: Heavy Combat Arts (Heavy Armor, Large Blade Weapons) + White Magic (Life, Boons).

: While a pure fighter struggles in Shadow of the Phoenix , "magic is the clear winner" in the expansion. A fully developed mage can turn the game into "a piece of cake".

Maximizes your evasion and agility stats.

If you prefer to command the undead and utilize area-of-effect damage, the Black Mage is a terrifyingly effective build. It allows you to swarm enemies with hordes of undead while crippling them with dark curses. Stat Allocation

As you level up to the cap, you must strictly allocate your skill points into two primary trees. Do not deviate into Light Combat Arts, Ranged Combat Arts, or other magic schools. 1. Heavy Combat Arts (Primary)

A mix of Heavy Combat Arts and magic is excellent up to approximately level 30. However, pure mages eventually surpass hybrids in the expansions.

Common variations

While Fire Magic deals more raw damage, Ice Magic provides utility that keeps you alive. When paired with White Magic’s buffs, your summoned runes and heroes become twice as effective. The Efficient Archer: Ranged & Boons

: Concentrate your points on Intelligence , Wisdom , and Charisma to keep your magic potent and affordable. Stamina is a secondary but important attribute to prevent you from being killed in a single hit. A solo mage can be "rather frail," and "being surrounded means your spells are going to be interrupted", so maintaining distance is key.

A simple, high-potency spell. Because you wear heavy armor, your effective health is incredibly high. A single Greater Heal can instantly top off your health bar, wasting the enemy's offensive efforts. Gear Strategy: What to Look For

Elven factions pair exceptionally well with Rangers, as Elven Rangers have Volley by default and Windarchers are considered one of the best ranged units in the game with their Freeze and Iceburst abilities.

Your bread-and-butter survival tool. Instantly restores the majority of your health bar for low mana cost.