One of the most important things in Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning is the brilliant character development system. If there is one thing for certain, it is that you can’t really go wrong in building your character, no matter what Destiny you choose; it’s merely a matter of preference.
However, some builds and combination of skills serve better than other sets, simply because they eliminate potential weaknesses in your character.
That is why in KoA: Reckoning, many people opt for builds that span over multiple destinies. For example, some would go for Might-Finesse hybrids, others Sorcery-Might and so on.
That isn’t to say you won’t find Sorcery exclusive or Might exclusive or Finesse exclusive builds, but the people who do play such are taking a less dynamic path in the game.
This is because there is a chance you may encounter a strong enemy that has complete immunity or at least very high resistance to either magic or physical damage. Say that you had built a Might-only champion and you come across some enemy with very high physical defenses and a good bit of damage.
At times like these you wish you had a few magic skills at hand to prevent such a tough battle. A similar scenario can actually take place with Sorcery, while Finesse is also simply physical damage.
Thus, in this guide we’ll be only touching a handful of exclusive builds, as our focus will be on hybrid builds.
Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning Character Builds
Following are some of the character builds you can use in Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning:
Warlord (Might) Build
Might (112), Finesse (0), Sorcery (11)
An all-out power build with a bit of help from Sorcery through Storm Bolt and Sphere of Protection. This build focuses on sheer damage and heavy physical defenses from the Might build. So basically we’ll be talking about Hammers, Longswords and Greatswords here.
There isn’t much to explain here. The Sphere of Protection makes sense for some added tankiness to the champion. When it comes to the Might tree, we’ve taken each and every essential thing . Some would argue that Brutal Weaponry should be increase even more.
Well, there really isn’t any need for that, considering the ridiculous amount of physical damage, speed and defenses that will already stack up due to the other skills.
It is indeed very powerful against most foes, but suffers greatly against magic and high physical damage resistance enemies.
Nightblade (Finesse) Build
Might (1), Finesse (121), Sorcery (1)
Another self-explanatory build. Just about everything in Finesse has been maximized, except for Shadow Flare, which is actually quite a good ability. I would personally remove that point from longswords and put it in Shadow Flare, since your concentration is to use longbows and daggers/faeblades.
There is also one point in Storm Bolt, which is, honestly, quite useless, as initial level Storm Bolt has no stun and will only act as another source of magic damage along Shadow Flare.
Once again, the build offers everything from Finesse – stealth, heavy backstab damage, lots of poison, brilliant weapon mastery. However, it doesn’t offer any versatility to the player type – you might be quite powerful in many battles, but there will be other battles that will be relatively harder with this build.
Archmage (Sorcery) Build
Might (11), Finesse (0), Sorcery (112), Might (16), Finesse (0), Sorcery (107)
Both of these builds are very similar. However, the only difference is the points in necromancy. The first build uses the abilities of the Faer Gorta to the max, and spends only 11 points in Might for Hardy Constitution and Skillful Defense for better defenses.
The second build subtracts the Faer Gorta skills, and instead invests them in Winter’s Embrace and Adrenaline Surge. While both these skills are quite attractive, my personal choice would be the former Faer Gorta build, because the knowledge of being able to have an ally by your side is just too good to be ignored.
Either way, both these builds are quite effective for Sorcery. Winter’s Embrace can really do some fantastic area damage for a decent duration. But without a Faer Gorta, you’ll have enemies concentrating on you only, and you’ll only rely on your ability to heal and the added survivability from Adrenaline Surge. Choose wisely if you do plan to make a Sorcery Build.
As with Migth and Finesse, an all-out Sorcery build has its weaknesses. You can expect to run into foes with high magic resistances. There’s nothing that won’t be slayable, mind you, but there will definitely be an imbalance in the difficulty you face while fighting enemies.
Champion (Might-Sorcery) Builds
In this section of the guide, we’ll be talking about a build type that a lot of people just love using: Might-Sorcery. Personally, the combination of sheer strength and the arcane brilliance of magic has always been my choice in any RPG that offers it.
I’ll be explaining three Might-Sorcery hybrid builds in detail. Do note that all these builds will be at level 40.
Build #1 – Might (83), Finesse (0), Sorcery (40)
As clearly depicted, this build is more oriented towards Might rather than Sorcery, while Finesse has no share whatsoever.
It’s not uncommon for players to opt for such a build, because through this you’ll be getting immense damage and strength from Might, whereas taking all the utility-based and some offensive skills from Sorcery. As a Might-Sorcery hybrid, you’re primary damage source is really your weapons.
Then after that comes the Sorcery. In the Sorcery tree, there are three or so defensive skills that have been maxed, such as Healing Surge, Sphere of Protection and Conservative Casting. This is a good way to go about things for better sustainability.
Of course, what could be better than having a few Necromancer abilities at your hands? The Faer Gota should really assist you in doing damage, while you use your Brutal Weaponry passives to destroy your opponents with melee weapons. Add to that the Mark of Flames ability and the primal Storm Bolt, and you’ll be a sparkling brutal slayer with undead demons at your side. Couldn’t sound better.
Build #2 – Might (93), Finesse (0), Sorcery (30)
This might look like a strange build at first, but it makes sense if closely studied. Like the first build, this one uses more Might and mostly primal Sorcery.
However, unlike the first Build, this encourages the use of Mage weaponry like Scepters and Staves, instead of the good ol’ Hammers and Swords. Yes, it is rather strange, but the build’s objective is quite different from convention.
Scepters are the key here – you wouldn’t want to waste time on a Staff with this build. With the Scepter Mastery maxed in the Sorcery tree, you have the ability to dish out some decent damage. But add to that the immense toughness and agility granted by Might, and you’re basically an impregnable wannabe mage with a Scepter that can strike like a Howitzer.
But that’s just a part of what you can do with this build. If Scepters are not your style, the fully maxed out Sword masteries in Might will certainly give you something to smile about.
No, you don’t have an undead by your side, but you have much, much more damage and the potential to look enemies and tell them ‘I kill you’. Do note however, that you might struggle against enemies that happen to do magic damage and have very strong physical resistance.
Build #3 – Might (68), Finesse (0), Sorcery (55)
Out of the given three builds, my personal favorite is this one. Though it doesn’t really give a spider’s web about Critical (which, mind you, is a very important part of Might), it does really mix up Sorcery and Might very well. In fact, it mixes it up so well, that you wouldn’t be able to tell whether you are a Mage or a Warrior or both.
Truth is, you actually are both. Once again we see that in Might we have full maximization of the passive weapons’ masteries. But what is really interesting is the bit in Sorcery.
No necromancy in this one either, but you do have some additional sweet stuff. Chakrams are the weapons of the day for anyone wanting to dish out magic plus physical damage, and they’ve been given special treatment since the Chakram Mastery has been maxed.
Of course, that isn’t where the usefulness of the Sorcery tree ends in this build; you have all the necessary defensive abilities at your hand, along with the nifty Sphere of Reprisal, the partially enhanced Tempest and the amplified damage from Mark of Flame thanks to Smolder.
This is the classic Warrior-Mage hybrid build – it may be less effective for some specific enemies, but for the most of it you’ll almost never encounter anything or anyone that can withstand the immense combined power of Might and Sorcery.
Blademaster (Might-Finesse) Builds
We’ll be going over the Might-Finesse hybrid in this section of the guide. The Might-Finesse hybrid is certainly a favorite among many Amalur players for the deadly combination of sheer strength and physical defense and stealthy assassin-styled domination.
This build type allows you to slay enemies very fast with a mixture of power, stealth and wits. I’ll be explaining three Might-Finesse hybrid builds in detail. Do note that all these builds will be at level 40.
Build #1 – Might (78), Finesse (45), Sorcery (0)
More Might, less Finesse. This is basically a Might build taking use of some handy Finesse abilities, passives, and skills. But since stealth has been targeted in the Finesse tree, with full development of Assassin’s Art, the obvious meaning of this is to initiate targets through stealth, dealing tremendous amounts of initial damage, and then finally dealing the rest of the damage with a mixture of power and poisoning.
You might want to increase the points in Shadow Flare if you feel that you may have a chance to find enemies with high resistance to magic. Apart from that the points in Finesse are really aimed towards amplifying poison effects.
We’ve maximized the passive Dagger Mastery and Precise Weaponry till Tier 2. This is fine if anyone is intending to initiate with a dagger (which according to many is the most reliable weapon in the game in-terms of damage and economy) and then quickly move on to heavier weapons like swords. Longsword Mastery is also maxed, and alongside that all tiers of Brutal Weaponry have been taken.
Build #2 – Might (67), Finesse (56), Sorcery (0)
This build has relatively more points in Finesse, but still the weight is slightly more towards the Might side. What is really different in this build from the first one is actually the choice of weaponry. Instead of opting for Longswords for main damage, through this build we’re looking to utilize ranged weaponry (longbows) for dishing out damage.
This means that you’ll primarily be initiating from a distance, without any sort of stealth as Assassin’s Art has not been given any points.
Once you have initiated and dealt out decent initiation damage from longbows, you can quickly shift to the Might-oriented weaponry, which in this case is Greatswords. Greatsword Mastery has been maxed, along with all the tiers of Brutal Weaponry. Goody. This ensures slow but lethal damage when enemies are close to you.
What is really helpful about this build is the fact that you have both types of range available to you. Some enemies are just too good to be close to, and that’s where longbows come in. That is actually where Might-exclusive or melee Might-Finesse builds really face trouble. I highly recommend this build for better versatility.
Build #3 – Might (64), Finesse (59), Sorcery (0)
Numerically similar to the previous build, but very difference in-terms of skill choices. This build takes one step further and adds Daggers to the equation. Dagger Mastery has been maximized, and so have all the Longbow related skills (except for Scattershot, which has 4 points).
Since Daggers now become a part of your damage-dealing arsenal, you’ll definitely need Assassin’s Art to deal out tons of damage. And if things get a bit messy, just throw a Smoke Bomb and give yourself some distance, take out your Longbow, and start shooting.
Yes, this is a relatively difficult build to play with, but is certainly the most rewarding if played correctly. You have the general advantage of using Longswords with Brutal Weaponry maxed out. You also have nearly all the poison related skills.
It really just comes down to the execution of all your available skills with this build. If you feel like you can switch weapons fast and keep a systemized approach in battle, then this is the build for you.
Shadowcaster (Sorcery-Finesse) Builds
We’ll be going over the Sorcery-Finesse hybrid in this section of the guide. The Sorcery-Finesse hybrid, often termed as a Shadowcaster, is quite popular among Amalur players for great utility of pure magic damage, along with the ninja-styled brilliance of Finesse, which is an art itself.
This build type allows you to do damage through multiple ways, and make it look almost artistic. Note that all builds are at level 40 of the game.
Build #1 – Might (0), Finesse (61), Sorcery (62)
This build is ‘the ideal’ Sorcery-Finesse hybrid due to the almost even distribution of points. Whether or not it is ideal in-terms of output and efficiency entirely depends on the player’s style. You’re looking at a build that combines Longbows with Chakrams, which indicates ranged damage. Because of that, there really isn’t any need of Assassin’s Art.
Poison is a must in the Finesse tree, as it will be your best-friend for DoT with Longbows. When it comes to medium to close range, Chakrams and sheer magic damage become your new best-friends. You also have the added agility with Lunge, though I don’t quite see much of an offensive use of the ability.
The rest of the points are quite self-explanatory in the Sorcery tree, taking use of elemental damage and the obvious Healing Surge. However, there is one point of interest in Sorcery, which is the 1 point in Faer Gorta. This is entirely up to you to use – you can use that point for some other ability if you wish to.
Personally 1 point in Faer Gorta is just a tad too less for such an otherwise good ally. Since this build doesn’t really make use of necromancy, I’ll leave it to you to decide where to point that point, or just to leave it there for the fun of it.
Build #2 – Might (0), Finesse (58), Sorcery (65)
This variant is slightly aligned more towards Sorcery with additional points in necromancy to have a tank at your side.
You might notice the miserly distributed points in Arcane Weaponry, but that’s not for no reason. Chakrams will be your main weapons for the larger part of battle, while you’ve kept a decent distance between the enemy and you.
But the real damage comes from Daggers here, as alongside Assassin’s Art, you have Lunge for backstabbing, and a good distribution of points in the Precise Weaponry tiers, not to mention full 6 points in Dagger Mastery. Obviously, poison-related skills have been taken, and then there are also Smoke Bombs for evasion.
But the key over here is the Faer Gorta, which has 3 points to it. The added advantage of Transference should keep you healthy enough for a good duration of close-quarter Dagger stabbing. Combine that with the elemental magic attacks and Sphere of Protection and you’ve got an almost win-win situation.
The Faer Gorta will really help tank most enemies, though you shouldn’t expect it last too long with 50% health. If you think you can, try maximizing it by reverting points from other places of your choice. Of course, that is entirely up to you.
Build #3 – Might (0), Finesse (58), Sorcery (65)
Numerically the same as the 2nd build. However, this one has two key differences, which I will explain one by one.
Firstly, this build relies on Faeblades instead of Daggers. Fair enough, though Faeblades tend to be slightly slower, but have more number of moves than Daggers. Apart from that, almost everything in Finesse is similar.
Now, the Sorcery is the interesting bit. You have the usual heal, the Lightning related elemental attacks and the obvious Conservative Casting. However, we don’t have any protection from Sphere of Protection, and no Ice-related elemental damage.
Instead, more focus has been put towards the Faer Gorta, which, in my honest opinion, is a great investment. All three necromancy skills have been maxed out, which means your ally undead will be at full potential.
This, in my honest opinion, is a great way to go, as the Faer Gorta is a really handy tank, and since you have the added dimension of Finesse at hand, you can easily deal out great amounts of damage through stealth from Assassin’s Art and Smoke/Poison Bombs.
And if you feel intimidated enough by an enemy to not get close to it, you can always opt for Chakrams, which have been progressed in a similar fashion to the previous build. Personally, this is my ideal build for a Sorcery-Finesse hybrid.
Universalist (Might/Finesse/Sorcery – Jack of All Trades) Builds
Jack of all Trades – there aren’t many RPGs that give you that option, and those that do will always rate specialists better.
Thankfully, Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning is a great exception. JoAT builds in Amalur can become really effective, ensuring defense, stealth and magic. This also means that there will never be a situation that would be impossible to handle, and you’ll never come across an enemy whose weaknesses can’t be exploited.
Those are the upsides of this type of build. There are also downsides. The first downside is that the JoAT is relatively hard to play with – you’ll have tons of skills and abilities at hand, potentially three different weapon types to handle, which will also be costly, and you’ll have some mana issues as well.
Management is the key to victory with these builds, and if you’re confident about your strategic abilities, then this is the type of build for you. I’ll be explaining two Jack of All Trades builds here, all of which will be at level 40.
Build #1 – Might (37), Finesse (49), Sorcery (37)
Do note that you shouldn’t be spending more than 37 points in Might; it’s really a waste of precious points if you do, as all the preliminary essentials of Might can be covered with 37 points.
This is a two-weapon JoAT build – you’ll be using a Longbow/Longsword combination to deal out damage. It does make sense. Long bows are obviously there for ranged attacks, best used for initiation from a distance. You can switch to Longswords once you get close enough.
You might notice that there are no points in Power Strike, which is quite essential for Critical Hits. This is entirely up to you – if you feel you need to be criting more, then try to manage the points accordingly and add some to Power Strike.
The Sorcery tree makes complete sense; it’s minimalistic, simple and acceptable. You have the Healing Surge – a mandatory skill in the Sorcery tree, and decent amount of lightning, fire and ice elemental damage.
You might’ve noticed that no specific skill has been attempted to be ‘overpowered’. This is in fact a very essential part of point distribution for JoAT builds, as you don’t want to focus on one thing too much to lose a portion of the other.
Build #2 – Might (37), Finesse (45), Sorcery (40)
This is numerically similar to the first build, but a glance at the Might tree will tell you otherwise. The point distribution is very different. Firstly, you have Power Strike – an obvious indication that you’ll be looking to crit a lot, which is further elaborated by the maximized Faeblade Mastery.
This obviously indicates that you will be mainly a melee damage dealer. Assassin’s Art and Lunge are an obvious necessity to accompany your Longsword and Faeblade skills, not to mention the added punch with increased critical strike chance. Apart from that the regular poison must-haves have been given the importance they deserve.
In Sorcery we’re looking at basic fire damage, slightly advanced Lightning abilities, and slightly advanced Ice abilities. Nothing to it to really ponder over.
Do note, that personally this build would be squishier for me than the first one, as its main purpose is to maximize the amount of physical damage you will be doing. That’s not to say it’s a bad build, mind you, but for more conservative and wary folks, it can be a bit difficult to play with.
At the end of the day, builds and character customization is mostly a matter of opinion and taste, if you are using something different in the game, share with us in the comments below!
