Been thinking about this for a while, and I think it would be useful to have a general build-making guide up somewhere for people to look at, with stats of different unlocks all in one place to see, as well as general knowledge on how to put together a build, not just for this update, but updates going forward as well.
This is intended to be something you can link people who ask “What is the best build for X magic” or “What is the best magic for X build” or even “What are the best stats for X”
General Knowledge;
When designing a build for your character, there are a few things that should be taken into account. First of all, what build do you WANT to play, what sounds fun to you. This is a game where you can make almost anything work if you put enough effort into designing your build, so think about what you want to play, what sounds fun, and what playstyle you’re looking for. If you’re having a tough time making a decision, I’ll outline the benefits of each build type in the following collapsed menu:
Build path summary
Savant
Savant is a build path that, so far in the game at the time of writing this, relies heavily on the sheer variety of attacks at it’s disposal. If you enjoy hot swapping between skill sets for different situations, this class may be good for you. Later on in the game, you can choose to imbue your weapons with fighting or magic styles, or imbue your fighting style/s with a magic. This build encompasses a wide variety of stats, and two awakening path options: Magic or fighting, which allow you to unlock a second magic OR second fighting style.
Mono-stat builds
Mono-stat builds only use one stat for their attacks, resulting in a powerful focused playstyle. While they aren’t as flexible in their stat spread or tool usage as hybrids, instead provide much more options on a single pathway.
Mage
Mage relies heavily on its ranged attacks to zone enemies out, while heavier magics can go for a more brawler style to get in close and deal heavy damage with large AOEs. This build path only has one stat you can invest in, and vitality, so while not very diverse in builds, it is incredibly diverse in synergies and spell modifiers, making it a powerful force in the current game. Later on in the game, it will be able to learn three magics.
Warrior
Warrior is a class that is defined by its ability to quickly adjust its playstyle to whatever the situation may call for. With three weapon slots, and each weapon has a variety of different unique skills and different stats for each weapon, and enchants that can modify the stats. You may find yourself swapping out your weapons to try different combinations at different points in the game. As the most flexible build after progression is complete, it solidifies itself in a unique position.
Berserker
Designed with a brawler in mind, berserker has many close-ranged skills that are meant for chase-down playstyles combined with aggression and quick movement. It does this very well, with multiple close range skills, and tools to get in close and ground the opponent for heavy damage. The playstyle it offers as the intended one is incredibly unique, and can be very viable for a fun playthrough if that is what you are looking for.
Warden
As the only class that isn’t yet playable, everything on warden is pure speculation. Though it is known that wardens are intended to wield “Spirit weapons”, a unique type of attack method that uses one’s own lifeforce to attack with, not much else is known about their playstyle. The speculation is that they will drain your hp, as a vitality class you will have an excess of that resource, to use each of the skills on the weapon. You may want to keep a save slot in reserve to try this class when it becomes available.
Dual-stat builds
Being dual stat builds, these builds provide much more flexibility in stat spread than their mono-stat counterparts, only requiring at least 40% of your stats in each of the two chosen stats to qualify.
Conjurer
Conjurer, as a weapons and magic hybrid, is a class that specializes in imbuing it’s weapons with the effects of it’s magic. When imbued, you will gain the stat multipliers of your magic, and the status effects of the magic, alongside the status synergies of your magic, all applied to your weapons. You can apply special synergies with imbuement, such as steam, which is a combination of heat, and water energy that creates a unique heat-based magic effect.
Warlock
Warlock is a combination of fighting style and magic, resulting in extra synergies from imbuement, or casting separately. Like Conjurer, it can also imbue magic onto it’s second stat, fighting styles. Fighting styles can provide unique synergies on their attacks, such as thermo fist’s burn which synergizes with heat magics, or sailor fist’s soaked which can synergize well with cold magics. Warlock, like conjurer, can also apply steam as an imbuement when combining heat and water energies.
Warlord
This stat path focuses on fighting style and weapons, the strength and weapons stats. As a build, it can use unique weapon types called “Strength weapons”, which have larger versions of normal weapon skills, as well as some unique skills to themselves. They also have the ability to imbue the stats of their fighting styles, as well as the passives, onto their weapons for increased potency of their attacks.
Vitality hybrids
Vitality hybrids, which are listed as Knight (weapons), Paladin (magic), and Juggernaut (Strength). These builds currently only have access to the same benefits as the mono-stat counterparts, however with more base HP and regen, and less base damage. These builds can reach high hp numbers, and can be pretty well made, however, keep in mind that you will not have access to the higher tier skills that the mono-stat classes have, as well as lower damage, for the benefit of being a little tankier. Later down the line, these builds may get access to spirit weapons, which warden will also use, but for now, they get no extra benefits.
With that out of the way, let’s get onto the discussion of how to spread your stats. When making a stat spread, it is important to keep in mind that your stats will NEVER increase your damage, the only stat that will change your damage is VITALITY which will decrease your damage.
Vitality scaling jargon
Vitality reduces your BASE power by 0.4% for every 1% of skill points invested. So at 50/250 points invested, it will decrease your base power by (19+lvl)-((19+lvl)x(1-(0.25x0.4))) Where 144 is your base power (19+lvl), 0.25 is the portion of statpoints invested (as a decimal, not a percent), and 0.4 is the percent decrease. This results in 14.4 net power loss, which can be made up for with just 2 enchants (50 vit gives 200 HP, which is more than 2 enchants worth of defense).
All other stats just unlock new skills which will increase your battle performance. Investing into stats will increase the size of skills through continuous size scaling, and change visuals through “Tiers” which will not be talked about in-depth in this guide. (Potentially will make another guide to talk about stat scalings. Here’s a link to a doc (not mine) which contains some approximations for tier unlocks: AO - Ability Tier Scaling - Google Sheets )
Stat points put into ATTACKING STATS, such as magic, strength, and weapons, will also increase your max energy by 2 points per stat, with the 100 base added as well. (2x + 100 where x is the stat points invested into stats other than vitality), though this doesn’t do much other than a cosmetic change, as skills take a percent of your energy instead of a flat value.
Here is an incredibly brief summary on buildcraft for each spread archetype (Mono, dual, or savant)
For Mono-stat builds
generally speaking, you will probably want most of your stat points just pushed directly into your main stat. You have the option to get vitality, however it will decrease your damage for only marginally higher HP (4 hp per point), and you will lose access to later unlocks that you would have had if you put points into your main stat.
For Dual-stat builds
You NEED to take into account what skills you want to unlock on each of your pathways. Some notable stat spreads are 45:55 (maxed 120/150), 48:52 (maxed 130/140), or 40:60 (maxed 163 107, specifically good for vitality Dual-stat) currently. There WILL be different stat spread options in the future with more unlocks, these are just the current ones with major unlock points.
For Savant
Your build should keep in mind a similar concept to dual-stat builds, however, be careful to not spread yourself too thin, or you will lack high level skills. Remember that as a savant, you have the freedom to allocate your points however you want as long as you don’t meet the prerequisite for any other build. That means you MAY NOT PUT 50% OR MORE OF YOUR POINTS IN ONE STAT, AND MAY NOT PUT 40% OR MORE OF YOUR POINTS IN TWO STATS. This still gives you a lot of freedom, and you can even get to builds that are very similar to the dual-stat hybrids, just without the imbue and opting instead for a second magic/fighting style.
As a pop-quiz, i will give anyone who can tell me EVERYTHING that is wrong with this build (Note that this build is no longer possible) a big fat smooch:
More in-depth builds than this can be put together and crafted by yourself, but I will be putting ALL unlocks for each stat type below so you may have them all in one place for reference.
Magic builds
Notable unlock points include:
- explosion
- multi beam (magic 120, for specific magics that like to spread hazards)
- snare (For magics with stacking statuses)
- aura (for magics that have high multipliers on their aura types)
There are also notable unlocks at ultimate art for explosion, shapes, magic jump, and magic stat 160 which unlocks pulsar.
Magic stat unlocks
These are the stat point requirements for ALL unlocks for FIRST magic, second magic stat points will be modified by awakening (Savant +70 and Mage +120) for ALL unlocks
Basic Spells:
Blast
- Casting Style (10 Magic) (Visual)
- Amount (20 Magic)
- Ultimate Art (200 Magic)
- Shape (220 Magic)
Explosion (30 Magic)
- Style (40 Magic) (Self/Placed)
- Type (70 Magic) (Sphere/Shockwave/Pillar)
- Ultimate Art (230 Magic)
- Shape (250 Magic)
Leap (60 Magic)
- Casting Style (70 Magic) (visual)
- Ultimate Art (260 Magic)
Beam (90 Magic)
- Casting Style (100 Magic) (Visual)
- Amount (120 Magic)
- Ultimate Art (290 Magic)
Snare (120 Magic)
- Casting Style (130 Magic) (Visual)
- Barrage Style (135 Magic) (Visual)
- Hits (140 Magic) (Doesn’t change total damage, but not purely visual for statuses that can stack Ex: blind)
- Ultimate Art (320 Magic)
Aura (150 Magic)
- Casting Style (160 Magic) (Visual)
- Effects (180 Magic) (Visual)
- Ultimate Art (350 Magic)
Rare Spells:
Cannon (80 Magic)
- Ultimate Art (280 Magic)
Javelin (150 Magic) (In progress)
- Ultimate Art (350 Magic)
Array (220 Magic)
- Amount (250 Magic)
- Shapes (280 Magic)
- Ultimate Art (420 Magic)
Surge (240 Magic) (In progress)
- Ultimate Art (440 Magic)
Pulsar (240 Magic)
- Ultimate Art (440 Magic)
Strength builds
Notable unlock points include:
- Smash (shockwave variant)
- Rushdown
- Shot
- Focus (for fighting styles with high multipliers on their focus types)
There are also notable unlocks at ultimate art crash, embodiments, air step, and strength stat 160 which unlocks axe slash.
Strength stat unlocks
These are the stat point requirements for ALL unlocks for FIRST fighting style, second fighting style stat points will be modified by awakening (Savant +40 and Berserker +90) for ALL unlocks
Basic Techniques:
Crash (30 Strength)
- Knockback (40 Strength) (On by default)
- Ultimate Art (230 Strength)
- Embodiment (250 strength)
Smash (60 Strength)
- Amount (80 Strength)
- Type (90 Strength)
- Ultimate Art (260 Strength)
- Embodiment (280 Strength)
Rushdown (90 Strength)
- Knockback (100 Strength) (On by default)
- Ultimate Art (290 Strength)
- Embodiment (310 Strength)
Shot (120 Strength)
- Amount (130 Strength)
- Ultimate Art (320 Strength)
- Embodiment (340 Strength)
Focus (150 Strength)
- Effects (180 Strength) (Visual)
- Ultimate Art (350 Strength)
Airstep (180 Strength)
- Angle (190 Strength)
- Ultimate Art (380 Strength)
Rare Techniques:
Seleno (150 Strength)
- Knockback (160 Strength) (On by default)
- Amount (170 Strength)
- Ultimate Art (350 Strength)
Blitz (220 Strength)
- Knockback (230 Strength) (On by default)
- Embodiment (280 Strength)
- Ultimate Art (420 Strength)
Axe Slash (240 Strength)
- Knockback (250 Strength) (On by default)
- Ultimate Art (440 Strength)
Uppercut (240 Strength)
- Knockback (250 Strength) (On by default) (Removes stun)
- Ultimate Art (440 Strength)
It’s also important to note what fighting styles get unlocked at what point for specific build types:
- Boxing, 30 points
- Cannon fist and iron leg, 80 points
- Sailor Style and thermo fist, 100 points
Weapons builds
Weapons builds are unique in that they don’t have standard skills, instead opting for skills per weapon type, with some weapons having unique skills. Weapons builds get LARGE jumps in skill unlocks all at once. It’s of note that higher tier weapons will only get increased damage if their damage stat is higher, Level does not matter, but higher level weapons will have a larger skill AOE cap.
Weapon list
Each dropdown will include all weapons that have the stated level and base skill-point requirement
Weapons have a “Quality” which determine their skill count. “Poor” quality weapons have 2 skills, “Average” quality weapons have 3 skills, and “Good” quality weapons have 5 skills (There are exceptions, Ravenna war shield and Atlantean shield)
To use a skill on any given weapon, you GENERALLY must have 2x the level of the weapon, PLUS the added requirement for the skill. If that number is LOWER than the MINIMUM requirement, the minimum requirement will replace it. Skill slots 3 and onward have an additional +10 skill points required, with the last one being an ultimate art that has an additional +200 on top of the +10.
With the addition of skill notes into the game, which can be obtained at a blacksmith by removing skills from a weapon; the following spreadsheet has information on which skills are compatible with what weapon type as well as the minimum and added requirement. Spreadsheet Link
Level 1 weapons
+20 Skill points required
Poor quality: (2 skill slots)
- All “Old”/“Rusty”/“Wooden”
Level 30 Weapons
+60 Skill points required.
Average Quality: (3 skill slots)
- Ravenna sword, Ravenna shield, Keraxe broadsword, Keraxe shield, Samerian cutlass, Samerian shield.
Level 50 Weapons
+100 Skill points required.
Average Quality: (3 skill slots)
- All “Iron” weapons, Kai’s Sabre, Silent Blades, Sanguine Dagger
Good Quality: (5 skill slots)
- Sunken Sword
Level 60 Weapons
+120 Skill points required.
Average Quality: (3 skill slots)
- Green Staff
Good Quality: (5 skill slots)
- Stormcaller, Scimitars of Storm, Noble Thunderspear
Level 100 Weapons
+200 Skill points required.
Average Quality: (3 skill slots)
- Ravenna Greataxe
Good Quality: (5 skill slots)
- Triasta, Sunken Staff, Ravenna Greatsword, Ravenna war shield, ALL dark sea weapons (Shields might have 3, not testable atm)
Level 110 Weapons
+220 Skill points required.
Good Quality: (5 skill slots)
- Vindicator, Thalassi, and Plunderers (?)
Special hybrid unlocks
This category will be expanded more when other weapon types such as arcanium weapons are added. As of now it is limited to Strength Weapons
Strength weapons can use the same compatibility sheet as normal weapons Spreadsheet Link, however their minimum and added requirements are halved, then applied to weapon and strength. For example, Crushing Judgement on Halberd costs 110 wpn/str.
As with weapons, base requirement + added requirement, and if that number is lower than the minimum, use the minimum instead.
Halberd and Lance have a base requirement of +160 and are Good Quality, which means they have 5 skill slots, and slots 3+ have an added +10 requirement.
If anyone has anything they’d like added feel free to comment
