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Enshrouded

EDITORIAL TIER LIST

Magic Tier List

All 31 staff spell charges, grouped into 15 families from Eternal Fireball to Bone Channel.

Game version:
Update 8 / v0.9.1.2
Reviewed:
Sep 9, 2026
15 entries

Tier board

S

Best in class. Build around these first.

A

Strong and reliable in most situations.

B

Useful in specific situations or party roles.

C

Early filler or outclassed later.

Scope

Every spell charge a staff can fire, including healing and utility spells. Variants (I, II, III, Eternal) are ranked as one family with the best version in mind. Wands are weapons and are ranked in the Weapon Tier.

How we rank

Ranks weigh damage per cast and per mana, cast time under pressure, crowd control, and whether an Eternal version removes charge farming. Level, damage, mana, and cast-time figures come from the official wiki for Update 8.

SS TierBest in class. Build around these first.

SFire · Projectile with explosion

Fireball (I–III / Eternal I–II)

  • AoE
  • Boss
  • Solo

The highest area damage a staff can put out: Eternal Fireball II hits for 110 base with a wide explosion and never runs out of charges.

Why it ranks here

  • Clears grouped enemies before they close in
  • Eternal versions remove charge farming entirely
  • Pyromaniac and Chain Hit scale it further

Tradeoffs

  • 2.0s casts on the strong versions punish casting under pressure
  • Fire-resistant enemies blunt the damage
Level
10 / 15 / 28 · Eternal 17 / 38
Base damage
49–110
Mana
46–100
Cast time
0.8–2.0s

How to get

Alchemist; II–III need a Mortar, Eternal versions an Alchemy Station.

SShock · Jumping strike

Chain Lightning (Eternal)

  • Crowd control
  • Stun
  • Co-op

A 1.0s cast that shocks the target, jumps to nearby enemies, and drains stamina, so stun bars fill fast on packs.

Why it ranks here

  • Best pack control in the game with almost no setup
  • The Eternal version at Lv32 hits for 128 base
  • Terror (Trickster) turns spell crits into 4s stuns

Tradeoffs

  • Single targets waste the chain
  • 65–98 mana per cast adds up in long fights
Level
12 · Eternal 32
Base damage
62 / 128
Mana
65 / 98
Cast time
1.0s

How to get

Alchemist with a Mortar for both the standard and the Eternal charge.

SShock · Channeled beam

Lightning Channel (Eternal)

  • Boss
  • Sustained DPS
  • Stun

Ticks every 0.3s for 21–27 base, making it the best sustained single-target damage and a stun-lock engine with Terror.

Why it ranks here

  • Cheap per tick (17–19 mana) for how much it deals
  • Constant hits fill stun bars and proc crit skills often

Tradeoffs

  • You stand still while channeling and eat anything that reaches you
  • No area coverage
Level
22 · Eternal 43
Base damage
21 / 27 per tick
Mana
19 / 17
Cast time
0.3s

How to get

Alchemist at a Laboratory for both versions.

AA TierStrong and reliable in most situations.

AIce · Fast projectile

Ice Bolt (I–II / Eternal I–II)

  • Kiting
  • Single target
  • Solo

The defensive caster's main tool: 0.5–1.2s casts, single hits up to 126 base, and a slow that keeps melee attackers off you.

Why it ranks here

  • Ice Bolt I is available at Lv5 for only 38 mana
  • The slow buys space for the next cast
  • Subzero (Wizard) adds 20% ice damage

Tradeoffs

  • No area damage, so packs take several casts
  • Eternal Ice Bolt II costs 138 mana
Level
5 / 32 · Eternal 17 / 43
Base damage
32–126
Mana
38–138
Cast time
0.5–1.2s

How to get

Alchemist; II needs a Mortar, Eternal versions an Alchemy Station.

AHealing · Channeled heal

Heal Channel (Eternal)

  • Sustain
  • Solo
  • Co-op

Potion-free healing for any staff user. Every build that carries a staff benefits from an Eternal Heal Channel on the bar.

Why it ranks here

  • Available from Lv5 and cheap to craft
  • The Eternal version heals 43 per tick with no charge cost

Tradeoffs

  • Channeling in melee range is a gamble
  • Deals no damage, so it costs a hotbar slot
Level
5 · Eternal 22
Healing
17 / 43 per tick
Mana
38 / 21
Cast time
0.5 / 1.0s

How to get

Alchemist from Lv5; the Eternal charge needs a Laboratory.

AShroud · Multi-target strike

Shroud Meteor

  • Burst
  • Boss
  • Late game

Calls meteors down on up to five foes for 128 base Shroud damage. It is the biggest single button for deleting a dangerous target.

Why it ranks here

  • Hits several targets at once with heavy damage
  • A perfect opener before a group reaches you

Tradeoffs

  • 5.1s cast is the slowest spell in the game
  • Only 20 charges per craft for a Lv25+ recipe
Level
25
Base damage
128
Mana
100
Cast time
5.1s

How to get

Alchemist at a Laboratory; the recipe needs a Mist of a Fell Sicklescythe.

BB TierUseful in specific situations or party roles.

BPoison · Heavy projectile

Acid Bite (Eternal)

  • Poison
  • Single target

Big numbers (70–130 base) with slow 2.0–3.0s casts. Strong against poison-weak targets, awkward as a general-purpose spell.

Why it ranks here

  • The Eternal version hits for 130 base at Lv22
  • Poison covers what fire and ice cannot

Tradeoffs

  • 3.0s cast on the Eternal version
  • 120 mana per Eternal cast
Level
17 · Eternal 22
Base damage
70 / 130
Mana
67 / 120
Cast time
2.0 / 3.0s

How to get

Alchemist with an Alchemy Station; the Eternal charge needs a Laboratory.

BHealing · Bouncing group heal

Chain Heal (I–II / Eternal)

  • Co-op only
  • Group heal

Heals bounce between allies, so it only pulls ahead of Heal Channel when you actually play with a group.

Why it ranks here

  • Chain Heal II restores 58 base to several allies
  • The Eternal version costs only 19 mana

Tradeoffs

  • Solo players gain nothing over Heal Channel
Level
10 / 32 · Eternal 17
Healing
28–58
Mana
46 / 36 / 19
Cast time
0.8–1.2s

How to get

Alchemist with a Mortar; the Eternal charge needs an Alchemy Station.

BHealing · Targeted beam

Heal Beam Channel (Eternal)

  • Co-op only
  • Dedicated healer

The dedicated-healer tool: a beam that keeps one ally topped up, 70 base per tick on the Eternal version.

Why it ranks here

  • Strongest sustained healing on a single tank

Tradeoffs

  • Useless without a party
  • 1.6–2.0s wind-up before healing starts
Level
25 · Eternal 38
Healing
36 / 70 per tick
Mana
22 / 54
Cast time
1.6 / 2.0s

How to get

Alchemist at a Laboratory; the Eternal charge needs an Alchemy Station.

BFire · Knockback flash

Light Burst (Eternal)

  • Swarm
  • Escape
  • Dungeon

Almost no damage (6 base) but a flash that pushes back every enemy around you: a panic button for swarms in tight dungeons.

Why it ranks here

  • 0.5s cast and 18–20 mana, so it is always available

Tradeoffs

  • No kill power; you still need a damage spell
Level
17 · Eternal 22
Base damage
6
Mana
18 / 20
Cast time
0.5 / 0.8s

How to get

The standard charge is only found, never crafted; the Eternal version comes from the Alchemist at a Laboratory.

BShroud · Channeled beam

Shroud Beam Channel

  • Sustained DPS
  • Late game

A heavier-hitting beam (54 base per tick) than Lightning Channel, but the 1.5s wind-up and lack of an Eternal version make it a niche pick.

Why it ranks here

  • High per-tick damage for a channel

Tradeoffs

  • 34 mana per tick drains the bar quickly
  • Lv28 recipe with no Eternal version
Level
28
Base damage
54 per tick
Mana
34
Cast time
1.5s

How to get

Alchemist at a Laboratory.

BShock · Summoned companion

Shock Wisp

  • Summon
  • Utility
  • Late game

Summons an electrified wisp that follows you and fires shock projectiles: free extra damage while you cast other spells or fight in melee.

Why it ranks here

  • Damage keeps coming while you do something else

Tradeoffs

  • 118 mana and a 2.0s cast to set up
  • Late unlock at Lv38
Level
38
Base damage
114
Mana
118
Cast time
2.0s

How to get

Alchemist at a Laboratory (Lv38 recipe using Cursed Shroud Sacks and an Electric Nerve).

BUtility · Defensive barrier

Magic Shield

  • Defense
  • Boss
  • Late game

A barrier that blocks projectiles and reduces melee damage: the one spell that lets a pure caster stand in a boss arena.

Why it ranks here

  • Covers the caster's biggest weakness: getting hit

Tradeoffs

  • 280 mana and a 4.0s cast, so set it up before the fight
  • Lv43 recipe
Level
43
Mana
280
Cast time
4.0s

How to get

Alchemist at a Laboratory (Lv43 recipe using a Bursting Fell Heart).

CC TierEarly filler or outclassed later.

CBlunt · Seeking projectiles

Bone Channel (I–II)

  • Early game
  • Homing

Cheap homing projectiles (13–22 mana) that seek out enemies. Fine before you have elemental channels, outclassed once you do.

Why it ranks here

  • Homing makes it forgiving for new casters
  • Blunt damage is a different type from every elemental spell

Tradeoffs

  • 17–36 base damage stops mattering by mid game
Level
15 / 25
Base damage
17 / 36
Mana
13 / 22
Cast time
0.3 / 0.6s

How to get

Crafted by the Collector from Ectoplasm Fragments and Bones after your first Ectoplasm find.

CFire · Starter projectile

Fire Bolt

  • Early game

Your first staff charge: 23 base for 20 mana with a 0.7s cast. Replace it the moment Fireball I unlocks at Lv10.

Why it ranks here

  • Needs no crafting station

Tradeoffs

  • Lowest damage in the game
Level
3
Base damage
23
Mana
20
Cast time
0.7s

How to get

Hand-crafted from Lv3 without any station.

Sources checked

Update 8: Forging the PathHotfix #42 / v0.9.1.2Official Enshrouded Wiki (spells, weapons, skills)