilities

Ability	Name	Discipline
	Block and Slash/Flawless Defense	Two-Handed Weapon
	Charging Bull/Gore and Trample	Vanguard
	Shield Breaker	Two-Handed Weapon
	Grappling Chain/Give Them the Boot	Battlemaster
	Whirlwind/Rising Winds	Two-Handed Weapon
	Clear a Path	Two-Handed Weapon
	Earthshaking Strike/Shattered Ground	Two-Handed Weapon
	Guard-Smasher	Two-Handed Weapon

Clearly, the emphasis of this two-handed warrior build is damage output. But even these warriors need some defense, so rely on abilities like Block and Slash/Flawless Defense and Charging Bull/Gore and Trample to build guard—without substantial guard, this warrior won’t last long in close contact with multiple enemies. When it comes to offense, place this warrior in the thick of battle, surrounded by enemies, before initiating Whirlwind or Earthshaking Strike. Consider taking this warrior’s offense to the next level by mastering the Reaver specialization.

Support Mage

Recommended Abilities

Ability	Name	Discipline
	Barrier/Elegant Defense	Spirit
	Peaceful Aura	Spirit
	Immolate/Wildfire	Inferno
	Dispel/Transmute Magic	Spirit
	Winter’s Grasp/Winter’s Chill	Winter
	Revival/Life Ward	Spirit
	Rejuvenating Barrier	Spirit
	Fade Step/Frost Step	Winter

Our mages tend to fill a supporting role on the battlefield, with an emphasis on preventing damage to themselves and their allies. Barrier is the first line of defense, prioritizing the protection of non-warrior allies who can’t generate guard. But a mage needs some offense too, which is why we utilize Immolate and Winter’s Grasp to balance out our elemental magics. Revival can be an absolute game-changer in tough battles, instantly raising fallen allies so they can continue the fight. To discourage or escape incoming attacks, we rely on Peaceful Aura and Fade Step.