If manipulating the arcane energies of the world sounds like a great way to spend an evening, the darkest and darkest mage might be your ideal class. The Wizard class plays similarly to the Ranger, in that both classes work best when given enough space to ply their trade. Here is our build guide for Wizard, of Dark and Darker.
Related: Dark and Darker’s Best Solo Classes
Best Wizard Perks for Dark and Darker
The Mage has a total of nine boons to choose from, with a total of four he can equip. For many of these perks, what you go for depends on which spells you prefer to use. Mage has been the target of a major nerf, in an effort to bring more equipped mages in line with the rest of the classes. Unfortunately, this nerf affects all mages, even if you’re just starting out. Still, there are options to consider – we recommend the following, in order of slot unlocks.
- fast singing
- Everything the wizard does is noticeably slow. Whether you’re trying to open the door (which seems to astound even the wisest mystics) or simply crossing a room, the wizard plays through the treacle effectively. Quick Chant lets you cast spells 10% faster and all helps.
- arcane mastery
- If you find yourself hitting the Proven Magic Missiles frequently, this perk will reduce the cast time by 1 second and increase the damage of those missiles by 5%.
- Melt
- Picking up Melt gives Mages a great combo, starting with Fireball and moving on to Magic Missiles. Melt reduces the armor of a target hit by fire spells by 10% for five seconds, helping magic missiles hit much harder.
- ice shield
- Ice Shield gives Wizards a +20 armor rating and inflicts Freeze on anyone who tries to attack you in melee. This will greatly increase your survivability, with some equipping it immediately after casting the class.
best team of magicians
Wizards scale absurdly well with Will, and players should always strive to increase this with any equipment humanly possible. At the end of the spectrum, wizards can wipe out entire groups with one or two spells. Trading, starting a mage is a very difficult proposition as they depend a lot on the team. Buy spellbooks and trade them for your staff – it’s a minor penalty to movement speed, and it pays dividends for this class.
The second gear pickup is any melee weapon you can find from vendors. The Armorer tends to have Rondel Daggers, and picking up a few to keep in your stash is a good idea. There will be times when a fireball or Zap will be exaggerated, or give away your location; use a melee weapon at that time. It’s not uncommon for mages to remove all of their starting clothing from their bodies – the benefits just aren’t worth the weight and movement speed.
best mage skills
Gamepur screenshot
spell memory is a go-to choice for wizards, because without this ability, you simply have no spells to cast. to meditate it’s a solid second option, as you’ll be able to upgrade spells during a dungeon. These are the same abilities that are pre-selected when creating a mage, but being different isn’t necessarily a good thing.
best wizard spells
A total of 11 spells to choose from, and players can select up to five per spell memory they have equipped. If you’re playing in a party, selecting less damaging spells in exchange for buffs and debuffs tends to be play-by: mages have a bad habit of wiping out their own party with a misplaced fireball. If you are playing in a group, we recommend the following spells:
- orb of light
- Being able to fully light up a room will make cleaning the room infinitely safer, as your party won’t have to carefully push and nudge corners for the wandering thief. The added aspect of not stepping into all the spike traps in the dungeon is a nice bonus.
- To light up
- Ignite will coat your friends’ weapons in fire, dealing 5 bonus magic damage per hit as well as a DoT burn. Pass it out before you fight at a party or take on a particularly nasty enemy like the Ghost King.
- Haste
- Grants a 14% movement and action speed bonus for eight seconds. This is a good mid-combat spell to help a friend win a battle.
- ray of ice
- A single target spell that slows enemies in addition to dealing damage. A good start to a fight, allowing your allies to surround the enemy or develop a battle strategy.
- chain of light
- Chain Lightning will hit multiple enemies, crushing them all and dealing massive damage. Don’t use it when your party members are nearby, as it will kill anyone chained up. Use this spell as an opener against other parties in PvP, or as a room cleaner before going through the door.
If you’re testing the wizard alone, you simply can’t afford bar upgrades like Haste and Orb of Light. Instead, you’ll need to focus on DPS and debuffs to keep fights as manageable as possible. Try these spells:
- DELETE
- A quick and easy spell that also applies a 1 second DoT to the target. Good for ending fights or pushing a nearby player to force a decision.
- ray of ice
- A reliable single-target damage spell that also slows the enemy it hits. A good start for both PvP and PvE, but be prepared to switch spells to take advantage of the slowdown.
- magic missile
- The most common mistake in the Dark and Darker Wizard game is that many rely on Magic Missile too often. Magic Missile fires a total of 10 homing missiles for 12 damage each, but stops firing as soon as you move. Often you’ll have to decide if you’re ready to take an incoming hit to do a little more damage, based on your armor rating and current health pool.
- fireball
- Nerf or not, the fireball deals 30 damage on direct hits with 10 damage in an AoE around the point of impact. This can be used effectively around corners, if you know a Rogue or Ranger is nearby, and can also help reduce the HP of large groups.
- chain of light
- When it’s just you, you don’t have to worry about accidentally chaining damage to the rest of your party. You’ll need to be aware that lightning can backfire and electrocute you, but it’s an effective room cleaner before it puts you in harm’s way.
Source