Hero Loadouts for All Eight Classes
Four-skill recommendations for every class, with unlock-aware alternatives and boss-specific adjustments.
How to use these loadouts
These are role-based recommendations for the installed build, not a measured live tier list or a guaranteed clear. Current skill coefficients, unlocks, enemy scaling and pet bonuses can change. Use only skills and slots you have unlocked; keep an available skill until its suggested replacement opens.
Each set contains four distinct skills owned by that hero. The list is a selection, not a guaranteed cast sequence. Mana is earned through dealing and taking hits; unlocked tactics and the current encounter determine when and where a skill fires. These are target loadouts, not four skills promised at the start of the game.
Crusader — Progression tank
Challenge draws attention; Interpose protects an endangered ally. Shout of Resolve and Last Wall are defensive choices for difficult encounters. Keep protection for a telegraphed threat when the available tactics allow it. Do not assume every boss attack can be redirected by taunt. Until the later tools open, use Pavise Charge or Steel Wall as available.
Healer — Sustain and recovery
Healing Wave supplies regular recovery, Emergency Heal covers a hero in danger, Purify answers harmful states, and Regeneration Aura is a sustained-healing option. Before those unlock, retain available Blessing or Mantle of Faith. Sacred Pillar is an offensive alternative on safe farms; it is not worth losing essential healing on progression.
Archer — Ranged focus damage
Triple Burst covers a line, Fire Arrow supplies burning, Huntress's Mark supports focus, and Sure Shot reaches toward the back line. On waves, compare Arrow Rain with Sure Shot. Ice Arrow is a frost alternative for an encounter that asks for cold; avoid using it to repeatedly consume the Hydra's burn.
Mage — Campaign coverage
Fireball supplies burning, Ice Ball gives access to frost, and Chain Lightning and Firestorm cover groups. This is an elemental toolkit, not a universal boss script: against Hydra, remove Ice Ball and any other burn-consuming follow-up, using an unlocked fire or non-consuming alternative. For Magma Lord, retain cold access. On dangerous progression, compare Barrier with an offensive slot; use it only once unlocked.
Berserker — Wave-clearing second melee
Rising Slash, Seismic Slam, Whirlwind and Runic Throw provide a practical offensive selection. Seismic Slam also provides burning. Keep the Berserker near the front without exposing the back line. Compare Fury or Decapitate once unlocked for a damage-focused encounter. Battle Cry attracts attention, so do not add it blindly beside a carefully timed Crusader taunt.
Assassin — Optional focused damage
Bleed and Contract Mark focus pressure; Smoke Screen is the defensive slot and Execution is the finisher. This is a candidate for a single-target or back-line-pressure team after survivability is secure. Compare Backstab or Kiss of Death with the defensive slot on safe targets. Extra theoretical damage is wasted if the Assassin dies early.
Medic — Optional poison and support
Viper Dart, Dart Volley and Plague Flask build poison pressure; Transfusion consumes poison charges to heal. Preserve useful charges until healing is needed when tactics permit. Transfusion is a progression-dependent support tool, not evidence that the Medic can always replace a dedicated Healer. Without it, use an available poison skill and retain the Healer.
Paladin — Optional melee focus and utility
Mark of Punishment directs attention to a target, Atoning Wave covers a line, Blessing of Steel supplies utility, and Verdict is a finishing option. Compare Judgment or Hammer of the Heavens for a safe single-target fight. The Paladin uses a two-handed weapon; this is not a shield-tank replacement by default. Avoid conflicting target or taunt orders.
Tactics matter more than a fixed four-skill list
- Keep heals for injured allies and defensive responses for dangerous warnings when those conditions are available. A condition may have a fallback; do not assume it holds a skill forever.
- Use the exposed-guard condition for an available burst skill against a break bar or Magma Lord's opening. Do not spend all damage while the boss is protected.
- Elemental reactions can consume an existing state. On Hydra, sustaining burning has priority over repeatedly detonating it with ice.
- In Abyss, monitor Anima separately from mana: it does not passively refill between ordinary rooms. Successful descent after a depth boss restores resources; see the roadmap for that exception. A mana-ready skill can still be an expensive choice.
See Party Progression for when to swap a hero, and All-Content Roadmap for encounter-specific changes.