As an avid fantasy RPG fan, I‘ve eagerly followed Forspoken since its announcement. And as expected from Square Enix, Forspoken delivers an exceptionally rich and tactical magic system. Mastering its four distinct magic types provides the tools to tackle any encounter but takes dedication as each plays uniquely.
In this comprehensive 2000+ word guide, I‘ll leverage my 30+ years of gaming experience to unravel Forspoken‘s magical arsenal so you can unleash Frey‘s true power.
Frey‘s Magic (Earth)
Frey awakens in Athia already attuned to earthen magics, grounding her starting abilities in defense and control. This jack-of-all-trades magic enables adapting to threats by locking down, blasting, or evading foes as the situation demands.
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I especially appreciate the flexibility of Frey‘s starting kit as it encourages experimentation. Here‘s an overview of her fundamental earth magic abilities:
Offensive Spells
- Scatter Shot – Fires rock shards that spread on impact. Easy to spam but low per-shot damage.
- Shield Shot – Generates a stone barrier that launches shards when destroyed. Medium damage but high casting time.
- Burst Shot – Detonates a boulder for high area damage. Slow but extremely hard-hitting.
Defensive Spells
- Screen – Conjures protective rock barriers to block attacks. Can completely negate light enemy assaults.
- Prime – Sets stone proximity mines that trigger damaging eruptions. Excellent for ambushes and zoning control.
Debuffs and Damage Over Time
- Bind – Tangles groups in animate vines, immobilizing them completely. Makes picking off entrapped enemies trivial.
- Implant – Launches mystical seeds that sprout to impede regeneration. While the damage scales poorly, it softens up more durable foes.
Mobility
- Flow – Surges forward on shifting earth at great speed. Useful both for traversal and dodging attacks via well-timed bursts.
- Leap – Temporarily intensifies gravity towards Frey‘s feet for superhuman jumps. Lets earth mages reach unexpected heights both in and out of combat.
This Swiss army knife of magics enables Frey to handle nearly any encounter, though truly excelling requires specialization. Based on my playthrough, here are some of the strengths and weaknesses inherent to Frey‘s starting powers.
Pros
- Extremely well-rounded kit allowing adaptation to most situations
- Powerful defensive and crowd control options enable a more cautious style
- Excellent synergy with crafting due to passive buffs
Cons
- Lower single target damage output than other schools
- Immobile casting makes Frey vulnerable against faster enemies
- Struggles against airborne threats thanks to limited vertical reach
While earth magic‘s flexibility makes it one of the easier schools to start with, learning to leverage terrain and control foes takes time. Let‘s examine some tips for mastering the earth mage playstyle:
Recommended Tactics
- Root enemies with Bind then barrage them with Scatter Shot
- Place Prime traps then lure foes into detonation zones
- Weave Shield Shot into your rotation to block attacks while retaliating
- Use Flow dashes to swiftly reposition and evade melee attackers
- Take the high ground with Leap and rain shards on grounded opponents
As players progress, they can specialize by investing in crafting passives to boost equipment and unlocking additional crowd manipulation like Tendril or Disperse. But for new earth mages, mastering the fundamentals should come first.
Sila‘s Magic (Fire)
Upon toppling Tanta Sila, Frey unlocks the iconic offensive school of fire magics. These pyromantic abilities specialize in dealing devastating damage to individual targets and blasting grouped enemies.
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Sila‘s sorcery brings explosive power to Frey‘s arsenal with dramatic area attacks, magic to amplify spells, and fiery augmentations:
Detonations
- Bombardier – Stomps the ground to produce a combustive blast, devastating groups while knocking back survivors. Bigger targets take bonus damage from the close-range eruption.
- Conflagration – Erupts pillars of flame from beneath each victim, sustaining the inferno to utterly incinerate areas. The longer it‘s channeled, the wider the flames spread.
Augmentations
- Amplify – Bolsters Frey‘s arcane power, increasing damage substantially per spellcast. Rewards rapid triggering with each buff making the next cast hit harder.
- Fusillade – Unleashes circling blades wreathed in intense flames. Each strike builds mana on connecting, enabling quicker powering of bigger attacks.
Movement
- Rush – Dashes on gusts of wind and flame, crossing distances swiftly while leaving smoldering footprints. Useful both for engaging and disengaging thanks to high mobility.
- Zip – Grapples into the air as jets of fire launch Frey skyward. The aerial vantage offers chances to blast clustered enemies below with impunity.
Sila‘s skills excel at dealing high damage, though smart play requires managing their limitations:
Pros
- Extremely high damage output, both in bursts and over time
- Powerful knockbacks disrupt enemies while repositioning them into hazards
- Grants flight to reach airborne targets the earth mage can‘t touch
Cons
- Long cast times leave Frey vulnerable to interruption
- Close ranges required on some abilities risks heavy retaliation
- Rapid mana expenditure necessitates regrouping or relying on backups like Fusillade
Blow-em-up battle mages must take care not to overextend with these pyromantic powers. Consider the following tips while mastering Sila‘s fiery arts:
Recommended Tactics
- Immobilize grouped enemies with Charge then incinerate them using Conflagration
- Rapidly build mana with Fusillade then unleash the hard-hitting Blast Slice on priority targets
- Use Bombardier to stagger surrounding foes then clean them up with melee attacks
- Zip above targets and blast them with enhanced spells courtesy of Amplify
While dress rehearsals help, only challenging real encounters trains a mage to harness Sila‘s magic. But the fruits of this pyroeducation enable turning Athia‘s threats to ash.
Prav‘s Magic (Water)
Defeating the hydromancer Tanta Prav gifts Frey the mirror to fiery magics – water control. These aquatic arts specialize not in raw damage but in subtle direction of battles‘ flows to outmaneuver foes.
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While lacking the showy devastation of fire or earth spells, water magic offers unique control and durability:
Debilitations
- Cataract – Conjures crushing geysers beneath victims, launching them skyward while inflicting slowness. Briefly disables threats, buying time to reposition or focus fire vulnerable airborne enemies.
- Brume – Flash freeze moisture around targets, encasing them in ice. The bitter cold continually saps stamina, draining endurance until the effect fades.
Evasion
- Alb – Summons a protective waterspout swirling around Frey. Greatly reduces incoming damage from piercing attacks like enemy spears or arrows.
- Float – Reduces gravity‘s effects, letting Frey tread water in midair. Use liberally to avoid earthbound threats or evade attacks by suddenly shifting altitude.
Area Denial
- Oubliette – Deploys floating orbs of water that entrap victims, continually damaging any trapped while making them unable to act. Useful for blocking chokepoints or separating grouped threats.
- Naedre – Toxic geysers erupt that continually spew venomous waters. These deadly fonts both damage and poison any enemies foolhardy enough to stand within them.
Water magic promotes a more tactical approach less reliant on raw damage and better suited to thoughtful players:
Pros
- Crowd control abilities enable isolating and disabling priority targets
- Strong evasive options facilitate hit-and-run tactics
- Consistent sustain options like Brume sap enemy efficiency over time
Cons
- Extremely low damage output requires coordination with allies
- Delayed effects means poor matchups against rapid attackers
- Largely stationary casting leaves Frey vulnerable
Hydromancers succeed through cunning area denial, crowd control, and managing enemy efficiency – not sheer magical might. Internalize these lessons to direct battles‘ flows in your favor:
Recommended Tactics
- Inflict Brume to disable dangerous foes then reposition and barrage from safety
- Freeze groups with Cataract then shatter them with magic or melee attacks
- Place Oubliette traps then lure enemies into the ameliorating fonts
The patient mage mindfully redirects battles with Prav‘s arts, turning enemies strengths against them. While easily dismissed early on, water magic‘s utility can‘t be understated.
Olas‘ Magic (Lightning)
The final magical school unlocked by defeating Tanta Olas focuses devastating lightning energies into Frey. These shocking abilities distinguish themselves through enhancing spell combinations and sudden, unexpected attacks.
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Where other magic schools focus on preparation, Olas‘ lightning strikes rapidly with little warning:
Burst Attacks
- Tempest – Summons a thundercloud that bombards areas below with relentless lightning strikes. Channels faster and hits harder the longer it‘s sustained.
- Storm Shot – Fires an electrically-charged orb that splits on landing, arcing lightning between the fragments to zap groups.
Evasiveness
- Displacement – Briefly generates an identical mirror image that enemies target instead of Frey. Useful both for distraction and rapidly repositioning while the phantom draws fire.
- Sublimation – Phases partially out of reality, reducing damage taken. Rapidly drains mana to sustain, forcing careful management to avoid sudden vulnerabilities when it cuts out.
Augmentations
- Diversify – Adds an additional accessory slot for increased tactical options. Stacks with other passives to enable exponentially more medal and cloak pairings.
- Compensation – regained mana whenever Evading attacks via Flow. Reward stylish play while empowering extended dodging.
Wielding Olas‘ magic pushes towards a high risk, high reward style – strike decisively before opponents can react. But the lightning mage must beware overextending:
Pros
- Extremely rapid damage delivery compared to other schools
- Enhances Evasion tactics thanks to reflex-dependent abilities
- Selection of durable augmentations to offset lightning‘s risks
Cons
- Both mana and accessories drain swiftly during extended combat
- Requires mastering timing-based abilities compared to simpler spells
- Passives encourage aggressive tactics with little room for error
As electricity can turn defender or assailant with little warning, lightning mages must judiciously manage their energies while capitalizing on momentary weaknesses. Internalize these lessons when training in Olas‘ shocking arts:
Recommended Tactics
- Use Displacement feints then ambush distracted enemies‘ vulnerabilities
- Unload magical bombardments enhanced by Compensation and Diversify
- Leverage hit-and-run tactics with Storm Shot then Evade reprisals
Lightning crashes unpredictably – though a cunning Frey can skillfully direct such strikes against overconfident tantas. Risk magnifies power when properly harnessed.
Forspoken‘s magics dazzle with potential, but truly mastering their unique cadences and learnt limitations requires study dedicated enough to make even Athena jealous. While fresh initiates naturally fixate on their first intoxicating tastes of power, seasoned mages understand specialization breeds weakness.
The greatest heroes complement their strengths with allies‘ talents to produce combined efforts greater than the sum of their parts. Only such skillful synergy produces victories against Athia‘s most terrifying threats. This principle that holds true not just when coordinating Frey with her companions, but also in combining magic schools to multiply their effects. Just as advanced martial artists learn additional fighting style to expand their options, a consummate mage tailors their mystical arts to overcome varied challenges.
While beginners should focus on mastering their first magic until it feels innate, make unlocking the full spectrum of Frey‘s talents a long term goal. Each school opens new realms of possibility, encouraging experimentation with hybrid tactics later combining schools.
Perhaps an ambitious spellweaver alternates between Prav‘s Cataract to leave enemies helplessly adrift then follows up with Sila‘s Conflagration to incinerate them utterly. Or an ingenious caster isolates dangerous melee enemies with Olas‘ Displacement, binding them with earthen vines and leaving them at the party‘s mercy.
The lessons here arm novices with essential knowledge to begin exploring Forspoken‘s arcane diversity. But never lose the student‘s mindset – even pleasing first accomplishments merely hint at greater mysteries still obscured. Through practice, research, and discipline, those tantalizing glimpses widen into vistas spanning magic‘s true grandeur.
What unforeseen feats can a new generation of Aths‘ mages achieve when fully unleashing these gifts Frey provides? Theatrus Mundi ultima magica!
