Role Guide

In a game of Ascendancy, a good team composition involving different types of damage, crowd control, and healing is crucial to victory. Here are a few role and sub-role types generally accepted in the RPG community and some tips on how to fulfill those roles:

 Tanks/Fighters 

Both Health Tanks and Resistance Tanks can be magic and physical counters based on the items built. In most cases, they act as a blockade for projectiles, but they can also be powerful fighters.

Health Tanks/Fighters

Health tanks focus on building max health and are considered fighters more than tanks because of their high damage output late game if the character used is Astricion. These tanks can withstand a lot of either damage types, however, healing is less effective compared to a resistance tank as the max health is higher.

Recommended characters: Astricion

Resistance Tanks

Resistance tanks focus on building resistance values like magic resistance and protection. The damage they receive is effectively cut down by the resistance values, and they can be almost invulnerable with a competent healer. However, they are unable to do much except to act as a shield for the carry, and they can be semi-countered with Heaven’s Wrath.

Recommended characters: Astricion, Knavis (for fighter)

 Damage 

Because of the rate of healing that is possible in this game, it is difficult for a team with pure dps to pick off enemies. A mix of dps and burst is recommended. Melee is usually preferred for assassins for the higher damage output.

Physical Burster/Assassin

Physical assassins rely on an engager like Blinding Grace or Shadow Envelopment or Vexing Swap to get them to melee range, Heaven’s Wrath to execute, and a disengager like Chrono Anchor or Shadowy Retreat to escape. It is expected for assassins to one-shot if they pull off their whole rotation, but they can be countered by quick crowd control and/or Spirit Vessel.

Recommended characters: Knavis, Vengelis

Magical Burster/Assassin

Magical assassins are similar to physical assassins in the way they engage and disengage. The difference is the method they deal burst damage. Magical assassins can make use of the delay on Celestial Spells (Magic and Unique) and Breezy’s Active, and combo them with melee spells for huge momentary damage. Crowd control could also be employed to guarantee the Celestial Spell and Breezy’s Active hit. Like physical assassins, they can be countered with a well-timed Spirit Vessel.

Recommended characters: Knavis, Breezy

Physical DPS

Physical damagers usually try to keep distance from the fight with ranged weapons and mobility items like Fleeting Aura and Chaos Inhibitor. Using physical crowd control spells like Land of Thorns is also recommended for kiting and a Spirit Vessel can prevent assassin one-shots.

Recommended characters: Vengelis

Magical DPS

Magical damagers also should keep distance from fights, and the long-range on projectile spells are helpful. Fleeting Aura is good for kiting but magical damagers can’t use Chaos Inhibitor. Magical damagers also have good crowd control because of their relatively large mana bar. Supports should actively look to dispel effects from magical damagers as one silence can render them useless.

Recommended characters: Breezy, Solace

 Support 

Since healing and crowd control effects don’t scale on magic level, supports are recommended to only build Malediction’s Call and Warlock’s Enigma. However, controllers could get some magic levels for increased damage on their crowd control spells. While these are two definitive roles, most supports are a mix of both.

Controllers

Controllers build crowd control spells that change the tide of a fight. The common effects are slow, root, silence, and blind. Controllers should recognize the type of attack and apply the respective counter-effects. Mana steal and silencing spells like Elemental Thievery and Muting Dart should be used to disable mages, while rooting spells like Barricade of Thorns should be applied on melee players. Blind should be used on ranged players. Spells like Grasp of Precision and Vexing Swap can also help damagers pick off enemy players.

Recommended characters: Solace, Knavis (for Vexing Swap)

Enchanters

Enchanters build healing, dispelling, and buffing spells. Since enchanters have a relatively large mana pool, using Spirit’s Division can allow teammates to have better sustain. As mentioned above, Enchanters can be paired with resistance tanks for a nearly unkillable combo. Enchanters should also have self-heal like Amplified Remedy and a bit of resistances/health to not get picked off easily.

Recommended characters: Solace