Update 17: combat and progression changed
Enemies were made more accurate and retuned to compensate. The patch also rebalanced the contribution of Armor skill and the attributes awarded per skill level. HP is no longer awarded simply for gaining a character level. An older build recommendation may therefore feel different even when its named perks still exist.
Armor damage reduction is capped at 85%. That is not an armor-rating target, and the note does not establish the rating formula, best equipment combination or a damage-per-second ranking. Test the encounter and displayed stats on your own build before committing to older assumptions.
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Changed in Update 17
This page was compared with the official Update 17 announcement on September 25, 2026. The changes above are developer-reported; details requiring in-game testing remain explicitly unresolved.
Current-build index
| Build | Core idea |
|---|---|
| Spellblade | Pair a one-handed weapon with spell access and keep both resource plans usable. |
| One-Handed | Build around flexible weapon use while leaving room for defense or utility magic. |
| Two-Handed | Commit to heavy weapon pressure and plan recovery before spending every point on offense. |
| Archer | Prioritize reliable ranged pressure, mobility and a fallback when enemies close distance. |
| Stealth Archer | Combine Update 12's crouched bow behavior with the Update 15 Sneak and Archery trees. |
| Thief | Build for access, theft and escape instead of treating every encounter as combat. |
| Assassin | Combine stealth approach, controlled burst and an exit plan for failed detection. |
| Heavy Armor | Favor survival, blocking and deliberate pressure over unverified damage-race claims. |
| Blood Magic | Use the new Blood Magic cost split only with a deliberate health-management plan. |
| Sorcery | Choose a clear casting identity and reserve resources for encounters where positioning fails. |
| Psionics | Plan around control and unusual effects while maintaining a dependable basic offense. |
| Channeling | Use sustain and summon-oriented directions without assuming every perk is party support. |
| Co-op Support | Build for party visibility, survivability and repeatable utility while the host retains world progress. |
| Exploration | Favor movement, access and gathering so more of the island remains reachable and useful. |
How these guides work
- A primary skill defines the repeatable action.
- A supporting skill covers resources, defense or access.
- A flex slot answers the current save's actual weakness.
- Named perks are official seeds; exact prerequisites come from the live menu.
Evidence boundary
Exact values, requirements and edge cases stay marked as unverified until they can be checked in the current build.
Choose one combat anchor
The official store confirms multiple weapon types and a fully featured spell-crafting system. Start by choosing the current in-game option you can use consistently, then judge supporting choices around that anchor.
Terms such as melee or mage are useful descriptions of intent, not proof of a fixed class system. The registered sources do not define mandatory classes or a best-in-slot path.
Original guide diagram
Build framework
Build Around a Job, Not a Tier List
Add support that solves a specific problem
Alchemy and spell crafting are confirmed systems, and official updates have adjusted both systems over time. Use them to support a concrete need visible in the live build rather than copying a launch-week template built around older behavior.
Change one element and retest. Stacking several unverified recommendations makes it impossible to tell which choice helped or whether a patch invalidated the combination.
Update 11 changes the planning baseline
Skill XP is now linear and dramatically reduced, while training costs 2× more. Archery gives +1 HP and +2 Stamina per level and increases projectile speed by an unpublished amount.
These changes can alter how quickly a setup develops, but they do not identify a best build. Retest older recommendations against the current combat and progression rules instead of treating launch-week leveling speed as current.
Keep race outside the ranking until proven
Update 7 confirms Uruhan, more race-reactive dialogue and a way to change race. It does not provide the complete statistics needed to rank races for weapons, spells or co-op roles.
Choose race for the character and dialogue evidence currently visible. Treat any claimed racial optimization as unverified unless a current first-party description or reproducible live-build test supports it.
Retest after balance changes
- Use Update 16 as the current baseline; retain Update 11 only as historical progression context.
- Read official changes touching perks, weapons and spells before revising a setup.
- Avoid damage values copied from an unknown build or difficulty context.
- Keep an earlier save when testing a major allocation or equipment change.
Useful frameworks, not a tier list
A weapon-led framework prioritizes reliable weapon use and only then adds magic or alchemy. A spell-led framework starts with current spell behavior and uses equipment or alchemy to cover situations the chosen spells do not answer. Both are planning methods, not claims about hidden scaling.