This feature is still under development, as the game is recently out of Early Access. Also, the game seems to be pretty, pretty buggy, so expect some frequent updates to this guide. 

Can’t wait for Diablo IV? That’s alright; you can instead buy and play Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem right now on Steam. It’s basically the action RPG you’ve been looking for: meaty action and gameplay, a pretty-looking-yet-bleak world made by the same people behind those Van Helsing RPGs a few aeons past, and most importantly, a big-ass skill tree.

Wolcen’s allure is that you have both an extensive amount of customization with your character, to the point that there is no set class to pick from. You can basically make your own using said skill tree, be it a close-ranged mage or an all-out ranged zoner-type kiter. Plus, you can twist and turn the circular-esque skill tree to align it to your own preference. It’s not Paths of Exile huge, but it’s incredibly meaty and packed on its own merit.

If you’re still overwhelmed by the task of creating your own looting-and-killing machine(s), or just a tad lazy, don’t worry. We’re here to help. Here are our recommended builds if you’re starting off Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem.

D3 Barbarian Style

Remember Diablo 3’s Barbarian build where you just spin and attack, and do nothing else to rack up the kills and loot? This Wolcen build is exactly that: you become a typhoon of destruction and, ahem, mayhem and the loot will cometh. This build prioritizes the Baldestorm skill, with every active and passive leading up to bolstering this move.

Skills

• Bladestorm – sends you spinning in circles, damaging all who dare come near.
• Bleeding Edge – allows you to surround yourself with spinning axes for a set duration, depending on what modifiers you’re using.
• Juggernaut – gives you a shield that blows up and damages nearby foes after you take a set amount of damage.
• Sovereign Shout – buffs various stats depending on what modifiers you apply and increases your rage. Straight out of the box, though, it’ll empower your attack damage and spell casting speed.
• Wings of Ishmar – presents the option of jumping into, or away from, a mob of enemies.

Passives

• Static Transferral (Alastor) – gives you an overload point every time you attack that increases your damage. Using a skill removes all your overload points but the damage bonus from your overload points doubles.
• Intravenous Neural Cord (Alastor) – boosts your attack speed should you land a critical hit on an enemy.
• Merciless Lethality (Assassin) – boosts the damage of your critical hits at the expense of your non-critical hit damage.
• Backline Raider (Sentinel) – increases your attack speed and spell casting time.
• The Wild Card (Soldier) – boosts the critical hit chance of your attacks and spells.
• Second Wind (Soldier) – gives you a boost of health regen’ when you fall under 30% of your maximum health.
• Feast for the Crows (Warmonger) – adds life leech to all of your attacks.
• Gods Amongst Men (Warmonger) – bumps up physical, poison, and rend damage at the expense of you not being able to inflict other types of damage.

Stats Distribution

Focus on Ferocity; getting a high critical hit percentage while also bolstering physical or rend damage is paramount in making this version of the D3 Barbarian archetype work.

Sniper Build

This archer build for Wolcen lets you shoot volleys of high-crit arrows, as well as get you out of a tight jam if you’re close to the baddies.

Skills

• Deathgazer Railgun – allows you to create a powerful sniper shot that does area-of-effect damage. Keep in mind, the longer you charge the shot, the more damage it’ll do but the AoE radius decreases.
• Dusk Shroud – gives you the ability to drop a shadow cloud on the ground that makes you invisible.
• Phantom Blades – toss a spinning dual-blade in front of you.
• Stings of Krearion – basically lets you summon a huge bow that launches several arrows at once.
• Wailing Arrows – fire multiple arrows in a cone formation that slowly whittles away a foe’s health over time.

Passives

• Shoot to Kill (Ranger) – bumps up projectile damage.
• Archion’s Teachings (Ranger) – launch additional projectiles at the expense of damage.
• Bullseye (Ranger) – boosts projectile critical damage.
• Backline Raider (Sentinel) – boosts your attack speed.
• Refined Technique (Sentinel) – increases projectile damage.
• Precise Strikes (Sentinel) – increases attack and critical damage.
• Winter Hail (White Arrow) – makes your projectile ricochet off enemies when it hits them so it may damage another foe.
• Hungry Stalactite (White Arrow) – increases damage based on how much pierce is remaining on a projectile after it has hit an enemy.

Stats Distribution

Again, bump up Ferocity so that your arrows have high crit chances, but also add some points to Agility. You’re not going to go up-close against enemies with this build, so don’t focus too much on Toughness.

Plague Lord

Credit to Vulkan for bringing up this good magic build. Basically, you create a protective barrier that is fatal to enemies.

Skills

• Anomaly – sucks enemies into a damaging and pulsing dark magic ring. Perfect for lining up enemies in one spot.
• Infinity Blades
• Plagueburst
• Tears of Etheliel
• Light Bringer

Passives

• Attrition Strategist (Scholar)
• Thirst for Knowledge (Scholar)
• Resilience to Corruption (Warlock)
• Reining in the Darkness (Warlock)
• Duty to Exterminate (Warlock)
• Toxic Emanations (Plaguebringer)
• Undertaker (Plaguebringer)

Stats Distribution

Spend six to seven points into Ferocity every time you level up. Three points should go to Wisdom, with the leftover points to whichever stat you want.

Gun Mage

We all love our guns & shooting here at Kakuchopurei, so it’s only natural that we use this ZiggyD Gaming build for Wolcen. Use the stasis effect to deal as much damage as possible while keeping healthy with Bulwark of Dawn.

Skills

• Aether Jump – teleports you out of danger. It’s better than your standard roll.
• Artic Spear – shoots out a delayed projectile that goes a straight line. Handy when dealing with enemies who stand still or are gathered by the next skill…
• Anomaly – sucks enemies into a damaging and pulsing dark magic ring. Perfect for lining up enemies in one spot for Artic Spear and Stings of Krearion.
• Bulwark of Dawn – opens up a light-powered circle that heals whoever is in it.
• Stings of Krearion – your default close-ranged damage dealer if you went the ranged attacker build.
• Havoc Orb – shoots a grenade-type device, dealing AoE damage.

Passives

• Backline Raider (Sentinel) – increases your attack speed and spell casting time.
• Covert Operative (Sentinel) – less likely to get hit.
• Branded Burst (Exorcist) – if you are not hit for the next few seconds, you can ignore a percentage of damage the next time you are.
• Residual Energy (Warlock) – powers up your attacks with the element from the last spell you cast.
• Which Time Cannot Heal (Time Weaver) – deals more damage to enemies afflicted by stasis.
• Dire Juncture (Time Weaver) – reduces your max health and Force shield, but staggers the damage you take.
• Safe from Afar (Ranger) – deal more damage the further away you are from your target.
• Archion’s Teachings (Ranger) – doubles the projectiles you chuck out. Spells, guns, arrows, whatever.
• Soldier (The Wild Card) – higher chance to get criticals.

Stats Distribution

Focus on Ferocity and Toughness to bolster your crit and health, while spending a few points into Agility. You don’t need to use Wisdom here.