Introduction

Welcome to our Dark and Darker Wizard guide for beginners. In this guide we’ll be covering all the basics you need to know to get your adventure started in Dark and Darker. The Wizard is a strong ranged spellcaster class with the ability to choose some melee options also. The Wizard has a vast array of spells ranging from high damage nukes to utility buffs.

Pros

• Has access to powerful spells
• Unique access to ranged and melee magic weapons
• Fairly versatile gameplay
• Extremely strong when played right

Cons

• Very low base health pool
• Low base physical damage
• Prone to hitting teammates in group sessions

Skills

Skills in Dark and Darker are the core abilities each class has unique access to. Currently, you can select two of the following skills to complement the playstyle or build choice you prefer:

• Arcane Shield
• Intense Focus
• Meditation
• Spell Memory 1 & 2

Arcane Shield

Gain a shield around you that absorbs 20 damage from all damage sources for 12 seconds. When the maximum amount of absorb has been reached, the shield unleases an Arcane Explosion, dealing 5 magical damage to enemy targets in a 2m radius around you.

Intense Focus

Reduce the cast time of your next spell ot 0.1 seconds.

Meditation

Enter a meditative state and recover spells at a rate of 34 spells costs over 24 seconds.

Spell Memory

Gain the ability to memorize spells to use in the dungeon.

Skill Recommendations

We recommend using Meditation and Spell Memory 1. This allows you access to spells and the ability to regenerate them! For more build specific recommendations, check out our Dark and Darker builds.

Perks

Perks in Dark and Darker serve as unique passive traits. Each class can slot up to 4 perks once they reach max level:

• Arcane Feedback – When you deal damage with an arcane spell, gain a stacking bonus granting 2% spell casting speed and 2% arcane magical damage bonus per stack for 7 seconds. This skill can stack up to 5 times and the duration resets with each successful stack.
• Arcane Mastery – Gain 5% arcane magical damage bonus and reduce the cast time of arcan spells by 0.5 second.
• Fire Mastery – Gain 5% fire magical damage bonus, The duration of applied burns are increased by 2 seconds, and a burned target reduces incoming physical healing by 50% and incoming magical healing by 50% for 5 seconds.
• Ice Mastery – Dealing damage with ice magic freezes the target’s feet and prevents them from moving for 0.5 seconds.
• Ice Shield – Gain 20 armor rating inflict frostbite on melee attackes causing them to lose 20% move speed bonus and 20% action speed for 0.5 seconds. Does not inflict while on cooldown
• Mana Surge – Gain 10% magical damage bonus.
• Melt – When you deal magical fire damage to a target, the target loses 10% physical damage reduction for 5 seconds.
• Quick Chant – Gain 10% spell casting speed.
• Reactive Shield, a shield that activates after taking damage
• Sage – Gain 10% knowledge bonus.
• Spell Overload – Reduces memory capacity bonus by 60% and increases all spells counts by 60%.
• Staff Mastery – When using a staff-type weapon, you gain 2 magic weapon damage.

Perk Recommendations

Currently, we recommend taking Quick Chant, Fire Mastery, Sage and Arcane Mastery. However, when starting out in your adventure and you are leveling your Wizard, we suggest starting with Sage first. This allows you to hit a Knowledge stat threshold to pick up a meta set of spells.

Spells

Spells are currently unique to a couple of classes that can wield them, such as the Cleric and the Wizard. These spells are the ones you will slot into your Spell Memory skill and take with you on your adventure. Something to know when starting out however, each spell has a cost to even use it. To see this, make sure to check the bar at the bottom of the screen when selecting spells to know what your spell capacity is.

Currently, spells are separated into tiers based on their power level, and as such, cost more to slot into your Spell Memory equal to the tier they are in.

One Cost Spells – Tier 1

• Zap – deal 20 magical damage and burns the target for 1 second.
• Light Orb – Cast spheres of floating light to brightly illuminate your surrounding.

Two Cost Spells – Tier 2

• Magic Lock – Lockable objects such as doors or boxes will be locked for 20 seconds.
• Slow – slows the target’s move speed bonus by 40% for 2.5 seconds.
• Ignite – Set the target’s weapon on fire. While active deal 5 magical damage and burn enemies on successful attacks.
• Ice Bolt 0 Deal 30 magical damage and reduce the target’s move speed bonus by 20% and action speed by 20% for 1 second.

Three Cost Spells – Tier 3

• Magic Missile – Fire up to 10 homing missile that each deal 10 magical damage. Stops firing when you move.
• Haste – Grants the target 5% move speed bonus, 10% action speed, 10% spell casting speed for 8 seconds. Self casted if no target is found.

Four Cost Spells – Tier 4

• Lightning Strike – When casted, a bolt of lightning falls in the targeted area after 4 seconds electrocuting enemies , dealing 30 magical damage and reducing enemies move speed bonus by 20% for 1 second.
• Invisibility – Grants the target invisibility for 4 seconds. While active, the target also gains 5% move speed bonus. Self casted if no target is found.
• Fireball – Shoot a burning fireball, dealing 25 direct magical damage to a target, 10 splash magical damage while knocking back nearby targets.

Five Cost Spells – Tier 5

• Explosion – When casted, an explosion occurs in the targeted area after 3 seconds, dealing 25 magical damage and burns within a 1m area.

Six Cost Spell – Tier 6

• Chain Lightning, 0 Electrocute the target , dealing 35 magical damage, and fires Lightning that is transferred to targets within a 8m area up to 3 times. It does not transfer to a target it was transferred to previously, and it transfers to the caster if you are nearby.

Spell Recommendations

For a standard Wizard build, and especially for starting. We recommend taking Ignite, Haste, Magic Missile, Invisibility and Lightning Strike providing you have the Spell Capacity to do so!

Weapons

The Wizard can utilize a fair few weapons within the game, allowing multiple playstyles to form:

• Staff
• Spellbook
• Rondel Dagger + Crystal Ball
• Crystal Sword
• Crossbow

Starting, we recommend trying to drop the starter staff as soon as possible and picking up a Spellbook instead. The Spellbook provides a decent set of stats while also having no movement speed penalty while using it. You can also buy a Spellbook from a vendor every so often so keep an eye out! In the early game, the Crossbow can also be an effective backup weapon until you reach the late game. For melee options to use along with your Spellbook, a Crystal Sword is advised.

It is important to note too that within the game there is a mechanic known as “Casting Collision”. Casting Collision is an instance where you attempt to cast and ability, but are too close to a wall or looking at a floor – ultimately canceling or “failing” the spell. The spellbook helps mitigate this issue as it’s a very small weapon, but keep this in mind while playing!

Stat Priority

Different stats in Dark and Darker have different properties, as a result we recommend prioritizing the following stats on gear:

• +All Attributes
• Knowledge to 25-30
• Additional Magic Damage
• Will/True Magic Damage

+All Attributes is a no brainer, allowing you additional stat points in every stat is huge value. We recommend reaching 30-35 Knowledge before fully committing to damage stats, as it is a fantastic breakpoint to reach to allow flexibility with spell selection and casting speed. Additional Magic Damage is a large raw stat addition to your Magic Damage, as a result your damage largely increases.

How To Play Wizard

In this Wizard Guide for Beginners, we will focus on the fundamentals. Ultimately as a Wizard you will provide heavy ranged damage assistance to teammates, or be a menace solo. Dark and Darker is a very brutal and unforgiving game, as a result mechanics such as friendly fire is on. This means as a Wizard you have to be careful when casting spells such as Fireball and need to think about positioning.

PvE

When dealing with PvE mobs throughout your dungeon run most mobs can be taken down fairly easily with Magic Missiles. However, should you bring a Rondel Dagger or Crystal Sword as a backup weapon to a Spellbook, you can Ignite your Dagger or Sword and take out monsters that way. Additionally, this method is much quieter and might help you avoid detection.

Fighting with teammates versus another trio can get hectic quickly, remember however that you can buff not only yourself but your teammates too. Make sure to keep uptime on your teammates weapons with Ignite, you can also Haste + Invisibility your frontliner such as a Barbarian or Fighter to charge in aggressively and confuse the opponent. Keep in mind however this is a brutal game, and as a result, you can also cast buffs on opponents too by mistake.

Spell Usage

Fireball, Lightning Strike, Zap and Magic Missile are your bread and butter hard-hitting spells you will often weave in between moving. Fireball is typically used from mid-long range, however, Magic Missile can be used in a “shotgun” style manner, by casting Haste + Invisibility on yourself, flanking the opponent and firing away at close range.

Finally, a basic but key thing to remember when fighting is to buff your teammates. And if you cannot find an angle from your backline to fire spells, Haste + Invisibility yourself and push into their backline. This allows you to create a squeeze and have a safer time casting without killing your friends. However this method also works solo too. Last but not least, always remember to Meditate between rooms you clear out! This will keep your spell charges topped up.

An alternate way of playing the Wizard is a dive-focused build that uses Rondel Dagger + Crystal Ball to stealth in and assassinate players. As a result, this is a selfish playstyle but a powerful one. Simply buff yourself with Ignite, Haste and Invisibility and push past the opponent’s Frontline and clear their backline as soon as possible. Finally, clean up the rest of the fight!

We hope you enjoyed our comprehensive Dark and Darker Wizard Guide for beginners! To check out other class guides and more, click here.

Dark and Darker’s next Playtest is coming 6th February, with many potential changes and additions we are expecting to see.