Dexerto/Obsidian EntertainmentAvowed has three basic class types for players to choose from, with the Fighter, Ranger, and Wizard all having their strengths and weaknesses. The Wizard has all the tools it needs to be the most potent force in the game, but you need to build it right.
It might be an RPG that gives players branching dialogue options, but Avowed also makes you fight a hell of a lot. As such, being prepared for everything the game has to throw at you is a major barrier to potential success.
Balancing and building a spellcaster can be done in quite a few different ways, with hybrid options working well in this first version of the game. That said, we’ve gone for an out-and-out Elementalist who rains down death from above.
The Wizard is an S-tier class, so here’s everything you need to know to get the most out of it.
Best build for a Wizard in Avowed: Elementalist
- Background: Arcane Scholar
- Attributes: 2 Might, 0 Constitution, 2 Dexterity, 2 Perception, 3 Intellect, 1 Resolve
- Abilities: Arcane Veil, Blizzard, Meteor Shower, Arcane Seal, Parasitic Staff, Scion of Flame, Secret of Rime, Missile Salvo
- Weapons: Wand & Grimoire
- Armor: Arcanist’s Gambeson, Crystalline Egg, Vailian Dueling Ring, Delver’s Caution
- Companions: Kai and Giatta
Once you’ve picked the Arcane Scholar background, with a wand in one hand and a grimoire in the other, your best bet as a Wizard is to go all in on Elemental spells, with a blend of AoE and single-target options in your arsenal. You’ll build up flame and frost damage on enemies to burn them down with relative ease, while you remain at a safer distance.
Attributes
Dexerto/Obsidian EntertainmentWhen creating your character in the first instance, you’ll be given ten points to place across six major attributes. We have distributed them in this build as follows:
- 2 Might
- 0 Constitution
- 2 Dexterity
- 2 Perception
- 3 Intellect
- 1 Resolve
Your most important stat as a Wizard is Intellect, which majorly boosts the Maximum Essence available to you. It also increases Elemental Resistances, and you’ll often come across enemies that deal this kind of damage.
The best secondary stats to go for are Perception, thanks to the increased Critical Strike Chance and Maximum Range on offer (the Wand can be a little short range at times), and Resolve, which increases the Stamina available to us as we cast basic spells.
Related
Abilities
When asked to take your first ability at Level 1, you’ll always want to pick up Minor Missiles. It does impressive single-target damage early and should save you from some of the early game’s tougher foes.
Arcane Veil is an excellent pick as well because it lessens one of the major drawbacks of being a Wizard in Avowed – being quite easy to kill. At Level 5, you’ll want to put points into Blizzard, because it’s the best AoE ability in the game until you hit Level 20.
You’ll want to keep leveling up your Grimoire Mastery as you go through, as it gives you access to more potent spells and reduces the Essence cost required to cast them. Progressing through to Level 15, you get a significant upgrade on Minor Missiles with Missile Salvo.
At Level 15, take Secret of Rime and Scion of Flame, as these abilities greatly increase Frost and Burn damage, respectively. You’ll be laying down a lot of damage of both types and the bonus damage offered here is well worth having against enemies with larger health pools.
The mega ability to go for once you reach Level 20 is Meteor Shower. This unbelievable bombardment does enough to clear entire rooms and it serves as the culmination of your journey to learn and utilize magic in Avowed.
Weapons
Avowed doesn’t place much in the player’s way for Unique weapons when building a Wizard. As such, you’ll want to keep upgrading your Wand when you can, and buying new gear in subsequent zones as and when needed. Make sure to check out the best Grimoires.
Armor
Dexerto/Obsidian EntertainmentFor your specific armor picks, we recommend looking out for the following items on your journey:
- Arcanist’s Gambeson
- Arcanist’s Gloves
- Crystalline Egg
- Vailian Dueling Ring
- Ring of the Founder
Happily for the Wizard, some of the better items available are actually on offer relatively early. One of the overriding problems you’ll face as a spellcaster is the amount of Essence (the equivalent of mana in Avowed) that you’ll burn through.
The Arcanist items are a great way of addressing this relatively quickly. The Arcanist’s Gloves can be looted from a chest in the Shrine to Woedica in Dawnshore, just northeast of Paradis. The Arcanist’s Gambeson is available from a chest inside one of the houses at the Yellowband Camp, also in Dawnshore.
The Gambeson comes with 8% Damage Reduction and 2 Additional Damage Reduction, plus 20 Max Essence to offset the reduction caused by wearing Light Armor. It also comes with +15% AoE damage, aligning with several of our ability choices.
The Gloves come with an additional 20 Max Essence (without the penalty this time), and 10% Parkour Speed to make your exploration a little easier.
Another issue that you’ll come across while playing as a Wizard is being relatively squishy compared to your Fighter counterparts. The Valian Dueling Ring grants a 7% chance to avoid all melee damage when struck, and that can be found on a body, South of the Infested Camp on the Emerald Stair.
The Ring of the Founder is another solid option, granting +10% Damage against enemies with full Health. It makes opening fights a lot easier, and allows you to go in with a much stronger opening salvo.
The Crystalline Egg is a fun item to add to the equation, allowing you to summon a trio of Crystal Eater Spiderlings to fight with you for 120 seconds. To track it down, look out for the lockbox in the cave with the Crystal Eaters, North of Sulfur Mines Basecamp.
Companions
Dexerto/Obsidian EntertainmentThe best companions to take is a bit of a dealer’s choice, but you’ll be very squishy as a Wizard, so taking allies who can soak up some of the attention and damage is key. Kai is a solid option for his tanky nature and ability to stun enemies, and his crowd control is impressive.
Taking Giatta is the perfect foil to that setup, with plenty of support spells to complement your all-out approach to offense. Giatta is probably the best overall companion in the game, currently sitting at the S-Tier in our tier list, and she’s critical to success when you’re playing a low health pool character, as we are.
How to play as a Wizard
Dexerto/Obsidian EntertainmentSo you’re all set up and ready to go out into the Living Lands, but what exactly is the best way to approach the game as a Wizard? Well, it’s a case of approaching each situation differently, knowing your spells, and keeping your resources topped up.
Heading into a fight, the first thing you’ll want to do is identify whether you need to use AoE spells. Single-target options are a lot less Essence-hungry than their AoE counterparts, and it simply isn’t worth dropping an enormous Meteor Shower on just one or two enemies.
The other thing to be aware of when you’re letting off basic spells with your wand is that strafing is absolutely your best friend. Even the humble Xaurip can hurt at range, but simple movements side to side while casting spells make a world of difference to the incoming damage you take.
Make sure to take full advantage of your allies’ skills, so send Kai in first and let him stun as many enemies as possible, before you hit them with a barrage of your own. Save Giatta’s most potent healing for times of real trouble and you should be on to a winner.
That’s all there is to know about playing a Wizard in Avowed! Make sure to check out our complete guides to playing the Ranger and Fighter if you fancy a change of class. We’ve also broken down the best ways to level up fast and earn money quickly if you’re short of a few Copper Skeyt.