The Thaumaturge divides Wiktor Szulski's skills into four categories, each representing a "Dimension" he can utilize the powers of. These Dimensions are called "Heart", "Mind", "Deed", and "Word", and are intrinsically linked to the various Salutors Wiktor gains control of during the game. Unlocking skills from a given Dimension often also increases the "Force" of that Dimension, making Wiktor better at utilizing that Dimension in exploration and combat.
When choosing which skills to learn first in The Thaumaturge, players will need to consider what Dimensions they want to strengthen while also considering the combat ability each skill will provide. This guide will give some general advice for the early-game and also call out some particularly useful skills to shoot for after the prologue. As the game progresses and players gain access to more Salutors, more skills will become available in each of the four skill branches.
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Skills in the Prologue
During the Prologue, players should prioritize getting one level of Force in each of the four Dimensions. This means unlocking the first skill from each of the Mind, Deed, and Word categories. This is important because it will allow Wiktor to uncover Traces relating to each of these Dimensions while investigating, which is crucial to completing the Prologue. Luckily, the Prologue offers plenty of opportunities to earn EXP simply by investigating everything you can find.
After finishing the Prologue and acquiring a second Salutor, players can start specializing a bit. Since there are four branches to develop, players will inevitably need to pick up some skills not mentioned in this guide to get to some of the later entries, but they're usually more than worth the trouble.
Fortune (Mind)
The Fortune Skill is an excellent early pick to help mitigate damage taken in combat. Along with being the first skill in the Mind Branch, thus providing Mind Force 1, it also lets players add a 50% chance of interrupting an enemy's action to an attack of their choice. A good place to slot this is in Wiktor's first Quick Attack, so that it can be used repeatedly and reliably when a dangerous attack is on the way.
This skill should be picked up during the prologue for the reasons mentioned earlier, and its sheer versatility makes it an excellent first choice.
Thief of Thought (Deed)
The First Skill on the Deed Branch, Thief of Thought shows its utility once you add Bukavac to your collection of Salutors at the end of the prologue. With the ability to inflict the "suffering" status on enemies, you can slot Thief of Thought into an attack to exploit that status effect and reduce enemy focus. This can be a great addition to an Influence attack to really pile on Focus damage.
Action-Reaction (Heart)
Unlockable once players have restored their connection to Upyr during the Prologue, Action-Reaction is the second step in Wiktor's Quick Attack Chain. It can be accessed as his next action after using his first Quick Attack and can slot rank 2 upgrades. This makes it an excellent place to put some of the upgrades we'll be discussing a little further down.
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Agony (Deed)
Another new attack for Wiktor, Agony allows Wiktor to inflict Suffering on both the Target and a random additional enemy. This is excellent for enabling skills like Thief of Thought, while also leaving groups suffering from Damage Over Time, softening them up for Wiktor and his Salutors as the battle drags on.
Debilitating Wound (Deed)
After getting Bukavac on your side, you can gain access to a few different ways of inflicting the Suffering Status, including this skill. Learning this skill also raises Wiktor's maximum HP to assist with his survival in trickier combat encounters. Slotting Debilitating Wound into an attack allows it to inflict the Suffering Status when it lands, so it fits very nicely into Action-Reaction.
Thoughtful Development (Mind)
The Second of Wiktor's Planned Attacks, Thoughtful development will deal a ton of damage if players can land it. Of course, the time it takes to execute can make it a bit tricky to use. It's worth picking up regardless since it's a necessary purchase to reach the fantastic skill "Icy Armor."
Icy Armor (Mind)
Players will need to track down Lelek and add them to their roster of Salutors before they can access Icy Armor, but it's well worth the trouble. Icy Armor applies a buff that reduces incoming damage whenever Wiktor uses the attack it is attached to. This is hugely effective, especially during group fights, and is a fantastic upgrade to slot into Action-Reaction, so it can be re-used frequently. Grabbing this skill as soon as it's available will do wonders for Wiktor's combat performance.
The Thaumaturge
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Released
- February 20, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Fool's Theory
- Publisher(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
- Genre(s)
- Adventure , RPG
