Dark And Darker: Complete Wizard Guide

Dark and Darker is a fantasy FPS game that was initially released last year in August. This gripping dark fantasy game features multiple classes,  with each of them having a different playstyle. In this guide, we’ll be covering all the basics and intricacies of the Wizard class. 

Wizards are a high-risk, high-reward class in Dark and Darker. They have access to powerful fire, frost, and arcane spells that can turn the tide of a battle instantaneously, but there is a cost. These spellcasters have to meditate and prepare their spells in advance, in order to pull them off in battle.  This leaves them in a vulnerable state where they can be attacked from all directions. 

Wizards also have relatively lower health pools and slower movement speeds, which in turn means that they struggle in solo match-ups. However, if you’re a skilled enough player with good timing, then you can still succeed and decimate your opponents playing as these sorcerers.

Complete Wizard Guide

To fully maximize your damage as a Wizard, it is important to understand how all aspects of their kit work. This includes your Perks, Skills, Spells, Stat Priority and Weapons. Alongside that, you also need to know how to play with the class.

Consider checking out our Dark and Darker beginner’s tips and tricks article before, if you’re a relatively new player!

Perks

The Wizard class in Dark and Darker has access to the following Perks:

• Arcane Specialization
• Arcane Mastery
• Fire Mastery
• Ice Shield
• Mana Surge
• Melt
• Quick Chant
• Reactive Shield
• Sage

When it comes to Perks, we recommend either choosing Quick Chant or Mana Surge as your first perk, with the rest being unlocked eventually as you level up. Wizards excel at casting spells, and both of these perks improve their ability to do so. With Quick Chant, you can cast spells a lot quicker, which makes it harder for opponents to punish you. Mana Surge increases the damage output of all your spells by a good amount, which is always a plus.

Skills

The Skills available to you as a Wizard are:

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

For your Skills, Spell Memory and Meditation are recommended for your two skills. Spell Memory lets you use up to 5 different spells, while Meditation enables you to refresh those 5 spells, letting you use them again in combat. These two skills work very well in combination with one another. Be warned though, you will need your allies to cover for you while you are in the meditative state

Spells

There is a nice variety of spells to choose from in Dark and Darker, but several of them are just considered to be significantly better than others. We recommend prioritizing Fireball, Magic Missiles, Ignite, and Haste over others, especially when playing in a group. 

Fireball and Magic Missiles are both great offense spells, helping you maximize your damage output. Fireball can do a whole bunch of damage at once to all your opponents, disrupting their flow while giving your group an edge in battle. Additionally, Magic Missiles give you the ability to deal incredible amounts of damage to an opponent, if you position yourself well and aim for the head.

On the other hand, Ignite and Haste are not as flashy as the aforementioned offense spells, but they are incredibly useful regardless. Haste increases your movement speed, which helps balance out the poor default movement speeds of Wizards. Whereas, Ignite lights your weapon on fire, helping you deal additional damage with each weapon hit.

Weapons & Stat Priority

For most players, the Spellbook is said to be the best weapon, due to its high spell-casting speed. As spells are the most powerful tools at the disposal of a Wizard, a spell-focused build is likely the best way to go. Although, you can’t go wrong with the Crystal Sword either if you’re into a magic-melee hybrid build. Ultimately, it depends on your preferred playstyle.

Since a spell-focused build is likely the most suitable build for most players, Will is a key stat for the Wizard class, as it increases spell power and buff duration. Knowledge is the next most important stat, as it increases the spell cost limit. Any stat that directly benefits the effectiveness of your spells is beneficial.

Wizard Playstyle

Wizards are more fruitful in medium to long-range combat rather than short-range, so you should rely on the power of your spells to overwhelm your opponents from afar while maintaining a safe distance.

You should position yourself in such a way that you get an advantageous angle on your opponents. Also, actively communicating with your teammates is of vital importance so that they may stay out of your way, enabling you to get a clear shot on your enemies, while also protecting you when you are vulnerable.

Consider checking out our complete Fighter guide for Dark and Darker if you want to get into some melee action!

All in all, the Wizard class is most effective when played in a group rather than solo, due to its glaring weaknesses. When playing in a group, teammates can help cover up the weaknesses of the Wizard class, allowing it to shine, but in a solo match, these weaknesses are exposed.