Classes

The seven classes differ in their skills and in what they pay for them with. Mana, Stamina, Zeal and the Blood Mage's bones or health aren't interchangeable: a Mana potion won't refill Stamina. So a party with two casters needs different supplies from one where several heroes spend Stamina.

The Warrior belongs in melee, and the weapon it's holding affects which skills it can use. It helps the front row in two ways: Provoking Shout draws the enemies' attention, and the passive The Flow of Life raises the Warrior's maximum health and elemental resistance. The first changes who the enemies go for, the second how much the Warrior can take.

Before you put a point into a weapon-based active skill, check which weapon it needs. A new weapon with tempting damage isn't worth it if it costs you the skill your Warrior is built around.

The Paladin fights in the front row like a Warrior, but pays for skills with Zeal. Have a look at Righteous Strike and the healing skill Lay on Hands, which lets the Paladin heal another hero and still stay up front.

Don't build a Paladin on Strength alone. Some of the gear that suits it needs Wisdom, and you have to meet that requirement even if you're not turning it into a Mana caster.

The Thief is about evasion and critical attacks, and its skills work with harmful effects on enemies. Shadow Instinct and Nightshade Mastery are two examples.

Dexterity gear suits it, but an item can still ask for Strength, or for two attributes at once. Check the specific weapon.

The Ranger fights from the back row with ranged weapons and pays for skills with Stamina, even when a skill adds an elemental component to the shot.

Marking a target gives the rest of the party a reason to focus on the same enemy; Hunter's Prey is one example. If you want to build on the mark, have the Ranger act before your other attackers that round. A mark placed after everyone else has gone won't help the attacks that already happened.

The Wizard attacks with elemental spells. Early spells like Fire Spark and Ice Shard can put a status on the target on top of the damage. Later you get attacks that hit more than one target.

Mana is what you need to watch. When you don't want to spend another spell, the Wizard can hit from the back row with a long-reach staff. Potions or resting somewhere safe refill the Mana. Not just any staff will do, though: equip requirements and each item's own effects still apply.

The Voidcaller heals, protects and supports the party with auras. Each rank of Void Mend adds a cure for a particular harmful status. Upgrading it improves your healing and gives you a new answer to an enemy that inflicts that status.

The Voidcaller pays with Mana, so pairing it with a Wizard means two Mana users in the party.

The Blood Mage pays with bones and health. Most of its spells use up a bone if you have one and take HP if you don't. Crimson Renewal is an exception: it always costs health, even with bones in your inventory. Read the cost of each skill, and don't assume every cast costs a bone and HP at once.

Endurance matters for a Blood Mage, but gear for blood spells can still need Wisdom. Crimson Ring, for example, needs WIS 4.