Adventurers of Ashenfall who heed the call of the arcane begin their journeys by understanding how to weave runes into spells. However, with dragons ruling the skies and survival earned through craft and cunning, the path of a spellcaster isn’t as straight and narrow as some might think. So, here’s a guide on how to build a mage in RuneScape: Dragonwilds, letting you incinerate PvE hordes or outplay rivals in PvP using runic spells.

RuneScape: Dragonwilds Mage Build Guide: An Overview

The mage build in RuneScape: Dragonwilds revolves around the premise of crafting power through choice equipment and consumables. Unlike traditional RPGs with mana pools, here you cast spells by consuming runes loaded into your staff. Think of it as nocking and shooting arrows with bows, but you’re using consumable symbols with magical weapons to fire spells. As a mage, you’ll excel in both PvE and PvP engagements, but with clear distinctions. For starters, in PvE, AoE spells make this build exceptional for clearing groups and exploiting enemy weaknesses. In PvP, on the other hand, you’ll excel in taking out melee build users from afar, but you may still struggle against rangers who can out-range and interrupt your casting.

Best Mage Weapons

At the heart of the mage build in RuneScape: Dragonwilds, as it determines your damage multiplier, attack speed, and which spells you can effectively wield. Below are some top-tier picks for early-, mid-, and late-game scenarios as a spellcaster in Ashenfall:

Early Game: Ash Battlestaff

• How to Get: Craft using 12x Ash Logs, 6x Rune Essence, and 2x Coarse Thread at the Crafting Table.

It’s safe to say that most, if not all, mage builds in RuneScape: Dragonwilds begin with an Ash Battlestaff. It’s the entry point into the magical arts and highly accessible, as its materials are readily available in beginner-friendly areas. Once crafted, it deals more than enough damage to dispatch early threats.

Stats

• Weight: 15.0
• Power Level: 2
• Attack Style: Two Handed
• Damage Multiplier: 1.9
• Durability: 900

Mid-Game: Necromancer’s Staff

• How to Get: Unlock the crafting recipe by interacting with a dragonkin effigy behind a spectral door in the Vekchenven Kara Vault beneath a waterfall in the Lake of Lost Souls. Once learned, craft it using 24x Undead Bone, 6x Sacred Oil, 4x Fine Thread, and 6x Vault Shard at the Mystic Forge.

Some adventurers might think of necromancy as something inherently evil. However, the dark arts offer power through pacts with spirits channeled with the Necromancer’s Staff. At the hands of a RuneScape: Dragonwilds mage, this mid-game staff lets you obliterate enemy groups with ease. However, its special effect lets you deal additional damage at the cost of its durability, reducing faster than normal. Thankfully, it’s fairly inexpensive to repair it, as this staff only needs 2x Undead Bone to maintain.

Stats

• Weight: 15.0
• Power Level: 5
• Attack Style: Two Handed
• Damage Multiplier: 5.9
• Durability: 1,050
• Special Effect: Increased damage, but reduced durability

Endgame: Toktz-Mej-Tal

• How to Get: Defeat KotHaar-Hur in the Umbral Sands for a chance to drop the Elongated Obsidian Construct. Study the item to unlock the Toktz-Mej-Tal crafting recipe. Then, craft it using 22x Refined Obsidian and 4x Dragonstone at the Mystic Forge.

The Toktz-Mej-Tal staff embodies the almighty power of RuneScape: Dragonwilds’ Elder God magic into a two-handed spellcasting weapon. Wielding it allows your seemingly weak spells to become arbiters of destruction to foes that dare to oppose your arcane prowess. In particular, this endgame staff increases the wielder’s critical hit chance, but the tradeoff is that its durability doesn’t last as long as other staves.

Stats

• Weight: 15.0
• Power Level: 7
• Attack Style: Two Handed
• Damage Multiplier: 8.4
• Durability: 1,000
• Special Effect: Increased critical hit chance, but reduced durability

Best Mage Armor Sets

Like other armor sets, defensive equipment in RuneScape: Dragonwilds follows the classic combat triangle of melee, ranged, and magic. For mages, the priority is maximizing magical potency while maintaining enough defense to survive incoming attacks.

Early Game: Wizard Armor Set

• Set Bonuses: -50% Stamina Regeneration Delay (1-piece), +10% Magic Attack Speed (2-piece), and +15% Magic Critical Chance (3-piece)

Mages generally begin their arcane adventure in Ashenfall with the Apprentice armor. While that set is a good beginner-friendly choice, upgrading to the Wizard armor grants the user a sufficient defensive boost during the early game. Showcasing its blue aesthetic, along with the signature pointed hat, tells other players in the RuneScape: Dragonwilds server that you’ve graduated from apprentice to full wizard status.

Wizard Armor Pieces

Wizard Hat

• How to Craft: Use 4x Rough Cloth, 2x Wool Thread, and 1x Wild Anima at the Armor Bench.
• Power Level: 3
• Melee Defense: 6
• Ranged Defense: 7
• Magic Defense: 9
• Weight: 4.0
• Durability: 1,250

Wizard Robes

• How to Craft: Use 8x Rough Cloth, 6x Wool Thread, and 4x Wild Anima at the Armor Bench.
• Power Level: 3
• Melee Defense: 8
• Ranged Defense: 6
• Magic Defense: 4
• Weight: 8.0
• Durability: 1,250

Wizard Robe Legs

• How to Craft: Use 6x Rough Cloth, 4x Wool Thread, and 2x Wild Anima at the Armor Bench.
• Power Level: 3
• Melee Defense: 6
• Ranged Defense: 4
• Magic Defense: 2
• Weight: 6.0
• Durability: 1,250

Mid-Game: Mystic Armor Set

• Set Bonuses: -50% Stamina Regeneration Delay (1-piece), +10% Magic Attack Speed (2-piece), and +15% Magic Critical Chance (3-piece)

With fibers crafted by reverse-engineering a mystical cloth from a stoned Zamroakian magi, the Mystic armor is for mage build users who need proper defensive gear to tackle midgame threats in RuneScape: Dragonwilds. This set has above-average defense stats across the board with a slight advantage to reducing incoming magic damage, making it ideal for PvE and PvP skirmishes.

Mystic Armor Pieces

Mystic Hat

• How to Craft: Use 4x Mystic Cloth, 1x Cursed Leather, 12x Infernal Fragment, and 1x Demonic Oil at the Armor Bench.
• Power Level: 6
• Melee Defense: 15
• Ranged Defense: 16
• Magic Defense: 18
• Weight: 4.0
• Durability: 1,750

Mystic Robes

• How to Craft: Use 12x Mystic Cloth, 4x Cursed Leather, 32x Infernal Fragment, and 3x Demonic Oil at the Armor Bench.
• Power Level: 6
• Melee Defense: 38
• Ranged Defense: 39
• Magic Defense: 45
• Weight: 8.0
• Durability: 1,750

Mystic Robe Legs

• How to Craft: Use 8x Mystic Cloth, 2x Cursed Leather, 24x Infernal Fragment, and 2x Demonic Oil at the Armor Bench.
• Power Level: 6
• Melee Defense: 23
• Ranged Defense: 24
• Magic Defense: 27
• Weight: 6.0
• Durability: 1,750

Endgame: Lunar Garou Armor Set

• Set Bonuses: -50% Stamina Regeneration Delay (1-piece), +10% Magic Attack Speed (2-piece), and +15% Magic Critical Chance (3-piece)

Arguably, the best endgame set for a mage to wear in RuneScape: Dragonwilds is the Lunar Garou armor. With the recipes for each component acquired from Domri – The Merchant at the Umbral Sands, this late-game equipment is prized for its optimal defenses and high durability. Aside from its top-tier stats, wear it, and you might even forget to maintain the armor set for a while.

Lunar Garou Armor Pieces

Lunar Garou Hat

• How to Craft: Use 3x Garou Weave, 4x Infinity Cloth, 1x Garou Artifact, 1x Refined Obsidian, and 1x Gypsum Wax at the Armor Bench.
• Power Level: 7
• Melee Defense: 18
• Ranged Defense: 19
• Magic Defense: 21
• Weight: 6.0
• Durability: 15,000

Lunar Garou Robes

• How to Craft: Use 9x Garou Weave, 6x Infinity Cloth, 3x Garou Artifact, 3x Refined Obsidian, and 3x Gypsum Wax at the Armor Bench.
• Power Level: 8
• Melee Defense: 18
• Ranged Defense: 19
• Magic Defense: 21
• Weight: 4.0
• Durability: 15,000

Lunar Garou Robe Legs

• How to Craft: Use 6x Garou Weave, 4x Infinity Cloth, 2x Garou Artifact, 2x Refined Obsidian, and 2x Gypsum Wax at the Armor Bench.
• Power Level: 6
• Melee Defense: 27
• Ranged Defense: 28
• Magic Defense: 32
• Weight: 8.0
• Durability: 15,000

Best Mage Spells

As mentioned earlier, spellcasting in RuneScape: Dragonwilds demands the requisite runes. The material to find is Rune Essence, which you can mine at locations marked by pink mist and floating blue-glowing rocks. Then, interact with the Rune Altar to transform essences into consumable runes. Additionally, learn spells by crafting and upgrading skills by using different actions. For instance, unlock combat spells by casting offensive magic. Alternatively, learn utility spells through actions like cooking and mining. Among the large library of spells in RuneScape: Dragonwilds lies a select batch of top-tier choices. Below are some of the best spells for mages to use, whether for combat, exploration, or quality of life:

• Tempest Shield (Skill Requirement: Attack, Level 11): The mage’s panic button. Conjures a shield imbued with the power of air that prevents all incoming damage. Then, it triggers a powerful burst when it ends. Costs 15x Air Rune with a 60-second cooldown.
• Windstep (Skill Requirement: Runecrafting, Level 8): Summons Air Magic to jump higher and descend more slowly. Costs 5x Air Rune with a 3-second cooldown.
• Bones to Peaches (Skill Requirement: Cooking, Level 28): Transmute unwanted bones on the ground into peaches for consumption. Costs 5x Earth and 10x Nature Rune to cast.
• Personal Chest (Skill Requirement: Construction, Level 40): Access your personal storage chest from anywhere. Costs 15x Astral and 20x Law Rune to cast.
• Magical Mending (Skill Requirement: Artisan, Level 27): Repairs half the durability of all items in front of the caster. Costs 20x Earth and 10x Nature Rune to cast.
• Snare (Skill Requirement: Ranged, Level 12): Creates a trap to enroot enemies in place. Costs 10x Astral and 10x Nature Rune to cast.
• Spectral Arrows (Skill Requirement: Ranged, Level 25): Fully draw an arrow with a bow to target and shoot multiple enemies with one shot. Costs 5x Air and 15x Astral Rune to cast, and it has a 90-second cooldown.

Best Mage Skills

Although used on a similar plane, skills are different from spells in RuneScape: Dragonwilds. In particular, players can train skills using specific actions. For magic users, it means using spells frequently to enhance their spellcasting craft. While players can unlock every Magic skill in Dragonwilds as they progress, some are worth mentioning more than others, including the following:

• Air Magic (Level 1): Summon air from your staff, dealing high-level single-target damage to enemies and knocking them down. Secondary Attacks (Level 5): Charge an equipped staff and release it to perform more powerful versions of a spell.
• Water Magic (Level 7): Equip Water Runes to damage and slow foes. Leech health from hit enemies to heal yourself and your allies. Defeating enemies with Water Magic also has a chance to spawn Water orbs.
• Surge (Level 11): Empower dodges to travel further and evade longer.
• Arcane Expertise (Level 16): Adds an additional magic attack at the end of a staff-based attack string.
• Runic Refund (Level 20): 30% chance to preserve runes when attacking with magic.
• Fire Magic (Level 21): Equip Fire Runes to deal medium AoE damage to enemies. Hit structures burn.
• Magic Focus (Level 39): Unlock the crafting recipe for Magical Focus. Craft using 1x Wild Anima and 10x Stone at the Blacksmith’s Bench. Use Magical Focus to imbue staves, increasing damage.