I’d pick Fury for direct melee combat, Shadow for stealth and movement, Tactician for team coordination, or Conduit for healing and support. My first question: Which decisions would you enjoy making every turn?
All four classes build a Heroic Resource and spend it on abilities. Your choice shapes what you track: your position, your target, your allies, and when to spend instead of save.
Quick Comparison
| Class | Best fit if you enjoy… | Resource | Main demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fury | Fighting on the front line | Ferocity | Deal damage without taking more punishment than you can handle |
| Shadow | Stealth and precise strikes | Insight | Plan your approach and exit |
| Tactician | Setting up allies’ moves and attacks | Focus | Track the team’s positions and plans |
| Conduit | Healing, protection, and divine attacks | Piety | Decide who needs help and when offense can wait |
For a first hero, I’d favor the turn you want to play over damage alone. Fury offers the most direct starting point; Tactician asks you to watch more of the battlefield. With any class, check your ending position before committing - Melee 1 reaches an adjacent target, while Melee 2 reaches within two squares.
Draw Steel Classes: Choose Your First Hero
Draw Steel Class Guide! #drawsteel
Compare Roles, Resources, and Combat Choices
Here’s a side-by-side look at each class’s role, resources, and turn-by-turn decisions.
| Class | Primary role | Key characteristics | Resource | Usual position | Learning curve | First-player fit | What it asks of you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fury | Defender / striker | Might, Agility | Ferocity | Front line | Low | Great for a direct approach | Choose your melee position and when to spend resources |
| Shadow | Mobile striker | Agility, Insight | Insight | Flanks; moves between targets | Moderate | Good if you enjoy positioning | Find openings and punish weaknesses |
| Tactician | Controller / leader | Might, Reason | Focus | Midline | High | Challenging; suits players who want to coordinate the team | Time resource use and guide team movement |
| Conduit | Support / leader | Intuition, Piety | Piety | Back line / midline | Moderate | Fair if support decisions appeal to you | Balance healing and buffs while conserving resources |
The next sections look more closely at how each class fights.
Fury
Battlefield Role
Fury is the simplest first class to learn on the front line. Close the gap with a key target, then fight at close range.
Resources and Signature Mechanics
Once you’re in melee, decide whether to spend Ferocity or hold it. Timing matters: use it when the extra damage can change the fight, not when the hit would get the job done anyway.
Spend Ferocity when it can finish a dangerous enemy before its next turn; save it when your attack would already defeat that enemy.
Positioning and Typical Turns
Before you engage, plan where you’ll end your move and whether you can survive the counterattack. Getting to the target is only half the turn. Don’t leave yourself exposed or beyond your allies’ reach.
Decisions and Teamwork
Fury still needs support, so advance where allies can follow. Trade health for damage only when the hit matters.
Shadow
Battlefield Role
Fury fights head-on. Shadow chooses when to enter the fight. Use stealth to set up your hit, not just to hide.
Resources and Signature Mechanics
Track Insight and concealment as you prepare your attack. Decide whether to spend Insight on the hit, and use concealment to plan your approach.
Positioning and Typical Turns
Approach from an angle and strike the exposed target. Then reposition only if the attack allows it. Check its movement rules before committing - don’t assume every strike gives you a way out afterward.
Decisions and Teamwork
Act on openings your allies create, and stay close enough for them to cover your exit.
Tactician
Fury and Shadow win through personal positioning. Tactician wins by making the whole party better.
Battlefield Role
Pick Tactician if you want to help the whole party get more out of its turns. Your best turn often sets up someone else’s big play instead of dealing the most damage yourself. That makes Tactician a tempo class: you shape the turn before damage lands.
Resources and Signature Mechanics
Tactician starts with Might 2 and Reason 2. At the start of combat, you gain Focus equal to your Victories. You also gain 2 Focus at the start of each turn.
Focus fuels your combat abilities. Mark flags a target, while Strike Now turns openings into ally attacks. Field Arsenal lets you use two kits, and Tactical Doctrine grants a triggered action.
Positioning and Typical Turns
Stay near the middle of the fight, where you can reach allies and targets rather than just one enemy.
Mark a priority target, then weigh your options: does an ally need movement or another attack more than you do? Watch for triggered actions between turns, and spend Focus when it gives the party a better attack, move, or defense.
Decisions and Teamwork
Help Fury reach a priority enemy, give Shadow a better angle, or create space for Conduit to support.
Create the opening, then let that player use it. Tactician rewards coordination, but you’ll need to track everyone’s position - not just your own.
Conduit
Battlefield Role
Tactician coordinates the party. Conduit keeps that plan working through healing, buffs, and pressure.
Pick Conduit if you want to heal, buff, debuff, and still attack. Each turn, you’ll weigh your allies’ needs against a chance to put pressure on the enemy.
Resources and Signature Mechanics
Intuition and Piety shape Conduit’s divine abilities. Let them guide whether you heal, protect, buff, or deal damage this turn.
Positioning and Typical Turns
Stay where you can support allies and attack priority enemies. If healing can wait, hit a priority target or help allies get into better positions. Your turns balance recovery with offense.
Decisions and Teamwork
Once the party is stable, finish off wounded enemies or punish flankers who threaten your melee allies.
Class Strengths and Trade-Offs
After the role overview, look at what each class asks you to manage during a fight. Compare what you need to track in combat - not just how much damage you can deal.
| Class | Fight question | Main advantages | Practical trade-offs | First habit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fury | Can you survive the trade for frontline pressure? | Durable melee pressure, forced movement, and more power as Ferocity builds. | Fighting on the front line leaves you exposed. Spending Ferocity too early can cost you a bigger swing later. | Check retaliation before you commit. |
| Shadow | Can you plan your angle and exit? | Precise strikes, mobility, and tools for evading danger. | Good positioning takes planning and communication. Being a Shadow doesn't automatically make you hidden. | Choose where you'll end your turn before attacking. |
| Tactician | Can you make your turn count for the team? | Boosts allies’ movement, attacks, damage, and recovery. | You need to track distances, threats, and your teammates’ plans. | Help the ally who benefits most. |
| Conduit | Can you balance rescue, pressure, and protection? | Offers healing, protection, buffs, debuffs, and divine offense. | You must track allies’ Stamina, danger, positions, and your resources. You can't fix every risky choice. | Check danger before spending resources. |
The table helps you compare the classes. Turn by turn, their demands get more specific.
Ferocity builds each turn and increases when you take damage. Plan how you'll spend it before committing, but don't take hits just to fuel it.
Shadow needs the party to know your route and target. Tactician needs to know what allies plan to do before stepping in to help.
For Conduit, the ally with low Stamina isn't always the most urgent rescue target. Before spending a strong resource, check who's exposed right now and who can safely retreat.
Choose Your First Class
Match your first hero to the kind of turn you’ll enjoy playing again and again.
| If you want to… | Choose… | Typical turn | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fight directly and keep front-line pressure | Fury | Close in, hold your ground, and pressure the enemy. | Protecting allies still takes positioning and teamwork. |
| Use stealth and precision strikes | Shadow | Pick an opening, strike, and slip out. | Timing and positioning matter as much as damage. |
| Coordinate allies and battlefield movement | Tactician | Set up your allies’ movement and attacks. | You’ll need to track the whole battlefield. |
| Heal, protect, and boost allies | Conduit | Keep allies alive, protected, and empowered. | Use your support where it matters most. |
Choose based on the turn-by-turn decisions that sound most fun, not just damage. Positioning, teamwork, and resource timing matter just as much.
FAQs
Which class fits ranged combat best?
The Hunter class is best suited to ranged combat. Built around precision, scouting, and survival, its Archer, Assassin, and Tracker specialties focus on attacking from a distance and targeting key enemies.
Does my party need a dedicated healer?
Yes - a healer is generally a core role in a balanced party. Healers and support-focused characters restore health, remove negative status effects, and keep teammates ready to fight.
A group without a healer can still stay balanced by adjusting encounter difficulty, adding NPC allies, or providing extra recovery items and abilities.
Can I play Tactician without knowing my allies’ abilities?
Yes - you can play a Tactician without knowing every ally’s abilities. Start by watching what your allies do in combat. Then coordinate around broad roles - tank, striker, controller, or support - instead of learning every ability in advance.
You can get better by planning, managing party resources, and adjusting your tactics as the party’s roles shift during play.
