In Titan Quest 2, players can combine two Masteries to make a unique class to play through the campaign with. While nearly everything in the game can be changed, your Mastery selection is the one thing that cannot and it is permanent. With that in mind, this leveling short guide will focus on the Mastery combination of Warfare and Earth to create the Battlemage class!
The Battlemage combines the strong fire elemental powers of the Earth Mastery alongside the up-close-and-personal Warfare Mastery to create a class that is capable of exceling at both ranged and melee combat. The Battlemage is able to take full advantage of both Ornate Armor, which is this games version of a heavy/brawler set or Magos Armor, allowing you to build defensively around Barrier. This deadly combination makes the Battlemage the perfect class for both players new to the genre or gamers looking to take a more casual approach to Titan Quest 2.
Keeping in mind that you can alter your build any way you wish for a small gold fee at any point in your playthrough, we are using these short guides as a way to provide players with a path of least resistance while leveling. For player’s used to more punishing ARPGs, you can rest easy with Titan Quest 2; the only decision that is permanent is Mastery selection. You will not be locked out of anything you wish to do later on, so there is zero downside to following a specific build early on.
Note: All builds have been tested at +5, even while leveling. You should not have any issues progressing the campaign while following the build on this page. If you’re at a gear deficit, lowering the enemy level may be in your best interest until you gain some upgrades.
Leveling Build: Blazing Whirlwind
To make this build function, Warfare will be prioritized first to gain levels in Whirlwind as quickly as possible. Earth will be used almost entirely to compliment Whirlwind, converting the damage we deal into fire and providing multiple passive buffs to ensure we’re able to maintain our Energy during combat.
Rather than vast amounts of Energy consumption like is typical with channeling skills in these types of games, this build will choose to reserve your Energy bar, essentially blocking off a certain amount that will be unusable. This system is perfect, as it allows us to still increase our maximum amount of Energy, increase our Energy Regeneration, and ultimately not cause Whirlwind to consume an unsustainable amount of Energy. Just keep in mind that you will want Maximum Energy and Energy Regeneration on gear while you level. It’s mandatory.
- Fantastic AoE damage.
- Accessible, casual gameplay, perfect for all players.
- Limited mobility; Whirlwind causes you to move slower while channeling.
- Heavy Energy requirements for smooth gameplay.
Video Showcase
Please check back later once Early Access starts and we have a chance to record footage!
Stat Priority and Gear Options
Upon leveling, you will be allotted two Attribute Points to spend as you see fit. All gear has specific requirements, and certain attributes increase specific types of damage that your character can deal. For this build, we’ll be focusing as many points into Might as we can, with a secondary priority in Knowledge. Any leftover points beyond this can be placed into Vigor. By focusing on these three attributes, we maximize the contribution placed in Resolve, the main stat driver for Fire Damage.
Armor
Might will be the heavy focus here as this is the attribute that allows us to wield heavy weapons, and use Heavy and Ornate Armor. Knowledge allows you to use Magos type gear, providing access to gear that boosts Barrier while still keep Armor values high. Combining both of these makes for an extremely tanky character, which is absolutely required for any melee character.
Weapons
As far as weapons are concerned, you will want to run heavy melee weapons. This includes one-handed weapons such as swords and clubs, as well as two-handed weapons such as battleaxes and heavy maces. To make things easier on yourself if you’re unsure if a weapon is suitable for this build, melee weapons requiring a large amount of Resolve will be what you want to equip.
Attack Speed, Critical Hit Chance, and Added Fire Damage are all very useful for this build. We won’t be focused on ailment application, so you should try to avoid weapons with stats catering to it.
Skills and Passives
Below, we will be listing out the list of skills and passives you should be taking. Anything highlighted in the table should be sought after as soon as possible, as it’s important for the build to work as intended. This build wants to start off with 6 Divinity in Earth, followed by 6 Divinity in Warfare. It’s in your best interest to get Warfare to 18 Divinity first.
| Skill/Passive | Number of Points | Feats and Modifiers |
|---|---|---|
| Sweeping Strike (Warfare Skill) | 17 | Whirlwind 1/1 Rage Gain 5/5 Sunder 3/3 Ramp Up 1/5 |
| Weapon Proficiency (Warfare Passive) | 12 | Critical Chance Attack Speed |
| Arcane Abundance (Earth Passive) | 8 | Energy Regen |
| Earth Enchantment (Earth Skill) | 17 | Fire Imbuement 2/2 Stone Skin 5/5 Conservation 3/5 |
| Combat Rush (Warfare Passive) | 8 | Regeneration Damage |
| Battle Rage (Warfare Passive) | 8 | Rage Overflow Rage Amount |
| Earth Attunement (Earth Passive) | 8 | Area Weapon |
| Barrier (Core) | 7 | Enduring Barrier 3/3 Ailment Cleanse 1/1 Invigorating Guard 3/3 |
| Battlefield Awareness (Warfare Skill) | 17 | Inspiration 5/5 Enhanced Regeneration 5/5 |
| Second Wind (Warfare Passive) | 8 | Rage Health Regeneration |
| Ring of Flame (Earth Skill) | 15 | Permanency 1/1 Weakening Heat 3/3 Enhanced Amplify 5/5 |
The above allotment will get you near Level 30, which is above the expected level where Early Access stops. Please check back at a later time when we get more content. If there’s a need to extend the leveling build, we will do so here!
Rotation and Build Mechanics
While this build is your typical spin-to-win setup, it functions as an aura build as well. Sweeping Strike will be converted into Whirlwind, a channeled attack that drains Energy while held. To supplement the damage dealt by Whirlwind, we’ll be converting all Weapon Damage to Fire Damage through Earth Enchantment. This will also give our weapon a nice fire animation while it’s active.
As a secondary aura, Battlefield Awareness will be taken. This aura provides a ton of Energy Regeneration and helps ensure we remain Energy neutral. Combined with the Earth passive Arcane Abundance and Energy affixes on our gear, you should get close to about 50 Energy Regeneration by the time you hit Level 30. This completely nullifies the cost of channeling Whirlwind.
The final aura for the build will be found in Ring of Flame. This skill is converted into a toggle through Permanency and then used to reduce the enemy’s Fire Resistance and Armor when they stand inside of our area of effect. The size of Ring of Flame is determined by Amplify stacks, which are granted to you through Energy consumption. Since we’re constantly consuming Energy, the area of effect will grow to a size larger than our Whirlwind, ensuring all enemies are hit with the defensive reduction.
Defensive Scaling
This build focuses on three main things when it comes to survival.
- Armor Rating
- Barrier
- Health Regeneration
Armor Rating is done almost entirely through our gearing selection, mentioned higher up on this page. Similarly, so is Barrier, however we also scale our Barrier active skill through the Core skills on our Masteries page. Health Regeneration is scaled through several passives in the Warfare tree, and it is tied directly to our Rage stacks. The more Rage you have, the higher your Regeneration will be.
To add all this together, you can expect to regenerate your entire Health bar when activating Barrier. This keeps us healthy in nearly any situation you can imagine. The only thing to be wary of are one-shot attacks; this means anything telegraphed by enemies you probably shouldn’t stand in. While Armor and Resistances will protect you in most cases, it’s best to try and avoid these attacks.
Leveling Tips
Check out our list of tips specifically for this build, and it may not apply to other builds.
- Energy consumption is something you must control at all times! Move your skill nodes around to ensure this is not a problem. The worst thing you can have happen is running out of Energy in the middle of combat.
- It is possible to Reserve too much Energy. If this happens, there’s a few nodes that reduce the Energy Reservation rather than increase it. Sacrifice a bit of damage to ensure you’re not draining your resources too much.
- Barrier is your best friend. Get in the habit of tapping this right as you encounter enemies. It will ensure you stay healthy.
Some useful notes for all players, regardless of their build or class, are listed below.
- Check Merchants for gear as often as possible. Merchants refresh stock on level up.
- Make sure you’re bumping the level range of areas when you can do so comfortably for better experience and drop rates.
- Utilize the DPS estimation on tooltips. It may not be obvious a new weapon is an upgrade.
- Watch your Resistances. While these don’t need to be capped (60%) while leveling, it doesn’t hurt to try and keep them balanced.