The Wizard class is Dark and Darker's only magic-based option at the moment, and it's definitely on the more 'complex' side of Wizard designs in video games, at least compared to some other recent Spell-casting games. Wizard players will need to manage their Spell Memory, Spell Casts, the effects of each Spell, cast time, meditation time, and a few other mechanics.
In comparison, the Fighter really just has to make sure they're blocking if they have a shield and swinging if there is an opening, and that's about it. So, let's go over every aspect of the Wizard in all of the Dark and Darker alpha tests, and talk about what exactly is the best overall 'build' that Wizards who seem to do well are using.
The Pros & Cons Of Playing A Spell-Caster
The Wizard is the other hyper-squishy class in Dark and Darker alongside the Rogue. Both classes trade their base HP for more versatility and the ability to inflict large bursts of damage when needed. The Wizard is even more versatile than the Rogue is, simply because it has access to all kinds of Spells with different effects. Let's go over a few reasons, in particular, players may want to at least try this class:
Pros
- Has some of the highest overall DPS in the game if their Spells land and are the absolute best at dealing large amounts of immediate damage when needed.
- Very versatile in a team, can buff teammates, slow enemies, turn themselves invisible, or snipe opponents from afar.
- Is able to regenerate their Spell Casts with a certain Skill whereas Clerics need to rely on campfires to do so.
- Can clear rooms of NPC enemies from a safe distance like the Ranger can.
- With the right Spell combination Wizards can almost always outrun or outplay their opponents if needed.
- Doesn't heavily rely on found items or rare weapons like some other classes do.
Cons
- Has very limited options to rely on if the enemy manages to close the distance.
- Wizard is incredibly squishy in terms of health, and can easily die in just two hits from a Barbarian or Fighter.
- Doesn't have a natural healing Perk or Skill.
- Can be a detriment to the team if they hit teammates or use their Spells at a bad time.
- Very hard to scale with gear unless a player happens to find the perfect item or an Epic/Legendary variant.
- Requires constant focus, skill, and precision to play at a high level.
- Meditation means that Wizards leave themselves vulnerable quite often if they think they're safe.
- Not a class really 'built' for Dungeon Crawling in general.
Wizard Skill Loadouts Aren't All Too Varied
As far as the Wizard's Skills go, it's a lot less inventive or fun to use the Wizard's Skills than most other classes. Half of them provide passive effects, and between the two active Skills only one of them (Intense Focus) feels 'fun' to use. Meditation is by far the better option, but it's not exactly enjoyable to press a button, sit down, and meditate to get some Spell casts back. That said, there are basically three different configurations Wizard players use, listed below from most commonly used to least:
- Spell Memory 2 and Meditation
- Spell Memory 2 and Intense Focus
- Spell Memory and Spell Memory 2
The Perks With The Best Bonus For Wizards
The Wizard is actually one of the few classes that have a large range of different Perks to pick from. To be more specific, there are 9 options for players to pick 2 from, with the most commonly used ones being:
- Quick Chant: A 20 percent buff to Spell casting speed is absurdly strong considering that's the majority of how a Wizard does damage.
- Sage: Knowledge is the stat that directly correlates to Spell casting speed and Spell Slots, so a 10 percent buff to this stat overall both passively makes it faster to cast Spells and might also make the difference between letting a Wizard equip one more Spell or not.
- Arcane Mastery: Again, another cast speed reduction Perk, with a 1-second reduction in cast speed overall. Not only that, but this Perk also buffs the overall magic damage of arcane spells by 5 percent.
- Reactive Shield: Basically a Blue Potion in the form of a Perk that automatically triggers when the Wizard is hit. Very difficult to actively notice the benefit of, but will assuredly helps over the course of many matches.
Wizards have other decent Perk options to pick from such as Arcane Feedback and Mana Surge, but those require some changes in general playstyle and aren't as universally helpful.
What Armor Do Wizards Even Use?
Like the Rogue, a Wizard is basically clueless when it comes to Armor, all they know are Tomes and Spells, not the difference between Chain Mail and Plate Mail. Still, that doesn't mean a Wizard won't find better gear to wear mid-match. In general, Wizards tend to always be wearing some variation of:
- Mystic Vestments
- Oracle Robes
- Frocks
Of course, they can also equip any armor that isn't specifically tied to a certain class, but Wizards generally should be looking at the stat bonuses on armor for anything related to Knowledge rather than Defense.
Do Wizards Need Weapons?
When it comes to Wizards and Weapons, the two don't exactly mix well. Wizards are Spell-casters, after all, it doesn't make sense for them to also be skilled in swinging swords around.
Still, there are a few options for a Wizard if it comes to melee combat, and there are also some options when it comes to the catalyst they use to cast Spells. For both, these options are best:
- Spellbook: All three spellcasting options, the Staff, Spellbook, and Crystal Ball can all have a variety of extra benefits on them depending on rarity. But, at a base level, the Spellbook is the catalyst option players seemed to gravitate to. This spell-casting catalyst increases a Wizard's movement speed by the most overall, which actually makes a big difference.
- Crystal Ball: The difference between the three Spell catalysts is pretty simple. The Staff is the default option and has melee attacks of its own, the Spellbook is faster all around but offers no melee options, and the Crystal Ball is the middle ground between the two in regard to movement speed, but players could also equip a Dagger or something in their other hand at the same time.
- Crossbow: That's right, Wizards can absolutely run Crossbows, but it's really only worth using once or at most twice during a match, and only once a Wizard is out of Spell casts. Still, tricking an enemy into thinking a Wizard is out of Spells, only to pull out a Crossbow and launch a bolt into them is a surprisingly effective strategy.
- Rondel Dagger: Again, if it ever does come down to melee combat, a Wizard loses 90 percent of the time. But, having a Rondel Dagger as a secondary or equipped alongside the Crystal Ball improves those odds at least a little bit.
The Wizard's Expansive Repertoire Of Spells
Moving on to the category everyone was likely waiting for when reading about the Wizard class, the Spells. Which Spells are the best to use on the Wizard and why? Or, at the very least, which ones are the most 'meta'? Are these specialist type Wizards, such as ones that use White, Green, Red, or even Blue magic, or are they a bit more stereotypical? Well, after doing some research, these seem to be the results, listed from least to most used:
- Slow: Slows an opponent for a duration, most of the time is replaced by Haste, but some players prefer to slow others rather than speed themselves up.
- Haste: Speeds the Wizard up by a pretty noticeable amount for a short duration. This is the key tool Wizards use to always keep their opponents at range, and using this they can outrun just about anyone in the game (outside of projectile weapons or other Spells).
- Invisibility: One of the best Spells to use on Wizard, but only veteran players seem to be utilizing it to the utmost. Basically allows the Wizard to use the same strategies as a Rogue does with their Hide ability.
- Fireball: The Spell everyone uses at first, tends to show up in every game, and is almost always incredibly good. But, in Dark and Darker, players will quickly realizes that it is easy to hit allies with and there are better options for overall damage.
- Chain Lightning: Likely the best option damage-wise, and the friendly-fire aspect of it is a bit misleading (doesn't actually chain to allies like it says it does). When aimed properly, can decimate an unaware foe.
- Magic Missile: The most iconic 'Wizard Spell', Magic Missile, is incredibly good in Dark and Darker as well. It's great for NPC enemies, good for area denial in a PvP fight, and it's the best Spell to use if the enemy manages to close the distance as it can quickly melt through their HP before their swing connects.
Last-Second General Wizard Tips
And that's pretty much everything players need to know about building Wizards in Dark and Darker. This class, out of all the classes the game currently offers, is probably one of the most challenging ones to play for a newcomer.
In terms of stats, players should keep an eye out for anything that adds additional magic damage, Knowledge, magical power, spell capacity bonus, Will, and buff duration. And, there are a couple of other, more general tips to keep in mind as well:
- Positioning Is Everything: For a Wizard, it's all about positioning. Positioning at the right distance for a Spell to connect, the right distance to keep an enemy from connecting with an attack, or positioning not to hit allies.
- Keybinds & Spell Placement Memorization Matters: One of the first initial hurdles of playing a Wizard are the actual controls. Players will need to memorize where they place their Spells on the Spell-casting Wheel, what inputs do what, when to drink potions, what secondary Weapon to use, and so on.
- Figure Out What Spells Work Best In Which Scenario: While there are absolutely Spells that are 'meta', each Spell has situations where it works better or worse. For example, against single-targets, there isn't much reason to use Fireball.
- Communicate With Allies When Casting: When playing a Wizard in a team, especially one where every player is in a voice call together, Wizards need to communicate when they're about to cast a Spell. Doing so lets teammates know to get out of the way so that there are no big accidents. Remember, while Clerics also have Spells, theirs are pretty much harmless to their allies and in some cases literally bring them back from the dead.
- Blue Potions Are Your Friends: And lastly, like Rogues, Blue Potions help Wizards immensely during combat. Usually, it just means they'll die in three hits instead of two, but the time it takes for that one hit is usually enough to turn the tide of the battle.
Dark and Darker is scheduled to release in late 2023 for PC.