Torchlight II Embermage Guide

The Embermage is defined as those who have studied the magical properties of ember. I’m not sure


what that entails, but they’re essentially the wizard or mage class of Torchlight 2. Don’t take that lightly,


though. They’re a very fun class to play and are experts in utilizing magical forces such as Fire, Frost, and


Shock damage, all of which have beautiful spell effects.





The flexibility of the Embermage is perhaps its greatest asset. You can build your character to specialize


in area of effect damage, support, or simply harassing enemies until they decide to give up on life. As


opposed to the other three options in Torchlight 2 (Berserker, Engineer, Outlander) the Embermage is


perhaps the flashiest and most devastating.





Below you’ll find information on all of the key aspects of building a formidable Embermage.





Stats





Embermage is a classic example of the best defense is an explosive offense. You have a ton of damage


at your disposal, and with enough you can kill virtually every enemy before they get to you. Focus is


your main damage stat, and it also increases your mana pool so it’s an extremely beneficial to your


progression. However, there are those times that you’ll be attacked unexpectedly, or you let your guard


down. As such, you’ll want to toss a few points into vitality.





Focus >>> Vitality >>> Dexterity





During the early levels you’ll want to pump nearly all of your points into focus, and once you hit around


level eight you can begin tossing one or two points per level into vitality. If you begin noticing that


you’re either dying a lot or feel too squishy, you may opt to place more points into vitality.





The last thing to note is that at high levels diminishing returns of stats kick-in, and at that point dexterity


becomes a better stat than focus. If you begin to notice that your stat allotment is hardly making a


difference in your damage output, you’ll want to seriously consider switching over to dexterity during


allotment (not on gear).





Active Skills





The most potent, and perhaps the most enjoyable, way to play an Embermage is to utilize skills from


all three trees. Doing so not only makes you extremely flexible and less hindered by magic-tolerant


enemies, but there are qualities from each tree that are infinitely helpful to every mage.





Begin your build by choosing if you prefer Magma Spear, Icy Blast, or Prismatic Bolt. Whichever you


choose will be your go-to ability for damage and will determine if you want to seek gear with more Fire,


Frost, or Shock damage. Each of the three has its own pros and cons, so it’s solely up to you to decide.


The best way to pick is to finish the first quest, head into town and start attacking the target dummy.


You can respect for free and try out all three before making your decision.





Once you’ve decided on your core damage ability, you’ll want to place points into the skill whenever


available. Beyond that, there are abilities from each tree that particularly stand out, and each of them is


listed below along with what tier each belongs to and how many points you should invest.





Inferno Skills:





Blazing Pillar [Tier 4 15/15] – Does great damage and is your best charge builder. Whenever your charge


bar isn’t full you should use this every few seconds.





Immolation Aura [Tier 6 15/15] – Whether you’re elusive or not you’ll find yourself with enemies


nearby often, and this is a great way to punish enemies for coming near you. For fights with a lot of


overwhelming mobs involved this is a lifesaver. Simply activate it whenever you feel tension.





Frost Skills:





Hailstorm [Tier 2 15/15] – While the damage output isn’t competitive with your heavy hitters, it targets


a massive area and most importantly makes enemies more susceptible to frost and shock damage at


higher ranks. You should open fights with hailstorm to control and debuff your surroundings, and then


lay on the damage.





Frost Phase [Tier 3 1/15] – When surrounded by enemies, cornered, or about to get clobbered by


massive attack Frost Phase is your best means for escape. Only one point is necessary to add it to your


library, but you may opt to max it if you decide to go with a Frost build.





Elemental Boon [Tier 4 15/15] – Considering it makes you more durable and enhances your damage, this


is a fantastic ability to activate during any tough fights. If you see a big pull coming pop Elemental Boon


and then unleash your full damage rotation.





Thunder Skills:





Thunder Locus [Tier 3 15/15] – When you’re in tighter areas this will be your best friend. Place it at a


nearby chokepoint and draw enemies into it. Don’t bother using it in open areas or during fights against


quicker creatures, though.





Death’s Bounty [Tier 5 10/15] – This is one of your best support abilities, and is even worth it when


playing alone. Employing it into your arsenal makes you a walking health and mana battery.





Passive Skills





Fire/Ice/Lightning Brand [Tier 3 15/15] - Choose whichever one applies to the first skill you chose and


max it as soon as possible. These are the most impactful passives available.





Prismatic Rift [Tier 1 15/15] - Without this you’re an easy kill; with it you’re a hassle to deal with. Along


with a little Vitality Prismatic Rift will save you from the death that looms around every corner.





Frozen Fate [Tier 2 5/15] – While not extremely useful it helps with taking care of swarms of enemies.





Charge Mastery [Tier 1 5/15] – This is low priority but helps build your charge more often. You might


find that you’re running out of mana very often and filling your charge is one of the best ways to


remedy that. Toss extra points into this as you see fit.





Weapon Mastery [Tier 1 1/15] – See below.





Weapons





While you can equip any weapon type, the staff and wand are by far the most beneficial to the


Embermage. In terms of which is a better choice, it comes more down to personal preference than


anything else. On one hand the staff can only be used in melee range, which is a huge no-no for the


class, but on the other the passive ability of Staff Mastery is a lot more beneficial than that of Wand


Mastery.





Early on using wands is highly recommended since your mana pool will be limited, but as you increase


in level the benefits of hitting enemies with Staff Mastery equipped becomes a huge tool of yours. That


said, the flexibility and range of the wand is truly undeniable, so the wand is an easier recommendation.


Be sure to put a point or two into the mastery of whichever weapon type you decide on.