As you progress through the adventure, you face more powerful and dangerous enemies. Your hero levels up as you collect XP, but gaining levels isn’t enough. You need to improve your abilities, gear, and companions.
Better Gear
Tap the helmet icon to bring up the Gear screen. Tap any item in inventory to compare it to what’s currently equipped. Icons with holes in the center indicate room for the addition of a gemstone, which are not the same as the gems you use for purchases.
You are also given options to add a socket and to reforge gear. Reforging changes the gear’s current stat bonus to a different one in exchange for some gold. Adding a socket adds a gemstone socket to the gear, with the number of sockets limited by the gear’s quality. Adding a socket costs gems, so don’t bother with it until you’re at max level. Detaching a socketed gemstone costs gold and doesn’t destroy the gemstone, so there’s no harm in it.
Crafting Gear
Most of your gear comes from enemies and treasure chests. There’s a Store tab, but don’t buy gear from it until you’re at max level. The hammer and anvil icon brings up the Craft screen, where you can create new gear, which consumes three pieces of gear, some gold, and a little time.
The exception is jewelry. The Jewelry tab is where you obtain rings and necklaces. Crafting a single ring or necklace with a random attribute costs gold. You could spend gems to force specific stats, but that’s something to avoid unless you’re at max level and drowning in gems. The fuse option combines three rings or necklaces of the same quality lined up in your inventory into a single necklace or ring of the next quality tier.
Better Abilities
Heroes unlock new abilities and ability slots as they gain levels. Abilities come in three varieties: primary, secondary, and passive, each with a distinct shape. Primary abilities are activated by tapping the screen with one or two fingers. Secondary abilities are activated with simple swiping motions. Passive abilities are always active, but a rare few require input from you.
Use the Abilities tab to exchange abilities from All Abilities (which lists unused abilities) and Current Abilities. Tap on an ability icon to learn more about it. To upgrade an ability, drag it to an Ability Upgrade slot and pay the gold. All abilities can be upgraded to level 10. The higher the level, the longer it takes to complete the upgrade, so keep the upgrade slot busy at all times.
Better Companions
A big part of Act I: Elderath is finding three companions: Marcus the Warrior, Eileen the Healer, and Robin the Marksman. You can add four more companions from the store for 500 gems each: Norgrim the Warrior, Maggie the Potioncaster, Endar the Headhunter, and Xagan the Blue Wizard.
Companions learn new abilities as they gain levels, but only one is under your active control. You begin with a single companion slot. Use the Team screen to change active companions and spend gems to unlock up to two more slots.
Tanks
Marcus and Norgrim share the same abilities. They are tanks, with high armor and health. Their job is to keep enemies focused on them, allowing you to inflict damage in relative safety. Their active ability is charging into enemies, leaving them damaged and briefly stunned.
Ranged Damage
Robin and Endar have identical abilities. They shoot arrows at enemies from a safe distance. Their job is to inflict as much damage as they can. Their active ability, Multishot, is a spread of arrows directed at enemies.
Xagan fills the same role as Robin and Endar but uses magic instead of arrows. His active ability damages and freezes enemies.
Healers
Eileen and Maggie have the same auto-abilities but a different active ability. They keep your hero and companions alive in combat with healing and a magical shield. Eileen’s active ability, Vortex, traps enemies in a single location, leaving them unable to act. Maggie’s active ability is Silence.