Choosing the starter monster is what you'll have to do at the start of each of your runs in Aethermancer. Which monster you pick will hugely influence your progression speed, and that's why it's important to pick only the best ones. To help you out, we created this guide, explaining the best starter monsters in Aethermancer, their traits, pros/cons, and more. Scroll down and let's dive in!
What is the Best Starter Monster in Aethermancer?
The overall best starter monster in Aethermancer is Jotunn, the Water/Wind tank, who can shield himself, reflect damage, and taunt enemies. He makes the whole early game a breeze, and is one of the best end-game tanks as well. Here is the overall ranking of starter monsters and what they excel at:
- Jotunn: A tank who can deal damage while keeping himself healthy.
- Nixe: A support who can heal allies and apply Poison onto enemies.
- Minokawa: A jack-of-all-trades who can deal damage while dodging enemy attacks.
- Cherufe: A Burn stacker who can stagger enemies easily and prevent them from attacking.
All Starter Monsters in Aethermancer
In the table below, you can find basic information on all 4 starter monsters in Aethermancer. Note that which monster you choose does make a huge difference, as unlocking the other ones isn't easy at all. So, pick carefully!
| Starter | Stats | Actions & Traits |
|---|---|---|
 Cherufe | Health: 40 Elements Earth Fire Types Critical Purge Burn | Scorched Earth : Whenever this monster applies one or more Burn stacks to an enemy: Breaks 1 Poise on them. Grapple : 2 x 3 Earth damage against target enemy. Purges 1 enemy Aether. Ignite : 3 x 3 Fire damage against target enemy. Applies 2 Burn to target enemy. |
 Jotunn | Health: 45 Elements Water Wind Types Tank Shield Age | Rime Wind : Whenever damage is dealt to this monster's Shield: Deals a combined Water/Wind hit to the attacker with that much damage. Roar : Shields self for 2 x 3. Applies Redirect to self. Ice Smash : 3 x 3 Water/Wind damage against target enemy. |
 Nixe | Health: 40 Elements Earth Water Types Heal Aether Poison | Toxic Tides : Whenever this monster receives or applies a heal: Applies Poison to the enemy with the lowest amount of Poison. Leeching Strike : 2 x 3 Water damage against target enemy. Heals all allies for 5. Restore : Heals target ally for 3 x 3. Target generates 3 Random Aether. |
 Minokawa | Health: 35 Elements Fire Wind Types Sidekick Dodge Force | Shining Spark : The first Hit of each Attack of this monster deals +1 damage for every 2 buff stacks on it and Shields self equal to that amount. Tempering : Applies Sidekick, 1 Force & 1 Dodge to self. Supersonic Strike : 1 x 8 Wind damage against target enemy. Applies Sidekick & 1 Force to self. |
Aethermancer Starter Monsters FAQ
No, you can't switch your starter after beginning the run. To get all the other starters, you'll need to get the Hidden Monsters meta-upgrade for the Pilgrimage Path and explore there.
What is the worst starter monster in Aethermancer?
The worst starters are Minokawa and Cherufe. Both are good damage-dealers with plenty of utility, but there are also early-game monsters who fill their role well enough.
Are starters good later into the game?
Yes, all starters are pretty decent for the endgame. However, monsters you find in later areas will have better kits, and the best end-game rosters will most often not include any of the starters, except for Jotunn.
To summarize, the best starter monster in Aethermancer is Jotunn, with Nixe, Minokawa, and Cherufe being solid picks but not as universally good as Jotunn. To learn more about this and other popular indie titles, check out all the other content in the Guides category here on our website.
Aleksa is a lifelong gamer who manages to reach the top 1% on the leaderboards in just about every game he plays. He specializes in creating in-depth guides and tier lists, mainly for mobile and Roblox games. Also, he enjoys competitive multiplayer and hardcore singleplayer games on PC, such as League of Legends, CS2, Apex Legends, Escape From Tarkov, Clair Obscur, and Dark Souls.