Best RPGs With An Elementalist Class

Best RPGs With An Elementalist Class

Key Takeaways

  • RPGs offer players the chance to wield elemental magic, dealing powerful damage in exchange for strategic drawbacks.
  • Select games, like Pillars of Eternity 2, Guild Wars 2, & Grim Dawn, provide diverse elemental classes with unique specializations.
  • Games like Guild Wars emphasize exploiting enemy weaknesses through elemental mastery & diverse skill combinations.

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that nothing quite compares to the thrill of wielding elemental magic in a good RPG. The power to command fire, ice, air, and earth is not just about dealing massive damage, but it’s also about strategy, timing, and mastery.


Elements such as fire, ice, air, and earth have been integral to various video games and tabletop role-playing games since their inception. These primal forces, often manipulated by magical characters, add an element of mystique to the fantasy genre. Furthermore, it’s noteworthy that these magic users are usually capable of inflicting the greatest damage within a game.

Indeed, many outstanding fantasy role-playing games (CRPGs) have tailored experiences for this character type and gameplay style uniquely. To make it onto this list, each RPG must provide a combination of features, essentially a class, enabling players to manipulate or control elements, either fully or partially at their command.

5 Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire – The Evoker Wizard

Honing In On Elemental Destruction

In the game “Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire”, wizards have the ability to excel in every magic discipline, but they may opt for the Evoker Wizard subclass which focuses on Evocation. This choice enhances their elemental attack power and provides a chance to cast a spell twice immediately, albeit at the expense of not being able to employ spells from Conjuration and Transmutation schools during that period.

A player might benefit from being well-versed in various spells and their appropriate skill uses before choosing the Evoker Wizard subclass, as they may later find themselves regretting a spell they couldn’t utilize at a crucial moment. However, those willing to endure this learning curve will gain access to some of the game’s most potent destructive spells.

4 Guild Wars 2 – The Elementalist (Tempest, Weaver, Catalyst)

Using Primal Forces As A Pallet Of Pain

In contrast to the initial version of the game, Elementalists excel in manipulating all four elements – fire, water, air, and earth – seamlessly to unlock their full arcane power. However, they focus on mastering three out of these four elements by possessing distinct traits. Elementalists are renowned for inflicting the highest damage per second among all professions in Guild Wars 2; this comes at a cost as they have the least armor protection. Their strategy is to swiftly eliminate large groups with powerful, broad elemental attacks from a distance, before any enemy gets an opportunity to strike.

Once players reach level 80 and accumulate sufficient hero points (assuming they have fully expanded games), they get a chance to explore one of the elementalist’s elite specializations. The tempest, who can create melodies with a warhorn, dominates natural forces through shouts, and has the ability to extract additional energy from the elements. Weavers skillfully blend elemental attacks for intricate gameplay, while Catalysts harness the power of the elements to summon primal powers to aid them in combat.

3 Grim Dawn – The Elementalist (Shaman + Demolitionist)

Roasting, Bursting, And Shatterering Otherworldly Enemies

Due to hordes of undead streaming from Hell into Cairn, an individual with the combined expertise of a shaman and demolitionist (referred to as an elementalist) will find ample opportunities to exercise their control over nature’s devastating aspects. Leveraging their shamanic background, the elementalist can unleash potent abilities centered around electricity.

The demolitionist character combines elements of a gun-wielding marksman who excels in shooting bullets and an expert in explosives, providing the elementalist with pyromancy abilities. In the game Grim Dawn, all masteries place great importance on combat, ensuring that the elementalist not only commands the power of storms and wildfires but also boasts immense physical strength and formidable firearms for close quarters fighting. They relentlessly battle through hordes of enemies with their slashing techniques.

2 Guild Wars – The Elementalist

Drawing Chaos From A Deep Pool Of Elemental Potential

In the game, each adversary possesses abilities similar to those players employ, and they are either strong or weak against specific elements. An Elementalist character has mastery over four primary types of elements, and by donning armor that resists their chosen element, they can avoid damage from it. Deciding on which element to specialize in between missions is part of the excitement, as many enemies will be swiftly defeated when their weakness is found. The Elementalist also has the option to select a secondary profession to enhance their own collection of primal powers.

For example, the Mesmer’s mantras allow them to absorb elemental damage entirely and turn it into energy for their spells for a short duration. A ranger’s survival mastery skills will allow an elementalist to move faster while taking elemental damage. However, due to the huge energy cost associated with their skills, only an elementalist can reliably reign destruction on their enemies without running out, thanks to their primary attribute, Energy Storage.

1 Divinity: Original Sin 2 – The Enchanter & Wizard

Walking, Casting Natural Disasters

At first glance, the enchanter and wizard characters in Divinity: Original Sin 2 appear to be standard destruction mages, equipped with the typical array of elemental abilities. However, what truly captivates fans of elemental chaos is the environmental effects system found in Original Sin 2. This mechanic enables players, particularly magic users, to apply blazing fire, soaking rain, deadly poison, and slippery ice to surfaces. Each of these elements has distinct battlefield impacts and interacts with other spells in intriguing ways, making for an engaging and dynamic combat experience.

In Original Sin 2, the Enchanter preset includes water (hydrosophist) and lighting (aerotheurge) abilities, while the wizard is equipped with fire (pyrokinetic) and earth (geomancy) abilities. However, the game’s character creation and progression system allows for a lot of flexibility, so players can easily develop a potent mage who excels in all four elements.

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2024-09-30 03:34