The mystical Spellweavers cast elemental magic to deal with enemies from afar, leaving others to fight up close and personal. The Spellweaver offers a decent amount of damage without putting themselves at risk in close combat if they can help it. Deadly at higher levels, the Spellweaver is an excellent damage support class for any party size.
A Spellweaver dazzles enemies with bright magic. That is – until she incinerates them! Learn how to enchant your Gloomhaven gameplay with our Spellweaver guide.
Spellweaver Overview
The Spellweaver is a ranged attacker that uses elemental magic to bring out her most remarkable abilities. But don’t be fooled because Spellweavers have quite a few close combat abilities to counter nearby enemies.
Spellweavers have low health and stamina, but their abilities compensate for these by letting them fight from behind the front line. They perform better in larger parties with a tank or two to keep enemies at arm’s length, focusing on area damage and movement to stay ahead.
Spellweaver Cards Overview
The Spellweaver has a hand limit of eight, meaning you should keep an eye on your stamina so that you don’t run out of cards. Playing as the Spellweaver means ranged area of effect attacks are your best friend. Getting up close and personal with enemies isn’t the best idea, especially since the Spellweaver only has six hit points.
The Spellweaver lets you provide some healing and helpful summons, but those are not her specialty. If you’re playing as a Spellweaver, your job will primarily involve dealing as much damage as you can from behind your allies while making sure not to run out of stamina. The Spellweaver has a total card pool of 27 cards from level one to level 9.
Starting Cards
When you start the game as a level one Spellweaver, you’ll have 11 cards from which to choose. Your hand is limited to eight cards, so every card has to count as much as possible to optimize your low stamina.
Reviving Ether is probably the most crucial card in your hand as a Spellweaver. The top effect is a loss that recovers all lost cards. The bottom effect is move four and JUMP, which is pretty good for a level 1 card.
Frost Armor has a low initiative score. The top effect allows you to deal some early-round, ranged damage, with a damage increase if there is some usable mana. The bottom effect is a loss effect that prevents damage for two rounds. I’d recommend this card solely for the top effect.
Mana Bolt has an initiative score of 7. The top effect lets you deal some damage at range, with extra damage if there’s mana to spare. You can use the bottom effect occasionally to heal allies. Still, the initiative score and the top effect are why this card is so good.
Fire Orbs is one of the best level-1 cards in the game. The top effect is a loss that deals three damage at three range to three targets. If you play it at the right time, that’s a sizable nine damage you can deal out. It also generates fire mana to use later. The bottom effect is move three, which is not fantastic, but valuable to the Spellweaver and a decent secondary effect.
Flame Strike has medium initiative, with a double attack effect. The top effect does three damage at two range and inflicts WOUND if you use mana. The bottom effect also deals two damage, but with two range. Even so, the combos this card can create with other cards is the reason to keep it.
Ride the Wind is a little lackluster, even for a level 1 card. The top effect lets you loot 1, and the bottom effect lets you move 8, adds JUMP, and gains mana, but the uses for this effect are rare. The initiative score of 83 helps it out a little, letting your Spellweaver loot up later in the round, but it isn’t beneficial overall.
Crackling Air has decent effects but doesn’t suit Spellweavers. The top effect is a loss that adds one damage to your next four attacks and two damage if you use some mana, which is good but falls short as the Spellweaver doesn’t focus on maxing out damage. Using the bottom effect means you’re getting too close to the enemies.
Aid from the Ether is an excellent card for the Spellweaver in a party with a tank. The top effect is average with three heal at three range. The bottom effect summons a ranged ally, meaning your teammates can tank damage while your summon does damage from behind.
Hardened Spikes has a highly situational top effect. It retaliates two – three using mana – which means you’ll have to take damage, and a lot of it, for it to have much effect. The bottom effect is move three with the option of adding Shield, which can help in some cases.
Impaling Eruption’s top effect can be a destructive area-of-effect ability for bunched-up enemies. You can choose the path your arrow takes within four range and deal each enemy in the way three damage. The bottom effect is move four, which is suitable for the Spellweaver.
Freezing Nova is difficult to use because the top effect requires your character to be adjacent to more than one enemy to display its might. But it does have IMMOBILIZE, and you can add one extra damage to each enemy with some mana. The bottom effect is a valuable heal four, range four ability that generates mana and is helpful in bigger parties.
Level 2
Flashing Burst has a low initiative score of 26, with the top effect of three damage, three range. It also generates mana you can use with other cards. The bottom effect is a decent move four, and neither is a loss.
Icy Blast is a double-loss card with particular uses. The top effect has a large area-of-effect with MUDDLE and generates mana. The bottom effect heals six at range two, which is not what you’re looking for now.
Hardened Spikes isn’t handy to you at the moment. If you have it, you’ll want to replace it with Flashing Burst. Flashing Burst is the best choice when upgrading to level 2, as it is reusable with decent damage.
Level 3
Elemental Aid has a high initiative score of 84, making its top effect useful but its bottom effect somewhat unhelpful. The top effect heals three at range two, with an additional two heal when you use air mana. The bottom effect adds two Shield to one ally, or all if you use mana. It can help, but not significantly.
Cold Fire‘s top effect is an area-of-effect ability with one damage, three range, STUN if you use ice mana, and an added two damage if you have fire mana. You can pair it with other cards for explosive combinations. The bottom effect is a loss that lets you loot two, which is better at the end of turns.
It would be best if you replaced Frost Armor with Cold Air at this point. Cold Air deals the same damage to more targets, while Frost Armor’s bottom ability didn’t have much use.
Level 4
Forked Beam is another card with a low initiative score, which is what you want. It has no fantastic abilities, but you can deal some damage again and again with the top effect. The bottom effect is a move four ability. Moving is essential for Spellweavers, so having an extra movement ability is a good idea.
Spirit of Doom is another double-loss card that can be useful against high-level enemies, but not while you’re at level four. The top effect applies CURSE to an enemy and lets you kill one if you use the mana. The bottom effect lets you heal an ally based on their hit points.
Forked Beam is the card of choice here as it provides a reusable attack, good initiative, and movement ability, despite the lacking damage. You’ll want to replace Flame Strike with Forked Beam, as the damage is relatively similar, it gives you XP, and Forked Beam doesn’t use fire mana.
Level 5
Chromatic Explosion has everything you’re looking for in a Spellweaver card. Its top effect does decent range damage and creates mana for you. The bottom effect also lets you move two while creating mana.
Engulfed in Flames is slightly trickier to play. The top effect is good, dealing four damage at three range, but the bottom effect is dangerous to use. It grants you Retaliate three for the subsequent five melee attacks against you. It’s also a loss effect.
The level 5 pick is Chromatic Explosion. It combos well with other cards, and Engulfed in Flames puts your character in danger. Melee and Spellweavers don’t mix well. Adding Chromatic Explosion means it’s time to remove Impaling Eruption. It requires your character to be close to enemies to maximize the damage you can do, which isn’t ideal.
Level 6
Frozen Night has an excellent bottom effect, but the top effect is a loss that drags it down a little. The bottom effect lets you move and apply INVISIBLE to yourself if you have the mana. The top effect does area-of-effect damage and generates ice mana. However, you need to be adjacent to a group of enemies for it to be effective.
Living Torch is an excellent card with a 96 initiative score. The bottom effect summons a Burning Avatar with better range and movement than Aid from the Ether’s Mystic summon. It also generates fire mana on each attack. The top effect inflicts damage at range, which is what you aim for. Using light mana adds two damage to any enemies adjacent to the target. It also applies the IMMOBILIZE effect.
Living Torch edges out Froze night because of its summon ability. You can replace Aid from the Ether this time, as one summon effect will be enough, and your other cards work better with Living Torch. Frozen Night can be added later, as it is still a great card.
Level 7
Stone Fists‘ top effect has good damage and abilities, but they require you to be in melee range of an enemy, which you are trying to avoid. The bottom effect has the same problem. Shield is better for characters that fight on the frontlines, but the Spellweaver fights from the back.
Twin Restoration has good and bad qualities. The top effect lets you recover two lost cards, a decent ability for a Spellweaver. But there won’t be many loss cards left in your hand by this point, and you have Reviving Ether, which has a better top effect. The bottom effect is a three-range healing ability, but your Spellweaver build isn’t focused on healing.
Both cards are average, so you can choose either to add. Alternatively, Frozen Night can be added instead and replace Fire Orbs. It has better damage, and pairing its top effect with other cards can allow you to devastate your enemies.
Level 8
Zephyr Wings is a golden card to have in larger dungeons. Its top effect is to loot two – three if you have the mana – while its bottom effect gives you eight movements, Jump, and three extra movements for some mana.
Cold Front looks good initially, but the effects are too niche to be used effectively. The top effect damages five enemies in a straight line at range two, while the bottom grants three Retaliate at three range. It is a good ability, but as a Spellweaver, you shouldn’t be taking much damage.
Zephyr Wings wins this round and can replace Flashing Burst. Flashing Burst is currently your worst value card in terms of damage, and Zephyr Wings offers more movement and lets you loot without a loss.
Level 9
Black Hole deals decent damage to a small group of enemies with its top effect and even kills those in range using dark mana. But its bottom effect is useless without a hex. It’s not a bad card, but the bottom effect drags it down.
Inferno has one of the best top effects in the game. With an initiative score of 19, the top effect does three damage – four if you have fire mana – to all enemies in the room. Your allies take two damage each, but that’s a worthwhile trade. The bottom effect is not overwhelming, but also not the worst, granting you and your allies Retaliate two with three range.
Inferno wins, hands down, being one of the best cards in the game. Using this card, you can dominate every room you enter immediately. You can remove Forked Beam without worrying too much. You’ll still have decent movement cards.
Spellweaver Perks
As a Spellweaver, you’ll need specific perks to make things easier as you start to play through scenarios. Some may change depending on your Spellweaver build and play style, but the first few perks I recommend you add are (Do all of these twice for the best effect):
- Add one +2 Ice card
- Add one +2 Fire card
- Replace a -1 card with a +1 card
- Add two +1 cards
After earning these, you can choose which perks to gain based on how you want to play the game. The other available Spellweaver perks are:
- Remove four +0 cards
- Add one +0 STUN card
- Add one +1 WOUND card
- Add one +1 IMMOBILIZE card
- Add one +1 CURSE card
- Add one Earth mana card and one Air mana card
- Add one Light mana card and one Dark mana card.
Spellweaver Enhancements
Enhancements improve the effects of cards and power up your character for more potent actions. Choose wisely and plan appropriately to make the most of your Spellweaver’s enhancements. The best include:
- STRENGTHEN Mana Bolt’s top or bottom effect
- Add a hex to Cold Fire’s top effect for even more damage
Items help your character along the way as you delve through scenarios. You can find items by looting or buying them between scenarios to prepare for what’s ahead.
- Minor Stamina Potion
- Piercing Bow
- Cloak of Invisibility
Final Thoughts
The Spellweaver’s best qualities are shown during long-range fighting. Her few close-range melee effects can be helpful if played correctly. Still, the Spellweaver does best when attacking enemies from behind the front line. Using elements and mana, she can dole out impressive area damage from far away.
References:
https://imgur.com/gallery/5tiUE
https://gameslikefinder.com/article/gloomhaven-spellweaver-guide/