Wartales Best Builds (Opinion)

## Overview

This guide offers an idea of what are the most useful setups in most situations encountered throughout the game. There is no such thing as completely useless specialization, perk or skill. Under the right circumstances each companion setup has a chance to shine. Equipment, camp perks, game knowledge, food, rest, enemies and other companions contribute to what makes a certain specialized class effective.

The recommended choices are based on three parameters: **Adaptive** Exploration, **Experienced/Expert Combat** Difficulty and **Experienced/Expert** Survival Difficulty. So please take this into consideration when addressing the guide.

I've found the optimal crew size to cover all needs to be consisting of 10 human companions, one for each profession: 2 Archers, 3 Rangers, 1 Brute, 2 Swordsmen, 1 Spearman and 1 Warrior. I have finished all Arenas on all Arena difficulties and Expert Combat with the following setup: 2 Hunter Archers, 1 Protector Swordsman and 1 Poisoner Ranger.

### Initial considerations

1. **Career Plans** Game knowledge needs to researched as fast as possible in order to grant companions an extra aptitude point upon level up.

2. **Fast Training**  knowledge gives one attribute point to each new recruit, so consider this an early game priority as well.

3. **Strategy Table** at the Camp should have the following skills picked: Perspective, to increase shooting attacks by 20%; Deployment, which adds 20% extra deployment slots at the start of the battle and Repositioning, which resets movement for

4. **Constitution** seems to be the least useful attribute to dump points into as health is less important than armor and DoT effects scale percentage-wise, regardless of the amount of health you have.

5. **Willpower** increases the morale of your troops in a battle and also critical hit. The higher your team's total willpower, the more likely for your enemy crew to bail out earlier. However, on adaptive exploration, fights are more or less evenly matched. Thus, increasing your team's Willpower doesn't make too much of a difference to worth sacrificing other more useful attributes.

6. As a rule of thumb, Rangers and Archers should focus on raising their Dexterity and Critical Hit attributes, while Brutes, Swordsmen, Warriors and Spearmen should increase their Strength and in some cases maybe Critical Hit.

7. **Movement** is an important initial stat which offers mobility and opportunity for hit and run tactics. Archers benefit the least from it while Rangers the most.

8. The **first two rounds are decisive for the outcome of most battles**. Therefore, all companions should focus on eliminating as many enemies as possible during these rounds. Any skills/setups which show their potential after the first two rounds are rather ineffective. There is some time for planning, but not that much. Otherwise it's likely to get outnumbered and overwhelmed by enemies.

9. Apart from Rangers, who are meant to be played offensively, all out-offensive melee builds are riskier to play than more defensive approaches.

## Archer

### Attributes

Archers should prioritize **Critical Hit** and **Dexterity**. I advise dropping most points into Critical Hit in a 4:1 ratio (4 Critical Hit increases for each point invested in Dexterity)

Movement should also be increased so that an archer gets at least 10 movement points in the end. 12 is optimal.

Late game, with equipment, weapon oil and food boost (profession boost/traits maybe) you should reach around 90% Critical Hit chance, which is enough. Of course you can invest all points in Critical Hit chance and reach 100% chance, but the extra 10% doesn't seem to cover the damage potential lost by not investing in Dexterity. Still debatable though.

### Equipment

Archers should look for equipment that boosts **Range** and **Critical Hit Chance** above all.

Rare armor sets like Captain and Trapper give extra 2 range. Rare armor sets like Looter and Ringleader increase critical hit chance by 7%

Stimulating Coating is the best helmet stamp to be used. It increases damage by 20% if the unit has no debuffs, which usually shouldn't have, as Archers are meant to stay away from enemy sight.

Stiletto belt accessory improves critical hit by 5% and Light Feathers belt accessory improve range by 1.

Armor layers like Layer of the Falcon increases Critical Chance and Dexterity while Layer of the Rat increases Critical Chance and movement.

Sharpening Oil I applied to a weapon increases Critical Chance by 10%. As second oil, they can use a status effect inducer like Acidic Oil, which has 50% chance to inflict Burning (100% if oil concentrate is used); Misty Oil, which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to also deal 50% extra damage to enemies next to the target; Infectious Oil, which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to apply a status effect inflicting damage equal to 50% of the attack; or Swiftness Oil, which has a 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to increase Dexterity with each attack. Moreover, Immunity Oil paired with corresponding oil concentrate grants full resistance to fire/burn/poison, something to be considered as well.

The rare War Bow is a great weapon which hits twice on Critical Hit and should be given to the archer with the most critical Hit Chance.

The legendary The Indomitable One is arguably the best bow in the game due to it's multi-target and crit effects. It should be equipped to a second archer.

Level 2
 Valorous Victory (*Passive*)

Level 3
 [Beastmaster] ATTACK! 12m range, **Light armor** | Cost 1 : All allied animals next to the target attack them with an attack of opportunity.
 [Infantryman] Barrage 9m area, **Light armor** | Cost 2 : Performs an attack of opportunity against the first 3 enemies crossing the area.
 [Marksman] Aimed Shot 8m Shot, **Light armor** | Cost 2 : Deals 70% damage to the target. Damage increased by 5% for each meter separating the target from this unit.

Level 5
 Precision (*Passive*)
 Beast Mastery (*Passive*)
 Subtlety (*Passive*)

Level 8
 Thrill of the Hunt (*Passive*)
 Animal Affinity (*Passive*)
 Easy Prey (*Passive*)

Level 10
 Anticipation (*Passive*)
 Lone Wolf (*Passive*)

Level 12
 Class Specialisation (*Passive*)

Aim, First Aid and Run general skills should be acquired for Archers.

## Brute

### Attributes

The only two attributes relevant to Brutes are **Strength** and **Movement**.

Movement should be raised to 16 to mitigate the -2 heavy armor penalty. 14 movements points are ok. Every other point should be invested in Strength.

### Equipment

Brutes are better off with equipment which boosts **Strength**, **Armor** and **Guard**.

Any rare Heavy set will do for a Brute Destroyer. Peacebearer , Corporal or Paladin increase armor, but also critical hit/damage.

Enhanced Visibility offers an attack of opportunity with each enemy engagement. This helmet stamp is very useful for a 2h Brute.

A corresponding oil concentrate should cover the belt accessory. Otherwise, there is a wide array of options to fill the slot. Comfort cancels the movement penalty from Heavy Armor. Trophy of Legends allows you to use two base actions in the same turn, once/fight. Leather Straps increases Guard by 10% while engaged. Stiletto increases Critical Hit by 5%. Rend increases Critical Hit by 10% against enemies wearing light armor. Tule Horn increases damage by 10%, but decreases movement by 1 (can be mitigated with an armor layer which grants movement) or Sewn Crest for a 5% chance to generate 1  at the end of their turn etc.

The best armor layers to use are Layers of the Ox, which increase armor and guard, as increasing guard to a decent amount is more useful than increasing strength. 80% is maximum guard and it's decent to have above 60% late game.

Choose Sharpening Oil to increase Critical Hit Chance and one of the following: Misty Oil, which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to also deal 50% extra damage to enemies next to the target; Infectious Oil which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to apply a status effect inflicting damage equal to 50% of the attack; Whetting Oil, which has 50% chance to inflict Bleeding (100% if oil concentrate is used); or Strength Oil, which has a 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to increase Strength with each attack. Moreover, Immunity Oil paired with corresponding oil concentrate grants full resistance to fire/burn/poison, something to be considered as well.

Legendary 2h mace Dagan's Hammer is a Destroyer Brute's end-game best weapon, which can hit three times in a row if at least 2 enemies are in range. If Overwhelming Presence passive was chosen, it displays its full potential against enemies with less armor (especially light and medium armored humans) when it crits.

Level 2
 [Smasher] Poisoned Impact, **Med armor** | Cost 1 : Deals 60% damage to all units in the area. Applies 2 **Poisons** to **bleeding** units.
 [Destroyer] Weakening Blow, **Heavy armor** | Cost 1 : Deals 70-90% damage and applies **Weakening** for 3 rounds.
 [Brawler] Thunderous Blow, **Heavy armor** | Cost 1 : Deals 20-40% damage to the target. If engaged in combat with an ally, this skill forces them to disengage and the ally inflicts an attack of opportunity.

Level 3
 Valorous Chain (*Passive*)
 Valorous Duel (*Passive*)

Level 5
 Opportunism (*Passive*)
 Cruelty (*Passive*)
 Headbash (*Passive*)

Level 8
 Temperance (*Passive*)
 One on One (*Passive*)
 Overwhelming Presence (*Passive*)

Level 10
 Defensive Riposte (*Passive*)
 Intervention (*Melee*)

Level 12
 Class Specialisation (*Passive*)

A Brute should get the following general skills: Wrath, First Aid, Run and Taunt.

## Ranger

### Attributes

A ranger should prioritize **Critical Hit** and **Dexterity**. I advise dropping most points into Critical Hit in a 4:1 ratio (4 Critical Hit increases for each point invested in Dexterity)

Movement should also be increased so that an archer gets at least 14 movement points in the end. 16 is optimal.

Late game, with equipment, weapon oil and food boost (profession boost/traits maybe) you should reach around 90% Critical Hit chance, which is enough. Of course you can invest all points in Critical Hit chance and reach 100% chance, but the extra 10 doesn't seem to cover the damage potential lost by not investing in Dexterity. Still debatable though.

### Equipment

Rangers should be looking for equipment which increases **Critical Hit, Critical Damage** and **Dexterity.**

Ringleader and Looter Rare armor sets give 7% extra critical hit chance.

Intimidating Effigy increases damage by 10% for each debuff applied to the target, while Stimulating Coating increases damage by 20 % if the unit has no debuffs. Both helmet stamps work for Rangers. The former is more reliable, but less rewarding, while the latter is riskier, but more powerful. Poisoners can also use Assassin's Strychnine, which increases damage by 25% against poisoned units.

Brave's Oil Concentrate is the best belt accessory this class can get due to its ability to fully retrieve 1  with each action done and due to the multitude of actions rangers get to perform.

Best armor layers for Rangers are Layers of the Falcon, which increase dexterity and critical hit.

Sharpening Oil boost critical hit chance and Brave's Oil insures a lot of damage from Rangers with no  spent.

A Poisoner with Elderguard also make use of an off-slot throwing dagger (increases critical hit chance) or torch (causes burn) and can dance around the field poisoning and nerfing groups of foes ' chance to hit, while resetting their movement and getting back their  with each action.

A Cutthroat's best end game main weapon is the legendary Kruppe's Saex dagger which can poison, slow down and nerf a foe's attack of opportunity,. The off-hand slot should be covered by one of the legendary throwing axes Progress (boosts critical hit and damage by 5%) or Faithless (boosts critical hit and damage by 10%) which do some extra damage as well, with each Valour-based skill action and any skill action respectively performed. An Assassin, as 3rd Ranger in the team, should use a rare Ringleader's Dagger for it's whirlwind multi-target effect which releases a poison cloud under each of the attacked enemy, if they are at least 2.

Level 2
 Valorous Victory (*Passive*)
 Valorous Support (*Passive*)

Level 3
 [Strategist] Smoke Screen (**10m area**), **Light armor** | Cost 1 : Forces enemies engaged in the area to disengage. They incur an attack of opportunity from their opponent.
 [Poisoner] Poison Vial (**9m area**), **Light armor** | Cost 1 : Applies 4 **Poison** to all units in the area
 [Assassin] Right between the Eyes (6m shot), Light armor **(Unlocked after Smot's Arena)** | Cost 1 : Inflicts 40-60% damage and applies **Bleeding**. if the target is already bleeding, 2x damage.

Level 5
 Instinctive Throw (*Passive*)
 Deadly Contract (*Passive*)
 Ordeal (passive)

Level 8
 Low Blow (*2m area*)
 Cold Blooded (*Passive*)
 Retreat (*Passive*)

Level 10
 Anticipation (*Passive*)
 Unstoppable (*Passive*)

Level 12
 Class Specialisation

Rangers should get as many actions/skills as possible to benefit from their Legendary Throwing Daggers' attacks, movement reset and  reimbursement. Thus, Wrath, First Aid, Run, but also remaining general skills: Taunt and Aim are to be acquired for Rangers.

## Spearman

### Attributes

Spearmen should focus on increasing **Strength** and **Movement**.

Movement is recommended to be raised to a minimum of 14 points. Every other point should be invested in Strength.

### Equipment

A Spearman should go for items that increase **Strength** and **Critical Hit**.

A rare medium armor set like Colossus, which boosts critical hit chance by an extra 10% is a great choice.

Intimidating Effigy increases damage by 10% for each debuff applied to the target, while Stimulating Coating increases damage by 20 % if the unit has no debuffs. Both helmet stamps work for Spearmen. The former is more reliable, but less rewarding, while the latter is riskier, but more powerful.

As belt accessory, a Spearman can use a corresponding oil concentrate or other useful items: Trophy of Legends allows you to use two base actions in the same turn, once/fight. Stiletto increases Critical Hit by 5%. Rend increases Critical Hit by 10% against enemies wearing light armor. Tule Horn increases damage by 10%, but decreases movement by 1 (can be mitigated with an armor layer which grants movement) or Sewn Crest for a 5% chance to generate 1  at the end of their turn etc.

An efficient Spearman is pretty straightforward in terms of armor layers: full Layers of the Serpent, which increases Strength and Critical Chance.

Any Spearman benefits Sharpening Oil, which causes extra 10% critical hit chance. As second oil, they can use a status effect inducer like Acidic Oil, which has 50% chance to inflict Burning (100% if oil concentrate is used); Misty Oil, which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to also deal 50% extra damage to enemies next to the target; Infectious Oil, which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to apply a status effect inflicting damage equal to 50% of the attack; or Strength Oil, which has a 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to increase Strength with each attack. Moreover, Immunity Oil paired with corresponding oil concentrate grants full resistance to fire/burn/poison, something to be considered as well.

Spearman's best end-game weapon is the legendary halberd Liberator, which deals damage, forces the target to disengage and resets the skill if the unit was already engaged to the target.

Level 2
 Valorous Victory (*Passive*)
 Valorous Support (*Passive*)

Level 3
 [Herald] Rallying Cry (*4m area*), **Med armor** | Cost 1 : Applies **Fury** to all allies in the area
 [Pikeman] Spear Wall (*3m area*), **Med armor** | Cost 2 : Targeting. Performs 1 attack of opportunity and stops them in their tracks
 [Halberdier] Controlled Whirlwind (2.5m area), **Med armor** | Cost 1 : Deals 30% damage to all units in the target area and knocks them back by 2 metres. Damage increased by 40% for each unit in the target area.

Level 5
 Fervent Support (*Passive*)
 Sweet Spot (*Passive*)
 Inspiring Presence (Passive)

Level 8
 Harnessing Strength (*Passive*)
 Last Push (*Melee*)
 Change of Pace (Passive)

Level 10
 Alacrity (*Passive*)
 Unstoppable (*Passive*)

Level 12
 Class Specialisation

A Spearman should get the following general skills: Wrath, First Aid and Run.

## Swordsman

### Attributes

Relevant attributes for Swordsmen are Strength and Movement.

For a Protector Swordsman movement should be raised to 16 to mitigate the -2 heavy armor penalty. 14 movements points are decent. Every other point should be invested in Strength. For a damage dealing Swordsman, such as Swordmaster, movement should be raised to 14. Everything else should be invested in strength.

### Equipment

A Protector should focus on maximizing **Armor** and **Guard**, then **Strength**. A Swordmaster should go for items that increase **Strength** and **Critical Hit**.

A Protector's end-game armor set is the legendary heavy Commander Set, while a Swordmaster is good to go with a rare medium armor set like Colossus, which boosts critical hit chance by an extra 10%.

Protectors can choose Venomous Coating helmet stamp to apply 1 Poison to any enemy dealing damage to this unit, while Swordsmen can take Intimidating Effigy, which does extra 10% damage for each debuff applied to the target.

A Protector's best belt accessory is Mustard Tonic, which returns damage to the attacking enemy based on its large pool of Armor. A Swordmaster who uses a knocking back 2H sword should choose Back Brace, which knocks back units twice as far. Otherwise, there are other useful options. A corresponding oil concentrate can be used. If not, Trophy of Legends allows you to use two base actions in the same turn, once/fight. Leather Straps increases Guard by 10% while engaged. Stiletto increases Critical Hit by 5%. Rend increases Critical Hit by 10% against enemies wearing light armor. Tule Horn increases damage by 10%, but decreases movement by 1 (can be mitigated with an armor layer which grants movement) or Sewn Crest for a 5% chance to generate 1  at the end of their turn etc.

A Protector should focus on closing as much as possible to 80% guard (which is maximum) by using Layers of the Ox (armor and guard bonus), then complete with Layer of the Serpent (strength and crit bonus) if maximum guard is reached. A Swordsmaster should go full Layers of the Stag.

Any Swordsman benefits Sharpening Oil extra 10% critical hit chance. As second oil, Protectors can use a status effect inducer like Whetting/Acidic Oil, which has 50% chance to inflict Burning/Bleeding or Shielding Oil for 50 % chance to reduce the damage taken for 3 rounds. As second oil, a Swordmaster can use Whetting/Acidic Oil, which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to inflict Bleeding/Burning; Misty Oil, which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to also deal 50% extra damage to enemies next to the target; Infectious Oil, which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to apply a status effect inflicting damage equal to 50% of the attack; or Strength Oil, which has a 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to increase Strength with each attack.

A Protector should go for 1h sword and shield to maximize its armor and overall defense. Since a Protector is not particularly a damage dealer, the best weapon to choose is a DoT status inducing sword like the rare Knight of the Eye's Sword, which creates a fire under each of the attacked enemy, if they are at least 2. Saga legendary shield is the best end-game shield for Protectors because it has the highest armor/guard stats and for 1  can attack apply vulnerability (next attack suffered is a guaranteed critical hit) to all adjacent enemies to the target. Legendary 2h sword Prosperity is the best end-game weapon for a Swordmaster, which can target multiple targets and knock them back dealing extra damage against obstacles on the way (great synergy with Back Brace belt accessory, which doubles the knock back distance and increases the damage potential).

Level 2
 [Fighter] Destabilizing Strike (*Melee*) **Heavy armor** | Cost 1 : 60-80% damage and applies **Destabilization** for 2 rounds
 [Swordmaster] Laceration (*2m area*) **Med armor** | Cost 2: Deals 80% damage to all units in area x2. Usable after 2 attacks.
 [Duelist] Final Blow (*Melee*) **Med armor** | Cost 1 : 70-90% damage and gains Riposte.

Level 3
 Valorous Chain (*Passive*)
 Valorous Duel (*Passive*)

Level 5
 Counter-attack (*Passive*)
 Daring (*Passive*)
 Duelist's Instinct (*Passive*)
Pick this at level 12 for Duelists and Swordmasters, as skill unlocked from previous levels, as long as you already have a Protector in your team with Exhort bravery chosen.

Level 8
 Hand to hand (*Melee*)
 Hardcore Training (*Passive*)
 Master Opportunist (*Passive*)

Level 10
 Defensive Riposte (*Passive*)
 Intervention

Level 12
 Class Specialisation (*Passive*)

Swordsmen should also get Wrath, Run, First Aid and Taunt general abilities.

## Warrior

### Attributes

Warriors should focus on increasing **Strength** and **Movement**.

Movement is recommended to be raised to a minimum of 14 points. Every other point should be invested in Strength.

### Equipment

A Warrior should go for items that increase **Strength** and **Critical Hit**. A rare medium armor set like Colossus, which boosts critical hit chance by an extra 10% is a great choice.

As belt accessory, a Warrior can use a corresponding oil concentrate or other useful items: Trophy of Legends allows you to use two base actions in the same turn, once/fight. Stiletto increases Critical Hit by 5%. Rend increases Critical Hit by 10% against enemies wearing light armor. Tule Horn increases damage by 10%, but decreases movement by 1 (can be mitigated with an armor layer which grants movement) or Sewn Crest for a 5% chance to generate 1  at the end of their turn etc.

Warriors like Berserkers and Barbarians who have multi-attack skills benefit from Inquisition Cilice helmet stamp, which provide 1 Rage (5% damage) every time they attack while engaged.

A Warrior should choose all armor layers as Layer of the Serpent, which increases Strength and Critical Hit Chance.

Any Warrior benefits Sharpening Oil, which causes extra 10% critical hit chance. As second oil, they can use a status effect inducer like Acidic Oil, which has 50% chance to inflict Burning (100% if oil concentrate is used); Misty Oil, which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to also deal 50% extra damage to enemies next to the target; Infectious Oil, which has 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to apply a status effect inflicting damage equal to 50% of the attack; or Strength Oil, which has a 50% chance (100% if oil concentrate is used) to increase Strength with each attack. Moreover, Immunity Oil paired with corresponding oil concentrate grants full resistance to fire/burn/poison, something to be considered as well.

A Warrior can use a 2h axe, a 1h axe and a shield and a 1h axe and throwing axes. The most reliable choice is the more defensive one, which includes a 1h axe and a shield. Legendary Nepti's Axe is a Warrior's best 1h weapon as it deals AoE damage and applies corrosion (15% armor loss for the target at the end of its turn) and poison. The best shield is the legendary Rampart, which has the highest shield stats available and for 1 [[File:Valour point.png| performs an attack with damage increased by 15% for each bonus and debuff applied to the target and the Warrior.

Level 2
 [Executioner] Cutting Maelstrom (2m) **Medium Armor** | Cost 2 : Deals 35% damage to all the units in the area. Attacks 1 time for each unit in the target area.
 [Sentinel] Ovation (instant) **Heavy Armor** | Cost 2 : All allies engaged in combat gain **Riposte**.
 [Barbarian] Overbearing Strike (melee) **Medium armor** | Cost 1 : Deals 40-60% damage. The damage is doubled if the target's Health is higher.

Level 3
 Valorous Duel *(Passive)* | Every time this unit engages in combat, you gain 1  | 👍👍 Best option as engaging is more likely to happen than hitting several enemies.

Level 5
 Recklessness *(Passive)* | The first attack of each fight deals 100% extra damage.
 Fanaticism *(Passive)* | At the end of their turn, this unit loses 10% HP to gain **Fury**.
 First Blood *(Passive)* | Damage increased by 35% against units with full HP

Level 8
 Challenging Shout (3m)
 Ecstasy *(Passive)* | As long as this unit has less than 50% health, they always land critical hits.
 Limit Break *(Passive)* | Critical damage increased by 25%.

Level 10
 Alacrity *(Passive)* | The unit has a 40% chance to dodge ranged and AoE attacks.
 Lone Wolf *(Passive)* | As long as there are no allied units within 5 meters, this unit gains the **Lone Wolf** status (Damage increased by 10%, damage taken reduced by 10%.)

Level 12
 Class Specialisation *(Passive)* | Unlocks a skill from a previous level.

A Warrior should get the following general skills: Wrath, First Aid, Run and Taunt.