^ # ^ ^ ^^^^ ^ ^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^ ^ ### ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^^ # ^ ^ ^ ^^^^^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ # ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ### ^^^^^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^ ^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^ ^ # ###### # # ## ##### ##### # ###### # # ## #### ###### # # # # # # # # ## ## # # # # # ###### # # # # # ##### # ## # # # # ##### # # ###### # # # # # # ###### # ### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ###### # # # # ###### ###### # # # # #### ###### Lichdom: Battlemage Comprehensive Mechanics Guide Written by starwarsandsuch Disclaimer: I own all rights to this guide and its contents. It may only appear on gamefaqs.com and neoseeker.com and may only be reproduced for personal use. Version History: 1.8 - November 18, 2019: Cleaned up all sections and added Section 0, "In Progress". 1.7 - October 14, 2019: Replaced all-caps terms with standard text. Lots of small changes throughout. New ratings in section 2. 1.6 - September 25, 2019: Revised Section 1. Added to section 3 and 5. 1.5 - September 06, 2019: Added more to sections 1 and 3. 1.4 - August 14, 2019: Cleaned up various sections. Added to section 1. 1.3 - August 08, 2019: Added up to most of section 5. Applied formatting. 1.2 - August 07, 2019: Finished Section 2 and 3. Added section headers. 1.1 - August 06, 2019: Added the rest of section 1 and half of section 2. 1.0 - August 05, 2019: Added introduction and some basic information. Special Thanks: Tim Curry Smile (Steam) screenshots of Synergy descriptions found in their Steam guide on Synergies. Dragon Lord 778 (Xbox) for providing in-game footage of some Synergies I had not used before. Xaviant for making a great game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is my first guide! I hope you enjoy playing this game as much as I have, and to that end, I have decided to write this guide detailing all you need to know to get the most out of the game's crafting and combat systems. This is not a walk-through for the game. There are some hidden things to find in-game, but since the game is linear, they aren't difficult to track down. This game is time-consuming to learn on your own but this guide is here to help. For easy navigation, the sections have an asterisk * denoting a section heading. Use Ctrl+F to search for "*" to go to another section. Thanks for reading! Table of Contents: Section 0 - Current Work in Progress Info Section 1 - Basics Section 2 - Sigils (Elements) Section 3 - Getting Started, Crafting, and Glossary of Terms Section 4 - Synergies Section 5 - Interacting with the Environment and New Game Plus ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 0* This section will contain information on any upcoming content for this guide. Once the guide is complete, this section will be removed. In progress: Section 5 will become an enemy index for details on enemy types, attacks, and threat level approximation. Bosses may or may not get their own section. The current Section 5 content will probably be moved to be Section 6. Possible changes: In Section 2, the Sigils are reviewed for strengths and weaknesses but are only considered by themselves and not as a full load-out with the other two Sigils players can bring to battle. This section may be revamped to consider full load-outs alongside the current information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 1* The Basics What is Lichdom: Battlemage? Lichdom: Battlemage is a first-person shooter (FPS) that focuses on giving the mage the spotlight. This is accomplished by giving the mage full power to cast whatever they want when they want! no mana bar, no cooldowns (mostly), and no restrictions. The game allows you to craft your own spells and features fast combat, a basic storyline, and some light exploration. You play the role of a "Dragon", a mage gifted with bracers that give you your abilities and prevent death. You are accompanied by a "Gryphon", a mage gifted with extreme mobility instead of offensive spells and a ring that functions similarly to the bracers to prevent the death of the Gryphon. Upon character creation, you choose male or female. Whichever you choose, the other will become the Gryphon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DEFAULT CONTROLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: If playing on PC with a controller and you like blocking, I recommend changing "Blink" to Left Bumper/L1, and setting your AOE attack to Right Bumper/R1. Doing this lets you charge an AOE or range spell and actively block when you need to if you toggle off the dual trigger AOE option. You can also toggle off the dual mouse button AOE and use tab or another key for AOE attacks but I haven't tried this change on PC. This only really helps if you like to block a lot. Movement (Left joystick on controller) Forward: W Backward: S Left: A Right:D Sprint: Left shift (Click left joystick) Combat PC (Controller) Ranged:Left Mouse Button LMB (Right trigger) Block: Right Mouse Button RMB (Left trigger) AOE: LMB+RMB or Tab (Left + Right triggers) Blink:Spacebar (RB/R1) Nova Blink: Hold "Blink" key ALL SPELLS CAN BE CHARGED FOR A GUARANTEED CRITICAL HIT! Swap Spell Elements: Mouse Wheel (D-pad/Face buttons) Misc Guiding Eagle:V (LB/L1 ) Inventory:I ("Back" or "Select") Journal:J (Down on controller D-Pad) Menu:Escape ("Start" on controller) Interact: F ("A" on Xbox controller, "X" on PS4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHIELDS AND HUD ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Core Mechanics The HUD In the lower-left corner of your HUD, you will see three blue lines. These represent your health and recharge over time unless fully depleted. Should one line become depleted, you can refill it by using a shield orb, a single-use "health" object. The lower right corner of your HUD will display your selected sigil, along with three icons in a ring. These icons will display Apocalyptical "AP" Powers on the nova icon, and synergy meters in the center. There are Boss HP meters, which also have a green "rage" meter. Once this meter fills, the boss will become temporarily immune to status effects. The HUD also displays any items you pick up, and any loot rarity buffs you gain from surviving through multiple checkpoints. Loot rarity caps at 5 checkpoints. The Sigils Elements you can use for spells are called "Sigils". You begin the game with fire and ice and soon receive kinesis. After this point, you may choose which element to unlock next at each Reliquary. Following the first level, three Sigils are equipped at all times. Use checkpoints to swap out equipped Sigils, except for shields, which must be crafted. Fire Ice Kinesis Lightning Phase Corruption Delirium Necromancy The Shield What is the Shield? The Dragon comes equipped with a shield that prevents death. Three meters that recharge over time are displayed on the HUD, and if one is broken, it can only be replenished with a shield orb. There are three abilities shields bring to the table: fast blink, nova blink, and galvanized block. Each shield type only has two of these abilities, and you must choose which one you like the best. They are all good! I recommend trying each one since you will surely find all three types. In Lichdom: Battlemage, even your shield is a weapon. Nova spells are cast by using charged blink or galvanized block. Nova spells are a close-range explosion centered around the dragon. Galvanized blocks prevent all damage taken, but require proper timing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHIELD TYPES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Strategic: The toughest shield. You begin the game with this one. Abilities Fast blink (3 per 2 seconds) Galvanized Block (Nova spell) Pros Highest HP Speeds up AOE casting Cons Longest recharge delay (6.0 seconds) Fast blink needs recharging Playstyle: Hybrid of blocking and dodging. Best at long range. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tactical: The "middle ground" of the shields. Abilities Galvanized Block (Nova spell) Nova Charged Blink Pros Fast recharge delay (2.5 seconds) Moderate HP speeds up nova blink casting Can cast Nova spells through blink or block Cons No Fast Blink Playstyle: Blocking and frequently casting Nova spells. Best at close range. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Agile: The most maneuverable of the shields. Abilities Unlimited Fast Blink Nova Charged Blink Pros Unlimited fast blink Fastest recharge delay (1.5 seconds) speeds up ranged casting Cons Lowest HP No Galvanized Block Weak to enemies that can prevent blinking with status effects Playstyle: Dodging in and out of combat. Stay on the move! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When the shield is completely broken you are "killed", and sent back to the last activated checkpoint. "Loot Rarity" will be reset. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOOT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Very early in the game, you will begin to find loot. Every bit of it is for crafting. There are two kinds of loot: shapes and augments. These can be shield-based or spell-based. Almost all of the loot will have a name that affects the item but also tells you the item type. Example: "Dissolving Pool of the Evoker" - is really just a shape, "Pool", and the rest of the loot name changes the stats of the item slightly. Look for the loot keywords listed below when you pick up loot. Note: Standard AOE Blast can be found simply as "Area". Available shapes: Missile Blast Tactical Shield Lob Trap Strategic Shield Ray Pool Agile Shield Nova Shapes are cast modes. They do not change what the spell does. They determine whether the spell is an AOE, Ranged, or Nova attack and if the attack is a burst or a lingering effect. They also determine the basic functions of your shield. Available augments: Destruction Control Mastery Shield Augments Augments are attack categories. They determine what the spell does. Every element has a different spell effect for destruction, control, and mastery. This is explained in detail below. Shield augments bolster shields and give passive bonuses, such as sprint speed or damage resistance. Crafting combines a shape with an augment to create a spell or shield. Crafting is discussed in depth in section 3. Ranged and AOE spells feature three shapes to choose from. Nova spells are one shape (an explosion around the Dragon). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RANGED SHAPES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranged spells are easy to use. One press of a mouse button or trigger, and you have some sort of attack headed toward the enemy. Ranged attacks have three variations. Missile, Lob, and Ray. When to use Missile: Missiles feature a small homing ability so they are well suited for hitting faster targets. Missiles attack a single target but are the easiest attack to use. Performs well against all targets. Outperforms other modes at greater distances. Slow attack speed. When to use Lob: Lob features an arc trajectory but rewards accurate shots with a strong burst followed by an explosion of smaller attacks around the area of impact. Performs very well against close to mid-range targets, but the arc trajectory takes some practice to use at long range. Works almost like a grenade. Moderate attack speed (multiple hits). When to use Ray: Ray is limited to fairly close range targets but is a continuous beam of spells. This is best used to apply status effects to your targets, but can also be used to deal somewhat weaker but steady damage if made for destruction. (not recommended). Fast attack speed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AOE SHAPES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AOE spells have a longer wind up animation to cast than other spells, but offer various ways to deal with multiple targets or enemies that are able to evade standard attacks. Standard Blast, Pool, and Trap attacks are available to the Dragon. When to use Standard AOE: Simply blasts the highlighted area with a single spell over an area. This is useful for burst damage in a wider area than range spells. Can be used to apply status effects to enemies, particularly with Delirium or Necromancy to apply an effect one time, rather than constantly. Moderate attack speed. When to use Pool AOE: Pool spells cause an area to constantly cast a spell. Perfect for applying status effects, such as freeze. It can be used to apply damage, but only if you can lock the target down inside of the pool. These can be deployed one per element and persist for a short while. Try an Ice Control pool followed by a Fire Destruction pool! Fast attack speed. When to use Trap AOE: Place down Trap AOE spells in choke points or on enemies behind cover. After a short delay, a projectile is spawned that will hit the enemies that activated the trap, even if they have moved outside of the area. Great for "tagging" teleporting enemies with spells. Watch out if you use this in direct combat, the delay may cause problems! These can be deployed one per element and persist for quite a while before disappearing. Slow attack speed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOVA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nova spells are limited to one shape, or attack mode, but have two methods of activation, depending on your shield choice. You begin the game with a strategic shield, which means nova spells can only be activated by galvanized block. Galvanized block is essentially a parry. Time the block as the attack hits, and BOOM! you have a nova. Galvanized blocks are always critical hits too! Tactical and Agile shields feature charged blinks, which also cast nova spells. Nova spells are very good for defending yourself in close combat or for charging in for a close-range assault. Nova spells cast instantly when cast with galvanized block, and must charge when used with blink. Charging blink can be done in two stages to guarantee a critical nova blink. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUGMENTS (DESTRUCTION, CONTROL, MASTERY) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attack Effects Lichdom: Battlemage features three different kinds of augments you can find for offense. These are the second type of crafting item. They are called: "Destruction", "Control", and "Mastery" Augments decide what a spell does. Different sigils are naturally easier to use for one type or the other (Fire excels at Destruction, for example). Destruction augments are the most straightforward. Regardless of the element, Destruction is designed to deal raw damage to a target. Raw damage is good, but if you only use Destruction, you'll find yourself spending more and more time to defeat the same enemies later on because of level scaling. Destruction can have different effects on different Sigils, or spell elements. Control augments are more complicated than Destruction because they don't always deal damage. Control specializes in making fights more manageable. For example, you can use ice to freeze enemies in place, or set enemies on fire for damage over time while you focus on bigger threats. Use Control spells to lock the enemy down while you hit them with Destruction or Mastery spells. Mastery augments are the most complicated of the three available augments but are the most useful. Every spell you use can benefit from mastery consumption. Mastery deals almost no direct damage on its own if any at all. What is Mastery? It is a primer for any other critical spells you throw at a target. Throw a fireball at an enemy and you may deal 1000 damage, but hit him with Mastery first, and then charge a critical fireball and you'll see much more damage! Enemies hit with mastery spells will glow blue. Mastery in the game is shown in percent, but it's easier to think of it as points of mastery. Hit an enemy with mastery, and those "points" will be on them, ready to be used to boost another spell. These points don't have any limits and don't expire. Mastery is great for bosses! You can tell about how much Mastery will affect a spell by its mastery consumption rating. This is shown as: "Consumes up to __ % mastery on a critical hit." The higher the percent, the better it will combo with mastery hitting first. Mastery spells "add" percent mastery to a target. Mastery can be used to boost Destruction spells or Control spells. Remember that hitting an enemy with Mastery first makes everything else you throw at them better! When to use Charged Criticals: Charged Criticals are spells that are charged fully into a guaranteed critical by holding the button. When this happens, there is an audio cue, and your spell receives a fancier animation. Charged criticals are for hitting targets that you have already tagged with Mastery spells. Consuming Mastery on a target also has a unique audio cue. Critical effects enhance whatever your spell was designed to do. If you fully charge a Destruction spell, your damage will be displayed in red text and be multiplied. Charging a Control spell means the status effect will have a longer duration, and charging a Mastery spell applies more Mastery to a target. What this means is Destruction almost always benefits from a full charge, but Control and Mastery are more situational. For example, if you have a melee enemy closing in on you, it would be better to hit him with a regular Control spell to avoid the hit, rather than charge it all the way. Afterward, you could use a regular Mastery spell, followed by a fully charged Destruction spell to get some extra damage. On tougher foes, a fully charged Mastery spell followed by a fully charged Destruction spell will offer maximum damage. To use any loot you have to craft spells. Remember that all spells are just Sigil + Shape + Augment. For example Lightning + Pool(the shape) + Control (the augment) becomes a Lightning AOE spell that lingers and electrocutes enemies to stun them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 2* The Eight Sigils and AP Powers Sigils, or spell elements, are earned when interacting with Reliquaries found throughout the game. You begin the game with only Fire and Ice available to you, but fairly early on you gain Kinesis. From this point onward, you will always have three sigils activated and ready to use spells. In this section, each sigil will be ranked based upon scaling with each of the augment types (Destruction, Control, Mastery), and which of these is recommended for that sigil. Note that these are simply suggestions and that you could easily adapt anything listed here to your playstyle. Experiment and have fun! AP POWERS Every Sigil has an AP Power. These are activated by hitting an enemy with a charged spell. Charged spells are guaranteed crits, but also have a chance to become a double crit. When this happens, a bright flash will appear, and the enemy hit will have a mark over its head. Kill the enemy BEFORE the mark disappears, and you are granted an AP Power, which flies towards the player like loot. Several sigils show an indicator for this on the spell icon, but some have different effects. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fire is usually considered an excellent damage-dealing sigil, with high base damage and high mastery consumption. Critical hits with fire destruction have a decent chance of also stunning the target. AP Power: Firewall - create a blast of fire that deals high damage over time in a wide area with your next nova spell. Destruction rating: 8.5/10 Destruction effect: Fire attuned to destruction will use a fire attack to deal a fairly high amount of damage. This augment performs well with all three of the attack types. Control rating: 5/10 Control effect: Fire attuned to control will set enemies on fire, dealing a relatively small amount of damage over time, over several seconds. Most of the damage over time will apply instantly if the target becomes stunned. this attunement is decent for damaging another target while you focus on more important targets. Great for breaking enemy shields and keeping them broken. Works well with nova and AOE shapes. Mastery rating: 6/10 Mastery effect: Fire attuned to mastery will apply moderate mastery to your target, and give them the molten status, making them damage enemies around them. Great for making fire destruction spells hit for more damage, but doesn't do much damage on its own. Performs well when coupled with AOE shapes. Suggested spells using Fire: Range: Destruction Lob AOE: Destruction pool or Control pool Nova: Destruction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ICE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ice is one of the best choices for Control but also features other interesting mechanics that are unique. Ice has the highest base damage output of any sigil, but doesn't combo off of Mastery nearly as well as other sigils can. Ice is very capable of slowing targets down. AP Power: Icewall - create a wall of ice that slows severely and lightly damages enemies for a short time with your next nova spell. Destruction rating: 7/10 Destruction effect: Ice attuned to destruction does have its uses. Very high base damage, coupled with a chilled status effect can make short work of weaker foes. Though Mastery can still be used with ice Destruction, it does not benefit as much from it as the other elements, so it will have a harder time against tougher enemies. It can be used effectively with any shape. Control rating: 10/10 Control effect: Ice attuned to control plays to this sigil's strengths. Freezes enemies on the spot for a short duration, and stores extra damage if they are hit with another element's destruction spell. Works well with all shapes, especially AOE and nova. Mastery rating: 7/10 Mastery effect: Ice attuned to mastery applies a good amount of mastery to the target and gives them a slowing aura, slowing all enemies around your target. this spell is pretty good at combining crowd control and priming enemies for bigger hits and works well with AOE and nova. Suggested spells using Ice: Range: Control missile for freezing single targets, or Mastery lob for priming other spells and slowing small groups. AOE: Control pool freezes groups until the pool duration ends! NOVA: Destruction or Control ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KINESIS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kinesis is a great Sigil, allowing for high Mastery combos, and has good options for Control and Destruction. Specializes in controlling enemy movement. Kinesis features extreme Mastery consumption, making it very effective after Mastery has been applied to a target. AP Power: Kinesis Shield - create a barrier of pure energy in a wide area in front of you that stops projectiles and allows you to attack through it. Activated on your next nova spell. Deals no damage, but can prevent any attack from getting through to you. Destruction rating: 7.5/10 Destruction effect: Slam an enemy with a blast of pure force. This attack will knock enemies back a small bit, and do modest damage to the target, but can scale with Mastery to compete with any other sigil in terms of pure damage. Works well with AOE or nova spells. Control rating: 8/10 Control effect: Launch your target into the air and keep them suspended for a short duration, or until they are hit with a destruction spell. Either way, once the effect ends, the target is slammed into the ground and sends a shockwave dealing full damage to enemies around them. Great with all shapes. Mastery rating: 10/10 Mastery effect: Anchors the target in place while adding a large amount of Mastery to be used by other spells. Anchors keep a target from changing positions but do not stop them from attacking you. (don't get too close to melee enemies). Works best when used with AOE, but is good with all shapes. Suggested spells for Kinesis: Range: Missile or Lob CONTROL AOE: Pool Mastery Nova: Control ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIGHTNING ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lightning is one of my favorites! Less damage is offset by the ability to hit multiple targets with any attack type. Scales fairly well off of Mastery, and has one of the best AP Powers for offense. AP Power: Overcharge - the next 5 lightning ranged attacks are changed from lightning orbs into lightning bolts, with increased, instant damage and a new animation that allows for faster casting of these attacks, should you use them back to back. Destruction rating (single target) 6/10 (multi-target) 7.5/10 Destruction effect: blast an enemy with a charge of lightning that chains to nearby enemies for a percentage of damage dealt. At lower levels, this damage will be under 100%. Higher quality lightning spells will actually do more damage to the chained targets than the original. Works well with range and AOE shapes. Control rating: 6.5/10 Control effect: Electrocute enemies and stun them for a short duration, after which they become charged and cannot be electrocuted again until the effect wears off. It can be used with fair effectiveness with any shape. Mastery rating: 7/10 Mastery effect: Shock an enemy and turn them into an electrical tesla coil, shocking any nearby enemies. The mastery applied is average, but can be easily spread to entire rooms if the enemies are close together. Works great with AOE and nova. Suggested spells for Lightning: Range: Mastery ray or Destruction lob. AOE: Control blast or Mastery pool. Keep in mind enemies become immune to Lightning Control for a duration after being hit once. NOVA: Control for stun, Destruction for damage if you chose Mastery ray. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PHASE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With Phase, the Dragon can control space and time to tear enemies apart. Phase features extremely high mastery consumption, unique mechanics, high base damage, and complex interactions. This sigil is probably the most complicated within the Dragon's arsenal but might be the most capable. AP Power: Phase Shield - For the next several seconds, the Dragon is immune to slow, stun, freeze, and many other status effects. If you are lucky enough to get another AP Power charge before the first runs out, the duration is refreshed immediately to continue shielding the Dragon. Destruction rating: 7.5/10 Destruction effect: Does a good amount of damage immediately that scales well off of mastery, and should the target survive, they are warped to a random location that may or may not be over a cliff or into an environmental hazard. The Dragon can see their destination. Works well with ranged and nova shapes. Interaction: Enemies hit by Phase Control will be locked into a time warp. Phase Destruction detonates this warp, applying any spells the enemy was hit with, and warping them over a longer duration. If the enemy is killed in this process, time slows down, allowing the Dragon to rapidly react to any threats left. If the enemy survives the warp, they are healed back to values before the Control effect started. CONTROL rating: 8.5/10 Control effect: Lock targets into a time warp, where spells are stored and they are unable to react until the warp is broken by Phase Destruction. Works well with AOE and ranged. MASTERY rating: 7.5/10 (Phase Distortion) 8/10 Mastery effect: Apply a good amount of mastery with no other effect unless Phase Distortion is active. Phase Mastery deals a decent amount of damage while in Phase Distortion. Works well with all shapes. Suggested spells for Phase: Range: Mastery ray or Control missile. AOE: Control pool or Destruction blast. Nova: If you chose Mastery ray for range, try Destruction nova. If not, try Control here to lock down all enemies hit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DELIRIUM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delirium lets you manipulate the enemy. Make enemies fight for you, fight amongst themselves, or damage themselves if they attack you. Sap their will to fight or cause a berserker rage. AP Power: Invisibility - The Dragon becomes invisible to enemies and cannot be targeted for a short duration. The Dragon can still be damaged by AOE attacks and other hazards. Destruction rating: 7/10 Destruction effect: enemies affected with this augment are forced to injure themselves if they attack you. The damage they deal to you is reduced for the duration. Works best with ranged and AOE. CONTROL rating: 8.5/10 (against bosses) 5/10 Control effect: Charged control attacks will force a target to fight for you. After the duration, the target will kill themselves. The only downside to this ability is that only one enemy can be controlled, and if you hit another target, the original will become permanently berserk. Bosses are immune to control. Works well with ranged. Attacking a minion with this attack multiple times will give your minion a shield. Mastery rating: 7/10 Mastery effect: If you have a minion from Delirium Control, forces enemies to target your minion and deal set damage to them. If not, the enemy is forced to cower in fear for a duration, after which they become immune to further Delirium. Stacks Mastery pretty well, but only once per enemy. Works well with all shapes. Suggested spells for Delirium: Range: Control missile. AOE: Destruction blast or Mastery pool. NOVA: Mastery or Destruction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CORRUPTION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corruption allows the Dragon to infect enemies with deadly parasites that explode and deal continuous attacks to other enemies once the host target is slain. AP Power: Locust Swarm - A large swarm of locusts fill the battlefield and attack enemies on your next nova spell. Destruction rating: 6/10 Destruction effect: infect a target host with a "bomb" parasite that detonates after a short delay. Decent damage, but the delay is hard to work around. Control rating: 7/10 Control effect: Infect a target host with a damaging parasite and a bug swarm that is released after the host is killed and if the bugs mature. If you are patient, using this will allow you to attack an entire room from killing a few enemies. Mastery rating: 9/10 Mastery effect: Infect a target host with a Queen, and if it is allowed to mature will burst from the target and begin sending swarms of insects at your foes and apply Mastery to everyone nearby. Excellent Mastery potential for large crowds. Suggested spells for Corruption: Range: Mastery missile or lob. AOE: Control trap or blast. NOVA: Destruction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NECROMANCY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Necromancy allows the Dragon to use fallen foes as allies. Tag up to three minions for a permanent party. Minions aid in every future fight until destroyed or replaced. More than three may be generated, but any extra will vanish after the current battle ends. AP Power: Bone Armor - The Dragon is granted bone armor that will absorb a set amount of damage before shield damage is taken. Lasts until destroyed. Necromancy is unique in that the enemy you claim and the augment you attune determine how good this sigil is. Adapt your minions to your situation, and they do the rest. Destruction rating: 7.5/10 Destruction effect: Mark an enemy as a minion after death by charging the spell. Summoned minions use Destruction attacks. Control rating: 6.5/10 Control effect: Mark an enemy as a minion after death by charging the spell. Summoned minions use Control attacks. MASTERY rating: 7/10 Mastery effect: Mark an enemy as a minion after death by charging the spell. Summoned minions use Mastery attacks. Suggested spells for Necromancy: Use anything you like. Suggested enemies to tag are archers and mages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 3* Getting Started, Crafting Systems, and Glossary You can use any of the eight sigils you like, but what is the most efficient way to take down your foes? Here I'll list some general tips and tricks you can use from the beginning onward for a good start. A quick note about the tutorial: If you choose to go through the tutorial, it will show you each of the attack types in order - Ranged, Block, and AOE. You will be forced to use each one as your only attack for a short while, which means you will have to Galvanize block your way through a short section. At the end of the tutorial, you are given Ice. You are supposed to die at the end boss to progress. When you begin the game you will have Fire and Ice for a while before being granted Kinesis. You don't have to do any crafting for most of the first section of the game. To get the most out of Fire and Ice, place the Ice AOE down first. This creates an Ice Trap. The delay on the trap will let you swap to Fire and have a fully charged blast ready to go as soon as the target is frozen. You can do this with Ice Ray too, but the timing is trickier. After you have Kinesis, if you haven't crafted anything you actually will have every spell shape equipped. All three have nova Fire has Missile / AOE Blast Ice has Ray / Trap Kinesis has Lob / Pool This means you can experiment and see which shapes you like the best without having to craft anything. With this setup, the only thing you have to manually craft to try out are the different shield types. Not only this, but the developers chose to give the Dragon sigils that are completely attuned to a single augment. This was probably to help players discover how the game works. They also happen to play to their respective elemental strengths: Fire - All attacks start Destruction attuned. Ice - All attacks start Control attuned. Kinesis - All attacks start Mastery attuned. If you've played through the first level, you probably saw a notification for either spell upgrades or sigil upgrades. Sigil Upgrades are applied permanently to an element you have equipped. It is a level up for the sigil itself. These bonuses can be stacked up to +10% for a category. Possible upgrades: Increase damage dealt Increase critical chance Increase casting speed Increase status duration increase critical effect These are permanent upgrades unless playing on the hardest difficulty, which will remove bonuses from sigils when you swap them. To apply them, go to the smart inventory and select "Sigil Upgrades". Spell upgrades are part of the crafting system and upgrade what you have equipped without changing how your spells work. General Tips: Combat flows smoothly if you use Control to lock down your enemies, and follow up with Mastery, then Destruction criticals. "Loot Rarity" goes up as you survive past multiple checkpoints. If you die, this resets. Don't worry about this stat though! As you progress, loot will be much stronger regardless of the rarity level you've earned. You can charge Nova blink and ranged Missile or Lob at the same time. Keep archers out of the fight as much as you can! They usually perform rapid-fire attacks. Turn them to your side with Delirium, or stun them with Lightning. Apply Mastery whenever you can to speed up combat dramatically, especially against bosses. Use Rays or Pools to apply any status effects quickly. Pool AOE spells are great for applying Mastery or Control effects to large groups. Up to three pools or traps can be placed at the same time with different elements. Ray spells are incredible for Mastery stacking, but be careful; you have to get fairly close to your enemies. Don't forget about blocking! Even if you have an agile shield, blocking while being slowed may be enough to keep you alive. Holding block gives you around 50% damage reduction, depending on your shield type and augments. Nova spells can be used creatively! Don't forget about them! For some intense combat, try using a Mastery ranged spell with a Destruction nova. Prime the target with Mastery, then run in and detonate them with the nova! Trap spells and pools can be used to lock down choke points in most fights! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CRAFTING SYSTEMS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let's discuss item rarity first. Items are color-coded based upon rarity, but there is also a loot level system. Each item you find will have a loot level in the center of its icon. As this goes up, the numbers on the bottom of the icon go up too. These numbers represent Destruction, Control, and Mastery respectively. Uniques are obtained once you have enough loot because they are Legendary items that can be upgraded beyond Legendary. Unique items are required for Synergy spells. White- common Green- uncommon Blue- rare Purple- Epic Orange- Legendary Red- Unique There are two different ways to craft spells in Lichdom: Battlemage. Manual crafting, and smart inventory upgrades. Manual crafting is the only way to create different spells than the ones you are using. Manual crafting: Each time you craft, you select one of your equipped sigils or your shield, and then choose which shape you want. Every shape you find has augment slots, which determine whether the spell is Destruction, Control, or Mastery. Some shapes you find have more than one slot. For these, you can apply multiple augments to make the spell better with higher stats. Shields also have slots, but the items placed here are only for stats of the shield and do not change how the shield works. When you first try crafting, the "Smart Inventory" pops up. This shows you what is already equipped and looks for upgrades on those spells. Items can also be upgraded in this menu by sacrificing lower level loot in batches. To actually craft new spells, you have to go into "Custom Inventory", and select Crafting. Once you have found spells you really like, simply swap back to the Smart Inventory and upgrade as you go until you are ready to start manually upgrading your spells. What to look for when crafting: 1. Number of augment slots (the more the better) 2. Loot Level (Center number) 3. Destruction, Control, Mastery numbers 4. Rarity 5. Extra effects (critical chance, status duration, etc.) Crafting Example: Say you wanted a Fire Destruction spell, and you wanted to attack multiple enemies at once using a lob. The first menu in Crafting is sigil selection. Once selected, the menu shifts to Shapes you have collected. The lob will have a number of slots. Use these slots to put in Destruction Augments. Craft and equip, and you're done! Remember to use section 2 for more information on what each sigil does when made for Destruction, Control, or Mastery. Smart Inventory upgrades: Highlights spells with upgrades in green. Arrows beside the spell show at a glance how much better the new spell will be, up to a maximum of three. Spells created this way are identical to the ones you had before, just with better stats. Other Menus in the "Custom Inventory": The Synthesis menu allows you to upgrade items just like the Smart Inventory. This is good when you find a nice item that you want to upgrade manually without having to batch upgrade through the smart menu. The upgrading process: Select an item with upgrades available. Then choose two items of the same or better rarity to combine with it. The items used to upgrade have no impact on the quality of the upgrade, so try to use the same rarity but low-level items. The Deconstruct menu allows you to take one part out of a spell you have crafted to use again, but destroys the other parts and deletes the spell. the Reforge menu lets you delete unwanted items and gives items back randomly. It also has a meter for a guaranteed Legendary item that fills every time an item is deleted here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GLOSSARY OF TERMS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In order of appearance: Sigil - Spell elements, such as Fire, Ice, etc. Shield - Lichdom: Battlemage's version of HP, or health points. Lose all three, and you are sent to the previous checkpoint. Checkpoint - Blue beam of light. Saves your progress, allows fast travel, and sigil swapping. Blink - A short dash in the direction the Dragon is facing. Can be charged for nova spells using Tactical or Agile shields. Nova - A spell that is an explosion around the Dragon in all directions. Blocking just before an attack hits, or charging a blink casts nova. Galvanized Block - Blocking just before an attack hits the Dragon. Mitigates all damage, and casts a critical nova. Recharges every 1.5 seconds. Critical - A spell can be critical by chance, or fully charge to guarantee a critical. Criticals apply a stronger version of the spell. Appocolyptical - A spell that is fully charged for a critical that is already a critical hit. Offers AP Powers if you kill the marked target. AP Power - Each Sigil offers a power that is activated by killing an enemy hit with Appocolyptical damage, and usually casting nova afterward. Destruction - A spell crafted to deal damage. Control - A spell crafted to crowd control of some kind. AOE - Area of effect. It can be used to attack crowds. Etheria - Loot item that appears like an orb and flies to the player. Always used for crafting. Mastery - A spell crafted to make the target weak to further attacks or effects. Synergy - A spell "combo" that requires a lot of loot to craft. Can be used with any sigils, but the spells vary greatly. Overkill - Killing an enemy with damage that is beyond their remaining health. Charges synergy spells if the enemy was hit with the required sigils. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section 4* SYNERGIES Once you've grasped the mechanics discussed above, it will be fairly easy to get a few synergy spells crafted. Synergy spells require at least 3 Legendary loot items, one of which must be upgradeable. Once you have enough crafting material for a synergy spell, the game will notify you when you go to the Smart Inventory. You must go to the Custom Inventory and upgrade an eligible Legendary item. Once this is done, it will become unique. Uniques are given two forms. One form makes the item even more powerful by giving it an extra upgrade and usually a special stat. The other form gives you the ability to create a synergy spell. Should you choose to craft one, a synergy spell will have an assigned SIGIL based on your choice. There are 12 synergy spells available to choose from, and you can upgrade the item to any of them. After you make a choice, you must craft the item with its assigned Sigil, and then equip the analog Sigil to charge and cast the spell. Once the synergy meter fills, use the AOE spell of the matching sigil to cast the spell. This replaces your usually equipped AOE spell for the Synergy, but only when it is charged. All descriptions are found in-game when selected. Thanks to Tim Curry Smile (Steam) for a complete guide on synergies, complete with screenshots, which I used for the descriptions. You can find Tim Curry Smile's guide on Steam for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIERY GOLEM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(CORRUPTION + FIRE)
"This Corruption synergy fuses with fire to create a semi-sentient construct.
The golem spawns in a fixed location and sends ranged attacks at enemies. The
golem is indestructible for the short period that it exists, and enemies ignore
it."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                FLAMING ZOMBIE	
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(NECROMANCY + FIRE)
"This Necromancy synergy unites with fire to spawn a blazing skeletal minion.
The burning undead will run toward a target and explode when he gets close
enough. The minion has a limited lifespan, and will explode when its time runs
out whether it's reached its target or not."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                FROSTBURN VORTEX	
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(ICE + FIRE)
"This Ice synergy merges with fire to create a whirling tornado of fire and
ice. The vortex moves around the battlefield, slowing distant enemies while
igniting nearby enemies and tossing them aside."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                ICE IMPS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CORRUPTION + ICE)
"This Corruption synergy draws on Ice to spawn a trio of ice imps, which fly
through enemies, freezing them for a duration. The imps vanish on impact."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                ICE STORM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(LIGHTNING + ICE)
"This Lightning synergy pairs with ice to create a vicious winter storm. A
low, freezing cloud rolls over the ground, slowing enemies that pass through it.
Those closest to the center have a chance of being frozen. The cloud seeks out
the closest unfrozen enemy."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                MAW OF THE ABYSS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(PHASE + KINESIS)
"This phase synergy pairs with Kinesis to open up a large swath of nothingness,
pulling enemies toward its center. Foes near the center of the maw take damage
over time, and upon death are swallowed into the Abyss itself."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                METEOR
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(KINESIS + FIRE)
"This Kinesis synergy combines with Fire to draw a blazing meteor down from the
heavens. The strike does heavy damage within the impact area, hurling enemies 
in all directions."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                PUSTULANT CORPSE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(PHASE + NECROMANCY)
"This Phase Synergy combines with Necromancy to summon a skeletal minion
covered in poisonous mist. The minion runs toward a nearby target. Once
it reaches its target, or when its brief lifespan runs out, it explodes,
infecting nearby enemies. Upon their deaths, infected enemies spawn pustulant
corpses of their own."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                SINGULARITY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(KINESIS + LIGHTNING)
"This Kinesis synergy draws upon Lightning to rip a small but unstable tear in
reality. This tiny rift pulls in enemies with inexorable strength until it
explodes under the weight of its own stresses. Those drawn in are just as
quickly blasted away by the raw force."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                STORM ELEMENTAL
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(DELIRIUM + LIGHTNING)
"This Delirium Synergy matches with Lightning conjures a semi-aware ball of
living electricity. The elemental seeks out your enemies for as long as it can
remain materialized. Each target it passes through is wracked with electricity
over time." [sic]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                SUPERNOVA
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(FIRE + LIGHTNING)
"This Fire Synergy pairs with Lightning to create a bright aura of damage,
striking all nearby enemies."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                UNDEAD HULK
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(NECROMANCY + DELIRIUM)
"This Necromancy Synergy fuses with Delirium to conjure a skeletal monstrosity
to attack the target's enemies. The hulk is short-lived but can do impressive
damage."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One other thing to note regarding synergy: since many of these overlap with
their required sigils, you may choose to create and use more than one at
the same time. This forces you to use certain sigil combinations, but you
can also charge and use multiple synergy attacks very frequently.

Example: Fire + Ice + Lightning overlaps and actually lets you charge three
of these attacks (Frostburn Vortex, Ice Storm, and Supernova) all at the
same time -- provided your target is tagged with all three sigils first.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Section 5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 5*

The environment in Lichdom: Battlemage is full of items to interact with.
In this section, I will list the various types of items you may find,
generally in order of appearance.

Reliquary - Interacting with one of these will grant the Dragon one new sigil.

Checkpoint - These allow the Dragon to fast travel and swap equipped sigils,
along with saving your game and providing a place to respawn if you die.

Echo - Story "shadows" of the past that give insight into the world of
Lichdom. After these play, interact with them again to gain an item.

Shield Orb - Blue orb of shield energy that typically restores a single
bar on the Dragon's shield, but may rarely contain a full restore.

Etheria Orb - Purple orb that contains a random item.

Strange Objects - Some objects can be attacked and destroyed,
such as the orange growths found in the first level or the
ice crystals found in the mountains. Most contain loot,
but do not respawn for New Game Plus.

Journals/Scrolls - Purely lore items, these update the Dragon's journal
with new story-related information.

Mark - Bronze symbols that can be "collected" for achievement.

Challenge Device - strike these with a sigil to begin a challenging battle
that if won will reward you with dozens of loot items! It can be found
in small, isolated rooms for a single area fight, or in vast areas
that typically travel to three or four locations for the fights.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What about New Game Plus?
New Game Plus can be accessed after beating the storyline. At the end,
you will be given a set of portals to use. I recommend not going through
these right away, as the enemies are actually scaled above you unless you
fast travel back to the beginning of the game and farm some higher level
spells and shields. Once the game is completed, you loot rarity is always
maxed, and enemies you face will scale at or above your level. Bosses are immune
to this scaling, but will still drop scaled loot.

You can fast travel back to the portals at any time to activate challenge
modes that will give you even higher quality loot. The enemies here are the
strongest the game can throw at you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you've read this far, thanks again for reading! I hope this
guide has helped you learn the mechanics behind Lichdom: Battlemage.