Where Fighter is mostly about attacking and Ranger is mostly about shooting and stabbing, the Wizard class in Avowed is about blasting. For a traditional Wizard build, you'll pick your element then go all in on it. So while all those abilities on the menu screen might look intimidating at first, you cut it down by a lot once you're settled on how you want enemies to die. As with every class in the game, you can go in a variety of directions, but for our purposes, the classic fill-the-screen-with-fire approach will do.

Unlike some RPGs, spells in Avowed have long cooldowns, so you'll need to alternate between spells and maybe even throw in some basic attacks to keep the action going. But rest assured, if torching swathes of enemies with your hands is your goal, Avowed provides it in spades. You'll start out low-key with a close-range Fire spell, but fully committing will eventually mean dropping meteors from the sky. Throw in some defense for good measure, and you have a well-rounded build.

Avowed: Best Abilities & Spells For Wizard

Cover Your Enemies In Flame

Wizard starts out with Minor Missiles, and it's not only a strong starting skill, but a great one late-game too, when fully upgraded. While this build will focus on Fire abilities and spells, Minor Missiles can serve well early, given the Fire spell you're taking then is the short range Fan the Flames. If you're really bent on sticking to Fire, though, and don't mind a little risk, abandoning Missiles entirely can work nicely.

As Wizard is a mana hungry build, Armored Essence will be important (alongside Harvest Essence into Arcane Seal down the road). You'll of course want to keep on eye out for Essence stats on gear to keep yourself topped up, too. Moving into Level 5, take Wand Mastery for a little buff to your basic attack damage. Given the long cooldowns and Fire-resistant enemies about, you'll want to rely on these sometimes. Avowed encourages experimentation though, so feel free to try going without.

Next up, you have your other main Fire spell in Fireball. You'll be rotating between Fireball and Fan the Flames mostly now, and so can forgoe Minor Missile if you haven't already. Move into Harvest Essence for some sorely needed Essence sustain (swap this out later for Arcane Seal), and pick up Ring of Fire for some combined protection and damage. In the late game, Scion of Flame is the whole reason to commit to Fire, with Meteor Shower serving as the big payoff spell. You won't use this too often, but when you do, it'll hit hard.

Best Attributes For Wizard

Just Two Attributes To Worry About (Mostly)

Wizards can get by just fine with a heavy focus on Might and Intellect. The former is for the damage buff to spells, though as always, the carry capacity buff is appreciated. Intellect, meanwhile, is imperative due to how Essence hungry spells are; the defensive bonus in the form of Elemental Resistance is the cherry on top, and combines nicely with defensive stats on gear and abilities like Ring of Fire. With high values in both, you have a strong foundation for an all-around strong build.

You might be tempted to go for Perception over Might, but it only affects Wand attacks, which this build invests very little in.

What attributes you invest in beyond Might and Intellect isn't hugely important, but Constitution makes the most sense as you have some defensive investment already. Not having to worry so much about Poison and Bleed in addition to Elemental Resistance and the various forms of Damage Reduction should make Wizard more tanky than what you're used to. Dexterity, Perception, and Resolve all offer a Wizard very little, and so are best avoided in favour of putting more points where it matters.

Best Weapons & Armor For Wizard

Wands, Grimoires, Light Armor, And Medium Armor Are The Way

Wands are used for an option between cooldowns and to get around Fire resistant enemies. Unlike with other builds, you don't care much about the affixes there, but Physical Damage is the main consideration. Otherwise you'll be making use of grimoires, the spells from which will be empowered thanks to you taking them in the Avowed abilities tree. For those, the more they reduce Ability Cost and Cooldown, the higher your damage uptime will be.

Light and Medium Armor are what you'll be wearing; you'll be spending most of your time at range and wearing it lets you take advantage of Armored Essence, so they're the clear choice. Your primary consideration for armor is Maximum Essence, but Damage Reductions are appreciated, too. As for jewelry such as rings and trinkets, look for things that regenerate Essence; for Gloves, seek Poison and Bleed resistance, at least to start. In general, anything that buffs your spell damage, Resistances, or Damage Reduction are welcome.

How To Play Wizard In Avowed

Spam Fire, Fire, And More Fire

Early on you'll rotate between Minor Missile and Fan of Flames spam, getting up close when it's not too dangerous. Once Fireball comes online, you'll go between Fan and Fireball, using Wand attacks as needed between cooldowns. Once you grab Harvest Essence, you'll have to play a bit more actively, picking up Essence fragments as enemies fall. Later, Ring of Fire provides an emergency or preemptive defense button that happens to be great at bossing when you're feeling aggressive.

The build fully comes into its own when Scion of Flame, Meteor Shower, and Arcane Seal coalesce. When this happens, you can spam Fire spells more heavily and for more damage in a bigger area, which is arguably Avowed at its best. As in most RPGs, it takes a long time to get to that point, but when you do, it's well worth the wait. In a way, it makes up for any early game struggles.