What is the most powerful non-beam spell in Magicka?

Question

Everywhere I look for powerful spell combinations says to use the Steam Beam (QFQFAAS), but however powerful that is on those big powerful enemies, it's fairly ineffective on big groups of lesser enemies.

What is a more spammable spell that I could use to deal with these kinds of battles? I've been mostly using QRQRQRQRS, (4 ice, 1 arcane), which shoots out a ton of arcane shards and can deal upwards of 3500 damage if the enemy is right next to me and can kill a bunch of imps at once. Are there any other options? Pressing 9 keys every time I want to cast a spell makes it rather hard to cast in the fray of things.

Answer 1

So, I don't have exact numbers, but I tend to use SDFQ (steam ball), which will get a large number of enemies in a small area wet (and it does pretty good damage). Then I use SDR (frost ball), which will freeze and do a massive amount of damage to any enemies that are wet.

To do the most amount of damage, make sure to use the right-click version of the frost ball. If you really need to get away, or stop a bunch of enemies attacking, you can use the shift-right-click version of these spells. It won't do as much damage, but it will stop most of the enemies around you, giving you a chance to get away.

If the enemies have a small enough amount of health (the normal imps), SDR on its own is usually enough to take them out in two shots.

You can use the beam version of these spells as well, if you are only fighting a single enemy (just remove the D from each spell). Even enemies with a large amount of HP will go down super fast.

TLDR; SDFQ - get baddies wet, SDR - freeze 'em good.

Answer 2

For lots of small enemies, I tend to use Steam + lightning + arcane 3x (QFSAAA) as an area nova. This variant of the standard "super wet lightning arcane" spell gives you a significantly larger nova while retaining the damage to splatter goblins and smaller beastmen (~2200-2000 damage). Since the third arcane is a single button, you can mash it rapidly and you dont suffer from as much slowdown.

When faced with larger hordes, I sometimes use cold tesla spires: Ice + Cold + shield + lightning + lightning (QRREAA). Be VERY careful with this one! It summons short-lived ice spikes with a sparking lightning ball on top that zaps nearby enemies for very respectable damage AND chills them - slowing them down to give you more breathing room. You can swap the cold with another lightning for additional damage if you wish: 1400~1200 with cold + 2x lit, 1800~1600 with 3x lit. It's even better if enchanted into your sword - this casts the spikes in a line that you can throw into the middle of an enemy horde, or use to engage large targets (even bosses!) from a distance. Try it against Fafnir - it will pop THROUGH his tail and hit him even while he guards!

Conflagration is definitely a favorite of mine as well - wide area, decent damage (600), fast to cast. Use it against the little daemons, goblins and enemy undead!

When panicking in close quarters, I sometimes use raw ice shotgun spam: ice/arcane or ice/lit as fast as I can hit the keys, no charging at all. I literally keep fingers spamming QRS or QRA with no rhythm and right clicking. This is very unfocused, but the sheer spell spam will deal with close targets.

Finally, the MOST powerful single target damage Ive done in the game is the spiky earth ball (Earth + 4x ice) on a FROZEN target. Get them wet, freeze them once - then cast cold + shield and put the cold wall on top to KEEP them frozen while you charge the ball. This is very useful against the yeti in Chapter 11 - total damage varies, but I've gotten over 20k with it.

Happy blasting!

Answer 3

If you want ridiculous explosive damage to several foes, look no further than QRESAA. This produces a wall of ice spikes that will explode in less than a second dealing massive arcane and lightning damage, with any minor foe caught close enough being instakilled (goblins, orcs, dwarves).

Use when shielded, because it will probably do some damage to you too (there normally isn't quite enough time to get fully out of range).

Enchant on your sword for slightly greater range, but do NOT, I repeat do NOT, use with shift unless you know what you're doing: you will die very fast, even with full rock shield.

I have only found 3 ways to survive it:

1. Use arcane-lightning shield on yourself.
2. Cyber robes with rock shield. (they absorb the lightning, but still need the shield from arcane)
3. Rogue robe's smoke bombs: as soon as you cast the spell, middle click to teleport out of there (fast).

The shift-rightclick version does ridiculous damage if the enemy is caught inside, a near instakill on an armoured troll.

Answer 4

Conflagerate is really really good against the mass enemies if you're having trouble. Most goblins are oneshot by that magick and you get it somewhat early in the story.

Other simple ways

combine lightning and frost to slow all the enemies down and continue to use haste so that you're much much faster than your enemies.

Surrounding yourself with rock+fire+shield will give you some easy breathing room.

5 water to area effect will blast back most enemies

use the bubble shield and just throw some fire lightning or frost outside of it

Dont underestimate the amount of crowd control at you're disposal.

Finally, if you're having trouble with key presses use the rythm that almost all magicks have to the ones you use most often. ex. conflagerate is FQ F FQ f FQ, badumppa badumpa

Answer 5

I'm surprised no one mentioned spamming the AOE variants of ice + arcane or ice + earth or fire + arcane and fire + earth. They can just be spammed twice per second to all enemies around you, kills the little guys quick and if you have the enemies wet and use the ice variant it will instantly freeze all enemies and do massive damage.

Answer 6

There is no single "most powerful" Spell, or even Magick, because Magicka is a game of counters, of choosing a right other move at the right moment. There is no single best robe, there is no single best weapon or staff.

I will give you a list of Spells and Magicks that I frequently use.

• Charged arcane ice barrier: QR-QR-E-S-A, apply to the weapon (Shift+LMB). Always have that on your weapon when you have a small spare moment! Always! It takes very little time to release it, and it is very effective both against hordes and single big enemies, if they take damage from both Arcane and Lightning. Once you release it, they take consquential damage from Lightning and cannot escape, then, after a few seconds it explodes, dealing massive Arcane and Lightning damage. DO NOT use it by RMB or Shift+RMB, you will die yourself! Of course, unless you are yourself immune to Lightning and Arcane, such as in the case of using Cyber Robe and Vlad's Gauntlet.
  • If you face Undead, you can just change Arcane for Life, the combo becomes QR-QR-E-W-A.
  • If you manage to get your enemies wet, they get double damage from the Lightning, which is already good. If you manage to completely freeze your enemies, you will both have some time to release the combo AND they will get triple damage from the Arcane component. The overall damage will be crazy!
  • In all the cases you can substitute one Ice (QR) for simple Cold (R), the combo is then QR-R-E-S-A, or, for the undead, QR-R-E-W-A. If the enemies are wet, they are instantly frozen and get massive damage. Even if they are not, they will still be slowed down and not able to leave. If they survive the spell, they will act VERY slowly, and you will have time to pull out another combo.
  • As a measure of safety, while using this spell, you can put a shield on yourself. For the basic variant, it is E-A-S (Shield-Lightning-Arcane). If you are wearing the Cyber robe, it is simply E-S. If you have Vlad's Gauntlet and Cyber Robe, you don't really need a shield. If it is the Life variant and you are not using the Cyber robe, go E-A. You can add another element, like Fire, or, if you use this combo with Cold (R) instead of Ice (QR), go E-A-S-R, so you don't get frozen yourself.
• Against large packs of enemies vulnerable to fire, train to use fast and spam the Conflagration Magick (Q-F-F-F-Q-F-F-Q+Space). Dealing 600 Fire damage and setting anything ablaze, it is extremely effective against hordes. However, sadly, you don't have much time to enjoy facing large quantities of goblins after you get this Magick.
• Arcane Fireball: D-S-S-S-F+RMB. Also useful against packs of goblins, especially if it contains many Goblin Bombers.
• QF-QF-A-S-A. Not only is it the best beam if used with RMB, with a possibility to substitute S (Arcane) for W (Life) against Undead, you can also use it with Shift+RMB for MASSIVE damage against any enemy nearby. Instagibs goblins around you.
• If you get the Tesla staff, use simple Lightning spells. Especially if your Bathrobe is black and your weapon is the Arcane Saber, you will see what I mean if you try it... Better add the Fire element, so use something along the lines of A-F. Use your friend in a Cyber robe as a conductor, as Lightning range is still limited (ask him to put Fire shield on). Very useful against hordes, not so useful against bossed. Your spells can be as simple as A-F, but they will be short. Use A-A-A-A-F for a bit longer spells. Use it with RMB or Shift+RMB, both look cool and act cool
• Summon Phoenix Magick, W-A-F+Space. This revives your friends with full HP, which is very important for your friends in Cyber robes, and drops a huge fire in the place where you were. So imagine that you are the last one from the group, you have Haste on you, you are running away from a horde of goblins, and you use this Magick. First, your friends are now alive and ready to fight, second, any enemies that can be damage by Fire are now either dead or panicking. Doesn't work against those immune to Fire and in enclosed spaces.
• Thunder Storm Magick! Put a Lightning shield on you, the long one, with four Lightning elements (E-A-A-A-A), and cast the best beam in the game as a Magick (QF-QF-A-S-A+Space). You can already cast it very quickly, right? Doesn't work in enclosed spaces, but every enemy is doomed if it works, as the strike deals A LOT of damage. If you use the Cyber robe, you can put Water shield instead and just cast normally, a Lightning Bolt from above would heal you, not kill.
• Haste Magick, A-S-F. When facing practically anything, it is better to be fast than to be slow. However, it is also good as an attacking spell, just use it with Shift+RMB, deals decent AoE.
• E-(D)+MMB, any amount of D. Earth shield. Cast it on yourself, and you can soak a good amount of damage. If afraid of crowd control elements (Fire or Cold), go for E-D-D-D-F+MMB or E-D-D-D-R+MMB.
  • Cast it with RMB, and your enemies have a barrier to break so you can cast/prepare a few spells, or even dial your Travel Agent (heal before you do it!).
• Mines, the spell. If you combine E with S (Arcane) or W (Life), you get mines, an explosive thingie; of course, use Arcane-based against non-undeads, and Life-based against the undead. It is usually not worth enchanting on your weapon (Shift+LMB), because you can enchant the explosive ice barrier, but with RMB you can put it in front of yourself, just where your enemy is. As NPCs don't see the mines when pathfinding, they will meet the mines. Shift+RMB will create a circle of mines around you. It is powerful, but if you move a single unit aside, when the mines explode, you will be hit. With F (Fire), R (Cold) and A (Lightning) added, mines are actually powerful! E-S-A or E-S-A-F is very quick to dial and offers good quick crowd control. If you make your enemies wet, E-R-A-S will deal insane damage.
  • Life-based mines also heal living beings very quickly, including Wizards!
  • Any damage or living entity touching the mines detonates them, as does placing new mines above the existing ones. If you spam E-S-A+Shift+RMB an even amount of times (2, 4 etc.), you will kill everyone living around you.
• Summon Elemental, Magick. S-E-D-QF-S. If you train it, you can dial it before the game accepts it to the spell bar and spam it as fast as the game allows. Sadly, you get it kinda late, but... it is still cool! It summons unbound elementals; hit them with an element to activate and bind to one. If you hit them with Fire, you will get Fire elementals, etc.
  • The most useful elementals are the Fire and Arcane ones. The Fire ones set enemies ablaze, so that they panick.
  • The Arcane ones deal damage to most enemies, and deal really large damage against frozen enemies.
  • The Cold elementals allow you to keep frozen enemies frozen.
  • Lightning elementals are cool against wet enemies, but there are so many people with Lightning Immunity in this game...
  • Water elementals are just useless most of the time.
  • Life elementals are situational, use them against the Undead if you have such a chance. Where, btw?
  • The Steam elementals I have not tested much. The Earth, Shield and Ice elementals do not exist in Magicka.
• Summon Death, the Magick, is more against bosses than hordes, but there are often bosses in a horde. Once you dispose of him, the main horde is often no longer a problem. However, be very, very careful. I personally don't use it, my friends do sometims. I don't even remember the combo, as it can sometimes kill yourself, I use the hint when I try it.
• Raise Dead. Is just cool, and provides a meat shield. Deals low damage, poisons the enemy if possible, but doesn't really add to your performance much. Still cool! Again, I personally don't use it most of the time and dial it from the hint, by the book, I don't remember the combo, as it is rather weak.
• Charm, the Magick, W-E-D. You can spam it, and essentially make your enemies fight each other. There is no limit of how many enemies you can charm, but just don't charm all of them, some should remain as enemies. You can still kill charmed enemies.
• Confuse, also Magick, S-E-A+Space, also works, albeit a bit worse, the confused enemies can sometimes attack you.
• Napalm, QF-D-W-F-F+Space, is a very powerful Magick in the Challenges and Vietnam campaign. Aim it rightly! And good luck.

As you can see, there is a huge list of viable moves, and you really need to choose the best for the exact moment. Sometimes the best move is to choose nothing and flee. Sometimes you need to use your weapon. Sometimes you need to take a break and say "Good night!", and go sleep a bit before you continue. :)

Good luck in any case.

Answer 7

The highest single target damage would be Ice-Ice-Ice-Ice-Rock (Ice = Water + Cold)

FQAASE is a nice bomb spell if you ever need a trap.

If you need crowd control, try something with water first, and then in the next spell, apply cold to them to freeze them.