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Wartales Best Builds for Each Class

Build the best war band.

Chris Marling

Published: Feb 26, 2024 03:22 am

Medieval fantasy turn and squad-based RPG Wartales allows you to create a war band in any way you choose. But each member will have a class with a mass of options available, making it hard to know the best builds.

Best builds for each class in Wartales

Table of Contents

Best builds for each class in Wartales

Best Archer builds in Wartales

Best Brute builds in Wartales

Best Pugilist builds in Wartales

Best Ranger builds in Wartales

Best Spearman builds in Wartales

Best Swordsman builds in Wartales

Best Warrior builds in Wartales

While these are the best builds for each class in my experience, your mileage will of course vary. There are many things to take into consideration when choosing a class build, such as party makeup and size. Some players will completely ignore a class, while taking several characters in another, meaning you may want to have them different. For example, you might want a Brute that’s a tank and another that’s a pure DPS. Our guide to choosing specializations for your builds will set you off in the right direction.

Related: Wartales Lieutenant and Captain Guide

Remember to save often because it is relatively easy to retread your ground if you decide to change things up. Also, if a character isn’t pulling their weight and you hate their spec, don’t be shy to use them as cannon fodder and replace them in the next town. It’s a harsh world and you need to do what it takes to give yourself the best chance of success.

Best Archer builds in Wartales

I’m not big on Archers, but having at least one is advisable in any party as they can help out from long distances anywhere needed, making them a great utility troop. Some will choose the Beastmaster option, as it gives you control over your animals, but I’m happy to let them roam free (embrace the chaos!).

Level	Specialisation	Reasons
2	Valorous Support	This is the easiest way to get Vaour for any Archer, as their being next to an ally makes sense.
3	Infantryman	Costs two Valour but is excellent for hitting multiple targets and slowing enemy advances.
5	Reinforced Arrows	As you’ll want a high Crit Rate for your Archers anyway, adding bleeding on crits is an excellent way to double down on this.
8	Easy Prey	Increases damage against individual (non-adjacent) targets, which tends to pair well with Infantryman.
10	Anticipation	A nice get-out-of-jail-free card for when your Archer can’t avoid close contact.
12	Suppressive Fire	Excellent AOE as well as crowd control. What’s not to like?

Best Brute builds in Wartales

Your Brutes are likely to outstrip your Warriors in terms of all-out damage and are tailor-made to use two-handers. As quite a lot of legendary items are two-handed, you’ll want some Brutes around to take advantage. However, they’re equally adept with one-handers and a shield if you want them tanking for you.

Level	Specialisation	Reasons
2	Vanguard	Gives you Relentless Charge, one of the best single Valour abilities in the Wartales. You get to disengage, gain extra movement, deal AOE damage, and apply Slowdown, all in one go.
3	Valorous Chain	Needs a weapon that hits multiple targets to be effective (you gain one Valour each time you hit multiple enemies). If you don’t intend to go that way, Valerous Duel (gain Valour when entering combat) is also great.
5	Opportunism	A nice passive that gives you Protection if a few enemies are nearby, which is likely.
8	Guard Breaker	You’ll ignore 50 percent of your enemy’s guard, which is great for standing up against well-armored opponents.
10	Intervention	A great way to fix battle situations where someone is engaged that shouldn’t be. Situational, but can be a lifesaver. If you didn’t go Vanguard above, Defensive Ripost is a good option here as you can as it gives you a 50-50 chance of hitting a target on a Disengage, rather than taking a hit.
12	Class Specialisation	Take your pick of an earlier skill you missed out on. Temperance and Cruelty are both good options.

Best Pugilist builds in Wartales

The Pugilist class was added to the game’s first DLC package and was a real game-changer for me. They add a new level of decision-making, as many of their skills trigger different bonuses depending on the pugilist’s stance. This can be changed each turn, making you more offensive or defensive. They also do the greatest damage of any class, with their level 12 Bravery ability able to take down everything but the toughest bosses in one hit.

Level	Specialization	Reasons
2	Valorous Audacity	You get 1 Valour Point if you end the turn next to but are not engaged with an enemy. It should be relatively easy to gain this VP each turn.
3	Bruiser	You'll be able to wear Medium Armor, making you much less squishy. You also get the excellent Skullbreaker attack (1 Valour), which attacks twice ignoring Guard while also doing bonus damage (Attack Stance) or inflicting Fragility (Defensive). Great for taking down enemy tanks.
5	Personal Challenge	As long as you attack at least once in a round, you'll also do a free Attack of Opportunity.
8	Fatal Touch	This also uses 1 Valour but is often a game-changer. Once upgraded it will deal big damage to any unit on less than 50 percent health. If the blow kills them, you'll get 2 Valour back (if in Offensive Stance) or it resets your Movement Points (in Defensive). Before being upgraded, the enemy needs to start the battle with more Wounds than you.
10	Unstoppable	An incredibly valuable passive that lets you pass through enemies, opening up the battlefield beautifully.
12	Thrashing	In my opinion, the strong level 12 Bravery skill in the game. You attack the target 10 times, with the damage increasing 20 percent with each hit. In Offensive Stance you do 5 more attacks, while in Defensive you'll heal 3 percent of your wounds per attack.

Best Ranger builds in Wartales

Rangers have been essential to my success in the game and I like to run with close to a one-per-melee engager ratio where possible. Ranger back attacks do massive damage, they make great torch carriers in tombs, while their wide array of hampering utility abilities can help in most situations.

Level	Specialisation	Reasons
2	Valorous Audacity	This rewards you for being exactly where you want to be, next to an enemy but not engaged. The simplest decision you’ll make in any build.
3	Any/All	There are no bad choices here. I run with one of each, as each has a different utility, but if I had to pick one I’d go with Poisoner. An AOE DOT is invaluable, especially in tougher battles.
5	Poisoned Weapon	I like to double down on the Poison effects as they stack. However, Deadly Contract is also awesome as it applies Fragility to a nearby unit, making it very easy to smash the next turn.
8	Cold Blooded	A 20 percent bonus to damage from behind, which is what you’ll be aiming to do at all times.
10	Unstoppable	A bit situational, but when you need it this can turn a battle. Allows you to move through enemies, so you can get behind them.
12	Decisive Manoeuvre	Amazing if you’re the quickest unit in your team, as it gives you a second attack at the end of the round. If you have multiple Rangers, give the slower ones Class Specialisation and take your choice of other Level 8 skills with it.

Best Spearman builds in Wartales

I survived without any Spearmen for a long time, but once battlefields start getting busier with more enemies they come into their own. They’re a little harder to protect than Archers as they need to be nearer the frontline, and they take some practice to position well consistently. Once mastered though, they’re great at plugging holes and slowing enemy advances.

Related: Wartales Oils Guide – All Oils and How They Work

Level	Specialisation	Reasons
2	Valorous Support	You’ll gain Valour when you end your turn next to an ally, which is where you always want your Spearmen to be.
3	Spear Wall	Works in the same way as the Infantryman (Archer) above, targeting an area and hitting anyone who enters it while also stopping them dead. If you don’t want to double up on this kind of counter-attacking skill, Harpooner gives you a powerful AOE attack with Bleeding.
5	Team Spirit	Doubles down on being next to an ally with Valerous Support above, giving you Brutality if you are which adds 30 percent to your damage.
8	Preparedness	Now you add even more benefit to doing your job well, as you’ll get Fury (50 percent damage increase) on your next attack as long as you end the round without being engaged.
10	Alacrity	Too good not to take, as it gives your Spearman a massive 40 percent chance to avoid any incoming ranged and AOE attacks. As they should never engage, these are the only ways they’re likely to take damage, so this is huge.
12	Condemn	While a little situational, the ability to do nice damage to a target and give whoever then takes them down five Valour can be a big deal. I’d take it unless you’re really jonesing for a skill you missed out on earlier.

Best Swordsman builds in Wartales

While not the most glamorous of jobs in Wartales, everyone needs at least one tank to get smacked while your DPS party members get to work. You can live without any swordsmen in your party if you want to get the job done quickly, but they do make better tanks than both Brutes and Warriors.

Level	Specialisation	Reasons
2	Fighter	Go Protector instead if you want to be tankier but I prefer the faster fight approach of the Fighter, as you get the Destabilising Strike skill that reduces your target’s guard to zero.
3	Valorous Duel	Free Valour every time you enter combat. And you will. A lot.
5	Counter-attack	Gives a free attack versus your engaged opponent the first time they hit you. Bulwark is a solid if slower option, giving you Deflection in the next round which massively reduces incoming damage.
8	Hardcore Training	Makes you immune to bleeding, Poison, and Burning. Anything you don’t have to worry about in terms of status effects is excellent the further you get into the game.
10	Intervention	Works the same way as Unstoppable (Brute, above) and is therefore equally valuable situationally for your frontline warriors.
12	Exhort	Using this gives all nearby units Zeal for two rounds, upping both crit chance and damage by 30 percent.

Best Warrior builds in Wartales

I love these guys almost as much as the Rangers. Warriors can dish out massive damage while standing toe-to-toe with most enemies, although they can’t take a beating like a Swordsman. But if you want to create mayhem early and often on the battlefield, pack it full of Warriors and go to town.

Level	Specialisation	Reasons
2	Berserker	Gives you the Rampage skill that will see you do triple damage on your next hit and then gain Fury, doing double damage on the attack after that. Carnage.
3	Valorous Duel	As long as you want your Warriors mowing down enemies, this will give them a Valour point every time they engage an enemy. Defensive Stance (defensive tanks gain Valour just for being engaged, plus Deflection) and Valerous Chain (Valour for hitting multiple enemies at once) are both good alternatives if not.
5	Recklessness	Your first hit in each fight does 150 percent extra damage. Combine with Berkserker for extremely satisfying one-hit kills.
8	Battle Cry	Gives you and nearby allies Brutality (plus 30 percent damage) for two rounds. If you have more than one Warrior, mix things up with Challenging Shout (draws enemies to you and applies Fragility to them, increasing their damage taken by 30 percent).
10	Alacrity	There’s no reason your frontline troops don’t also want a 40 percent chance to avoid incoming AOE and ranged attacks, especially if they’re closing in on archers to get into melee from a distance.
12	Daredevil	You gain Frenzy for three rounds, giving guaranteed critical hits and bonus damage if you’ve lost any health. An excellent Hail Mary, but frankly great at any time.