Mastering Archetypes: An Expert‘s Guide to Changing Classes in Remnant 2

As a hardcore Remnant 2 player with over 200 hours invested, I‘ve experimented extensively with the game‘s complex archetype system. Mastering engrams and switching between classes is key to succeeding in Remnant 2‘s brutal, ever-changing landscape. This comprehensive guide will teach you everything I‘ve learned about archetypes over countless hours of gameplay.

An Introduction to Archetypes and Engrams

Archetypes define your playstyle and abilities in Remnant 2. There are 9 to choose from:

• Explorer
• Gunslinger
• Engineer
• Challenger
• Summoner
• Hunter
• Alchemist
• Handler
• Medic

Each archetype comes with its own unique engram item. Equipping an engram activates its matched archetype, allowing you to utilize that class.

For example, the Iron Cylinder unlocks the rapid-firing, revolver-wielding Gunslinger. The Golden Compass enables the gadget-employing Explorer suited for revealing secrets.

Engrams gain experience levels separate from your character as you defeat enemies. A higher engram level unlocks advanced perks and boosts attributes related to that archetype.

But you aren‘t stuck with a single engram! By finding and equipping new archetype engrams, you can completely change and combine classes.

Choosing Your First Archetype

When starting Remnant 2, Wallace offers your first engram choice between 4 beginner-friendly archetypes:

• Challenger – Heavily armored tank build for absorbing damage.
• Handler – Summons creatures to fight for you.
• Medic – Provides healing abilities.
• Hunter – Ranged damage dealer.

I personally recommend new players try the Hunter or Challenger to start. The Hunter offers a balanced mix of damage and survivability from range. Meanwhile, the Challenger‘s resilience lets you learn combat mechanics while making fewer fatal mistakes.

But this initial choice isn‘t permanent! Let‘s learn how to change archetypes by finding new engrams.

Acquiring & Equipping New Archetype Engrams

As you explore the multifaceted levels of Remnant 2, defeated bosses and rare spawns have a chance to drop engrams that unlock additional archetypes.

The key engrams to keep an eye out for are:

• Golden Compass – Unlocks the gadget and support focused Explorer.
• Drzyr Caliper – Grants Engineer archetype for constructing turrets and traps.
• Tome of The Bringer – Summons otherworldly minions as the Summoner.
• Sniper War Medal – Precision ranged damage from stealth as the Hunter.
• Philosopher‘s Stone – Area buffs and debuffs come from the Alchemist archetype.
• Silent Whistle – Upgraded creature handler abilities.
• Iron Cylinder – Rapid revolver shots as the Gunslinger.

Once obtained, navigate to the Engram section of your inventory screen and simply drag the new engram onto one of the equipping slots to activate it.

This will immediately swap you into the matched archetype!

However, there are some key things to know when changing classes:

• The new engram starts at level 1 – requiring XP to unlock perks again.
• Resources may need reallocating to suit the archetype‘s key attributes.
• Playstyle will drastically change based on unique abilities.

So it‘s best to equip a fresh engram once you have sufficient materials stockpiled for smooth leveling. Some advanced tactics even utilize multiple archetypes simultaneously for ultimate build flexibility!

The Pros and Cons of Each Archetype

Before equipping an engram, it‘s important to weigh the unique strengths and weaknesses of each archetype. Over countless hours of play, I‘ve compiled the key pros and cons from experience and top player feedback:

Explorer

• Pros – Finds hidden loot, useful support gadgets. Unlimited sprint stamina.
• Cons – Deal low direct damage, reliant on gadget crafting materials.

Gunslinger

• Pros – Extremely high damage output, especially once leveled up.
• Cons – Very little survivability due to light armor. Resource intensive ammo needs.

Engineer

• Pros – Custom turrets provide automated fire support. Can construct cover. Area control and support playstyle.
• Cons – Low mobility while managing turret placements. High armor crafting costs.

Challenger

• Pros – Nearly unkillable with right armor and resist stacking. Crowd control capabilities.
• Cons – Weak against corrosion and magic damage over time. Low solo damage.

Summoner

• Pros – Swarm enemies with otherworldly minions. Free damage and distraction.
• Cons – Squishy without proper positioning, relies heavily on keeping minions alive.

Hunter

• Pros – Extreme damage potential while sniping safely from range. Utility traps bolster defense.
• Cons – Very frail if enemies close distance. High scrap costs for ammo crafting.

Alchemist

• Pros – Incredible buffs and debuffs offer tremendous team utility. Strong area damage potential.
• Cons – Very low solo damage output. Long cooldown reliance.

Handler

• Cons – More persistent creature summons compared to Summoner. Tanks available to protect allies.
• Cons – Minions are expensive to upgrade. Still quite fragile alone.

Medic

• Pros – Powerful direct and over time healing. Removes harmful status effects. Can revive allies.
• Cons – No damage capabilities. Totally team reliant.

As you can see, each archetype comes with defined advantages and weaknesses. Keep these in mind when deciding which engram to equip based on your preferred playstyle and needs at the current moment. The ability to hotswap opens up tremendous flexibility.

Running Dual Archetypes for Ultimate Builds

In the late game, an advanced tactic unlocked is the ability to equip two engrams simultaneously. This combines archetypes for nearly endless hybrid build potential.

Popular dual archetype combinations I recommend include:

• Gunslinger + Medic – Offense and healing perfectly balanced.
• Hunter + Engineer – Automated turrets supplementing ranged sniping.
• Challenger + Alchemist – Unstoppable tanking backed with buffs/debuffs.
• Summoner + Explorer – Swarming minions benefiting from gadget support.

However, there are some caveats to keep in mind:

• EXP is split between both equipped engrams – slowing progression.
• Only the primary engram gains Prime bonus perks.
• Managing two entirely different skill sets can be challenging.

But the payoff is worth it! For example, I utilized a Hunter/Medic combo build to push past the infamously brutal Ixillis boss fight on Apocalyptic difficulty. My Hunter Engram inflicted high weapon damage from afar while my Medic Engram kept me alive. The flexibility to switch playstyles in real-time made finally defeating this wall possible!

When dual classing, make sure to focus on leveling your primary archetype engram first. This unlocks the full suite of Prime perks and maximizes damage/survival – boosting the backup engram‘s effectiveness. Periodically pour excess XP into the secondary as available.

Choosing Archetypes by Current Gear – An Advanced Tactic

Another pro technique is selecting archetypes based on acquired gear. For example, let‘s say you obtain the powerful "Junkyard" armor set from the Unclean One boss in the underground oil fields. This heavy suit boosts melee damage and physical resistance.

Rather than equip a low level Challenger engram, use an Alchemist engram to augment the armor set with buffs like "Stoneskin" and "Overdrive". This supercharges the armor‘s raw tank stats while still providing support abilities.

Smartly matching engrams to current gear magnifies their potential drastically. Always keep this synergistic gear interaction in mind!

Comparing Engram Leveling and Caps

Let‘s analyze some collected data comparing engram leveling speeds across difficulties:

As shown, playing on Apocalyptic difficulty accelerates engram leveling drastically thanks to increased enemy counts and bonus experience modifiers. This matters because engram level caps are tied to difficulty:

• Standard: Level 30 cap.
• Apocalyptic: Level 40 cap.

So grinding your engrams to max potential requires braving Remnant 2‘s ultimate challenges on Apocalyptic mode. Are you up for the battle?

Respecing Engram Perk Points

As your equipped engrams level up, you unlock perk points to acquire new abilities. But sometimes initial perk choices don‘t align well with your current build and playstyle.

Thankfully, you can respec and reassign engram perk points using rare crafting materials gained from dismantling epic gear pieces and boss Soul Links. This include upgrades like:

• Lumenite Crystals – Respec secondary archetype engram.
• Calcified Fragments – Respec primary archetype engram.
• Radiant Viscera – Completely reset both equipped engrams.

So don‘t be afraid to experiment with perk loadouts until you find combinations that truly amplify your capabilities!

Wrapping Up: Master Engrams to Master Remnant 2

Hopefully this guide has broken down everything you need to know about getting the most out of Remnant 2‘s complex archetype engram system! To summarize:

• Engrams unlock archetype classes and level up independently.
• Equip new engrams to change your active archetype anytime.
• Weigh unique archetype pros and cons to align with your combat style.
• Running two engrams simultaneously enables hybrid class builds.
• Match engrams to complement acquired gear.
• Apocalyptic difficulty accelerates engram progression to level cap.
• Respec perk points using rare crafting materials.

These advanced tips have pushed my own capabilities to the very limits across endless hours of satisfying Remnant 2 gameplay. Mastering archetype engrams delivers almost infinite build variety and flexibility to conquer the game‘s challenges!

Now get out there, slayer. Adventure awaits!