Summary
Fire, ice, air, and earth. Theelements have been around in video gamesand tabletop roleplaying games almost as long as the mediums themselves, as the mystic manipulation of these primal forces is a strong magical fantasy. Granted, the fantasy is also bolstered by the fact that these magic users can typically deal the most damage in a game.
Of course, some of the best fantasy cRPGs have catered to this archetype and playstyle in their own ways. To land a spot on this list, each RPG has to offer the player a package of features (in other words, a class) that allows them to bend or bind the elements to their will, in whole or in part.
While wizards inPillars of Eternity 2: Deadfirecanmaster all the schools of magic, they are given the option to specialize in Evocation with the Evoker Wizard subclass. This buffs their elemental damage and gives them a chance to instantly cast a spell twice at the cost of not being able to cast spells from the schools of Conjuration and Transmutation.
It is generally better for a player to be as “wizened” as a wizard character before diving down the path of the elementalist Evoker Wizard subclass (as in knowing which spells fit in which skills), otherwise they may later encounter a spell they sorely wished they could use. However, those who can accept the drawback will have access to some of the most destructive spells in the game.
Unlike the original game, elementalists are truly masters of all elements, as they are expected to switch between fire, water, air, and earth to get the best out of their innate arcane potential. However, they do specialize in three of four elements through traits. Elementalists are known to deal the highest damage per second in exchange for having the lowest armor of all ofGuild Wars 2’s professions, but the idea is to take down large crowds with big, sweeping elemental attacks at range before anyone gets a hit in.
After hitting level 80 and gathering enough hero points, players with full expansions can try out one ofthe elementalist’s elite specializations. The warhorn-warbling tempest commands the forces of nature with shouts and is able to squeeze extra juice out of the elements. Weavers combine elemental attacks together to create truly complex gameplay, and Catalysts are able to use the elements to summon primal forces to aid them in battle.
Thanks to the undead pouring out of Hell and into Cairn, the elementalist (created by combining the shaman and demolitionist masteries) will have no shortage of targets for testing their powers over nature’s most destructive facets. From the shaman side, the elementalist has access to powerful lightning-themed abilities.
The demolitionist is one partbullet-blasting gunslinger, part explosive expert, and lends the elementalist their pyromancy. All ofGrim Dawn’s masteries have a heavy emphasis on combat, which means that an elementalist will not only have the power of storms and forest fires under their control but staggering strength and formidable firearms, as well, as they hack and slash through endless waves of enemies.
Just as every enemy in the game carries the same skills that players use, every enemy deals or is weak against one type of element or another. The elementalist wields four of the main types and, by dressing appropriately in the right element-resistant armor, is able to negate the damage of their chosen type. Figuring out which element to main between missions is part of the fun, as plenty of enemies will melt quickly when their weakness is exploited. The elementalist cantake a secondary professionto complement their own suite of primal powers.
For example, the Mesmer’s mantras allow them to absorb elemental damage entirely and turn it into energy for their spells for a short duration. A ranger’s survival mastery skills will allow an elementalist to move faster while taking elemental damage. However, due to the huge energy cost associated with their skills, only an elementalist can reliably reign destruction on their enemies without running out, thanks to their primary attribute, Energy Storage.
On the face of it,Divinity: Original Sin 2’s enchanter and wizard look to be two halves of a fairly typical destruction mage with all the usual access to elements. However, what makes these particular preset so alluring to fans of elemental carnage isOriginal Sin 2’s environmental effects mechanics, which allows players (magic users especially) to coat surfaces with blazing fire, soaking rain, deadly poison, and slippery ice, all of which have different effects in battle and combine with other spells in fascinating ways.
Water (hydrosophist) and lighting (aerotheurge) abilities are attached to the Enchanter preset, and fire (pyrokinetic) and earth (geomancy) abilities are attached to the wizard. Of course,Original Sin 2’s character creation and progression are fluid and considered build suggestions, so it is quite easy for a player tocreate a powerful mageto master all four elements.
