The short answer
Plan a build as a sequence: apply an effect, improve or convert it, then use the right attack to benefit from it. Before adding another damage node, check that the selected spell belongs to the required category and that you can pay for the whole sequence.
What counts as a racial skill?
A Steam moderator explains that the north and south branches are racial trees; for an Elf, the skills there are Elf skills. That is more specific than assuming every spell cast by an Elf qualifies. The moderator also acknowledges that the presentation is unclear.
Steam moderator — racial abilities ↗Larry Puss’s video provides a second way to read the distinction: look for the category icon beside the spell. His Backstab Strike example carries a racial category. When a passive affects Elf spells, match that category rather than inferring it from a damage type such as thrust or decay.
Larry Puss — build experiments ↗The launch included a tree overhaul. Use the current node description and prerequisites for navigation; an older screen position is not enough to reproduce a route.
Early Access launch announcement ↗Spell upgrades are decisions, not a shopping list
The developer’s pre-launch explanation says modifier choices are exclusive within an aspect. It also describes basic attacks restoring concentration in combat. These are useful design rules to check against your current tooltips, rather than a guarantee that every recovery passive or balance value is unchanged.
Developer — spells and Human Mage example ↗Compare possible modifiers by their job:
| Job in your build | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Apply a status | Can this reliably prepare the target before the next skill? |
| Consume a status | Is the immediate payoff worth losing those stacks now? |
| Convert your buff | Which action generates it, and which action spends the result? |
| Change casting behavior | Does charging, channeling or repeating fit the attack windows you have? |
| Recover resources | Can the rotation recover enough before you need to defend? |
Avoid planning a rotation that assumes mutually exclusive options are active together. Write down the modifier you actually selected beside each spell.
A worked example: Temporal Surge to Double Strike
In Larry Puss’s recording, Backstab Strike grants Temporal Surge, Echo of Mutilation converts stacks into Double Strike, and swings consume the resulting buff. It connects three different decisions: a source, a converter and an action that benefits.
To check a similar combination in your own tree:
- Search for the named effect and identify at least one reliable source.
- Read whether the next node grants, consumes or converts it.
- Check whether the payoff applies to weapon swings, a spell category or another specific action.
- Test the sequence against a suitable enemy and watch the buff icons.
Increasing a limit is not the same as generating stacks. Likewise, a spell that costs both stamina and concentration can interrupt a rotation even when the skill-tree connection looks correct.
Larry Puss — build experiments ↗Add equipment after choosing the interaction
Revvy’s Erupting-set example changes fully charged Erupt by leaving water pools. This illustrates why the relevant question is not just “does this item increase my damage?” but “does its condition match how I use the spell?”
Read the required piece count, the affected spell and any charging condition together. Check the Codex for the set’s drop sources, then compare the actual rolled attributes. Do not discard a functioning set threshold merely to equip a higher-upgrade item whose bonuses support another route.
Revvy — first character guide ↗Keep a small build record
Record your race and class, game version, active spells and chosen modifiers, important set thresholds, and the enemy used for comparison. Then note what changed: a faster clear, fewer recovery pauses, or more reliable survival.
This separates a useful improvement from a change caused by fighting easier enemies. For a starting route, read Minotaur bleed, Human Mage Burning and Elf Shadow examples. For attribute requirements and resets, see character creation.
Follow the evidence
Sources & version notes
Source check: September 17, 2026. Launch announcements establish availability. Older design descriptions provide context; they do not verify current skill values or balance.