Best Masteries To Start

[DwayneA]

As I've learned through repeated playthroughs, some masteries are stronger than others and better for levelling up in the game, with certain skills to use in order to use to gain enough experience to learn new skills. Some masteries, on the other hand, are not so good for this purpose.

I'll list all eleven masteries in what is my opinion from strongest to weakest.

1. Nature - The wolves summoned by Call of the Wild practically do all the work for you. They can be further strengthened by Survival Instinct and Strength of the Pack. Earthbind can reduce enemy defensive ability allowing them to score more critical hits. Susceptibility can reduce enemy resistance for more damage. Heart of the Oak can increase health and speed for yourself and your minions. The wolves get even more effective if you can get three of them. They do start to suffer against certain bosses later on in the game, so you may need skills from another tree to provide further buffs, debuffs, or give yourself another damage skill.

2. Storm - Squall is one of the best crowd control skills in the game, but it needs to be maxed for maximum radius. You can strengthen it further with Eye of the Storm and Static Charge to increase the lightning damage. Obscured Visibility can reduce enemy resistance.

3. Rune - Runic Mines are good for offense and defense, just cast them and lure enemies onto them. Rune Weapon can increase all elemental damage and you can increase your damage with weapons with Magical Charge. Later, you can pick up Seal of Fate for high elemental damage, though you'll need Menhir Wall to pair off with to block enemies and prevent them from fleeing. Aftershock can reduce resistance and inflict other debuffs. Transmutation adds more damage by converting weapon damage to elemental.

4. Dream - Distortion Wave is great for slowing enemies and dealing damage, making it a great crowd control skill. Chaotic Resonance and Psionic Immolation both add more damage and reduce recharge. Lucid Dream adds more damage as well. However, this combo costs a lot of energy, so be sure to get equipment with energy leech. Psionic Touch can be good for a left-click attack. Trance of Convalescence can also be good for survivability and rejuvenation.

5. Neidan - Dragon's Breath is the best skill to invest in at the start. Later on, you can respec the points into Dragon's Flame. Shen Pao is another great damage skill for more damage and has a low recharge value, though it needs to be maxed for the highest radius of effect. Weakest Chakra, Consequences, and Mutual Suffering all reduce resistance. Huangdi's Favor is good for a left-click attack. Inner Equilibrium increases speed as long as you aren't under the effect of a potion.

6. Earth - Ring of Flames is the best choice for levelling up, though it needs to be maxed for the highest radius. Maxing Earth Enchantment and Volativity is good for increasing the damage. A point in Stone Form and Heat Shield is good for increased survivability and defense. However, Ring of Flame starts to become less effective late Act 3.

7. Warfare - Of the masteries suited primarily for combat with weapons, this one is the strongest. Battle Standard gives damage buff and Triumph reduces resistance. Weapon Training increases weapon attack speed and offensive ability. Battle Rage and Crushing Blow provide temporary damage buffs. Onslaught, Hamstring, and Ardor is great for a left-click attack. A point in each skill in the Dual Wield tree increases effectiveness in fighting with two weapons. A point in War Horn is good for utility.

8. Rogue - Poison Gas Bomb with Shrapnel is great for crowd control, though PGB needs to be maxed for highest radius. Nightshade and Toxin Distillation increases poison damage. Calculated Strike and Lethal Hit are great for dealing with enemies immune to poison and bleeding damage, including the undead, constructs, devices, and traps. Disarm Traps is good for increasing damage against constructs, devices, and traps. Anatomy increases bleeding damage inflicted by Lucky Hit and Shrapnel. Casters who can get four extra skill levels from equipment should consider picking up Throwing Knife and Flurry.

9. Defense - Batter is the best skill to level up at the start, but it becomes better with Rend Armor. Shield Charge's Disruption needs to be maxed for attacking multiple enemies around you. Colossus Form and Defensive Reaction both increase physical damage. The passive shield attacks are all useful, especially Pulverize.

10. Hunting - Marksmanship is the best attack skill, but it can only be used by bows or throwing weapons. The synergies are both very good. Study Prey reduces physical and piercing resistances. Wood Lore increases defensive ability and attack speed with bows, spears, and throwing weapons. Volley is a powerful triple attack. Spear users can later pick up Spear Dance and Take Down. Flush Out reduces bleeding resistance and defensive ability. Ensnare with Barbed Hooking can be good for crowd control. Ensnare needs to be maxed for increased area of effect.

11. Spirit - Liche King and its synergies are the only choice for helping you level up because the undead, traps, constructs, and devices are all immune to vitality damage. Since the Liche King is hampered in battle against the undead for this reason, Spirit Ward and Spirit Bane are both necessary. Unearthly Power can increase the damage inflicted by you and the Liche King. Later on you can pick up the Outsider. Circle of Power reduces energy cost, recharge, while increasing casting speed, and both vitality and bleeding damage. Once you get more powerful staves, you can pick up both Ternion Attack and Arcane Lore. The Deathchill Aura and its synergies increase survivability because Ternion Attack with Arcane Lore is best used at close range. Life Drain is more useful for healing than actual damage.

Future posts to this thread will reveal what I think is the best mastery to start off with for each class.

[DwayneA]

Assassin-Warfare
Avenger-Earth
Battlemage-Earth
Berserker-Rune
Bone Charmer-Hunting
Brigand-Rogue
Champion-Nature
Channeler-Storm
Conjurer-Earth
Conqueror-Warfare
Contemplator-Dream
Corsair-Rogue
Daoist-Neidan
Disruptor-Neidan
Diviner-Dream
Dragon Hunter-Rune
Dreamkiller-Dream
Druid-Nature
Elementalist-Storm
Esoterist-Rune
Evoker-Dream
Guardian-Nature
Harbinger-Dream
Haruspex-Dream
Hermit-Nature
Illusionist-Nature
Juggernaut-Earth
Magician-Earth
Monk-Neidan
Oracle-Storm
Paladin-Storm
Pilgrim-Neidan
Prophet-Storm
Ranger-Nature
Ritualist-Nature
Runesmith-Rune
Sage-Storm
Seidr Worker-Rune
Shaman-Rune
Skinchanger-Nature
Slayer-Warfare
Soothsayer-Nature
Sorcerer-Storm
Spellbinder-Defense
Spellbreaker-Warfare
Spiritualist-Neidan
Stonespeaker-Rune
Summoner-Nature
Templar-Dream
Thane-Storm
Thunderer-Storm
Trickster-Rune
Warden-Defense
Warlock-Rogue
Wu-Neidan

[Bruuummm]

In my experience, a lot depends on the way and style of the game that is practiced in practice. Last but not least, what we gain during the course of the game. What kind of equipment, weapons, accessories and when do we decide to create an individual mastery. I play a lot with Earth, Neidan, Spirit, Nature and Dream.

I usually decide to create and decide on the mastery somewhere at the end of the Greece series. Sometimes even later in the Egypt series. Later, without using the mastery determination, it's hard to play without dying. I'm looking at collecting as many skill points as possible and creating upgrades for weapons and equipment.

As long as we get some rare additions along the way, we can be very strong in these combinations and then I lay the foundation for the continuation of the game in the direction I intend to lead it.

I pay a lot of attention to the use of equipment, weapons and amulets or rings that give us an additional mastery skill. This enhances our strength and gives us an advantage over our enemies.

[Bruuummm]

I had the most success with Earth-Warfare and Earth-Spirit as well as Earth-Neidan. I did Earth -Warfare Legendary at level 80 and Earth - Neidan at 81. I also completed Earth - Spirit at level 81. I currently have about 10 different characters open at me levels 65 and 73.

But I'm not impressed with the Nature - Dream combo, otherwise I have her at level 74 at the start of Eternal Ember and I'm not really impressed with the defense quality. The attack is also occasionally fragile.

I will probably be able to change certain settings and transfer skill points to some other skills in both Dream and Nature Mastery.
After the completion of all open games, which are still unfinished at this moment, I will probably create some characters in combination with Rune Mastery. They will probably be interesting pairings.

[renkotsu]

do you have a skill chart of your build at later level im starting a battlemage.

[Bruuummm]

No, I'm not using a crafted skill card via a calculator. I actually start the construction after the completion of Greece or even later somewhere in Egypt. During this period, I improve individual combat skills at close range or at a distance, depending on what combination of weapons I use.

The first goal is to collect the maximum number of points. Game points and skill points. I also try several different combinations of equipment, ring amulets and artifacts. The character is formed based on these results.
For example, sometimes it happens that I use a lower level Artifact for a long time in the game, even though I could change it based on the level I'm at. It depends on what I need from the artifact. Above all, I build on the fact that I get rid of the negative sign before resistance in all forms as soon as possible.

This is especially important when transitioning from Normal to Epic and then from Epic to Legend. As long as any positive result on the resistance is transferred, it is easier to upgrade in Legend a result close to 80% resistance and at the same time strengthen the offensive and defensive depending on the mode I am in. It is important to build a strong late game character in Legend Eternal Embers.

This is important not only because of the character itself, but also in the case when I use helpers in the game (pets). In case you start building a character that won't be killed even once from the beginning of Normal to the end of Legends, it will be necessary to think about this at the beginning in Greece and not later, because sooner or later a hole in your power may appear and you will not be able to defend or attack hard enough for the enemy. The game is complex and wide, so it requires a lot of calculation and training.

Sticking strictly to the calculator for a specific pair of mastery when building a character will not always give you the right results. You should not rely solely on a one-way calculation of how the mutual masteries are connected according to some kind of spreadsheets and tables. Everything needs to be tested in the game itself in practice. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to reach the final success.

Believe me, in my almost 9000 hours of playing on TQ-Anniversary, I tried a lot of modes with a lot of switching and combining characters to gain experience, but I still need to upgrade my skills and try to make some changes to make the game run smoothly or with less complications.

But I still play my game mode: "Kill all" and "collect all". I never play the game looking at the map because it distracts me and I'm not concentrating on the game flow. I already have a map in my head.

[Bruuummm]

You can definitely use the skill calculator but it's kind of just for basic character creation. When creating a character at the very beginning of the game, it is necessary to take into account the compatibility of mastery and their compatibility, so that an error does not occur as soon as you start the game.

Later, you will find it difficult to adapt incorrectly selected masteries to successful defense and attack. If, according to certain criteria, the certain mastery is worse or less effective, it is necessary to pay more attention to accessories such as equipment, rings, amulets and weapons. Last but not least, the choice of artifact. Additional skills are welcome, especially from properly selected equipment. The big difference is whether you have skills like 8/8 or 12/8 with extras.

It is already a great success when you manage to upgrade both masteries with 4 additional skills each. The next important point is the regeneration of health and energy as well as defense and attack ability. However, you can still be overwhelmed by bosses or any very good enemy if you are not prepared for the situation itself or when you are attacked by a group of enemies and you do not have time and space to retreat and defend.

You will acquire all these skills through training and many hours of playtime.I also often noted where the most critical points are or who are the most dangerous enemies in a certain area, but this could only apply to a certain pair of masteries. With the next character, these critical points appeared completely elsewhere and in a different way.

I hope these insights will at least partially help you.

[renkotsu]

would you say in normal the core dweller is worth using for battle mage and should i dual wield or use shield with 1 hand only ,and any skill that arent worth maxing for earth or that are fine with 1 point.

[Bruuummm]

You probably mean warfare. The problem with wielding a sword with both hands is that you need to have a very powerful weapon and a very good defense status, otherwise you can die pretty quickly from completely average enemies. This is especially evident in Legendary and eventually Eternal Embers. In this case, I prefer to use sword and shield. Especially good is the smash shield, which is equivalent to a sword.
 
These are my experiences. Several times during Warfare, I had to change equipment parts in the middle of the Legendary level, Artifact and Amulet or Ring, mainly I changed them for those that contained an additional skill and attack speed.

In Normal and Epic, using two-handed weapons is no problem. It is very effective. The option to attack several enemies at once is also welcome.

In Legendary, it is shown that it is necessary to be fast in the attack and also to be able to retreat quickly. For the second weapon in Warfare/Earth, I use a fire stick to attack from a distance when there are a lot of enemies in a group and then immediately attack with a sword.
Chakram of the Sun and Chakram of the Moon are very useful in pairs and can be used two-handed. Both have additional skills for Neidan, Earth, Warfare and Dream Mastery.