Game Overview
Magicraft is a spell-crafting action roguelike game. You play as a wizard who builds custom spells by loading them into wands, then battles through dungeons to defeat chapter bosses.
Goal: Defeat the boss at the end of each chapter and reach the ending. Along the way, collect coins, spells, and relics to craft increasingly powerful builds.
Core Loop:
- Choose a floor and navigate toward it
- Complete battles, events, and shops
- Acquire spells and relics to strengthen your build
- Defeat the chapter boss and advance
Basic Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| WASD / Left Stick | Move character |
| Left Click / Right Trigger | Attack (fire current wand) |
| Right Click / Left Trigger | Fire second wand (instant swap + shoot) |
| Q / Left Bumper | Switch wands |
| E / Right Bumper | Dash (has invincibility frames) |
| Space / A Button | Interact (shops, chests) |
| I / Start | Open inventory |
Dash has invincibility frames. You can dodge most attacks by dashing through them — use it aggressively. The cooldown is short.
Core Game Systems
HP and Damage
- HP: Your life total. Reaches zero = game over. Recovery comes only from HP-restore floors, relics, or certain spells
- Damage formula: Base damage × spell level multiplier × enhancement multiplier × relic bonus × elemental affinity
- Critical hits: Critical rate above a threshold triggers a large damage multiplier. Shining Star Arrow builds up crit rate during charge time
- Pierce and Reflect: Some spells pierce enemies or bounce off walls. Laser gains reflect (instead of pierce) at Level 3
The Mana System
Each wand has its own independent MP Pool (max mana) and MP Regen (recovery per second). Running out of mana stops all attacks.
- Consumption math: Each spell adds to the cycle's mana cost. Enhancement spells like Volley and Multi-Shot multiply the cost of the spells they affect — stacking them carelessly causes rapid MP drain
- Wand Spirit: An unequipped wand fires automatically in the background. Trade-off: that wand's MP Regen drops by 40–50%
- Magic Reservoir: A passive spell that greatly increases your wand's Max MP. Pick it up as early as possible
First Wand Selection
The starting wand shapes the entire run's direction:
- High MP Regen first: Early floors throw many enemies at you — sustained fire beats burst
- 3+ slots: Leaves room for enhancements as your collection grows
- Low charge requirement: High charge-requirement wands stall against multiple enemies
Spell Shop Priority (Chapters 1–2)
- 1–2 projectile spells first: You need a way to deal damage. Magic Bullet is a great starter — it applies a damage-amplification debuff on hit
- Passive spells: Magic Reservoir and Tranquil Bloom stabilize your mana before anything else
- Enhancement spells: Volley and Multi-Shot multiply your damage output when placed to the LEFT of projectiles
- Wand Spirit: A rare and powerful passive — immediately prioritize it once you hold two wands
Chapter Structure and Map Icons
Number of Chapters
- Easy / Normal: 3 chapters (3 bosses total)
- Hard / Nightmare 1–3: 5 chapters — more loot, stronger enemies
Floor Icons
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sword / Cross | Standard combat floor |
| Skull | Elite enemy floor — harder, but guaranteed relic drop |
| Coin Bag | Coin shop — buy spells and relics |
| Book | Spell shop — choose a free spell |
| Heart | HP restoration floor |
| Hammer (Workshop) | Upgrade or modify wands and spells |
| Boss Skull | Chapter boss |
Reading the Map
Each chapter branches into multiple routes. The path you choose determines which spells, relics, and coins you can access. Always plan your route based on what your current build needs most.
Wands and Spells: The Basics
What Is a Wand?
A wand is the container into which you slot spells. Key wand stats:
| Stat | Description |
|---|---|
| Slots | How many spells the wand can hold |
| Mana | Resource consumed to cast spells |
| Mana Regen | Mana recovered per second |
| Cast Delay | Time between each spell fire |
| Element | Fire, Water, Wind, Thunder, Dark, Light, etc. |
How Mana Works
Every spell costs mana when cast. If your mana runs out, you can't fire. Balance your mana regen speed against your spells' mana costs. Early on, prioritize low-cost spells; upgrade to expensive ones once your mana regen is strong enough.
Spell Slot Order
Spells fire in order from left to right, then loop. The arrangement matters — enhancement spells must be placed to the LEFT of the projectiles they affect. Placing them to the right does nothing.
For beginners: keep it simple — one or two strong damage spells with one support modifier.
Relics: The Basics
Relics are passive items that activate automatically once obtained.
| Rarity | Color | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common | White | Straightforward bonuses; easy to use |
| Rare | Blue | Mid-tier effects; often defines build direction |
| Epic | Purple | Strong effects; significantly shapes your run |
| Unique | Gold | Game-changing effects; rare drops |
How to Choose Relics
- Commit to a concept: Pick a direction (fire damage, bullet spread, etc.) and take relics that reinforce it
- Look for synergy: The best relic is the one that multiplies what you already have
- Prioritize HP regen relics early: Survival is paramount; don't skip healing-related relics in the opening chapters
Floor Priority
Use this order of priority when choosing your route:
Spell Shop > Relic / Elite > Coin Shop > HP Restore = Workshop
- Spell floors: Your most important stop — spells are the backbone of any build
- Elite floors: Risk-reward floors. Elites are tough, but always drop a relic; take them when your build is stable
- Coin shops: Skip if the offerings are weak; visit when you have spare coins and good options appear
- HP restoration: Raise priority when below 50% HP
- Workshops: Great for upgrading existing spells, but less impactful when your spell pool is thin early on
Mid-Game and Late-Game Transitions
Mid-Game (Chapters 2–3)
Your build has a foundation when you have:
- 2+ projectile spells confirmed as your core damage source
- At least one enhancement spell (Multi-Shot, Venom Crystal, etc.) placed correctly to the LEFT
- Magic Reservoir in your wand to prevent mana starvation
Begin leveling spells here. Repurchase your main projectile in the spell shop to raise it to Level 2.
Late Game (Chapter 4 and Beyond)
- Secure a large wand (6+ slots) as your main damage platform
- Set up your second wand as a Wand Spirit auto-attacker
- Push primary enhancement spells to Level 2–3 for maximum multipliers
- Always top off HP before boss rooms — never skip a healing floor late in a run
Talent (Permanent Upgrade) Priority
After each run, you earn talent points to unlock permanent upgrades. Recommended order for new players:
- Wand slot expansion: Unlocks a second wand slot. Having two wands for different roles is transformative
- Bag slot expansion: Carry more spells; more flexibility in building
- Max HP / HP recovery upgrades: If you're dying frequently, invest here early
- Coin gain increase: Larger budgets mean more shop options per run
Mistakes to Avoid
Placing enhancements to the RIGHT of projectiles: Volley, Multi-Shot, and other enhancements only affect spells to their right. A Volley placed after Magic Bullet does absolutely nothing to it
Stacking expensive spells without mana support: Ray of Disintegration and similar high-cost spells empty your wand almost instantly without Magic Reservoir or Tranquil Bloom to back them up
Holding on to weak early spells: Spell slots are precious — drop low-level spells the moment something better appears. Don't treat the first spell you got as irreplaceable
Mixing elements: Using fire, lightning, and water spells on the same wand gives you no elemental bonus for any of them. Pick one element and unify early
Entering boss fights at low HP: No matter how strong your build is, a boss fight at 20% HP is unnecessary gambling. Take the heal floor
Never swapping wands: Develop the habit of swapping when your active wand hits 20–30% MP remaining. A fully drained wand means no attacks
Prioritizing coins over spells early: Coins are useful, but the spell you pick up now compounds across the entire run. Spell floors beat coin shops in chapters 1–2
10 Beginner Tips
Dash constantly: The invincibility window is generous — weave through enemy projectiles and boss attacks by dashing through them.
Drop weak spells: Your spell slots are limited; don't hoard low-power spells just because you got them early. Swap them out without hesitation.
Check HP before bosses: Never enter a boss fight at low HP. If a healing floor is available on your route, always take it.
Always fight elites: The guaranteed relic drop from elite floors is too valuable to skip once your build can handle the extra challenge.
Use Wand Spirit: Once you unlock the second wand slot via talent, slot Wand Spirit into the off-wand and let it auto-fire DoT or debuff spells while you manually fire your main.
Watch mana costs: A powerful spell is useless if your wand's mana regen can't sustain it. Always cross-reference spell cost against your wand stats before slotting it.
Experiment with spell order: Moving spells around in slots often creates or breaks combos. Test arrangements in the inventory screen before committing.
Spend all your coins: There's no carryover between runs. If you have coins left when entering a shop, spend them — there's nothing to save for.
Stack the same element: Mixing fire spells with fire relics and a fire-attribute wand triggers stacking elemental bonuses. Commit to one element early for the most consistent payoff.
Don't rush Nightmare: Master Normal and Hard first. Understanding how builds snowball in the mid-game is essential before tackling Nightmare's tighter margins.
Starter Build Example: Simple Magic Bullet
The easiest build for new players aiming at their first clear.
Concept: Center the build around Magic Bullet — its damage-amplification debuff raises the entire run's damage ceiling — then amplify it with Venom Crystal and Volley.
Chapter 1 Goals
- Wand: High MP Regen, 3+ slots, any element
- Spells: 1–2 Magic Bullets + Magic Reservoir (passive)
- Relics: Prioritize attack power up, mana regen up
Recommended arrangement: [Venom Crystal] → [Magic Bullet] [Magic Bullet]
Mid-Game Adjustments (Chapter 2+)
- Add Volley to the far left to fire Magic Bullets in multiple directions
- Add Fuse before Magic Bullet to chain-trigger it at reduced MP cost
- Begin unifying elemental choices (wand, spells, relics all matching)
Mid-game arrangement: [Volley] [Venom Crystal] → [Magic Bullet]
Watch Out For
- Mana drain: Enhancements multiply mana consumption. Add Magic Reservoir in parallel.
- Boss patterns: Practice dashing sideways while firing bolts. Learn each boss's telegraphed attacks.
This build stays powerful through all normal-mode chapters and teaches every core mechanic. Once you clear with it, branch out into elemental combos or Floating Wisp swarm builds.