A build checklist before the next pick
| Question | Choose | Change course when |
|---|---|---|
| What delivers the damage? | Name one skill or status package as the core. | You cannot explain what an offered upgrade improves. |
| What enables it? | Check the primary skill type and the chain power you actually have. | The required skill or chain has not appeared. |
| What keeps the run alive? | Leave room for movement, protection or recovery appropriate to the run. | You die while waiting for the damage setup. |
| What is the goal? | First clear, farming and deeper progression need separate success criteria. | A slower safe clear would finish your unlock, but you keep chasing a damage screenshot. |
This checklist is our decision framework, not an official tier list. The historical FreqRL example combines quick Swing skills with Arcane Beam using a Swing-to-Arcane chain. Its particular power and damage values must be checked against your installed version.[1]
Build in an order you can recover from
- Read your weapon’s starting skill and available types. Pick a damage identity before spending every reroll.
- Take an early skill that can clear waves now. Mark the additional type or effect needed for your intended chain.
- When the chain or payoff becomes available, read its exact conditions. A matching tag is a candidate, not proof that every condition is satisfied.
- Choose upgrades that improve your actual core: repeated triggers, effect application or a damage multiplier it uses. Keep a survival option if enemies are already reaching you.
- At the end of the run, compare which skills dealt damage with when you became unsafe. Change one weak link rather than replacing all six slots at once.
When the planned skill does not arrive
Keep a working early damage skill until its replacement is available. If several slots already share a useful type, choose a payoff compatible with those slots instead of throwing away all of them for one rare offer. If no enabling power appears, play a straightforward first-clear route and use the run for permanent progress. These are fallback decisions, not guarantees about the random offer pool.
FreqRL’s historical model uses quick support skills to trigger a slower damaging skill. Use that relationship as a testable idea; do not copy its 2024 cooldowns or assume the same combination is the current fastest build.[1]
What this guide does not rank
The store describes a large skill and weapon space, not one universal best setup. A complete current character ranking would require mode, unlock and version comparisons that are not established by these sources. For a concrete starting point, use the Barbarian route below and distinguish its two source dates.[2]
Sources & verification
- Reddit · FreqRL ↗ (opens in a new tab) — Historical May 2024 build explanation; examples are not a current balance ranking.
- Steam · Game Smithing ↗ (opens in a new tab) — Store checked 2 November 2026; product facts, not a build benchmark.
- Game Smithing · Official game website ↗ (opens in a new tab) — Official screenshots and platform links; image capture build not supplied.