Shroud of the Avatar builds: twelve archetypes with decks
Shroud of the Avatar has no classes, so there is no class list to pick from. What players build instead are archetypes: a pair of specializations, a handful of schools, a deck and the gear that goes with it. This page defines twelve of them. Each is a complete, playable starting point, and each is the building block our "build X from another game" guides point to.
Every archetype below lists its schools, the two specializations, the key skills by name, a 23-glyph sample deck, the gear and the order to train into it. The decks are illustrations: how many copies of a glyph you may run depends on the skill level, and the exact level per copy is not published yet. The game shares decks as text codes; we will add a code and a planner link to each archetype when our deck planner ships.
Two specialization slots. A character holds exactly two, and changes them at any skill trainer or at an Oracle Confirmatory. Each archetype names its pair; switching archetypes means changing the pair, not rerolling.
Innates are always on. Passive skills never go in a deck and never stop working. The "key innates" line of each archetype is what you train in the background.
Decks have a floor, not a ceiling. There is no maximum deck size. The minimum rises with your character and tops out at 23 glyphs, which is why every sample deck here has 23. Below the minimum the game pads the deck with blank Slugs.
Copies follow skill level. Each extra copy of a glyph needs a higher skill level, and the last copy needs the school to be one of your specializations. The ×2 and ×3 counts below show the shape of a deck, not a rule.
Ten hand slots, some locked. The combat bar has ten slots. A locked slot always holds the same glyph and in many schools cools down faster. Each archetype suggests two glyphs to lock.
Combos form in your hand. Some glyphs combine when both are on the bar. Combos are listed per archetype but are never deck entries.
Gear can follow the deck. A deck can link a set of armor, weapons and jewelry, and pet gear can follow it too, so one character can carry two archetypes and swap between them, even in combat for a Focus cost.
Armor taxes some spells. Worn armor slows Air spells and raises their Focus cost by the fizzle it adds; Fire and Death spells pay half that; other schools pay nothing. The gear line of each caster archetype follows from this.
1Tank
Holds the front line with a shield, a mace and stuns.
Specializations
Shield + Bludgeon
Schools
Shield, Bludgeon, Tactics, Heavy Armor
The tank's job is to be hit instead of the group and to keep enemies where they stand. In Shroud of the Avatar that means a shield in the off hand, a one-handed bludgeon in the main hand and heavy armor. Shield skills give you blocks, group-wide damage resistance and avoidance; bludgeon skills give you stuns, knockdowns and armor debuffs so the damage dealers behind you land harder.
Shield and Bludgeon are the two specializations because both schools get better crowd control with their mastery: Shield Specialization lengthens the Charge knockdown and widens Testudo, Bludgeon Specialization lengthens the Crushing Blow stun and shortens the Knockdown cooldown. Tactics supplies the stances and Fortify Defenses; the Heavy Armor school supplies the armor passives.
The in-game pair name for Shield + Bludgeon is not yet on our list. Heavy Armor + Life is called Paladin, which is the healer-tank variant below.
Angles, Redirection, Stand Your Ground, Ranged Defense, Shield Preservation, Stunner, Crusher, Healthy, Train Strength, Armor Preservation, Deflection, Hard Headed, Endurance
Sample deck (23 glyphs)
Shield Bash×3
Crushing Blow×3
Knockdown×2
Break Armor×2
Deflect×2
Dig In×1
Testudo×1
Charge×1
Bolster Balance×1
Defensive Stance×1
Fortify Defenses×1
Ground Pound×1
Parry×1
Berserk×1
Reckless Stance×1
Break Weapon×1
23 / 23Lock these two: Deflect, Defensive StanceCombos to look for: Flaming Bash, Splintering Strike
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
Plate or chain armor, a one-handed mace or hammer, and a shield. Nothing in this build casts, so armor has no spell penalty to worry about.
How to level into it
Start from the Blades deck every new character carries, buy Bludgeon Combat and Deflect from a trainer and swap the sword for a mace. Train Crushing Blow and Shield Bash first (Shield Bash at 40 opens Charge), then Bolster Balance to open Dig In, and Healthy to open the Tactics stances.
Once Crushing Blow reaches 40 you unlock Knockdown, and Break Weapon at 40 opens Break Armor. Add the Shield innates (Angles, Redirection, Stand Your Ground) as the pool allows; they are always on and never need a deck slot. Buy Shield Specialization and Bludgeon Specialization from their trainers when you are ready to commit the two slots.
Fast two-weapon swordplay built around Rend and Coup de Grace.
Specializations
Blades + Tactics
Schools
Blades, Tactics, Light Armor, Subterfuge
The melee damage dealer trades defense for attack speed. Blades give you the core rotation: Thrust hits up to two targets, Double Slash is two quick attacks, Rend puts a bleed on the target and cuts its healing, Whirling Blades hits everything around you and Coup de Grace does five times its damage once the target drops below a fifth of its health. Riposte answers a parried attack, and Tactics adds Parry, the stances and Offhand Attack for a second weapon.
Blade Specialization raises the Coup de Grace threshold (to roughly a third of the target's health at skill 100), gives Double Slash a chance at a third hit and makes Whirling Blades cheaper. Tactics Specialization softens the stance penalties, so Reckless Stance costs less damage resistance. Subterfuge is here only for its innates: Train Dexterity and Armor Weak Points raise critical chance with any weapon.
23 / 23Lock these two: Reckless Stance, ParryCombos to look for: Quadruple Slash, Hamstring, Icy Thrust
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
Two one-handed blades, or one blade and an off-hand weapon, with light armor so your attack speed is not slowed. Offhand Defense and Offhand Power in Tactics make the second weapon pay off: more damage resistance while it is equipped and harder offhand attacks.
How to level into it
The starter Blades deck already holds the first glyphs. Train Bladed Combat, Thrust and Riposte early; Thrust at 40 unlocks Double Slash and Riposte at 40 unlocks Rend. Pick up Healthy and Parry from a Tactics trainer so the stances and Offhand Attack open.
Double Slash and Rend at 40 unlock Whirling Blades, and Whirling Blades at 40 unlocks Coup de Grace. Fill in Blade Speed and Vital Points as innates; Offhand Attack at 40 opens Offhand Defense, which at 40 opens Offhand Power. Buy Blade Specialization and Tactics Specialization from their trainers and set the two slots.
Ranged damage from stealth, with slows and blinds to keep distance.
Specializations
Ranged + Subterfuge
Schools
Ranged, Subterfuge, Air, Light Armor, Tactics
The archer kills before the target arrives. Aimed Shot is the bread-and-butter damage glyph, Piercing Shot ignores armor, Disabling Shot slows and Blinding Shot lowers the target's dexterity. Rapid Fire turns arrows into a stream and Multi Shot spreads them across a group. Subterfuge supplies Camouflage and Silent Movement to open from stealth and Sneak Attack for the first hit.
Ranged Specialization lowers the Focus cost of Aimed Shot, lets you recover more arrows and adds a dodge debuff to Disabling Shot. Subterfuge Specialization raises your maximum stealth level and gives Sneak Attack a chance to mesmerize the target. A little Air Magic (Gust, Dash) buys distance, and Aimed Shot together with Discharge in hand forms the Shock Arrow combo.
23 / 23Lock these two: Camouflage, Reckless StanceCombos to look for: Shock Arrow
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
A bow, light armor and plenty of arrows. Ammo Scavenger in the Ranged school and the Ranged Specialization both cut arrow consumption.
How to level into it
Equip the Ranged deck every new character carries and train Ranged Combat, Aimed Shot and Disabling Shot. Aimed Shot at 40 unlocks Piercing Shot; Disabling Shot at 40 unlocks Blinding Shot. From a Subterfuge trainer take Distract, then Camouflage.
Blinding Shot and Piercing Shot at 40 unlock Rapid Fire, and Rapid Fire at 40 unlocks Multi Shot. Camouflage at 40 opens Silent Movement, which at 40 opens Sneak Attack and Sap. Train the innates Draw Strength, Eagle Eye and Range as the pool allows, then buy both Specialization skills.
Burst and burn: fireballs, lightning and a self-cast flame aura.
Specializations
Fire + Air
Schools
Fire, Air, Focus, Earth
The fire mage is the game's clearest damage caster. Fire Arrow and Fireball apply fire damage over time, Immolation wraps you in flames that burn anything nearby and Ring of Fire leaves a burning area on the ground. Air Magic is the second damage school: Lightning and Chain Lightning carry a stun chance and scale with dexterity, Discharge clears the space around you, and Blink and Dash get you out of melee.
Fire Specialization shortens Fireball's cast time and raises its initial blast, lengthens Immolation and adds a fire-resistance debuff to Ring of Fire. Air Specialization makes Blink less likely to eat reagents and lengthens Dash. Focus is for its innates (Heightened Awareness, Train Intelligence, Inner Calm) plus Mind Wipe to redraw a dead hand; Earth gives you Root and Shield of Crystal for a health buffer.
Fire + Life is named Phoenix in game, the hook for a self-healing fire caster.
Key glyphs
Fire Arrow, Fireball, Flame Fist, Immolation, Ring of Fire, Ignite Weapon, Lightning, Chain Lightning, Discharge, Gust, Blink, Dash, Root, Shield of Crystal, Mind Wipe
Key innates
Fire Attunement, Highly Flammable, Fire Speed, Fire Proof, Air Attunement, Rapid Discharge, Heightened Awareness, Train Intelligence, Inner Calm
Sample deck (23 glyphs)
Fireball×3
Fire Arrow×3
Lightning×3
Chain Lightning×2
Flame Fist×2
Ring of Fire×2
Immolation×1
Discharge×1
Gust×1
Blink×1
Dash×1
Root×1
Shield of Crystal×1
Mind Wipe×1
23 / 23Lock these two: Immolation, Mind WipeCombos to look for: Fiery Decay, Chaotic Backdraft
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
Cloth or light cloth-and-leather armor and a staff or wand. Worn armor slows Air spells and raises their Focus cost by the fizzle the gear adds; Fire spells take half that penalty. Plate on a fire mage is a real cost, cloth is free.
How to level into it
Equip the starter Magic deck and train Flame Fist and Gust; Flame Fist at 20 unlocks Fire Arrow and Gust at 10 unlocks Discharge. Fire Arrow at 40 unlocks Fireball, Discharge at 40 unlocks Lightning. Train Fire Attunement and Air Attunement as innates from the start.
Flame Fist at 10 opens Ignite Weapon, which at 40 opens Immolation; Fireball and Immolation at 40 together open Ring of Fire. Lightning at 40 opens Chain Lightning, Dash at 40 opens Blink. Buy Fire Specialization and Air Specialization when the two schools are your main damage.
Group healing, cleanses and resurrection, with Sun damage against undead.
Specializations
Life + Sun
Schools
Life, Sun, Shield, Focus
The healer keeps everyone else alive. Healing Touch and Healing Ray are the single-target heals, Healing Burst heals an area, Healing Grace is a heal over time that also removes a bleed, and Healing Blast is a very large heal that only works on others. Purify clears negative effects and Resurrection brings a fallen ally back. Life heals gain a bonus the longer you have gone without harming anyone, which is why a pure healer heals harder than a hybrid.
Life Specialization shortens the cast and lock time of the main heals and widens Healing Burst. Sun is the second school because its damage needs no weapon: Searing Ray and Solar Flare hit harder in daylight and against undead, Elysian Illumination heals allies and burns enemies around you, and Banish Undead from Life rounds out the anti-undead kit. Shield skills (Deflect, Dig In) keep you standing; Focus innates grow your Focus pool.
Heavy Armor + Life = Paladin is confirmed in game; wear plate and take this deck for the paladin variant.
Life Attunement, Life Power, Life Reach, Beneficent Blessing, Sun Attunement, Sun Worship, Heightened Awareness, Train Intelligence, Angles
Sample deck (23 glyphs)
Healing Touch×3
Healing Ray×3
Healing Burst×2
Healing Grace×2
Purify×2
Searing Ray×2
Healing Blast×1
Purify Burst×1
Resurrection×1
Banish Undead×1
Elysian Illumination×1
Light×1
Enlightenment×1
Dig In×1
Deflect×1
23 / 23Lock these two: Deflect, ResurrectionCombos to look for: Cleansing Rain, Sacrifice
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
Any armor you like: Life and Sun spells carry no armor penalty, so a healer in plate loses nothing. A shield in the off hand enables Deflect and Dig In. Heavy Armor + Life is the pair the game calls Paladin.
How to level into it
Equip the starter Magic deck and buy Healing Touch and Light from the trainers. Healing Touch at 10 opens Healing Ray and Purify; Light at 10 opens Searing Ray and Enlightenment. Train Life Attunement and Sun Attunement as innates from the first session.
Healing Ray at 40 opens Healing Burst, Healing Burst at 40 opens Healing Grace, and Healing Grace at 40 opens Healing Blast. Purify at 40 opens Banish Undead; Purify Burst and Healing Burst at 40 open Resurrection. Add Life Power and Life Reach as innates, then buy Life Specialization and Sun Specialization.
Life drains, corpse explosions and an undead companion.
Specializations
Death + Focus
Schools
Death, Focus, Earth
The necromancer fights alongside a summoned undead and drains life to stay up. Tap Soul turns your own health into Focus, Death Touch and Death Ray drain life from the target and get stronger the closer you are to death, and Death Field does the same to everything around you. Corpse Explosion blows up a body on the ground, up to three times. Summon Skeleton and Summon Lich give you the pet; Death Shield turns part of the physical damage you take into health.
Death Specialization adds a stacking death-resistance debuff to the drains, shortens the Death Field cooldown and lengthens Death Shield. Focus is the second specialization because its innates (Train Summoned Pet Health, Damage and Resistance) are what make a magic-school pet survive, and Mind Lock keeps a good hand on the bar. Undead Mastery and Mummified Undead in Death make the summon stronger and slower to decay.
Key glyphs
Tap Soul, Death Touch, Death Ray, Death Field, Corpse Explosion, Summon Skeleton, Summon Lich, Death Shield, Mind Wipe, Mind Lock, Spellbinder Stance, Root, Shield of Crystal
Key innates
Death Attunement, Death Mastery, Undead Mastery, Mummified Undead, Heightened Awareness, Train Summoned Pet Health, Train Summoned Pet Damage, Train Summoned Pet Resistance, Train Intelligence, Inner Calm
Sample deck (23 glyphs)
Death Ray×3
Death Touch×3
Death Field×2
Tap Soul×2
Corpse Explosion×2
Summon Skeleton×2
Death Shield×2
Summon Lich×2
Mind Wipe×1
Mind Lock×1
Spellbinder Stance×1
Root×1
Shield of Crystal×1
23 / 23Lock these two: Summon Skeleton, Death ShieldCombos to look for: Fiery Decay, Sacrifice, Summon Skeleton Mage
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
Cloth or leather and a staff. Death spells pay half the armor penalty that Air spells do, so chain is survivable but cloth is cheapest. Remember Tap Soul lowers your Life Attunement, so you are harder to heal.
How to level into it
Equip the starter Magic deck and buy Tap Soul from a Death trainer; Tap Soul at 10 unlocks Death Touch, Corpse Explosion and Death Mastery. Death Touch at 40 unlocks Death Ray, and Corpse Explosion at 40 unlocks Summon Skeleton. From a Focus trainer take Heightened Awareness, then Train Summoned Pet Health.
Death Ray at 40 opens Death Shield and Death Field; Death Shield and Summon Skeleton at 40 open Summon Lich. Train Summoned Pet Health at 40 opens Pet Damage and Pet Resistance. Buy Death Specialization and Focus Specialization once the pet is your main damage partner.
Songs that heal, speed, shield and mesmerize, with a blade for the quiet moments.
Specializations
Bard + Blades
Schools
Bard, Blades, Tactics, Light Armor, Subterfuge
The bard plays songs instead of casting spells. Melody of Mending heals everyone near you, Rhapsody of Recovery speeds their Focus recovery, Savage Sonata gives allies and tamed creatures combat bonuses, Refrain of Resistance raises their magic resistance and Anthem of Alacrity pulses a movement boost. On the hostile side Mesmerizing Melody can mesmerize everything nearby, Psalm of Stagnation slows enemies, Atonal Aria hurts them and Concussive Canticle releases a charged blast. Songs charge: the longer you hold one, the stronger it lands.
Bard Specialization adds a heal-others bonus to Melody of Mending, critical chance to Savage Sonata, damage resistance to Refrain of Resistance, and makes Concussive Canticle charge much faster. Blades is the second specialization so the bard has a real weapon between songs; Thrust and Double Slash with Parry and Riposte from Tactics are enough. Rhythmic Readiness, Resounding Reach and Musical Fortitude are the innates that make songs faster, wider and longer.
Taming + Bard = Ringmaster is confirmed in game.
Key glyphs
Melody of Mending, Anthem of Alacrity, Savage Sonata, Rhapsody of Recovery, Refrain of Resistance, Chorus of Conservation, Mesmerizing Melody, Psalm of Stagnation, Atonal Aria, Concussive Canticle, Thrust, Double Slash, Riposte, Parry, Fortify Defenses
23 / 23Lock these two: Melody of Mending, Savage SonataCombos to look for: Quadruple Slash
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
An instrument for the songs, a blade for melee and light armor. Voice Training, the innate for singing without an instrument, currently does nothing according to the skill database, so carry the instrument.
How to level into it
Keep the starter Blades deck and buy Melody of Mending from a Bard trainer; at 20 it unlocks Anthem of Alacrity, Atonal Aria and Rhythmic Readiness. Anthem of Alacrity at 20 unlocks Savage Sonata, which at 20 unlocks Rhapsody of Recovery and Refrain of Resistance.
Atonal Aria at 20 opens Psalm of Stagnation and Concussive Canticle; Psalm of Stagnation at 20 opens Mesmerizing Melody. Keep Thrust and Riposte training on the side. Buy Bard Specialization and Blade Specialization when you spend most fights singing. Taming + Bard is the pair the game calls Ringmaster, if you would rather sing to a pet than swing a blade.
Stealth openers, backstabs and a long stun from behind.
Specializations
Subterfuge + Blades
Schools
Subterfuge, Blades, Tactics, Light Armor
The rogue picks the fight and ends it fast. Camouflage hides you while still, Silent Movement while moving, and Sneak Attack does bonus damage from stealth or from behind. Sap is a long stun that only works from behind, Trip knocks the target down and Opportunity Strike punishes an attack you just dodged with a strike that ignores most armor. Blades supply the damage once the opener lands: Thrust, Double Slash, Rend and Coup de Grace on anything below a fifth of its health.
Subterfuge Specialization raises your maximum stealth level, lengthens Silent Movement, gives Sneak Attack a chance to mesmerize and Trip a longer knockdown. Blade Specialization raises the Coup de Grace threshold. Backstab and Armor Weak Points from Subterfuge are the innates that make a behind-the-target rogue hit so hard; Poison Weapon lengthens applied poisons and the specialization sometimes spares the potion.
Heavy Armor + Subterfuge = Silent Knight is confirmed in game.
23 / 23Lock these two: Camouflage, SapCombos to look for: Hamstring, Quadruple Slash
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
Two blades, light armor and poison potions for Poison Weapon. The game names Heavy Armor + Subterfuge the Silent Knight, so an armored rogue is a recognized variant; swap in heavy armor and keep the deck.
How to level into it
Keep the starter Blades deck. From a Subterfuge trainer buy Distract and Engage Opponent; Distract at 10 unlocks Camouflage, Trip and Train Dexterity. Camouflage at 40 unlocks Silent Movement, which at 40 unlocks Sneak Attack and Sap. Keep Thrust and Riposte training.
Sap at 40 opens Opportunity Strike; Trip at 40 opens Poison Weapon; Train Dexterity at 40 opens Armor Weak Points, which at 40 opens Backstab. Thrust at 40 opens Double Slash, Riposte at 40 opens Rend, and both at 40 open Whirling Blades then Coup de Grace. Buy Subterfuge Specialization (a Tier 4 skill, sold only by the master trainer) and Blade Specialization.
The battlemage mixes melee and magic in one deck. Blades carry the weapon rotation: Thrust, Double Slash, Rend and Riposte. Air Magic adds Lightning and Chain Lightning for ranged stun chances, Discharge for a point-blank burst, Air's Embrace for dexterity, and Blink and Dash to close or open distance. Ignite Weapon from Fire adds fire damage to your blade and a fire-resistance debuff to the target, and Thrust with Ice Fist in hand forms the Icy Thrust combo.
Blade Specialization and Air Specialization are the pair because both schools are in every fight: the first improves Double Slash, Whirling Blades and Coup de Grace, the second lengthens Dash and makes Blink cheaper on reagents. Focus innates (Inner Calm, Heightened Awareness) pay for the spells; Earth's Shield of Crystal and Root cover the gap between sword range and spell range.
Bladed Combat, Blade Speed, Air Attunement, Rapid Discharge, Well Grounded, Heightened Awareness, Inner Calm, Train Dexterity
Sample deck (23 glyphs)
Thrust×3
Lightning×2
Double Slash×2
Rend×2
Ignite Weapon×2
Discharge×2
Riposte×1
Parry×1
Chain Lightning×1
Lightning Storm×1
Blink×1
Dash×1
Air's Embrace×1
Shield of Crystal×1
Root×1
Mind Wipe×1
23 / 23Lock these two: Ignite Weapon, ParryCombos to look for: Icy Thrust, Hamstring, Shock Arrow
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
One or two blades and leather. Air spells are the ones armor hurts most: full plate adds about 46 percent to Blink's cost, chain about 27, leather about 14 and cloth nothing. Leather is the compromise this build is built around.
How to level into it
Keep the starter Blades deck and buy Gust from an Air trainer; Gust at 10 unlocks Discharge, at 20 unlocks Dash and Air's Embrace. Train Thrust and Riposte on the Blades side. Discharge at 40 unlocks Lightning, Dash at 40 unlocks Blink.
Lightning at 40 opens Chain Lightning; Chain Lightning at 40 opens Summon Air Elemental if you want a pet. Flame Fist at 10 opens Ignite Weapon. Thrust at 40 opens Double Slash, Riposte at 40 opens Rend. Buy Blade Specialization and Air Specialization when the deck is half and half.
A tamed creature does the fighting while you heal it and swing a mace.
Specializations
Taming + Bludgeon
Schools
Taming, Bludgeon, Tactics, Earth
The tamer's pet is the build. Tame Creature binds a creature to an equipped taming necklace and Summoning calls it out; Heal Creature and Resurrect Creature keep it alive and Frenzy sends it into a rage. The innates matter more than the glyphs here: Obedience stops the pet fleeing at low health, Combat Training raises its level, Pet Strength, Hide Toughness and Taunting Training make it hit harder, take less and hold aggro. Bludgeon gives you something to do yourself: Crushing Blow stuns, Knockdown drops two targets, Break Armor softens them for the pet.
Taming Specialization makes Heal Creature also cleanse and cuts the cost of Resurrect Creature; Bludgeon Specialization lengthens your stuns. Pet gear can follow the deck, so a deck swap also swaps the pet's collar, toy and accessory. Concentration and Refresh in Taming reduce the Focus drain a tamed creature causes and the cooldown on calling it.
Obedience, Combat Training, Pet Strength Training, Pet Hide Toughness Training, Pet Taunting Training, Pet Attack Precision Training, Pet Speed Training, Concentration, Refresh, Collar Recovery, Bludgeon Combat, Stunner, Crusher, Healthy
Sample deck (23 glyphs)
Heal Creature×3
Crushing Blow×3
Knockdown×2
Frenzy×2
Summoning×1
Tame Creature×1
Resurrect Creature×1
Break Armor×1
Break Weapon×1
Berserk×1
Ground Pound×1
Strength of Earth×1
Earth's Embrace×1
Defensive Stance×1
Reckless Stance×1
Parry×1
Fortify Defenses×1
23 / 23Lock these two: Summoning, Heal CreatureCombos to look for: Splintering Strike
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
A taming necklace with a tamed creature on it, a two-handed mace or hammer, medium armor and pet gear (collar, toy, accessory) set to follow the deck. Taming collars are consumed on failed tames; Collar Recovery lowers the chance.
How to level into it
Buy Tame Creature from a Taming trainer and tame something small early. Tame Creature at 20 unlocks Heal Creature, Obedience and Collar Recovery; Summoning at 20 unlocks Frenzy. Swap the starter sword for a mace and train Bludgeon Combat and Crushing Blow.
Obedience at 40 opens Combat Training and Pet Strength Training; Combat Training at 40 opens Pet Taunting Training; Heal Creature at 40 opens Resurrect Creature. Crushing Blow at 40 opens Knockdown. Buy Taming Specialization and Bludgeon Specialization. Taming + Bard is the pair the game calls Ringmaster, the singing alternative to the mace.
An elemental for every fight, backed by the four elemental arrows.
Specializations
Fire + Focus
Schools
Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Focus
The summoner is the necromancer's elemental cousin. Every elemental school has a summon at the top of its tree: Fire Elemental, Water and Ice Elemental, Earth Elemental and Air Elemental. You pick the one that suits the enemy and support it with the cheap ranged glyphs of the same schools: Fire Arrow, Ice Arrow, Stone Arrow and Lightning. Shield of Ice and Shield of Crystal keep you alive while the pet works, and Douse strips a burn.
Fire Specialization is the first slot because Fire is the deepest damage school on the way to its elemental; Focus Specialization is the second because the Train Summoned Pet innates are shared by every magic-school pet, whichever element you summon. Mind Lock holds a good hand, Spellbinder Stance speeds casting at the cost of physical defense.
Key glyphs
Summon Fire Elemental, Summon Water Elemental, Summon Ice Elemental, Summon Earth Elemental, Summon Air Elemental, Fire Arrow, Ice Arrow, Stone Arrow, Lightning, Shield of Ice, Shield of Crystal, Douse, Root, Mind Wipe, Mind Lock, Spellbinder Stance, Dash
Key innates
Fire Attunement, Water Attunement, Earth Attunement, Air Attunement, Heightened Awareness, Train Summoned Pet Health, Train Summoned Pet Damage, Train Summoned Pet Resistance, Train Intelligence, Inner Calm
Sample deck (23 glyphs)
Fire Arrow×3
Summon Fire Elemental×2
Ice Arrow×2
Stone Arrow×2
Lightning×2
Root×2
Summon Water Elemental×1
Summon Earth Elemental×1
Summon Air Elemental×1
Shield of Ice×1
Shield of Crystal×1
Douse×1
Mind Wipe×1
Mind Lock×1
Spellbinder Stance×1
Dash×1
23 / 23Lock these two: Summon Fire Elemental, Shield of CrystalCombos to look for: Fiery Decay, Evaporate
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
Cloth and a staff. Air spells and, to a lesser extent, Fire spells pay for worn armor, so this is a cloth build. Reagents for the summons.
How to level into it
Equip the starter Magic deck and train Flame Fist, Ice Fist, Stone Fist and Gust. The three fists open their school's arrow at 10 to 20; Gust opens Discharge, which opens Lightning at 40. Train the four attunement innates alongside. From a Focus trainer take Heightened Awareness, then Train Summoned Pet Health.
The summons sit deep: Fire Elemental needs Ring of Fire 40, Water Elemental needs Ice Field 40, Earth Elemental needs Shield of Crystal and Earthquake at 40, Air Elemental needs Chain Lightning 40, and Ice Elemental needs Water Elemental and Shield of Ice at 40. Take one school to its elemental first, then the next. Buy Fire Specialization and Focus Specialization when the first elemental is out.
Mesmerize, confuse and debuff; win by denying the enemy its turn.
Specializations
Moon + Chaos
Schools
Moon, Chaos, Sun, Focus, Earth
The controller does not out-damage anything; it stops the enemy acting. Moon Beams mesmerizes up to three targets and Dazzling Rays from Sun up to six, Fireflies makes a target take bigger critical hits, Summon Will-o-Wisp gives you a pet that mesmerizes and debuffs on its own. Chaos adds Confusion, Torpid Torment (the target takes damage for every point of Focus it spends), Chaotic Clone as a decoy and Chaos Bolt for a random effect. Vanish, Shadow Form and Night Step let you pick the moment.
Lunar Specialization widens Moon Beams, adds a dexterity debuff to Fireflies and a mesmerize chance to Night Step. Chaos Specialization lengthens Torpid Torment, lets Juxtapose be cast on its own and gives Chaotic Clone a stealth trigger. Moon skills last longer at night and Sun skills in daylight, so this build has a clock; Moon Eater and Sun Eater stretch each window. Tabula Rasa, which empties an enemy player's hand, is the PvP card.
23 / 23Lock these two: Summon Will-O-Wisp, Celestial BlessingCombos to look for: Imbecile Incantation, Enfeeblement, Clumsy
Deck code and planner link: coming with the deck planner.
Gear
Cloth and a staff; neither Moon nor Chaos appears in the armor-penalty list, but there is no reason to wear plate on a caster who never gets hit. Reagents for the Will-o-Wisp.
How to level into it
Equip the starter Magic deck, buy Night Vision from a Moon trainer and Confusion from a Chaos trainer. Night Vision at 10 opens Animal Charm, Fireflies, Vanish and Celestial Blessing; Confusion at 20 opens Torpid Torment, Chaos Bolt, Chaotic Clone and Juxtapose. Buy Light from a Sun trainer for Blind.
Animal Charm at 40 opens Moon Beams; Moon Beams and Celestial Blessing at 40 open Summon Will-o-Wisp. Blind at 40 opens Dazzling Rays. Vanish at 40 opens Shadow Form, which at 40 opens Night Step. Chaos Bolt at 40 opens Tabula Rasa. Buy Lunar Specialization and Chaos Specialization.
Because the specialization pair changes at a trainer and a deck can link its own gear, the usual pattern is one character with two archetypes: a solo deck and a group deck, or a damage deck and a healer deck. Build both decks, link the gear to each, and change the pair at a trainer when you switch roles. Unlearning refunds all of a skill's experience, so trying an archetype costs you nothing but time.
Every pair of specializations has a name in game; the ones we have confirmed so far are Heavy Armor + Life (Paladin), Fire + Life (Phoenix), Taming + Bard (Ringmaster), Heavy Armor + Subterfuge (Silent Knight) and Earth + Tactics (Sapper). We add each archetype's pair name as we verify it.
Rebuild a class from another game
Two series map another MMO's classes onto these archetypes, with a guide per class:
Tank or Melee DPS. Both start from the Blades deck every new character carries, neither depends on reagents or a pet, and neither pays the armor penalty on spells. Archer is the next easiest; it starts from the Ranged starter deck.
Can I combine two archetypes into one deck?
Yes, there is no maximum deck size. The limit is the two specialization slots: a Fire Mage and Healer hybrid can hold Fire and Life glyphs in one deck, but only two of its schools get the specialization bonuses. The Hybrid Battlemage above is exactly that kind of mix.
Why are there no deck codes yet?
The game shares decks as a text code that holds the deck name, cards and slot assignments. Our deck planner, which will read and write those codes, is still being built. Until it ships the decks are listed as glyph names and copy counts you can build by hand in the Edit Deck window.
Do I lose anything when I change archetype?
No. Specializations change at a trainer or Oracle with no lock-in, unlearning a skill returns all of its experience to the pool, and dying never removes skill experience. The only real cost of changing is the time to retrain.
Where do Heavy Armor and Light Armor fit?
They are two of the 21 schools, and their innates work without a deck slot: Deflection, Hard Headed and Endurance for heavy armor, Acrobatics and Swiftness for light armor. Every archetype that wears armor names its armor school and lists those innates.
Combat records(real damage and healing numbers per skill)
Game rules on this page were verified against Catnip's patch notes and work log in October 2026; skill effects come from our skill database and are community estimates until calibrated.
