There isn't another hack and slash dungeon crawler out there quite like Torchlight III. How many other games in the genre allow players to be a robot or a Railmaster when plowing through enemies? The game is bursting full of unique flavor and with the game now out of closed alpha many gaming fans are giving it a try.
The Dusk Mage is particularly special and not just another random mage class in an RPG styled game. They attack from a distance while carefully balancing the two elements they wield as to not be consumed by one side or another. They can look complex on the surface but with the knowledge of the right Relics to use and how their skills work players can be competent Dusk Mages in no time.
Skill Trees: Dark And Light
The Forged have two skill trees, Dark and Light. Casting spells costs Mana and each spell cast, be it Dark or Light, builds up special energy bars. If players use skills with the opposite element when one is full (for example, using a Dark skill when the Light bar is full) they receive a buff. The buff for Dark skills increases damage where the buff for Light skills increases Mana regeneration.
Dark Skills
Unholy Bolt: Unleashes 3 serpentine bolts toward your foes for 50% weapon damage each.
Mana Cost: 1.5
- Unholy Bolt damage +4.25% per level
- Light skill damage +2.10% per level
Entropy: Fires an unstable dark energy ball that hits for 40% weapon damage and fires off pieces of itself that hit for the same.
Mana Cost: 5
Unlocks By: Spending 1 skill point in Light
- Entropy Mana Cost -4.25% per level
- Light skill Cooldown -1.68% per level
Dark Spears: Summon shadowy spears to strike your foes for 100% weapon damage every second and slows down enemies by 50%. It has a duration of six seconds.
Mana Cost: 6
Unlocks By: Spending 5 skill points in Light
- Dark Spears Duration +5.50% per level
- Light Skill Mana Cost -1.68% per level
Spirit Well: Summons a portal into the nether realm, taking control of evil monsters and forcing them to fight for you. This summon has a duration of twelve seconds.
Mana Cost: 10
Unlocks By: Spending 10 skill points in Light
- Minion Duration +8.50% per level
- Dark Skill Buff Duration +8.40% per level
Damnation: Corrupts an area and makes all enemies inside have decreased damage output for 20% while they stay in the damned area and for 4 seconds after they leave. Slaying an afflicted enemy grants you 10% of your total mana back. The area of effect lasts for eight seconds.
Mana Cost: 3
Unlocks By: Spending 15 skill points in Light
Mana Spike: Send out a cascading series of spikes that strike enemies for 10% weapon damage.
Mana Cost: 2.5
Unlocks By: Spending 15 skill points in Light
- Energy Spike damage +4.20% per level
- Light Bar Charge gain +5.88% per level
Light Skills
Holy Bolt: Directs a holy bolt at foes for 150% weapon damage.
Mana Cost: 2
- Holy Bolt damage +4.25% per level
- Dark skill damage +2.10% per level
Holy Fury: Bring the light to bear in a focused energy beam that deals 275% weapon damage with each hit and slows enemies by 50%.
Mana Cost: 5
Unlocks By: Spending 1 skill point in Dark
- Holy Fury mana cost -2.92% per level
- Dark Skill Mana cost -2.10% per level
Luminous Run: Enter the spectral plane where you move faster and can pass through enemies. Passing through allies grants them a temporary speed boost as well. The duration of the ability is two seconds and the effect on allies lasts six seconds.
Mana Cost: 5
Unlocks By: Spending 1 skill point in Dark
- Luminous Run duration +8.50% per level
- Relic Active Skill damage +1.68% per level
Absolver: Direct three piercing bolts of light that each deal 30% weapon damage.
Mana Cost: 3.5
Unlocks By: Spending 5 skill points in Dark
- Absolver Damage +8.50% per level
- Dark Bar Charge gain +5.88% per level
Radiant Blast: Blast enemies around you with light. Deals 25% weapon damage and infuses enemies with light energy for six seconds, allowing you to kill them to unleash a hail of bolts that deal an additional 25% weapon damage per hit.
Mana Cost: 4
Unlocks By: Spending 10 skill points in Dark
- Damage to Radiant Blast +4.20% per level
- Dark Spear duration +2.10% per level
Consecration: Everyone in your blessed circle gains 25% bonus damage, with the Dusk Mage gaining an additional 15% per ally in the circle. Consecration has a duration of fourteen seconds.
Mana Cost: 5
Unlocks By: Spending 10 skill points in Dark
- Consecration Damage Bonus +4.30% per level
- Mystery Skill's Duration +2.10% per level
Light Spear: Fire a spear made of light that deals 300% weapon damage and has 15% chance on hit to heal you for 5% of your total health per enemy hit.
Mana Cost: 6
Unlocks By: Spending 15 skill points in Dark
The Best Relics For Dusk Mages
It is possible to make a workable build with each Relic in the game, but there is a reason certain ones are used more than others. The Electrode Relic can result in jaw-dropping amounts of damage if built correctly, and Cold Heart is also very effective at keeping enemies at a distance. On the other end, Flaming Destroyer tends to work quite poorly.
There are no best abilities that work with every single Relic. It's important for players to pick abilities that work well with the passive abilities that their Relic has to offer. Sometimes, certain abilities simply don't work well and will hamper players, making it difficult for them to advance in the game.
For players interested in building with a specific Relic, we've figured out some basic build ideas to spark players' creativity. These are just the building blocks, they'll take a bit of tweaking to fit the exact playstyles of individuals in the game.
Blood Drinker – Plasma Power
Core Skills: Dark Spears, Holy Bolt, Light Spear Radiant Blast, and Shadow Step
Relic Skills: Blood Seekers, Drain, Dance of Death, Living Barrier
Equipment: Full Celestial Armor set. Avoid Equipment that stuns, slows, and blinds, spells do this enough already.
Why This Build Works: This build has a lot of ways to keep enemies from being able to launch a serious attack. Combine this with the kind of healing that Blood Drinker can offer players and this Dusk Mage has the potential to even get a bit closer to do battle. There is always the option of using Shadow Step to escape.
Bane – Poisoned Prowess
Core Skills: Dark Spears, Entropy, Light Spear, Nether Well, and Shadow Step
Relic Skills: Arachnid Assault, Miasma, and Poison Nova
Equipment: Full Celestial Armor set. Equipment that has a chance to Poison to help damage stack even higher.
Why This Build Works: Poison damage can stack very quickly, especially with Dark Spears slowing down any enemies that try to approach. The best Dusk Mages can use Shadow Step to just keep moving away while firing off lots of other abilities to deal damage. The enemies may die from Poison damage before they can even get close.
Cold Heart – Arctic Sunset
Core Skills: Dark Spears, Energy Spike, Holy Bolt, Light Spear, Luminous Run, and Shadow Spear
Relic Skills: Cold Front, Frost Blast, and Ice Shield
Equipment: Full Celestial Armor set. Equipment to increase Relic skill damage.
Why This Build Works: Cold Heart offers a lot of abilities that will hinder enemies and keep them at bay by stunning them and slowing them down. This works perfectly for the Dusk Mage that needs to fight from a distance. This way, they can use a wider variety of abilities to attack to fit different situations as they have time to work through cooldowns and regain Mana.
Electrode – Electromancer
Core Skills: Absolver, Dark Spears, Entropy, and Shadow Step
Relic Skills: Conjure Electrode, Lightning Barrier, Localized Storm, and Thousand-volt Burst
Equipment: Full Celestial Armor set. Equipment that increases Mana regeneration and lowers Absolver Mana cost.
Why This Build Works: This build focuses on using Absolver to deal damage as the more magic shots out, the more chances there are for bolts of electricity to go flying everywhere.
Flaming Destroyer – Flaming Forge
Core Skills: Absolver, Consecration, Damnation, Dark Spears, Energy Spike, and Shadow Step
Relic Skills: Sword Smash and Summoning Smash
Equipment: Full Celestial Armor set. Equipment that offers a chance to inflict Burn. Equipment to increase Relic skill damage.
Why This Build Works: This build utilizes abilities that are rarely used in builds for the Dusk Mage: Consecration and Damnation. These large areas of effect allow players to try and power up fully to get the most out of Sword Smash and Summoning Smash.
Unfortunately, Flaming Destroyer has a hard time working well with Dusk Mages, so players will need to be careful if they try building with this Relic. It takes a lot of careful setup to work well and it's easy for players to become overwhelmed.
Torchlight III is now available for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.