3 of the Best Abilities for Each Class in Wildermyth

This guide will tell you the best abilities to look out for when levelling heroes in Wildermyth. The best abilities can take a late addition from a backup to a member of the party you send to the final boss. So make sure you know which to choose for each class.

the best abilities wildermyth cover

Wildermyth is approaching full release with overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews. The fun and simple levelling system is a big part of its success. However, as it only shows a selection of three potential abilities to choose from each level it is a little difficult to know what to pick. This guide will break down the abilities you should absolutely pick up for each class. Abilities aren’t necessarily ‘balanced’; a poor selection can seriously hamper your heroes. So it is worth knowing what to get early on so you aren’t burdened with an ability you never use all game. 

3 of the Best Abilities for the Warrior Class

1. Battledance

  • Melee attacks only cost one action.

This is one of the best abilities for your tanks but works for just about anyone. Being able to attack twice in one turn obviously has a huge impact on your damage output. The only drawback is that if you have to move at all to attack, battledance does nothing. Your heaviest hitters will often kill the nearest enemy in one hit and then need to move to reach another.

In this situation, they do gain an advantage from the extra move, but it is not as significant as doubling damage. Tanks will get surrounded more often and also are less likely to get the job done in one hit, meaning this ability is more impactful. I would still advise picking it up of two-handers in most situations, however. If a boss ends its turn next to your two-hander, the extra attack is huge.

A very good boy

A very good boy

2. Riposte

  • Will counter-attack after a successful melee block or dodge.

Another one for the tanks. Riposte is the most important aspect of a great tank, besides having enough block skill to make use of it. You are often overwhelmed by the enemies’ numbers when clearing a room. Getting more attacks is the best way to avoid this. The utility of counter abilities in games depends greatly on hit chances. In some games, everyone can counter and in others, countering is very limited. In Wildermyth, the high regularity with which attacks miss makes riposte one of the best abilities for the warrior class.

Again it isn’t for everyone; if you are stacking armour to simply take hits on the chin, then you won’t get much out of it. Keep track of your stats to see if this will be worthwhile. When your combined chance to avoid an attack is high, it’s a great pickup. Of course, if you are early in a campaign, it can work the other way. Once the ability is chosen, you should distribute gear to stack block and dodge on your riposte user. 

3. Vigilance

  • Perform up to 3 reaction strikes per turn.

You need the ability to perform reaction strikes to make use of this. Once you’ve picked up guardian, don’t miss vigilance. This is especially useful when your party has a lot of ranged heroes since your melee hero can guard them more effectively. It is, of course, limited to situations when three enemies enter your range in a turn. You need to be very particular about unit placement. Combine with bonuses to range such as spears and long reach for best results.  

3 of the Best Abilities for the Hunter Class

1. Ambush

  • Prepare a powered-up attack on the first enemy to enter an area; if the attack is not sprung, get a free attack next turn.

The best ability for your archers, ambush is even more effective than it first appears. With it, you can guarantee a productive use of your actions every turn. Even if no one enters the target area, it is still very useful for the next turn. Of course, it’s not so useful for hunters that focus on melee attacks. If you are using a bow, you need ambush.

 

2. Thornfang

  • Refund an action point for each kill.

The limit for uses per turn is based on your potency stat. A high potency hunter can get a lot done in one turn. This is one of the best abilities to put on a hero with transformations, which are fairly common in Wildermyth. The requirement to kill your enemy may make it seem slightly weaker than battledance. However, by refunding the action point rather than simply making it cost one less, it means you can attack twice even whilst on the move. Considering the speed of a hunter, this can allow you to deal out damage all over the map.

It's important to have a solid team that complements each other, don't commit everyone to the 'perfect' build

It’s important to have a solid team that complements each other, don’t commit everyone to the ‘perfect’ build

3. Heroism

  • One-time use, gain an action point and attacks only cost one action point this turn.

This one is all about that one moment. Most often, the moment you come up against the boss. Get your hunter in backstab position, use this ability, and attack 2-3 times in one turn for huge damage. If you pull it off, a significant number of the game’s bosses will die in one turn. Other times the ability might get your hunter over to an ally in time to save their life. All around, it might not be a consistent power boost, but when it comes in handy, you will be glad you picked it up. It’s best on a hunter since they can deal the most single-target damage and so do best using it against a boss.

3 of the Best Abilities for the Mystic Class

1. Ignite

  • Conjure a flame on a debris tile.

This is a must-get for any mystic. The types of scenery or objects you need for other magic attacks might not always be around, but debris is a constant. This means you are always going to be able to make use of this ability. Additionally, you can use it to attack twice, summoning the flame on an enemy tile then moving it onto a second enemy. Afterward, you can specialise in more fire effects, confident it won’t be wasted by your element not being present on a map.

2. Endurance

  • Gain 2 armour.

It’s not glamourous, but a little armour on your mage can be a lifesaver. This isn’t DnD, armour doesn’t block off all magic power. They are a very squishy class, and so if there is nothing too exciting on offer, I always pick this up on a mage. If you can’t get endurance, a similar defensive boost works too. 

The mystic mechanics are the game's most unique aspect

The mystic mechanics are the game’s most unique aspect

3. Indignance

  • Deals damage to enemies entering range.

It’s only a small amount of base damage, but it is based on potency, so you can get it fairly high. With mystics already having the most area of effect attacks, they are the best heroes to use to defeat large numbers quickly. The weakest units might die to this alone, but the most utility is against mid-strength foes. Fairly often, this will bring your enemies into the hit point range where you can use a bigger attack to take out a large number at once.

To Each, Their Own 

A final note is that levelling is very situational. There are no abilities that are always the best for every class in every situation you encounter in Wildermyth. Unlocking a powerful transformation can completely change how you should use a hero.  There are still a few abilities that should make your eyes light up when they are presented as an option. These are what has been listed here, but be aware you may sometimes want to build a particular hero in a way that doesn’t require them.

1 Comment

  1. Avatar photo

    Not going to lie but this advice, though possibly useful at the game’s early release, is now outdated. To all reading this as a current guide as of early 2022, please look elsewhere (Reddit, Steam, etc..) for more recent suggestions.

    I appreciate the game’s review and respect the author’s take. These moves are not bad but also are now by no means the priority moves for each class.

    Reply

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