Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem Skill Guide

Last Update: May 23, 2021 8:50 AM /

By:


Wolcen Lords of Mayhem Splash 1920x1080

Welcome to the Wolcen guide to skills! Skills in Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem can be broken down into three broad categories: Warrior, Rogue, and Spell. Warrior skills require a melee weapon, Rogue skills require a pistol or bow (and sometimes allow daggers) and spells require a staff or catalyst to use. Note that not every melee or ranged skill has the warrior or rogue tag. If you want to purchase skills, Demetra in town sells them for 2,000 gold a pop starting in Act I. Her inventory rotates every 15 minutes, so if you don't see what you want at first, check back later.

The skills are broken down into Spells, Warrior skills, and Rogue Skills. In general, anything with the Attack tag requires Rage to use. Anything with the Spell tag uses Willpower. As one gauge fills, the other drops. Rage converts into Willpower outside of combat. Staves generate Willpower instead of Rage. Be sure to use the Wolcen character planner to get the most out of your active and passive skills!

Spells

Spells require a staff or catalyst to use. Naturally, they are affected by Spell Critical Chance and Spell Casting Speed.

Wolcen Lords of Mayhem Spells 1920x1080
Spells offer the largest, most diverse set of skills in Wolcen.

Aether Jump

Description: Jump through the Aether to teleport to another position.

Tags: Spell, Movement

Damage: N/A (Aether with Spirits of the Void)

Ailments: Stasis (Spirits of the Void, Fragments of Aether)

Blink forward and reappear using this spell. Good for getting out of a sticky situation or finding a better position. The Time Paradox upgrade (44) lets you remove crowd-control effects.

Annihilation

Description: Channel a beam of Aether in front of you, damaging your foes. Turn speed while casting is increased proportionally to cast speed.

Tags: Spell

Damage: Aether (Toxic with Inevitable Decay)

Ailments: Stasis, Poison (Inevitable Decay)

A short-mid range beam appears from the character. Spell casting speed affects how fast you can rotate. Requires Puncturing Gaze (17) to pierce, but this reduces damage by 30%.

Anomaly

Description: Cast a vortex that has two areas of effect. The first, smaller areas deal damage over time, and after a short time the larger one pulls enemies into the center.

Tags: Spell

Damage: Aether, Lightning (Echo Wave Pattern)

Ailments: Stasis, Shock (Echo Wave Pattern)

A pull for clumping enemies together. Upgrades can help pull in enemies multiple times, letting you rain damage on them from a safe distance. Couples well with AoEs.

Arctic Spear

Description: After a delay, hurl an ice shard in a line.

Tags: Spell, Projectile

Damage: Frost, Sacred (Beauty of Hope)

Ailments: Freeze, Weakness (Beauty of Hope)

The Hiemal Ambush (41) upgrade allows you to cast multiple spears at once.

Bulwark of Dawn

Description: Bless an area around you with the light of dawn. It heals those who stand in it over time.

Tags: Spell

Damage: None, Sacred (Sacred Grounds)

Ailments: None, Weakness (Sacred Grounds)

Give your mage some healing power using this spell. You can convert damage dealt to Sacred using Blade of Truth (14). Since this is a placed HoT, be careful about using it. Divine Omnipresence (rank 41) allows it to follow the recipient around.

Consuming Embers

Description: Summon a fireball and launch it in a straight line in front of you.

Tags: Spell, Projectile

Damage: Fire, Lightning (Fratricidal Reunification)

Ailments: Burn, Shock (Fratricidal Reunification)

Players who start with a staff begin with this skill. The fireballs come out quickly, making it good for spamming. It has a rather small base AoE, letting you hit multiple enemies.

Eclipse

Description: Cast a cone of Shadow force that knocks back enemies and destroys projectiles.

Tags: Spell

Damage: Shadow, Sacred (Trespasses Revealed)

Ailments: Cursed, Weakness (Trespasses Revealed), Stun (Unseelie Gale)

Entwining Volutes (41) upgrades the cone to a radius around you.

Feeding Swarm

Description: Summon a zombie that deals damage with melee attacks. If the number of zombies is at a maximum, they charge toward the location of the cursor.

Tags: Spell, Summon

Damage: Physical, Fire (Seared Flesh), Aether (Last Rites), Baneful Blows (Toxic)

Ailments: None, Burn (Seared Flesh), Stasis (Last Rites), Poison (Baneful Blows)

Feeding Swarm covers Material, Elemental, or Occult damage depending on your equipped upgrade. Other upgrades tend to include damage boosts.

Hunting Swarm

Description: Summon a zombie that deals damage with ranged attacks. If the number of zombies is at a maximum, they focus fire on the target underneath the cursor.

Tags: Spell, Summon

Damage: Physical, Toxic (Of Dinge and Grime), Frost (Frost Mummification), Shadow (Armies of the Night)

Ailments: None, Poison (Of Dinge and Grime), Freeze (Frost Mummification), Cursed (Armies of the Night)

Like Feeding Swarm, Hunting Swarm covers the trinity of damage types. Oxidized Edge (8) lets their arrows pierce enemies.

Infinity Blades

Description: Attack enemies multiple times in a combo, giving Willpower for each enemy hit.

Tags: Spell

Damage: Aether, Shadow (Gusts in Dark Space)

Ailment: Stasis, Cursed (Gusts in Dark Space)

One of the upgrades, Ethereal Zephyr (29), allows you to use Warrior skills shortly after using Infinity Blades. This effectively turns your mage into a walking buzzsaw.

Light-bringer

Description: Charge a Sacred spell that deals damage in an area of effect and teleports your character. At each new charging step, the area of effect and the damage are increased.

Tags: Spell, Movement

Damage: Sacred, Aether (Across the Cosmos)

Ailment: Weakness, Stasis (Across the Cosmos)

Light-bringer also allows the player to heal with Hope’s Arrival (29). It heals the player and any allies in the zone while landing.

Livor Mortis

Description: Summon a large Poison golem that cleaves enemies. If skill is cast again, golem shouts a warcry that generates Threat.

Tags: Spell, Summon

Damage: Toxic, Shadow (Ravenous Reach), Lightning (Thundercracking Punisher)

Ailment: Poison, Cursed(Ravenous Reach), Shock (Thundercracking Punisher)

As a summon, this spell can be used to tank for your spellcaster with its warcry. Hateful Swords (32) gives a chance to cause enemies to Frenzy near where the golem is summoned.

Parasite

Description: Channel a ray on a target that leeches their health until they become possessed. Once possessed, the target’s health is restored.

Tags: Spell, Summon

Damage: Toxic, Shadow (Longest Night)

Ailment: Poison, Cursed (Longest Night)

Parasite can also be used to siphon your own health to your allies using House of Leeches (29).

Plagueburst

Description: Cast an area of effect that causes enemies or summons to explode upon death, dealing Poison damage in an area of effect.

Tags: Spell

Damage: Toxic, Fire (Pauper’s Last Rites)

Ailment: Poison, Burn (Pauper’s Last Rites)

Mortiferous Guest (41) has a chance to spawn monsters as allies when the skill is used.

Solarfall

Description: Channel a damaging area of effect from the sky that follows the cursor.

Tags: Spell

Damage: Sacred, Fire (Those Who Favor Fire)

Ailment: Weakness, Burn (Those Who Favor Fire)

Stellar Swiftness (47) increases the movement speed of the AoE. Consider it, as it can be rather slow otherwise. Good to drop on yourself and wait out a swarm of small, weak enemies.

Tear of Etheliel

Description: A mass of ice forms above your enemies. After a short delay, it falls from the sky for huge damage.

Tags: Spell, Projectile

Damage: Frost, Fire (Scorned by Fire)

Ailment: Freeze, Burn (Scorned by Fire)

Glass Firmament (41) changes the spell to a charged attack, with each charge level increasing its damage.

Thunderstrike

Description: Electrocute your foes with bouncing lightning. Each bounce is weaker than the last.

Tags: Spell

Damage: Lightning, Shadow (Storm of Sunset)

Ailment: Shock, Cursed (Storm of Sunset), Stun (Knees Hitting Ground)

Knees Hitting Ground (38) gives critical hits a chance to Stun enemies, but also adds a cooldown to the skill.

Winter’s Grasp

Description: An ice nova emanates around you and freezes your enemies.

Tags: Spell

Damage: Frost, Shadow (Concentrated Shadow)

Ailment: Freeze, Cursed (Concentrated Shadow)

Admire from a Distance (29) allows you to cast the spell in a circle around the cursor. This is still a solid escape move, especially early on.

Warrior

Warrior skills require melee weapons. While most are suited to a traditional melee monster, some of the skills below are also compatible with daggers. Most of these skills cost Rage to use.

Wolcen Lords of Mayhem Warrior Skills 1920x1080
Warrior skills hit hard, and there are some nice novelty buffs mixed in.

Anvil’s Woe

Description: Summon a colossal hammer and bring it down on your foes, dealing area damage.

Tags: Attack, Warrior

Damage: Inherited, Lightning (Stormbound)

Ailment: Inherited, Shock (Stormbound), Stun (Radical Shake)

Your basic skill if you select a sword as your starting weapon. This skill can also be paired with daggers.

Bladestorm

Description: Summon an enormous greatsword and cut a path through hordes of enemies, spinning to maintain momentum.

Tags: Attack, Warrior

Damage: Inherited, Frost (Frozen Spirit)

Ailment: Inherited, Freeze (Frozen Spirit)

Echoes of Meadhalls (26) allows you to receive health globes from enemies you hit with this skill.

Bleeding Edge

Description: Throw a spinning axe in a circle around you that deals damage. Base Physical damage converts into Rend damage.

Damage: Rend (from Physical), Fire (Will-o’-the-Wisp)

Ailment: Bleed, Burn (Will-o’-the-Wisp)

Even after its nerf, this skill remains potent. Great for clearing crowds around your melee brute.

Blood for Blood

Description: Cast an area of effect on the ground that gives you a Rend damage bonus if you are not at full health.

Tags: Attack, Warrior

Damage: Rend, Shadow (Suffocating Eclipse)

Ailment: Bleed, Cursed (Suffocating Eclipse), Slow (Organic Failure), Frenzy (Maddening Pain)

Though this playstyle is more risky, you can do a large amount of damage with the Conniption upgrade (41) since it deals your missing health in damage.

Flight of Gaavanir

Description: Cast a flying hammer in the direction of the cursor, damaging enemies along its path. Hammer returns when cast again.

Tags: Attack, Projectile, Warrior

Damage: Inherited, Fire (Blazing Fury)

Ailment: Inherited, Burn (Blazing Fury), Stun (Shockwave)

Awe Inspiring Throw (32) can be used to buff allies along the recall trajectory, but you cannot choose the type of damage increase they get.

Juggernaut

Description: Summon a shield that absorbs damage. The shield breaks at a damage threshold, damaging nearby enemies. If shield is re-cast, it explodes, dealing increased damage.

Tags: Attack, Warrior

Damage: Inherited, Fire (Prideful Deflagration)

Ailment: Inherited, Burn (Prideful Deflagration), Stun (Strike Rebound AND Halted Momentum)

Despite its cooldown, this skill makes for a good panic button. Mash it twice to blow up enemies around you in a small circle.

Sovereign Shout

Description: Unleash a powerful warcry which buffs attack speed and cast speed for yourself and nearby allies.

Tags: Warrior

Damage: None

Ailment: Weakness (Dawnbreaker), Stun (Conqueror of Will)

With multiple ways to generate threat (Blade Eater, 5, or Belligerent Promises, 44), regenerate stamina (To Rise Again), or make yourself immune to crowd control (Singular Command), Sovereign Shout makes for a great tanking or damage boost. It also generates Rage, making it good for an opening buff.

Tracker’s Reach

Description: Throw a chained hook forward and pull back all the foes it went through.

Tags: Attack, Warrior

Damage: None, Inherited (Mercy Caged), Rend (Deep Gashes)

Ailment: None, Inherited (Mercy Caged), Stasis (Arresting Claw), Bleed (Deep Gashes), Stun (Zealous Smite)

This skill has no resource cost, but has a cooldown. As a pull, you can use it to gather enemies and set them up for a devastating AoE attack. Mercy Caged’s inflicted ailment can be overwritten with another ailment upgrade.

Warpath

Description: Summon a mighty shield and charge through your enemies, breaking their ranks.

Tags: Attack, Warrior

Damage: Inherited, Fire (Everlasting Ember)

Ailment: Inherited, Burn (Everlasting Ember), Stun (Full Frontal Slam AND Righteous Bash)

If you’re running with a shield, strongly consider Inflexible Stance (8), which gives you a bonus to damage based on your block chance.

Wings of Ishmir

Description: Summon a giant spear and leap onto your enemies, damaging them.

Tags: Attack, Movement

Damage: Inherited, Sacred (Shining Hope)

Ailment: Inherited, Weakness (Shining Hope), Stun

This skill can be used to generate a small amount of rage. This can be played around with to cost stamina instead of having a cooldown (Relentless Pursuit, 29), generating more threat (Look of a Champion, 35), or pulling enemies in with a small AoE (Twisting Harbinger, 41).

Wrath of Baapheth

Description: Summon a pair of unbreakable chains and unleash a flurry of reckless lashes.

Damage: Inherited, Sacred (Stolen Light)

Ailment: Inherited, Sacred (Stolen Light)

Combining Wrath of Baapheth with Blood Brothers (32) or Draining Lifeforce (41) can be used to leech health when the attack lands.

Rogue

Rogue skills include both melee techniques (requiring a dagger) and ranged attacks requiring a bow or pistols. As such, the required weapon type (Dagger, Bow/Pistol) is included below in the skill’s block. Rogue skills require Rage to activate.

Wolcen Lords of Mayhem Rogue Skills 1920x1080
Some Rogue skills are compatible with daggers, but all are compatible with bows or pistols.

“Avenger” Autoturret

Description: Summon a turret to provide covering fire. Can be detached and wielded by holding the skill.

Tags: Attack, Projectile, Rogue, Device

Requires: Dagger, Bow/Pistol

Damage: Inherited, Lightning (Cyclone Lightning-Cannon)

Ailment: Inherited, Shock (Cyclone Lightning-Cannon)

Holding down the button allows you to hold and use it like a machine gun. Deflecting Barrier (41) allows you to create a rotating shield that blocks projectiles.

“Deathgazer” Railgun

Description: Charge a sniper shot. As it is charged, its area of effect narrows and damage of the shot increases. Base physical damage converts into Lightning damage.

Tags: Attack, Projectile, Device

Requires: Bow/Pistol

Damage: Inherited, Lightning (from base physical), Frost (Frostbitten Salute)

Ailment: Inherited, Stasis (Aether Piercing Ammunition), Freeze (Frostbitten Salute)

Ranged Superiority (23) causes you to regenerate stamina while charging your shot. This attack pierces enemies in a fairly generous line.

Duskshroud

Description: Drop a shadow cloud on the ground that grants invisibility and reduces Threat.

Tags: Attack, Rogue

Requires: Dagger, Bow/Pistol

Damage: None

Ailment: None, Cursed (Friendly Territory)

Unseen Thrills (5) grants a buff to Shadow-type damage after using the smoke cloud.

Evasion

Description: Dash in the opposite direction of the cursor and drop a projectile where skill was activated that slows enemies. Base Physical damage converts into Shadow damage.

Tags: Attack, Projectile, Rogue, Movement

Requires: Dagger, Bow/Pistol

Damage: Inherited, Shadow (from Physical), Toxic (from Physical, Toxicity Ensnared)

Ailment: Cursed, Poison (Toxicity Ensnared), Stun (Incandescent Smoke)

A good get-out-of-trouble-free card, but its cooldown and rage cost requires you to plan its usage carefully.

Gunslinger’s Brand

Description: Channel multiple shots and select targets by hovering over or clicking them. Shots are released when channeling stops or maximum number of shots is reached.

Tags: Attack, Projectile, Device

Requires: Bow/Pistol

Damage: Inherited, Aether (from Physical, Time Manipulator), Random (from Physical, Augmented Ammunition)

Ailment: Inherited, Stasis (Time Manipulator), Random (matches inherited element)

Leave No Witnesses (8) increases the number of targets by 5. This adds some targeted group damage, but does have a limit on the number of enemies it can affect.

Havoc Orb

Description: Target an area and launch an exploding device, dealing fire damage to an area of effect.

Tags: Attack, Projectile, Rogue, Device

Requires: Dagger, Bow/Pistol

Damage: Fire, Rend (from Physical, Blood Seeks Blood), Slow (Sticky Bomb)

Ailment: Burn, Rend (from Physical, Blood Seeks Blood), Slow (Sticky Bomb)

Havoc Orb seems to convert base physical damage to fire damage, like many other Warrior and Rogue skills. Glory to Mankind (14) converts the mortar into a rocket that fires in a line, which is a bit easier to aim.

Mark of Impurity

Description: Curses a target, increasing the damage it receives.

Tags: Attack, Rogue

Requires: Dagger, Bow/Pistol

Damage: None

Ailment: Slowed (Weight of Infamy), Cursed (Accursed Blade)

This debuff effectively acts as a damage buff. There is a rage cost when marking targets as well as a brief cooldown.

Phantom Blades

Description: Throw a spinning dualblade in a line in front of you that damages enemies caught in its path.

Tags: Attack, Projectile, Rogue

Requires: Dagger, Bow/Pistol

Damage: Inherited, Toxic (from Physical, Noxious Contamination), Frost (from Physical, Bladed Blizzard)

Ailment: None, Poison (Noxious Contamination), Freeze (Bladed Blizzard)

Phantom Blades uses charges rather than a rage cost, making it a good opening move if you’re low on Rage. Cut Through the Aether (11) lets you teleport to the blade’s location on recast, making it a counterpart to Evasion.

Slayer’s Flurry

Description: Summon two blades and dash forward to the target, dealing single target damage. Does not dash if used in melee range.

Tags: Attack, Rogue

Requires: Dagger, Bow/Pistol

Damage: Inherited, Shadow (from Physical, Piercing Shadows)

Ailment: None, Cursed (Piercing Shadows)

Slayer’s Flurry is a quick dash to an enemy. Consider combining it with Evasion for a nova.

Stings of Krearion

Description: Summon an imposing bow and launch several piercing arrows at once.

Tags: Attack, Projectile

Requires: Bow/Pistol

Damage: Inherited, Toxic (from Physical, Unnatural Causes), Frost (from Physical, Whitefield Arrowheads)

Ailment: Inherited, Poison (Unnatural Causes), Freeze (Whitefield Arrowheads)

Stings of Krearion is the basic skill when you start with a bow. It spreads out in a generous fan pattern, meaning you can affect a fairly wide area.

Wailing Arrows

Description: Let loose a volley of arrows in a circular area that damages enemies over time.

Tags: Attack

Requires: Bow/Pistol

Damage: Inherited, Fire (from Physical, Flames of Envy)

Ailment: Inherited, Burn (Flames of Envy)

Wailing Arrows is a solid pickup. It works well on clusters of enemies and is devastating to bosses once you’ve shattered their defenses and staggered them. The Black Cloud (14) converts it into an instant attack, but the damage seriously suffers.


That's it. That's all 40 skills in Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem. Do you have a favorite skill? How are you managing in a post-Bleeding Edge nerf world? Let us know in the comments below. Be sure to check back with TechRaptor in the future for more features and guides to your favorites, including Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


Avatar
| Staff Writer

Staff Writer Jackson is currently learning his fourth language (Polish), enjoys lemon tea, and has angrily refuted claims of being "funny, witty, and/or… More about Jackson