Elements
Every character is born to one element. It wakes in your first hour, at a cracked Nazar lens, where you choose it. Its moves are your magic.

The four
Fire
Pyromancy. Hits hardest. Fire Dart, Fireball, Ring of Fire, and a tree that leans to inferno, storm or combustion. Ember-iron is its metal.
Water
Hydromancy. The only element that heals. Water Whip, Mending Water, and in its tree Healing Tide and Deep Freeze. Tide-silver is its metal.
Earth
Geomancy. Raises walls of stone and shakes the ground. Stone Throw first, and in its tree metal, lava and sand. Deep-iron is its metal.
Air
Aeromancy. Throws foes back and carries you: Air Blast, Gust Dash, and in its tree storm wind, flight and spirit. Sky-iron is its metal.
Each people reads the elements its own way, and each has one it most often follows. It is offered first, never forced. Words of power float over your head in each element's old script.
Using your moves
| Action | Mouse and keyboard | Controller (PS5) |
|---|---|---|
| Use the move on a number key | 1 to 6 | L1 + □ ✕ ○ △ R1 R2 |
| Elements window: cards, nature, moves, keys | X | d-pad up |
| Element tree | F4, or Trees in the window | The pause menu: Skills, then Trees |
| Aim a move at the ground, in a cone or a line | The mouse pointer on the ground | Your target, or straight ahead |
| Pick a target | Click, Tab or F | R3, R1 |
Your hands glow for a moment and the move goes off. Each move has its own cooldown. A new element puts its first move on key 1 (water and air also give a second on key 2); set the others in the Moves tab of the Elements window.
Skill and energy
Each element is a skill, and using its moves trains it. Stronger moves need more skill; Fireball needs 35 and Ring of Fire 50. Specialty moves, such as Lightning, Combustion, Deep Freeze and Healing Tide, also need their place taken in the element's tree.
Moves cost energy, an inner pool that fills quickly, and twice as fast when you stand still. More element skill, more Meditation and more Intelligence all make it bigger.
Nature
The world around you makes your element stronger or weaker. The Elements window shows how it stands right now.
- Fire likes clear days, the daytime, and standing near a fire. Rain, storms and snow dull it.
- Water likes rain, fog, snow, the night, and standing near water.
- Earth likes standing near rock, and a little snow.
- Air likes storms, wind, and open sky above you.
- Your people's own hour of the day gives a little more.
Every move
Each element has eight moves or so. Higher ones need more skill; the ones marked Tree also need their place in the element's tree. Open an element for its tree and the full detail.
Fire: Pyromancy
| Move | Needs | Energy | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire Dart | 0 | 6 | A quick dart of flame. |
| Flame Wave | 15 | 14 | A sweep of fire in front of you that leaves foes burning. |
| Fireball | 35 | 18 | A ball of fire that bursts on its target and splashes those beside it. |
| Ring of Fire | 50 | 22 | Fire bursts outward from you in a ring, throwing back everyone close. |
| LightningTree | 40 | 22 | Lightning called down from the sky onto one foe. |
| Chain LightningTree | 60 | 30 | Lightning from your hand that leaps to three more foes nearby, weaker each leap. |
| CombustionTree | 50 | 28 | You make the air itself explode at a spot you choose. |
| Blue FlameTree | 75 | 30 | Your fire burns blue: 40% more fire damage for 15 seconds. |
Water: Hydromancy
| Move | Needs | Energy | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Whip | 0 | 6 | A lash of water that snaps a foe back. |
| Ice Spikes | 15 | 14 | A row of ice spears bursts up in front of you and chills all it hits. |
| Mending Water | 0 | 12 | Glowing water wrapped round your wounds closes them. |
| Tide Surge | 35 | 18 | A wall of water rushes out and sweeps foes away. |
| Healing TideTree | 45 | 24 | Heals you and your pets and companions near you. |
| Deep FreezeTree | 50 | 24 | Encases a foe in ice, unable to move or strike. |
| Root SnareTree | 45 | 20 | Draws the water in the ground up as vines that grip everyone near you. |
Earth: Geomancy
| Move | Needs | Energy | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Throw | 0 | 8 | Tears a stone from the ground and hurls it. |
| Earth Spike | 15 | 14 | A spike of stone bursts up under a foe and stuns it. |
| Stone Wall | 25 | 16 | Raises a wall of stone where you choose. Nothing passes it until it crumbles. |
| Quake | 40 | 22 | Stamp the ground and it shakes everyone near you off their feet. |
| Iron SkinTree | 45 | 20 | Draws the iron in the earth over your skin: +15 armour for 20 seconds. |
| Magma PoolTree | 55 | 26 | Melts the ground into a pool of lava that burns whoever stands in it. |
| Sand VeilTree | 45 | 18 | A storm of sand round you: foes caught in it miss half their blows for 5 seconds. |
Air: Aeromancy
| Move | Needs | Energy | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Blast | 0 | 6 | A punch of air that throws foes back. |
| Gust Dash | 10 | 8 | The wind carries you a long way in an instant; nothing touches you on the way. |
| Air Shield | 20 | 16 | A whirl of air round you: half of all arrows and bolts are turned aside. |
| Vortex | 35 | 20 | A whirlwind at a spot you choose drags everyone near it into the middle. |
| CycloneTree | 55 | 30 | Sends a tearing column of wind along the ground in front of you. |
| WindwalkTree | 45 | 14 | The wind at your back: half again as fast for 12 seconds. |
| Calm BreathTree | 50 | 20 | A still breath that spreads: foes near you forget their anger for 8 seconds unless struck. |
A second element
Once your first element reaches 70, you can take up a second in the Elements window. It trains at half speed and stops at 70. Your first element is who you are; the second is what you learned.