When you call something “magic,” there’s a sort of inherent vagueness to it. Surely wiggling your fingers and launching flashy sparks at people can’t be particularly helpful, right? Well, not on its own, but if you change up how the flashy sparks come out, then there’s plenty of room for creativity and experimentation. Here are all the basic spell types in Lone Ruin.
All Basic Spell Types in Lone Ruin
Whenever you start a run in Lone Ruin’s regular game mode, you’re greeted by a tall dude in a cloak. If you chat him up, he’ll offer you a choice of one of eight different spell types to take into the ruins with you. You can take any spell you want, and even try it out on the nearby dummies. If you don’t like it, talk to the guy again to take a different one. You can only take one into the ruins, though, alongside your built-in Dash spell.
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Each of these offensive spells works in different ways, making them ideal for different priorities and playstyles. While there’s nothing wrong with picking a favorite, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to learn the ins and outs of all of them.
The basic spell types are as follows:
- Dash
- Shards
- Barrage
- Scythe
- Rail
- Boomerang
- Chain Lightning
- Fireball
- Pulse
Dash
Dash is your default spell, included in your loadout before you even pick up an offensive spell. It’s your first and foremost means of defense, allowing you to quickly move through shots and attacks. You can also use it to jump between elevations, such as a higher platform connected by a staircase. You can technically scrap Dash if you really want to, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Shards
Shards is a basic offensive spell, nice and simple. Hold down the button to unleash a short series of mid-sized automatic blasts, which recharge after a brief cooldown.
Shards is a straightforward spell for those who don’t want to deal with anything too complicated. It’s not super strong, but it’s quick, precise, and generally reliable in the early stages of a run.
Barrage
You ever seen a cowboy load a revolver, then fire off every shot all at once really fast? Barrage is kind of like the magic version of that. Hold the button to queue up a series of shots, then release it to let them all loose in the direction you’re facing.
Barrage is great for folks who want to rack up lots of damage on a couple of targets at once. The load-up leaves you open for a moment, but the shots fly out fast enough that you can quickly knock away any foes who thought it wise to rush you.
Scythe
Some messages are best delivered up close and personal, preferably with something pointy. Scythe is a melee-type spell that unleashes a short blade in front of you with every press of the button. Hold the button down to charge up, then release it to activate a spinning blade attack around you.
Scythe is a spell for daredevils who don’t mind hurling themselves into the thick of things. It is strong and fast, but so are your enemies, so you are liable to lose more health than usual while using it. it’s not as good for clearing crowds as it may seem.
Rail
Rail is great for when everything in a straight line in front of you absolutely needs to die. Press the button to fire off a narrow beam with an extremely long range. Charge up to increase the beam’s width.
Rail is for strategic sorts who can hunker down and defend a position. You can fire off the beam with a quick press, but to maximize its usefulness, you need to find a good spot to charge up the big beam.
Boomerang
Boomerangs in real life are never as cool as they are in video games. Press the button to fire off a spinning boomerang, then press it again to call it back.
Boomerang’s wide damage and manual control make it fantastic for area control. Just throw it out and let it spin your cares away while you mop up any stragglers with other spells. It’s especially good against slow or stationary enemies that can’t escape its radius.
Chain Lightning
Don’t be selfish, share the love with Chain Lightning! Press the button to fire off a bolt of lightning that chains to several nearby foes. You can only fire the shot when an enemy is in range.
Chain Lightning’s base damage is a bit low, but with upgrades, you can use it to quickly disrupt large crowds of foes. It’s at its peak usefulness when upgraded with status effects like burn.
Fireball
It wouldn’t be a spell-slinging game without a Fireball. Press the button to launch a Fireball straight ahead that explodes into AOE damage on contact with an enemy.
Fireball works similarly to Chain Lightning in that it’s great for crowd control, albeit with the tradeoff that it requires more manual aiming. It does have the added bonuses of higher damage and knockback, however.
Pulse
That magic is just itching to get out! Pulse fires off a quick burst of three strong, quick shots when the button is pressed.
This one’s a bit tricky to get a handle on. The shots Pulse fires are quite strong, but the cooldown between bursts is noticeably long. This spell is a long-term investment; you have to deal with the slowness until you can get some upgrades for it, after which it’s a killer.
Try to experiment with different spell types and upgrade paths for each run. Who knows, you might just find a combination that completely sweeps the game!
For more fun with dungeon-crawling roguelikes, check out our guides on the best active skills and how to unlock unique skills in Soulstone Survivors. Visit our Facebook page as well for more guides and news.
