Into the Drift · a player's guide

How a character grows

There is no class to choose in the Drift. You develop five attributes, train skills and learn mastery abilities. Your choices determine how you fight, and the game assigns an archetype based on your attributes.

What is built

Attributes, skills, the defences, equipment, thraedweaving and mastery are all in the game. All 112 masteries are implemented. Balance testing continues, so their effects and values may still change.

Five attributes

One point every second level · maximum 30 per attribute

At character creation, you have five points to distribute in addition to the bonuses from your people and your god. You gain another attribute point every second level.

MightImproves swords, heavy arms, throwing, woodcutting and mining.

AgilityImproves dodging, small blades, polearms and archery.

VitalityIncreases health and vigour, and improves shield use.

WitsImproves crafting, building, foraging, alchemy and cooking.

WillIncreases skein, thraed damage and the maximum number of thraeds you can prepare.

Character level has no ceiling, but the climb past level 50 grows steeply harder: every level beyond costs a good deal more experience than the one before. Attributes stop at 30 whatever your level.

Skills

Trained by use · or bought outright with skill points

Using a skill trains it: swinging a sabre trains Swords, felling a tree trains Woodcutting, and evading an attack trains Dodge. You also earn skill points to spend on any skill: two per level up to level ten, then one per level. Each rank costs one point up to rank 10, two up to rank 20, and three beyond, so higher ranks require more points.

Arms: Weapon skills are grouped by family : small blades, swords, heavy arms, polearms, archery, throwing, and Thraedweaving for wands and staves.
Schools: The seven kinds of thraed: flame, frost, nature, stone, tide, life and storm. Himlos is associated with nature and life, Bel with flame, Skorrim with stone, and Haiwang with tide and storm. Frost has no patron god.
Defences: Shields and Dodge protect against both melee and ranged attacks.
Trades: Woodcutting, mining, foraging, crafting, building, and Thraedweaving itself — plus alchemy and cooking, for making draughts and meals that grant temporary bonuses to the party. Alchemy also makes bombs such as firebombs, holy water and bottled lightning. A bomb's tierdepends on half your level plus your Alchemy rank, with one tier for every five points. Higher-tier bombs deal more damage.

Being shot at

How shields, dodge and armour protect you

Armour reduces damage when you are hit. Shields and Dodge can prevent the hit altogether, whether it comes from a nearby enemy or an archer across the room.

Shields can block arrows as well as melee attacks. Coverage determines block chance; your Shields rank and the shield's material affect that chance.

Larger shields impose an attack penalty called burden. Melee weapons take half the penalty; wands and thrown weapons take the full amount. Training Shields reduces it. Bucklers have no burden.
Shield	Coverage	Armour	What it costs you
Wooden buckler	43%	2	No burden.
Banded shield	55%	3	Burden: 4, reduced by Shields training.
Steel kite shield	65%	6	Burden: 8, reduced by Shields training.

Dodge works with any equipment, including two-handed weapons. Agility and Dodge rank improve your chance to evade an attack, and successful dodges train the skill. Neither Dodge nor Shields can guarantee that you avoid every hit.

Some equipment also resists a particular damage type , such as fire, frost, poison, lightning or natural attacks. Resistance bonuses from equipment and draughts add together, up to a maximum of 75%.

Equipment

What it is · what it is made of · how well it was made

Weapons and armour have a form, a material and a tier. All three affect their properties.

Form: The type of weapon or armour. A knife is quick and light; a greatsword is slow and heavy. A gambeson favours dodge, while plate provides more armour. Different sword types have similar but distinct damage values.
Material: Material strongly affects performance. Compared with bronze, green withy deals about three fifths as much damage; moonsilver deals over half again as much and attacks faster. Black iron offers strong armour at a cost to dodge. Glass weapons are sharp and light.
Tier: Quality, from I to X. The tier of loot depends on where you find it. Tier does not restrict who can equip an item.

Grades run 1 to 9. Near the start of the game the low grades turn up far more often; the deeper and further out you go, the higher the grades a chest or a corpse is likely to hold.
Grade	Materials	What they are like
1	Withy, flint, cloth, hide	Basic materials. Wood weapons are quick, cloth favours dodge, and flint weapons are slower.
2	Ash, bone, buff-leather	Common early equipment.
3	Boiled leather, copper, brass, red lacquer, fen-wood	Soft metals, treated leather and wood.
4	Bronze, bell-metal, pig-iron, oxblood, briar	Bronze is the baseline for comparison. Pig-iron is relatively heavy.
5	Iron, crimson, gilded, wormed, green-chased	Iron and comparable materials. Gilded equipment is softer and more expensive.
6	Steel, black iron, quiet metal	Strong metals for weapons and armour.
7	Blood-tempered, fluted steel, glass, pale alloy	High-grade metals and glass.
8	Gloamed, runed	Rare magical materials.
9	Moonsilver	Lightweight and highly durable.

An ordinary item above tier I keeps its name and icon, with its tier shown on the item card. Fine, rare and relic items have a rarity as well as a tier.
Every tier above I	Adds
Damage	+14%
Armour	+12%
Shield coverage	+1
Worth	climbs steeply: a tier-V piece is worth many times a tier-I

Where things come from

Loot usually matches the area's tier, with some variation above or below it. The surface near your starting point is tier I. Distant regions, harsher biomes and deeper dungeon floors offer higher-tier equipment.

Equipment drops vary by creature. Thieves and outlaws commonly carry equipment, soldiers less often, and undead occasionally. Some monsters have loot; wolves have none. An elite has three times the normal chance to drop equipment, which can be one tier higher. A boss always drops a piece of equipment, one to three tiers above the area's tier. Its rarity is rolled separately, so it may still be an ordinary item.

Quest items never take a slot in your pack. They collect in their own list, under Quest Items on the inventory, and they cannot be dropped or sold by accident.

Thraedweaving

A spell is a thraed · you spend your skein to weave one

Magic draws on the threads of the Drift. Weaving them into a thraed lets you attack, heal or protect someone.

A flame-thread is among the simplest galdorthraeds. — a master of the Galdorscōl

The skein: Your reserve of magical energy. Will determines its capacity; Thraedweaving affects how quickly it regenerates. Regeneration is slower in combat.
Slots: A thraed must be in one of your slots before you can weave it. Click a known thraed on the Thraeds page of your Journal to put it in a slot, or click it again to take it out. You cannot change your slots while a slotted thraed is cooling down. Every four ranks of Thraedweaving unlock a slot, up to the limit set by your Will.
Weaving one: Put a slotted thraed on the hot bar and press its key. Only slotted thraeds can go on the hot bar. A healing or protective thraed highlights party members; an offensive thraed highlights enemies in range. Click a target. A bolt strikes the first target in its path. A burst affects an area around your target; a burst centred on yourself needs no target selection.
If you never learn: You can spend your points on weapons or trades and leave Thraedweaving untrained. A scroll lets you use a healing or protective thraed without a slot or any skein. It is consumed on use.
Learning one: Rank: every four ranks of Thraedweaving grant a slot and one thraed of your choosing . Available choices include schoolless thraeds and those from schools you have trained. Tier II thraeds become available at rank 12, and tier III at rank 20; individual thraeds may also require particular ranks in Thraedweaving or their school. A Will linelends slots of its own for the tier you reach in it: the Magician two at tier II, two more at tier III and one at tier IV; the Runeblade and the Nightweaver, who lean on Will with one hand each, one at every one of those tiers. The lines that do not lean on Will lend none, and no mastery lets you weave at all until the craft itself is trained. A teachercan teach you for coin. A galdorthraedis a book that permanently teaches its thraed. A scrolllets you use a thraed once, without learning it.

The tree

Thraeds from every school, grouped by tier.

Cost is measured in skein. Damage and healing values below are base values; Will, Thraedweaving and school ranks can increase them.
Thraed	School	Tier	Cost	What it does
Shovethraed	—	I	5	Targeted: 45–75 damage; knocks back 8 tiles.
Sparkthraed	—	I	4	Bolt: 45–75 damage.
Purgethraed	—	II	10	Targeted; removes poisoned, burning, chilled, frozen, webbed.
Veilthraed	—	II	16	Targeted; veiled for 12s, Veil (+6 dodge) for 30s.
Duskthraed	—	III	22	Burst 4 tiles wide around the target: 78–120 damage; applies marked.
Gloamthraed	—	III	22	Enemies within 3 tiles of you: 76–118 damage; applies marked.
Riftthraed	—	IV	30	Burst 6 tiles wide around the target: 120–180 damage; applies staggered.
Wyrdthraed	—	V	40	Enemies within 4.5 tiles of you: 160–240 damage; applies marked.
Flamethraed	flame	I	6	Bolt: 53–96 damage; applies burning.
Kindlethraed	flame	I	8	Burst 2.6 tiles wide around the target: 28–48 damage; applies burning.
Emberthraed	flame	II	14	Burst 3.6 tiles wide around the target: 50–83 damage; 50% chance to apply burning.
Searthraed	flame	II	14	Bolt: 68–104 damage; 70% chance to apply burning.
Blazethraed	flame	III	22	Burst 5.6 tiles wide around the target: 88–136 damage; applies burning.
Pyrethraed	flame	III	24	Enemies within 3 tiles of you: 89–138 damage; applies burning.
Brandthraed	flame	IV	26	Bolt: 185–275 damage; applies burning.
Cinderthraed	flame	IV	30	Burst 6.4 tiles wide around the target: 118–176 damage; applies burning.
Baelthraed	flame	V	40	Burst 9 tiles wide around the target: 170–250 damage; applies burning, knocks back 1.5 tiles.
Hoarthraed	frost	I	5	Targeted: 50–85 damage; applies chilled.
Rimethraed	frost	I	6	Bolt: 49–85 damage; applies chilled, 33% chance to apply frozen.
Glacethraed	frost	II	14	Bolt: 76–114 damage; applies frozen.
Shardthraed	frost	II	14	Bolt: 58–88 damage; applies chilled.
Sleetthraed	frost	III	22	Enemies within 3 tiles of you: 80–126 damage; applies chilled, 33% chance to apply frozen.
Wintrethraed	frost	III	24	Burst 5 tiles wide around the target: 82–127 damage; applies frozen, applies chilled.
Frorethraed	frost	IV	30	Enemies within 3.5 tiles of you: 120–175 damage; applies frozen, applies chilled.
Haglthraed	frost	IV	30	Burst 6.4 tiles wide around the target: 110–165 damage; applies chilled, 50% chance to apply frozen.
Fimbulthraed	frost	V	40	Enemies within 4.5 tiles of you: 160–240 damage; applies frozen, applies chilled.
Bindthraed	nature	I	7	Enemies within 3 tiles of you; applies webbed.
Thornthraed	nature	I	5	Bolt: 43–79 damage; 50% chance to apply poisoned.
Blightthraed	nature	II	16	Burst 4 tiles wide around the target: 44–74 damage; applies poisoned.
Sapthraed	nature	II	10	Targeted; heals 3 health a second for 10s, removes poisoned.
Briarthraed	nature	III	22	Enemies within 3.5 tiles of you: 74–117 damage; applies webbed, 50% chance to apply poisoned.
Cankerthraed	nature	III	22	Burst 5.6 tiles wide around the target: 70–110 damage; applies poisoned, 50% chance to apply bleeding.
Bramblethraed	nature	IV	30	Enemies within 4 tiles of you: 95–145 damage; applies webbed, applies poisoned.
Sporethraed	nature	IV	30	Burst 7 tiles wide around the target: 72–112 damage; applies poisoned, 50% chance to apply webbed.
Wyldthraed	nature	V	40	Enemies within 4.5 tiles of you: 150–220 damage; applies webbed, applies poisoned, knocks back 1.5 tiles.
Stonethraed	stone	I	6	Bolt: 52–87 damage; knocks back 1 tile.
Wardthraed	stone	I	10	Targeted; Warded (+40% armour) for 45s.
Quakethraed	stone	II	14	Enemies within 2.5 tiles of you: 47–75 damage; knocks back 2 tiles.
Spikethraed	stone	II	14	Burst 3 tiles wide around the target: 52–80 damage; 50% chance to apply bleeding.
Bulwarkthraed	stone	III	18	Targeted; Bulwarked (+10 armour, +4 defence) for 30s.
Cragthraed	stone	III	22	Burst 5 tiles wide around the target: 85–135 damage; 50% chance to apply petrified, knocks back 1.5 tiles.
Adamantthraed	stone	IV	30	Targeted; Adamant (+16 armour, +6 defence, +4 damage) for 40s.
Screethraed	stone	IV	30	Burst 7 tiles wide around the target: 120–175 damage; 50% chance to apply petrified, knocks back 2 tiles.
Bastionthraed	stone	V	38	Everyone in the party within 5 tiles of you; Bastion (+12 armour, +5 defence) for 30s.
Mountainthraed	stone	V	40	Enemies within 4.5 tiles of you: 160–240 damage; applies petrified, knocks back 3 tiles.
Tidethraed	tide	I	8	Bolt: 59–99 damage; knocks back 2 tiles.
Wellthraed	tide	I	6	Targeted; heals 12 health at once, removes burning.
Surgethraed	tide	II	14	Enemies within 2.5 tiles of you: 44–72 damage; 60% chance to apply chilled, knocks back 2.5 tiles.
Undertowthraed	tide	II	14	Burst 4 tiles wide around the target: 42–73 damage; applies chilled, knocks back 1 tile.
Breakerthraed	tide	III	22	Burst 5.6 tiles wide around the target: 82–128 damage; applies soaked, knocks back 2 tiles.
Maelstromthraed	tide	III	24	Enemies within 3.5 tiles of you: 77–125 damage; applies chilled, knocks back 3 tiles.
Flodthraed	tide	IV	30	Burst 7 tiles wide around the target: 110–165 damage; applies soaked, knocks back 2 tiles.
Whelmthraed	tide	IV	30	Enemies within 3.5 tiles of you: 125–180 damage; applies soaked, knocks back 2.5 tiles.
Drowningthraed	tide	V	40	Enemies within 4.5 tiles of you: 165–245 damage; applies soaked, applies chilled, knocks back 3.5 tiles.
Galethraed	storm	I	8	Enemies within 2.5 tiles of you: 40–70 damage; knocks back 2.5 tiles.
Joltthraed	storm	I	5	Bolt: 45–84 damage; 35% chance to apply staggered.
Forkthraed	storm	II	14	Burst 4 tiles wide around the target: 48–79 damage; applies staggered.
Howlthraed	storm	II	14	Enemies within 2.5 tiles of you: 46–74 damage; 60% chance to apply staggered, knocks back 3 tiles.
Squallthraed	storm	III	22	Enemies within 3 tiles of you: 80–125 damage; 70% chance to apply staggered, knocks back 1.5 tiles.
Stormthraed	storm	III	26	Burst 5 tiles wide around the target: 85–135 damage; applies staggered.
Levinthraed	storm	IV	26	Bolt: 190–280 damage; applies staggered.
Thunderthraed	storm	IV	30	Burst 7 tiles wide around the target: 115–170 damage; applies staggered.
Tempestthraed	storm	V	40	Enemies within 5 tiles of you: 165–250 damage; applies staggered, knocks back 2 tiles.
Seamthraed	life	I	8	Targeted; heals 2.5 health a second for 12s.
Dawnthraed	life	II	16	Burst 3.6 tiles wide around the target: 44–74 damage; applies marked.
Mendthraed	life	II	24	Targeted; heals 30 health at once, removes poisoned.
Sunthraed	life	III	26	Enemies within 2.5 tiles of you: 60–95 damage.
Wholethraed	life	III	30	Targeted; heals 60 health at once, removes poisoned, burning, chilled, frozen, webbed.
Balmthraed	life	IV	30	Targeted; heals 40 health at once, heals 6 health a second for 10s, removes poisoned, burning, chilled, frozen, webbed, bleeding.
Halthraed	life	IV	32	Everyone in the party within 5 tiles of you; heals 36 health at once, removes poisoned, burning, bleeding.
Radiancethraed	life	V	40	Burst 7 tiles wide around the target: 150–225 damage; applies marked.

The seven lines

Your attributes determine your archetype

Your relative investment in Might, Agility and Will determines your archetype. Emphasising one produces a purist, balancing two produces a blend, and balancing all three produces a Wanderer. Each has a mastery line, but you can learn skills from any line.

WarriorMightMelee damage, shields and survival. RogueAgilityDodging, stealth and precise attacks. MagicianWillThraeds for damage, healing and controlling enemies. SkirmisherMight + AgilityDual blades, dodging and counterattacks. RunebladeMight + WillMelee weapons strengthened by magic. NightweaverAgility + WillDual wands, poison and disabling thraeds. Wandererall threeA broad mix of skills and defences.

A companion's archetype determines which combat rolesyou can assign on their character sheet. A Magician can heal, apply protective thraeds, attack groups, focus on a single target or mix these roles. A Warrior can tank, focus on one target or attack groups; a Rogue can focus on one target or attack groups. Blends combine roles from their two archetypes, and a Wanderer can use any role. Stance determines how far a companion moves from you; role determines how they fight.

Your archetype does not restrict your mastery choices. You can progress through any line. Your attributes still affect how effectivethose skills are: Might helps melee attacks, while Will strengthens a Magician's Bolt. You can specialise or combine abilities from several lines.

Mastery

Five tiers a line · one mastery point a level

Every level grants a mastery point. Higher-tier skills cost more points. Spend them on the Masteries tab of the Journal; available skills have an amber border. Each of the seven lines has sixteen choices, spread across five tiers.

Reaching tier V takes two skills at each of tiers I to IV and one at tier V: 30 mastery points.
Tier	I	II	III	IV	V
Mastery points	1	2	3	5	8

Unlocking higher tiers

You can learn any available tier I skill if you have enough points. At tier N , you must already know two tier N−1 skills of the same line (or every one that tier offers, if it has fewer than two). There are no attribute or archetype requirements. Each tier also needs a character level: tier I from level 1, tier II from level 5, tier III from level 10, tier IV from level 17 and tier V from level 25. This applies to companions too.

Line devotion

Permanently learning several skills from the same line gives a bonus. Borrowed skills do not count. You get it once at 3 skills held in that line, twice at 5 and three times at 7. Each step gives:

Warrior: +6% armour, and +5% damage with swords, heavy arms, polearms and small blades.
Rogue: +3 dodge, and +5% damage with small blades, archery and throwing weapons.
Magician: +8% thraed damage, and skein regenerates 15% faster.
Skirmisher: +2 dodge, and +4% damage with swords, heavy arms, polearms and small blades.
Runeblade: +4% damage with swords, heavy arms, polearms and small blades, and +4% thraed damage.
Nightweaver: +2 dodge, and the status effects you apply last 1 second longer.
Wanderer: +1 to every skill, and +5% experience.

Borrowing a mastery

Borrowed Craft lets you choose a tier I passive from another line after sleeping at an inn, in a bed or on a bedroll. The Long Road gives two more slots, each for a passive of tier IV or below from another line, and does not need Borrowed Craft. You choose separately for yourself and eligible companions who rested with you.

The rest menu shows each passive's effect. Choose Use these choices to apply them, or Keep current choices to leave them alone. Escape closes the menu without changing any choices you have not applied. Your selections are saved and remain in effect until you change them at a later rest.

Borrowed skills are marked B in the Journal. They cost no points, do not stack with a permanent purchase of the same skill, and cannot supply prerequisites or devotion. You can still buy one permanently at its normal price. The Long Road does not discount purchases.

Many Hands works differently. Allies within 6 tiles of a Wanderer who holds it also have every passive of tier IV or below that the Wanderer has permanently bought. This lasts while they stay in range, and is also marked B in their Journal. Passives received this way cannot supply prerequisites or devotion either.

Returning to an existing character

Earlier purchases of Warded Grip, Drifter's Knack, Light Step, Footwork, Wardlight, Hexed Blade, Counter-cut, Second School, Runic Focus, Lingering Weave and Even Keel are refunded once when an older save is loaded. Their effects have changed; read the new descriptions before buying them again. Other purchases remain intact, and buying a refunded skill again will not trigger another refund.

How to read the tables

Each table lists skills by tier. A PASSIVE skill works automatically when its stated conditions are met. An ACTIVE skill goes on the hot bar and has a resource cost and cooldown. Aimed skills such as Bolt and Mend use the same targeting controls as thraeds. An AURA affects an area around you. Each description states who benefits and when the effect applies.

Vigour: A resource used by physical mastery abilities. Maximum vigour is 10 plus twice your Vitality. It regenerates at 2 per second outside combat and 0.5 per second in combat. Its bar appears on the party panel once you learn an ability that uses it.
Skein: A resource used by thraeds and magical mastery abilities. Characters who learn both physical and magical abilities use vigour and skein separately.
Afflictions: Mastery abilities can apply status effects. Staggered reduces movement speed to 60%; bleeding deals damage over time. Unseen prevents enemies from noticing you.

The purist lines

One main attribute · several skills at each tier

Warrior

Leans on Might

Melee damage, shields and survival.

Tier	Skill	Kind	What it does
I	Shield-Wall	PASSIVE	+10% chance to block with a shield, and a shield's burden is 30% lighter. Works with: Needs a shield on your arm.
I	Whirlwind	ACTIVE12 vigour · 10s	Spin through nearby enemies, striking 4 times at 45% weapon damage per strike. Both weapons count when you hold two. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Requires a melee weapon. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
I	Thick Skin	PASSIVE	+10% maximum health.
II	Hewing Blow	PASSIVE	+10% damage with swords, heavy arms and polearms. Works with: Swords, heavy weapons and polearms only.
II	Ironhide	PASSIVE	+20% armour, and +20% more while you are below half health.
II	Shield-Arm	PASSIVE	+40% damage with the weapon in your hand while a shield is on your arm. Works with: Needs a shield on your arm.
II	Sword and Step	PASSIVE	+15% damage with swords, and +3% dodge chance while a sword is in your hand. Works with: Swords only.
III	Second Wind	ACTIVE10 vigour · 45s	Heal 20% of your health at once, and throw off poison and bleeding.
III	Groundbreaker	ACTIVE16 vigour · 14s	Drive a shockwave 8 tiles ahead, dealing 220% weapon damage to enemies in its path. Both count when you hold two heavy weapons or polearms. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Requires heavy arms or a polearm. Works with: Heavy weapons and polearms only.
III	Cleaving Stroke	PASSIVE	+15% damage with heavy arms, or +30% with a two-handed one, and a hammer's or mace's smash lands 25% wider. Works with: Heavy weapons only.
III	Spear Wall	PASSIVE	+12% damage with polearms, or +55% with a two-handed one, and +8% dodge chance while one is in your hand. Works with: Polearms only.
IV	Bulwark	ACTIVE16 vigour · 35s	For 6 seconds, you and allies within 4 tiles take 30% less hit damage. Does not reduce damage over time.
IV	Unyielding	PASSIVE	The blow that would kill you leaves you at 1 health instead. Once a day.
IV	Executioner	PASSIVE	Your melee blows deal +40% against a body below 30% of its health. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
V	Wrath of the Hold	ACTIVE20 vigour · 90s	For 10 seconds: 1.5x melee damage, and nothing can stagger or freeze you. Each kill adds 2 seconds. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
V	Warden's Oath	AURA	A standing aura: allies within 5 tiles stand under your oath, +3 armour while they keep near.

Rogue

Leans on Agility

Dodging, stealth and precise attacks.

Tier	Skill	Kind	What it does
I	Light Step	PASSIVE	While you wear only cloth or leather armour and carry no shield: +4% dodge chance, and enemies notice you only from 60% of their usual distance. Empty armour slots are allowed.
I	Keen Eye	PASSIVE	+10% damage with small blades, archery and throwing. Works with: Small blades, bows, crossbows and thrown weapons only.
I	Roll	ACTIVE5 vigour · 6s	Dash 8 tiles the way you are moving (or toward your aim), untouchable for the 0.4 seconds it takes.
II	Shadowstep	ACTIVE12 vigour · 12s	Blink up to 6 tiles in your movement or aim direction. Walls, gaps and changes of height stop you.
II	Poisoner	PASSIVE	Small blades and swords poison on 25% of hits. Works with: Small blades and swords, in melee only.
II	Marksman	PASSIVE	+12% damage and +5% critical chance with archery and throwing. Works with: Bows, crossbows and thrown weapons only.
II	Fan of Knives	ACTIVE10 vigour · 8s	Throw a fan of blades up to 5 tiles the way you aim, dealing 60% weapon damage to each enemy caught. Both small blades count when you hold two. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. 6 knives also fly out across the fan and keep going until they hit something, each dealing 25% of one hit with your weapon. Each knife is a random knife: piercing and slashing knives can cause bleeding, shadow knives can mark, lightning knives can stagger and poisoned knives can poison. Requires a small blade or a sling in your hand. Works with: Small blades and slings only.
III	Ambush	PASSIVE	A melee attack begun while unseen or ghostwalking gains 50% damage on its first contact with an enemy. A block or dodge still uses the bonus. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
III	Quick Hands	PASSIVE	Your small blades strike 12% faster. Works with: Small blades only.
III	Opening Shot	PASSIVE	Archery and throwing hits deal +20% damage to enemies above 90% health. Works with: Bows, crossbows and thrown weapons only.
III	Cut and Run	PASSIVE	A small-blade melee hit that leaves an enemy alive gives +8 dodge against that enemy while you move away from it, for 4 seconds. Can trigger once every 6 seconds. Works with: Small blades only.
IV	Ghostwalk	AURA	An aura: you and allies within 3 tiles walk unseen. If any of you attacks, the group becomes visible for five seconds.
IV	Weak Point	PASSIVE	Direct weapon hits that deal damage strip 10% of the target's armour, up to 3 shared stacks. Further hits refresh the 8-second duration. The applying hit does not benefit from its new stack. Works with: Any weapon, wands included.
IV	Piercing Shot	ACTIVE14 vigour · 12s	Fire through enemies in a line up to 8 tiles the way you aim, dealing 260% weapon damage. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Requires a bow or crossbow. Works with: Bows and crossbows only.
V	Thousand Cuts	ACTIVE20 vigour · 30s	Strike an enemy you choose 5 times in rapid succession, each for 110% weapon damage. Both weapons count when you hold two. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Requires a melee weapon; the sequence ends if the target leaves reach. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
V	Shadow's Favour	PASSIVE	Dodging restores 10% of your maximum vigour.

Magician

Leans on Will

Thraeds for damage, healing and controlling enemies.

Tier	Skill	Kind	What it does
I	Kindled	PASSIVE	+10% damage on every damaging thraed, and the status effects your thraeds apply last 1s longer. Works with: Thraeds only, not weapons.
I	Wardlight	PASSIVE	Spending skein grants +10% fire, frost and lightning resistance for 4 seconds. Further paid casts refresh the duration.
I	Bolt	ACTIVE6 skein · 3s	Fire an exploding bolt from your strongest school. Enemies within 1.5 tiles of impact take 36 to 64 damage, plus 2 per point of Will above five, before skill and mastery bonuses. Has a 50% chance to apply that school's status. Uses no thraed slot.
II	Web	ACTIVE7 skein · 14s	Enemies within 3 tiles of you are webbed for 4 seconds.
II	Well of Skein	PASSIVE	+15% maximum skein.
II	Second School	PASSIVE	Thraeds of the school you are second best at use your best school's rank for their damage and healing. Learning those thraeds still needs that school's own rank. Works with: Thraeds only, not weapons.
II	Measured Casting	PASSIVE	Pay skein for thraeds from two different schools within 6 seconds to recover 20% of the second payment, up to 4 skein. 6-second recovery cooldown. Free casts and mastery abilities do not count. Works with: Thraeds only, not weapons.
III	Chill of the Deep	ACTIVE12 skein · 25s	Release a frost burst in a 5-tile radius. Deals 32 to 48 damage, plus 2 per point of Will above five, before bonuses. Chills enemies for 6 seconds, with a 33% chance to freeze them for 2 seconds.
III	Runic Focus	PASSIVE	Skein regenerates 2x as fast outside combat. After 6 seconds without weaving a thraed, your next thraed costs no skein. Bolt uses the school of the last damaging thraed you wove, with that school's status effect and damage type; its damage still uses your best school's rank.
III	Lingering Weave	PASSIVE	Re-applying a status effect that an enemy already has from you adds the new duration to the time it has left, up to 2 times the duration of a single application.
III	Focused Weave	PASSIVE	Consecutive damaging thraed hits against the same enemy add 8% damage per previous hit, up to 24%. Hitting another enemy or waiting 4 seconds starts over. Status damage does not count. Works with: Thraeds only, not weapons.
IV	Pyre	AURA	An aura: everything within 3 tiles burns each second for a fifth of your Bolt's damage.
IV	Mend	ACTIVE12 skein · 20s	Heal yourself or an ally for 25% of your maximum health, increased by Thraedweaving and Life, and cure poison and bleeding.
IV	Break the Pattern	ACTIVE12 skein · 30s	Remove one harmful combat status from yourself or a party ally within 4 tiles, prioritizing control effects, then distance. The recipient resists that same status for 4 seconds. Does not cure hunger, exhaustion or drowning.
V	The Drift Itself	ACTIVE22 skein · 120s	For 8 seconds your learned thraeds cost no skein. Mastery abilities still cost their normal resources.
V	Elder Ward	AURA	Allies within 4 tiles take 25% less fire, frost and lightning hit damage and cannot be frozen. Does not protect the caster or reduce damage over time.

The blends

Two main attributes · one skill per tier

Blend lines offer five skills each. They combine weapon use and defences with abilities such as counterattacks, magically enhanced strikes and dual-wielding without off-hand penalties.

Skirmisher

Leans on Might and Agility

Dual blades, dodging and counterattacks.

Tier	Skill	Kind	What it does
I	Footwork	ACTIVE6 vigour · 6s	Dash 4 tiles the way you aim, cutting everyone you pass for 100% weapon damage. Both weapons count when you hold two. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Then gain 15 dodge points for 3 seconds. Walls, gaps and changes of height stop the dash; enemies do not. Requires a melee weapon. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
I	Twin Edge	PASSIVE	+25% melee damage while you hold a weapon in each hand. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
I	Single Edge	PASSIVE	With one one-handed melee weapon and your other hand empty, deal +60% melee damage and attack 20% faster. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
II	Ambidexter	PASSIVE	Removes the damage and attack-speed penalties for an off-hand melee weapon. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
II	Sidestep	PASSIVE	+5% dodge chance while you are moving. Dodging an attack while moving makes your next melee hit within 3 seconds deal 20% more damage, at most once every 4 seconds. Works with: Its damage works with melee weapons only.
II	Poised Guard	PASSIVE	With one one-handed melee weapon and your other hand empty, gain +20 percentage points of dodge chance, whether moving or standing still. The normal dodge cap still applies. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
II	Second Breath	PASSIVE	Dodging an enemy while wielding two one-handed melee weapons restores 3 vigour. Once every 8 seconds. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
III	Riposte	PASSIVE	Blocking or dodging an attack deals 60% of its damage back to the attacker.
III	Counter-cut	PASSIVE	While holding two one-handed melee weapons, a block or dodge returns 75% of the stopped damage to the attacker. Uses the stronger of this and Riposte; they do not add together. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
III	Lunging Strike	ACTIVE10 vigour · 8s	Lunge up to 8 tiles at an enemy you choose and strike for 320% weapon damage. Both weapons count when you hold two. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Requires a melee weapon. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
III	Crosscut	ACTIVE12 vigour · 10s	Sweep the way you aim 2 times, dealing 100% weapon damage per strike to everyone in the arc. Both weapons count when you hold two. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Requires a melee weapon. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
IV	Duellist's Eye	PASSIVE	When exactly one enemy is within 1.5 tiles, deal +25% melee damage to that enemy and gain +10% dodge chance against its attacks. Enemies on another storey do not count. Works with: Its damage works with melee weapons only.
IV	Driving Thrust	ACTIVE14 vigour · 12s	Thrust through a line of enemies up to 4 tiles the way you aim, dealing 240% weapon damage. Both weapons count when you hold two. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Requires a melee weapon. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
IV	Hard Press	PASSIVE	While wielding two one-handed melee weapons, a damaging melee hit that leaves an enemy alive below half health restores 2 vigour. Once every 4 seconds. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
V	Storm of Steel	ACTIVE24 vigour · 35s	Unleash 6 spinning strikes around you, each dealing 60% weapon damage. Both weapons count when you hold two. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Requires a melee weapon. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
V	Fighting Circle	PASSIVE	With at least two enemies within 1.5 tiles, deal +20% melee damage and gain +6% dodge against those nearby enemies. Works with: Its damage works with melee weapons only.

Runeblade

Leans on Might and Will

Melee weapons strengthened by magic.

Tier	Skill	Kind	What it does
I	Runed Edge	PASSIVE	Your melee weapons, bows and crossbows apply your strongest school's status effect on 15% of hits. Works with: Melee weapons, bows and crossbows. Not wands or thrown weapons.
I	Warded Grip	PASSIVE	Land a damaging melee hit and spend skein on a thraed or mastery within 4 seconds of each other to take 8% less hit damage for 3 seconds. Can trigger once every 6 seconds. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
I	Skein-tempered	PASSIVE	Spending skein empowers your next melee strike or bow or crossbow shot within 4 seconds for +15% damage. The strike spends the benefit even if blocked or dodged. Can prepare once every 6 seconds. Works with: Melee weapons, bows and crossbows. Not wands or thrown weapons.
II	Ward of the Blade	PASSIVE	+35% armour while you hold a shield or a two-handed weapon. Works with: Needs a shield or a two-handed weapon. Bows, crossbows and staves count.
II	Runed Guard	PASSIVE	While you carry a shield, +0.5% chance to block for every point of Will. Works with: Needs a shield on your arm.
II	Runic Cleave	ACTIVE10 skein · 10s	Send a wave from your strongest school through enemies ahead. Deals 70 to 110 damage, plus 2 per point of Will above five, before skill and mastery bonuses. Reaches 6 tiles.
II	Spellguard	PASSIVE	Blocking fire, frost or lightning with a shield empowers your next damaging thraed strike within 6 seconds by 20%. The charge is spent even if that strike is blocked or dodged; an area spell empowers one target. Works with: Needs a shield on your arm.
III	Smite	ACTIVE12 vigour · 10s	Strike an enemy you choose for 300% weapon damage, plus 5% per point of Will. Both weapons count when you hold two. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Requires a melee weapon. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
III	Brand	ACTIVE10 skein · 10s	Strike an enemy you choose for 250% weapon damage and mark it for 5 seconds. The mark makes it take 20% more damage. Both weapons count when you hold two. Fast weapons deal a little more, slow ones a little less. Requires a melee weapon. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
III	Crossed Thraeds	PASSIVE	A damaging melee hit marks that target for 4 seconds. Your next damaging thraed strike against it deals +20% damage and spends the mark, even if blocked or dodged. Only your most recent melee target is marked. Works with: Melee weapons and thraeds.
III	Tempered Ward	ACTIVE16 skein · 40s	For 6 seconds, take 20% less damage from hits while holding a two-handed melee weapon. Requires a two-handed melee weapon to activate. Works with: Two-handed melee weapons only.
IV	Oathfire	AURA	Allies within 4 tiles deal +15% fire, frost and lightning hit damage. You take 20% less hit damage of those types. Does not affect damage over time.
IV	Engraved Steel	PASSIVE	Deal +15% melee damage against a target bearing your strongest school's status, applied by you. The status can come from a thraed or a weapon. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
IV	Shared Guard	PASSIVE	In combat, spending skein and landing a damaging melee hit within 4 seconds of each other wards your nearest ally within 4 tiles. They take 20% less damage from hits for 3 seconds. Triggers at most once every 6 seconds; multiple Shared Guards do not stack. Works with: Melee weapons only: swords, heavy weapons, polearms and small blades.
V	Sword-Song	ACTIVE20 vigour · 90s	10 seconds: every kill looses a free Bolt at the nearest enemy.
V	Joined Art	PASSIVE	After damaging a target with melee or a thraed, your next strike of the other kind against the same target within 4 seconds deals +25% damage. A blocked or dodged attempt spends the bonus. Repeated hits of the same kind renew the window without increasing damage. Works with: Melee weapons and thraeds.

Nightweaver

Leans on Agility and Will

Dual wands, poison and disabling thraeds.

Tier	Skill	Kind	What it does
I	Hexed Blade	PASSIVE	+3% dodge chance against attackers affected by your own poison or webs. Poison and webs your thraeds apply last 2 seconds longer.
I	Venom Sense	PASSIVE	+20% poison resistance, and the poison you apply lasts 2 seconds longer.
I	Threaded Snare	PASSIVE	Your damaging thraed hits deal 10% more damage to enemies affected by your own chill or webs. Having both effects grants no further bonus. Works with: Thraeds only, not weapons.
II	Twin Focus	PASSIVE	Removes the damage and attack-speed penalties for an off-hand wand. Works with: Wands only.
II	Gloam	ACTIVE10 skein · 25s	For 6 seconds, enemies inside a 4-tile circle at your position cannot see or pursue targets outside it. The circle stays where you cast it.
II	Poisoned Edge	PASSIVE	Your direct physical weapon hits deal 12% more damage to enemies affected by your own poison. Works with: Physical weapons only: not wands.
II	Slip the Snare	PASSIVE	Dodging an attacker affected by your own poison or webs restores 3 skein. Can occur once every 6 seconds.
III	Web-walker	PASSIVE	Webs can't hold you.
III	Barbed Web	PASSIVE	Your poison deals 20% more damage while the victim is also caught in your own webs.
III	Purge Venom	ACTIVE10 skein · 25s	Cures your poison and prevents further poisoning for 6 seconds.
III	Cold Venom	PASSIVE	A damaging physical weapon hit against an enemy affected by your own poison chills it for 2 seconds. Can occur once every 8 seconds. Does not replace an existing chill. Works with: Physical weapons only: not wands.
IV	Venom-Weaver	PASSIVE	When a victim dies, every status on it spreads to one adjacent enemy.
IV	Patient Venom	PASSIVE	Your poison deals 25% more damage while its victim has more than half health.
IV	Unravel	ACTIVE12 skein · 12s	Burst your webs on enemies within 6 tiles. Each burst hits enemies within 2 tiles for 40 to 60 damage, plus 2 per point of Will above five, before bonuses. Only your own webs are consumed.
V	Unmaking	ACTIVE20 skein · 100s	For 8 seconds, your damaging statuses on enemies deal 2x damage. Dodging chills the attacker for 2 seconds. Does not amplify healing or another caster's statuses.
V	Widow's Patience	ACTIVE16 skein · 60s	For 8 seconds, your direct physical weapon hits deal 40% more damage to enemies affected by both your own poison and your own webs. Works with: Physical weapons only: not wands.

The Wanderer

All three attributes · general skills and party support

The Wanderer line improves a wide range of skills and defences. Planned abilities include the option to borrowskills from other lines and an aura that improves nearby allies' skills.

Wanderer

Leans on Might, Agility and Will

Tier	Skill	Kind	What it does
I	Drifter's Knack	PASSIVE	Damage enemies with two different weapon skills within 6 seconds to recover 5% of your maximum vigour. Can trigger once every 8 seconds. Works with: Any weapon, wands included.
I	Hard March	ACTIVE8 vigour · 12s	Clear chilled, staggered and webbed from yourself and allies within 8 tiles. For 6 seconds, new chilled and staggered effects on all of you last 50% less time.
I	Careful Rations	PASSIVE	Buffs from cooked meals and drinks you consume last 20% longer.
II	Borrowed Craft	PASSIVE	At a completed rest, choose one tier I passive from another line to borrow until you change it at a later rest. It costs no points and does not count toward prerequisites or devotion.
II	Camp Provisioner	PASSIVE	Rested lasts 25% longer after you sleep in a bed or bedroll.
II	Field Dressing	ACTIVE20 vigour · 25s	Treat the most injured ally within 3 tiles, including yourself. Restore 20% of their maximum health and stop bleeding.
II	Scatter Caltrops	ACTIVE12 vigour · 15s	Scatter caltrops in a 3-tile radius for 8 seconds. Each enemy takes 25 physical damage on first entering and moves 40% slower while inside.
III	Even Keel	PASSIVE	For each line other than Wanderer that you hold a mastery in, up to 5: +5% armour, +1% dodge chance, +4% block chance and +5% thraed damage.
III	Old Roads	PASSIVE	Travelling on the world map uses 30% less nourishment for the whole party.
III	Prepared Reserve	PASSIVE	Potion buffs you drink outside combat last 25% longer. Does not affect weapon coats, healing over time or food.
III	Shared Shelter	ACTIVE18 vigour · 30s	Establish a shelter in a 3-tile radius for 6 seconds. Allies inside recover 3% of maximum health immediately and every 2 seconds. Overlapping shelters do not stack their healing.
IV	Improvise	ACTIVE8 vigour · 20s	For 8s, physical weapon attacks use your highest earned physical weapon rank if it is higher than their own. Each weapon keeps its normal family and bonuses. Wands and thraeds are unaffected. Works with: Physical weapons only: not wands.
IV	Travel Light	PASSIVE	While your chest armour slot is empty, recover vigour 30% faster outside combat.
IV	Broad Experience	PASSIVE	Once you have earned rank 5 in 3 physical weapon skills, deal +10% damage with physical weapons. Temporary skill bonuses do not count. Works with: Physical weapons only: not wands.
V	The Long Road	PASSIVE	At a completed rest, choose two passives of tier IV or below from other lines to borrow until you change them at a later rest. Does not need Borrowed Craft, and adds to its slot. Borrowed passives cost no points and do not count toward prerequisites or devotion.
V	Many Hands	AURA	A standing aura: allies within 6 tiles also have every passive mastery of tier IV or below that you have permanently learned. Passives they get this way do not count toward their prerequisites or devotion.

What the lines are for

Every line offers defensive abilities, from Shield-Wall and Light Step to Wardlight and Even Keel. You can choose protection that suits your equipment and fighting style. Companions also earn mastery points, and you can choose their skills in the Journal.

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