King Arthur: Knight’s Tale Arcanist Class Guide – How To Build An Arcanist
May. 2, 2022King Arthur: Knight’s Tale Arcanist Class Guide – How To Build An Arcanist
King Arthur: Knight’s Tale Arcanist Class Guide – How To Build An Arcanist– In this King: Arthur: Knight’s Tale Arcanist Class Guide, I’m going to show you how to build your Arcanist from the ground up in terms of the active and passive skills you should acquire, the Heroes you need to create a reliable party, and the gear you have to equip. If you are looking for an Arcanist who not only excels in dealing insane damage while controlling the battlefield with heavy status effects, then this King Arthur: Knight’s Tale Arcanist Class Guide is for you!
UnlikeDefenders,Arcanistsperform poorly in the melee range, often receiving injuries andVitalitydamage as a result. However, despite being a glass cannon, they are excellent ranged mages because of theSkillsthey cast. This can range from potent fire spells that focus on single targets to destroy normal to weak enemies in one turn, to Hexes, which can slow them down. These are simply some examples of what Arcanists likeSir EctorandMerlinis capable of doing.
As an Arcanist, on top of Weapon Damage to amplify the overall damage dealt by spells, it’s essential to increase Hex Intensity for Sir Ector in order to improve the effectiveness ofBleedingandSlowwhile temporarily lowering the target’s Vitality. Both are very helpful in controlling enemies to making encounters more manageable. But for those who don’t have Hexes, then raising Spellcraft to 2 or 3 should be enough. Spellcraft provides valuable information when you approach Shrines such that you immediately find out the positive or negative effects it can grant to your party. It also helps Arcanists notice hidden loot, which potentially leads to acquiring Epic or Relic Runes while exploring.
In terms of party composition, you must have at least 1 Defender present who will soak in the damage that you and your allies should supposedly have taken, especially due to how vulnerable and squishy the Arcanist is. You can then implore the help of a fellow Arcanist,Champion, orVanguard. Since they are all reputable damage dealers, you will be able to wipe out crowds of enemies in no time.
Every timeHeroeslevel up, they gain 2 skill points. However, they can receive more by activating Shrines, consuming Tomes of Proficiency from exploration, and unlocking perks inCamelot.King Arthur: Knight’s Talefeatures active and passive skills. Active skills differ for Heroes belonging to identicalClassesbut this is not true for passive skills that are mostly the same. In this guide, we will discuss Sir Ector’s best abilities to prioritize upon reaching Level 15 while talking about some of Merlin’s essential skills. You can recruit Sir Ector and Merlin as you progress through Acts 1 and 2, respectively.
By the time you reach Level 15, you will have gained access to all skill tiers and have invested a total of 28 points from progression alone. At Level 1, Sir Ector automatically has access toForce BoltandSlowing Hex. Note that the skills and enhancements below are listed in the order you should take them.
Force Bolt– This is your go-to offensive spell, which will also knock back targets in the process. For Force Bolt, you will want to obtain every enhancement starting with Piercing Bolt, Mindgame, Damned Prey, and finally, Multiple Targets. Piercing Bolt breaks a certain percentage ofArmourwhile Mindgame grants Sir Ector +1 AP upon killing an enemy using this skill. Meanwhile, Damned Prey boosts Weapon Damage against targets under the influence of a Hex so this synergizes very well with his Slowing Hex ability. The last enhancement, which is Multiple Targets, becomes essential in midgame because some creatures can ignore 3 incoming ranged attacks. This is also known as “Protection from Ranged” when going against some Seelies and Picts. As such, you will have to hit these targets with Force Bolt in a single turn to disable this attribute entirely so you and your allies can damage them thereafter. This will also be your primary group skill since you won’t be getting access to another one until you unlock Sir Ector’s Tier 2 skills.
Slowing Hex– As the name implies, this slows down movement such that the enemy’s AP cost will be higher. The only enhancement to take for Slowing Hex is Vulnerability, which should amplify the damage they receive from all of your allies.
Blood Hex– Given that Sir Ector possesses a lot of Hexes, you are also going to unlock this skill to cover a wider range of enemies. Blood Hex inflicts Bleeding to harm them over time while lowering the damage they deal for 2 turns. For this, you will want to go for Black Blood as it improves the skill’s potency to further decrease the target’s damage by a total of -45%. Note, however, that The Lost is not affected by Bleeding so you will have to use Death or Slowing Hex against them. I will discuss the former in Sir Ector’s Tier 2 Skills section.
Long Reach&Extra Damage– Long Reach increases the distance your ranged spells can cover while also granting +1 Spellcraft whereas Extra Damage amplifies Weapon Damage.
Fire Blast– This is the best group spell of Sir Ector because it effectively burns a lot of enemies to a crisp, killing most of them in a single turn. The reason is Fire Blast’s huge 3×3 tile AoE. To make it the most effective damage spell it can be, it’s best to take all enhancements in this order – Firestarter, Earth Scorcher, Conflagration, and Searing Impact. As a result, enemies not only take Weapon Damage but Damage over Time (DoT) due toBurning. This is extremely powerful since Burning ignores Armour and therefore targets their Vitality. Furthermore, this combination retains fire on the ground for 2 turns so that anyone who steps in it (including allies so beware) will be harmed. The enhancements also reduce the spell’s AP cost and deal additional half damage to the target situated in the center of the AoE.
Death Hex– This is a potent Hex that significantly reduces the target’s Vitality for 1 turn. The technique with Death Hex is to use it against minibosses such as those named Lost creatures who have the “Power of Loss” attribute, which makes them stronger once 3 of their comrades have died. Using Death Hex, you can kill these enemies within a single turn. For enhancements, you will want to take Incantation and Dread to improve the skill’s potency and to inflict Vulnerability, respectively.
Potent Hex&Master of Hexes– These passives further enhance the Hex Intensity of Hex Spells. Additionally, Potent Hex grants +1 Spellcraft.
Wall of Flame– Another group fire spell but this time, you inflict burst and sustained Weapon Damage against enemies who are positioned in a straight line. When you have extra skill points, you will want to obtain Burning and Firestorm to inflict the BurningStatus Effectand to lengthen the wall by 2 tiles. Note that Burning Damage doesn’t stack but increases duration.
Later on, it’s best to invest in Spellpower and Master of Fire. Spellpower raises the range of all of Sir Ector’s skills by 1 tile while boosting their corresponding Weapon Damage and granting +1 Spellcraft. Moreover, Master of Fire further improves Weapon Damage and it can also enhance Burning.
Fire Bolt– This is the equivalent of Sir Ector’s Force Bolt Skill but rather than breaking Armour, Fire Bolt inflicts Burning thanks to Inferno. You should then take Overheat to improve its Weapon Damage, Mindgame for the additional AP when killing a target, and Multiple Targets.
Teleport– This is a very valuable skill that Sir Ector unfortunately lacks. It lets you safely teleport Merlin to a different location to effectively target enemies or to take cover. For this, you should obtain all enhancements starting with Far Reach followed by Time Shift, Astral Journey, and Shadow Gate. Far Reach allows you to teleport to a farther area whereas Time Shift reduces the skill’s AP cost. Meanwhile, Astral Journey automatically heals your HP while in the act of moving, and Shadow Gate makes you Hidden, which is essential to remain inconspicuous.
Illusion– This is a good skill to have because it distracts the enemy from attacking your party. Just make sure to place it right in front of them to divert their attention.
Fire Drake– Merlin’s best group spell that deals 150% Weapon Damage against enemies positioned in a straight line. For Fire Drake, all enhancements should be obtained starting with Inferno and Drake’s Curse, followed by Great Serpent and Scorched Blaze. This combination further improves the spell’s performance by allowing you to inflict Burning andVulnerabilityas well as lengthening its range and boosting the total Weapon Damage.
Mind Fog– This is a fun spell to take because it works like a charm. What happens is Merlin targets enemies who are near their comrades to ensure that they attack them. Mind Fogged units will also get Chilled, which will reduce their usable AP. For this skill, you ought to take Long Reach to lengthen it by 2 tiles as well as Puppeteer to reduce its AP cost.
Mysticism– This is a passive skill that reduces all of your skills’ cooldowns when you kill an enemy. You also receive +1 Spellcraft.
Falling Star– Another essential group spell that deals huge Weapon Damage while knocking back enemies in the process. When you have extra skill points, you should consider investing in all of its enhancements for greater Weapon Damage and to inflict Burning once again.
In King Arthur: Knight’s Tale, you can bring up to a maximum of 4 Heroes perMission. For party composition, you have the option to bring both Sir Ector and Merlin as your Arcanists together with a Defender and melee Hero. I did find Champions or Vanguards better suited with both of them rather than aMarksmansince these two classes can take enough damage in the melee range. For instance, Heroes likeSir BalanorSir Balin,Sir Kay, and Lady Boudicea should be great to have.
In terms ofMorality, Sir Ector is aChristianTyrantwhile Merlin believes in the ways of theOld-Faith. As you progress in the game, you will gain the trust of Sir Ector but for Merlin, it takes more time. As long as the latter Hero does not have aLoyaltyof -3, then it’s enough to prevent his damage from going lower.
With both of them in the party, you are going to be unstoppable because of how incredible their damage numbers are. If you haven’t or have no intention to recruit Merlin and you only have Sir Ector, then you can go for the Arcanist, Defender, Champion, and Vanguard setup. With this, your enemies will have an incredibly difficult time killing all of you. Both the Defender and Champion can act as meat shields for the Arcanists while Vanguard also deals incredible damage up close.
Furthermore, they are a very sneaky class so they can always jump next to a target and strike them from behind for the extra +30% Backstab Damage. Alternatively, you can swap the Vanguard for a Marksman likeLady Dindraineto focus on inflicting status effects since she won’t have access to a group skill until much later in the game.
When it comes to the Arcanist’sEquipment, be sure to acquire the Sign of Deprivation Staff, which you will get from exploring, as this increases the damage dealt against Vulnerable enemies. They also lose their chance to deal Attacks of Opportunity for 1 turn, making it easy for your melee Heroes to move around without taking hits. You may also equip the Greater Hexcraft Rune from theEnchanted Tower, specifically for Sir Ector to boost his Hex Intensity and Mental Debuff Resist. It will also grant him 2 AP at the start of his turn per encounter.
In terms of Light Armour, it’s good to wear the Rejuvenating Sigil of Tenacity as a means of reducing the duration of both Burning and Bleeding effects just in case you get afflicted by them. It also provides +5 HP at the start of every encounter while considerably raising your overall HP. Another Armour you can equip is the Enduring Sigil of Vigour to enhance your Vitality and to gain 1 Injury Token, which will permanently prevent you from taking 1 injury in Missions.
ForTrinkets, you will want to equip Isolde’s Necklace that will be randomly rewarded. This provides your Arcanist with the ability to heal the HP of one of your teammates once per Mission. Although it doesn’t sound as powerful, it can be a lifesaver especially if you find yourself running out ofPotions. For Artifacts, the Destructive Artifact of Force is good for Sir Ector as it increases the damage dealt by Force Bolt while improving Armour Breaking. For Merlin, the Precise Artifact of Explosion amplifies his ranged spells when casting them from behind a cover plus, it improves his Fire Blast damage.
Furthermore, remember to bring 2Healing Potionsto restore your HP. You will also want to use the following Essences – Conflagration, Armour, Salubrity, and Life. You can obtain this from the Challenges tab of the Journal. Conflagration significantly enhances the potency of Burning to destroy enemies faster. Armour provides much-needed protection for squishy Arcanists. And finally, Salubrity and Life grant additional Vitality and HP, respectively.
For Arcanists, it’s important to be vigilant in terms of positioning them away from the enemies, especially because you won’t be allocating points to Magical Armour so you can focus on damage-dealing and crowd control spells. If they get to you, Defenders, Champions, and Vanguards will be there to protect you. Alternatively, another ranged Hero can attack to knock them back and create space. What we are trying to avoid is taking Ranged Penalty, which reduces the Arcanists’ damage by half when enemies are adjacent to them. Sir Ector and Merlin can also stay near Defenders likeSir Pelleaswho can activateGuard. Doing so will provide them +2 to +4 Armour if necessary.
If you are fighting against creatures who are immune to fire like some Seelie minibosses, you may think that you have hit a wall. However, this isn’t going to be an issue since both Sir Ector and Merlin have spells like Force Bolt and Falling Start, respectively, to deal adequate damage. Instead, Sir Ector can focus on inflicting Hexes while the other damage dealers concentrate on attacking and killing these strong enemies.
In Camelot, aim to invest in theMerchant’sArmoursmith and Master Blacksmith Perks first to permanently gain +2 Armour because their Armour is low to none. You will then want to raise both your Vitality and HP to improve survivability. Remember to take theHospice’sApprentice Herbalist, Regain Vitality, and Master Herbalist together with theTraining Ground’sBasic and Advanced Physical Training Perks. Doing so will permanently raise your Vitality and HP by 20% and 15%, respectively. And lastly, unlock the Enchanted Tower’s Archive Perk later on in the game to receive an extra skill point for all of your Arcanists.
Stay tuned for moreKing Arthur: Knight’s Tale Build Guidesand be sure to check ourOfficial King Arthur: Knight’s Tale Wiki. You can also drop by ourTwitch Channelif you have questions about the game. What is the class you will be focusing on? How is your experience with the game so far? Let us know in the comments below!
Reiku
Writer at Fextralife. I enjoy playing RPGs, narrative-driven games, and platformers. Outside of gaming, I like watching meaningful movies and reading sci-fi and dystopian books.
