Class Guide · Updated for patch 0.30 (Early Access) · September 2026
How to build, level and play an Elementalist in Monsters and Memories — race and trait picks, choosing and managing your elemental companion, the reworked toolkit, group and solo tactics, a leveling path and gear to chase.
01The Elementalist at a Glance
The Elementalist is the pet caster of Monsters and Memories — a cloth-wearing summoner who binds a servant of water, earth, fire or air and fights alongside it. Your companion tanks, heals your group's mana or hits hard, and your own spells turn its element against the enemy with burns, chills, snares and casting slows.
The official class page calls the Elementalist the "Elemental Binder": a pet-based summoner with strong direct-damage nukes. The deep dive goes further — as the game's most pet-focused class, your biggest damage comes from commanding your companion rather than from your own spells.
Strengths
A pet that can tank, add damage or regenerate your party's mana · Companion Strike, a big hit for its mana cost · four elements, so you can pick the right tool for the fight · very comfortable solo · conjured food, drink, bandages and manastones for the whole group · charm, fear and lull tools against elementals.
Weaknesses
Cloth armor and low health · your pet can pull aggro or break crowd control if you don't manage it · losing your pet mid-fight costs time and mana · less raw burst than a Wizard · juggling pet and caster attention takes practice.
02Is the Elementalist Right for You?
You’ll love it if…
You like having a partner in every fight; you enjoy picking the right pet for the job; you want a caster that can solo; you like being useful between fights with food, water and bandages; you like the fantasy of commanding fire and storm.
You might not if…
You want the biggest personal damage numbers (that's the Wizard); you find managing a pet fiddly; you want to heal or crowd-control; you'd rather not rebuild your pet after every wipe.
For a new player the Elementalist is one of the friendlier casters. The pet takes hits so you don't have to, and you can learn the game at your own pace solo before you start grouping. The skill to learn is pet control: knowing when to send it in, when to pull it back, and which element to bring.
03Choosing Your Race
Six races can be Elementalists at Early Access. Your class adds +4 INT and +4 STA to your race's base stats, and you get 10 bonus points to spend at creation. Starting values before bonus points:
| Race | INT | STA | Starts in | Why pick it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human | 20 | 21 | Night Harbor, Underdocks | The easiest start in Night Harbor, near the School of the Fourfold Path. Tenacity resists mesmerize and incapacitate. |
| Gnome | 24 | 19 | Night Harbor, Underdocks | Highest starting INT. Slippery breaks roots and snares so you can run while your pet holds the mob. |
| Deep Elf | 23 | 19 | Underdocks, Ail’Vorith | Great INT with good AGI; can take Ultravision. Evil-aligned, so surface guards are less friendly. |
| Deep Gnome | 23 | 19 | Underdocks | Excellent INT; can take Ultravision. Kill-on-sight to everyone in Ail'Vorith. |
| Dwarf | 20 | 21 | Night Harbor | Sturdy, and Stone Form is a strong panic button for a cloth caster. |
| Ogre | 20 | 23 | Night Harbor, Underdocks | The most Stamina of any Elementalist, plus Ogre Smash to stun nearby enemies. Ogres are kill-on-sight in Evershade Weald. |
Spending your 10 bonus points
Intelligence drives your spell damage and your mana pool, and the deep dive says Companion Strike's damage grows with your pet's Intelligence — which Elemental Empowerment shares from you. After INT, Stamina keeps you alive when something slips past your pet.
- Humans and Dwarves: +7 INT, +2 STA, +1 DEX.
- Gnomes: +5 INT, +3 STA, +2 DEX — you already start with the most INT.
- Deep Elves and Deep Gnomes: about +6 INT, +3 STA, +1 DEX.
- Ogres: you have Stamina to spare, so put all 10 into INT.
- Charisma and Wisdom do little for an Elementalist. Skip them.
Deep Dwarf and High Elf are listed as Elementalist races on the official site but aren't playable at Early Access.
04Recommended Traits
You pick one trait from each of four categories at creation (see the New Player Guide for the full lists). For an Elementalist:
| Category | Best pick | Why | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major Combat | Intelligent | +10 INT passive — more spell damage, more mana, and more INT to share with your pet. The active (+100 INT for 12s) is a burst window. | Tough (more health), Magic Resistant, or the resist trait matching the zone you hunt |
| Minor Combat | Conjurer | Your pets and all your conjured items are Conjuration. +10 skill and faster skill-ups mean smoother summons early. | Evoker (your nukes), Alterer (Element Break, pet buffs and charms), Channeler |
| Major Non-Combat | Infravision / Ultravision | Nights and dungeons are very dark, and you need to see adds coming. Deep Elves and Deep Gnomes should take Ultravision. | Readiness — a cantrip slot from level 1, so a pet summon survives a death |
| Minor Non-Combat | Bookworm | A free extra spellbook for your conjuration and travel spells. | Tailor or Jewelcrafter (caster gear), Chef (you already conjure the basics), any gathering trait for money |
05Getting Started
Your starter quest
Every Elementalist begins with a class starter quest that teaches the basics and hands out your first gear. For the full step-by-step walkthrough, with every NPC, location and reward, see our Elementalist Starter Quest Guide. Individual quest pages: Elementalist Starter Quest (Night Harbor) · The Pinwheel Quest.
Where to buy spells and reagents
- Night Harbor: the School of the Fourfold Path is your guild. Your trainer and spell vendor are there.
- Reagents: older data lists Crushed Malachite, sold by the Elemental quartermaster, as the reagent for pet summons. Check your vendor — the reworked summons may differ.
- Deep-race Elementalists starting in the Underdocks or Ail’Vorith: ask a guard for your trainer, and see our Underdocks and Ail’Vorith pages.
06Your Toolkit
Elementalist spells come in lines: you learn a spell, then buy stronger versions every few levels. Levels shown are when the first version (and each upgrade) becomes available, from the current spell list (updated October 2026).
| Line | Starts | Progression | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elemental companions0.30 | 1–12 | Minor Creation: Water 1, Minor Creation: Earth 4, Minor Creation: Fire 8, Minor Creation: Air 12 → Creation: Water 16, Creation: Earth 20, Creation: Fire 24, Creation: Air 28 | Your pet summons at your current level, up to the rank's maximum, so it never falls behind between upgrades. |
| Companion Strike0.30 | 1 | Companion Strike 1 → II 8 → III 12 → Companion Slash 20 → II 28 → III 36 | You spend the mana, your companion delivers the hit. Scales with your pet's INT and does extra damage to elementals. Your main damage spell. |
| Elemental Flash & Bolt | 1 | Elemental Flash 1 → II 4 → III 12 → Elemental Bolt 24 → II 36 → III 48 → Greater 60 (replaces Blast of Air / Earth / Fire / Water) | Your classic nuke. With a pet out it takes your companion's element and adds a burn, chill, snare or casting slow. |
| Flameburst | 1 | Flameburst 1 | Your level 1 fire nuke. The old Fireburst-to-Fires of Eth chain was removed. |
| Element Break | 16 | Element Break 16 → Element Crack 28 → Element Fracture 40 → Element Shatter 52 | Lowers cold, electric, fire and magic resistance at once. Can't be resisted unless the target is immune. |
| Pet buffs | 4 | Minor Elemental Fury 4 → Lesser 12 → Elemental Fury 24 → Greater 36 → Exceptional 48 → Superior 60; Minor Elemental Empowerment 16 → Lesser 28 → Greater 40 → Exceptional 52; Speedy Companion 20 | Attack speed and strength for your pet. Empowerment adds attack speed, shares your INT and regenerates its health, but costs a lot of mana. |
| Pet heals | 4 | Lesser Elemental Rejuvenation 4 → Elemental Rejuvenation 16 → Greater 28 → Exceptional 40 → Superior 52 (replaces Heal the Elements) | Heals your elemental pet only. |
| Resummon0.30 | 32 | Elemental Resurgence 32 | Makes your next companion summon faster and cheaper — for when your pet dies mid-fight. |
| Self shield0.30 | 1 | Minor Elemental Spellshield 1 → Lesser 12 → Elemental Spellshield 20 → Greater 28 → Exceptional 36 → Superior 44 → Arch 52 | One self-buff with health, AC, magic and elemental resists, see-magic, and a chill that slows attackers. |
| Damage shield | 8 | Flame Shield 8 → Fire Shield 20 → Magma Shield 28 → Lava Shield 36 → Blazing Shield 44 → Inferno Shield 56 → Firestorm Shield 60 | Burns anything that hits the target. Put it on your tank or your pet. |
| Resist buffs | 12 | Fire Protection 12, Cold Protection 16 → Fire Resistance 24, Cold Resistance 32 | Resist buffs for yourself or the group. |
| Elemental control | 12 | Fear the Elements, Lull the Elements, Restrain the Elements and Charm the Elements all at 12 (Charm II at 24), Master of Elements 20 | Tools that only work on elementals: fear, aggro reduction and charm. Master of Elements turns you into an elemental for a short time. |
| Conjuration | 1 | Food and Drink 1 (Conjure versions 28); bandages from 4; Manastones from 8; elemental weapons; Ring of Water Breathing0.30 | Supplies for you and your group. Manastones trade health for mana and can be handed to other players. |
| Utility | 1–4 | Polar Align: North, Reclaim Essence, Gate, Soulbind, See Invisibility, Dispel Magic → Abolish Magic 32 | Reclaim Essence turns your pet's health into mana. |
07Spells to Prioritize, Levels 1–28
You won’t be able to afford every spell as soon as it unlocks. This is the order that matters most for a new Elementalist. Levels match the current spell list (updated October 2026).
Past level 28, the pattern continues: new pet ranks and Companion Slash upgrades first, then pet buffs and heals, then your Elemental Bolt and Element Break upgrades.
08Playing in a Group
In a group your job is damage, and your pet is most of it. The trick is adding that damage without stealing aggro from the tank or breaking anyone else's crowd control.
Before the pull
- Pick the right companion. Water's Fount of Mana aura regenerates mana for your whole party (and stacks with other mana-regen spells). Fire and Air add damage. Earth is the sturdiest but is built to hold aggro — only bring it to a group if you're asked to off-tank.
- Buff your pet with Elemental Fury (and Elemental Empowerment), and yourself with Elemental Spellshield.
- Hand out supplies: food, water and bandages for anyone who needs them, and Manastones for casters about to run dry.
- Ask who is mezzing. A pet that attacks a mezzed mob will wake it.
During the fight
- Send the pet after the tankWait until the tank has the mob's attention, then send your companion in. A pet that arrives first can take aggro.
- Break resistsCast Element Break on anything tough so your spells and your group's land more often.
- Companion Strike on cooldownThe deep dive calls it your main damage dealer — the biggest hit for the mana. Fill gaps with Elemental Flash.
- Watch your pet's healthHeal it before it dies. If it goes down, Elemental Resurgence makes the next summon faster and cheaper.
- Pull the pet back on addsIf adds arrive and someone is mezzing them, call your pet back so it doesn't wander onto a mezzed mob.
09Soloing
Elementalists are among the most comfortable soloing casters: with the aid of their elemental allies, the class description says, an Elementalist never truly adventures alone.
- Let the pet tank: send your companion in first, let it hold the mob, and cast from range. Earth is the sturdiest for this; Air hits hardest.
- Companion Strike and Flash: use Companion Strike as your main damage and Elemental Flash for extra effects — a snare stops runners, a casting slow blunts enemy casters.
- Heal the pet, not yourself: Elemental Rejuvenation is cheaper than resummoning. Keep your pet above half health.
- Rest efficiently: sit to regain mana between fights. Reclaim Essence can turn a spare pet into mana, but you'll need to resummon afterward.
- Charm elementals once you have Charm the Elements (12) — but charm can break, so have a plan.
- Don't over-pull: one pet can hold one mob well. Two is risky; three will probably kill you.
10Leveling Path
A suggested route for an Elementalist. Your pet makes open-field soloing practical, so you can mix solo spots with dungeon groups as you like.
| Levels | Where | Why it’s good for Elementalists |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 | Night Harbor newbie yards / Underdocks newbie yard | Do the starter quest. Let your pet handle rats, bats, snakes and beetles while you learn to send it in. |
| 2–13 | Ail’Vorith outer caves (Deep Elves) | Easy solo trash outside the gates. |
| 3–11 | Tomb of the Last Wyrmsbane | The best early group dungeon. Skeletons in groups — good practice keeping your pet on the right target. |
| 4–6 | Shaded Dunes West Gate shoreline | Non-hostile crocodile hatchlings: safe solo experience. |
| 7–12 | Underdocks Wererat Warrens | Good pet-and-nuke hunting for Underdocks starters. |
| 8–14 | Infested Crypt | Easy solo pulls near the door, deeper tunnels at 10–14. |
| 8–10+ | Shaded Dunes Ashira & Smugglers camps | Low-level named camps; better with a group. |
| 10–16 | Tel Ekir Ashira Outskirts | Plenty of caster gear: Tanner Daba drops the Tannery Staff and the Guardian of the Life Font the Orb of the Waning Waters. |
| 12–16 | Tomb of the Last Wyrmsbane deeper halls | Ghosts, zombies and ghouls, with High Marshal Fionna (~16) at the bottom. |
| 18–27 | Fallen Pass, Keeper’s Bight | Dense camps for groups; Fallen Pass has some of the best INT gear in our database. |
See Where to Level in the New Player Guide for more spots, and each zone page for maps and named mobs.
11Gear to Look For
Wear cloth and stack Intelligence first, then Stamina, hit points and mana. Your pet does much of the fighting, so a little extra survivability matters more for you than for a Wizard — you're the one who gets hit when the pet dies. Charisma doesn't matter, so CHA penalties on caster items are no problem.
Early gear (roughly levels 1–16)
| Item | Slot | Stats | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tannery Staff | Primary | STA +2, INT +8, Mana +10 | Tanner Daba, Tel Ekir |
| Orb of the Waning Waters | Primary | STA/INT/WIS +7, HP +35, Mana +35 | Guardian of the Life Font, Tel Ekir |
| Bent Staff of Nerguk | Primary | INT +5, WIS +5, Mana +25 | Nerguk, Sungreet Strand |
| Orb of the Fading Flame | Primary | DEX/INT/WIS +3, HP +15, Mana +15 | Skyseer Illya, Ancient Crypt |
| Hexwoven Handwraps | Hands | AC 7, INT +3, Mana +15 | Seeric of Maelsin Thrys, Sungreet Strand |
| Hallowed Bone Amulet | Neck | AC 8, STR +3, STA +5, INT +3, HP +15, Mana +10 | A Pale Forman, Night Harbor |
| Manaweave Veil | Face | AC 5, STA +2, INT +3, Mana +10 | Najm the Mirage, Tel Ekir |
| Mirage Cloth Boots | Feet | AC 7, STA +3, INT +3 | Najm the Mirage, Tel Ekir |
| Chitonweave Breeches | Legs | AC 12, STA +2, INT +4, CHA +1, Mana +5 | Animist Wafi, Tel Ekir |
| Feastfire Wrapper | Chest | AC 10, INT +4, Mana +10 | Luhum the Plump, Tel Ekir |
Upgrades for later
| Item | Slot | Stats | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Black Robe | Chest | AC 21, STA +4, INT +5, CHA +4, Mana +15 | Night Harbor |
| Shadowstitch Leggings | Legs | AC 15, INT +5, HP +15, Mana +10 | Jailer Benedict, Night Harbor |
| Echo Stone | Jewelry | INT +5, WIS +5, Mana +25 | Manciple Daphne, Night Harbor |
| Sand Giant’s Napkin | Back | AC 8, INT +5, WIS +5, HP +10 | Maleq, Shaded Dunes / Fallen Pass |
| Rootrender’s Stave | Primary | INT +13 | Yurl Rootrender, Scarwood |
| Robe of the Veiled Doctrine | Chest | AC 24, STA +4, INT +7, HP +10, Mana +10 | Ebon Scholar Myrddin, Glass Flats |
| Tidebreaker Cane | Primary | INT +10 | Captain Harkan Saafir, Shallow Shoals |
| Iremgorge's Luminous Core | Ring | AC 6, STR +6, STA +8, INT +6, HP +20, Mana +20 | Iremgorge, Caves of Irem |
| Embezzler’s Golden Kilt | Legs | AC 15, STA/DEX/INT/CHA +7, HP +35 | Zubair Goldtongue, Vale of Zintar |
| Pustulax's Robe | Chest | AC 34, STA/INT/WIS +10, HP +15, Mana +35 | Pustulax, Fallen Pass |
| Waterlogged Tome of Whispers | Ring | INT +9, Mana +14 | Archivist's Ghost, The Hidden Grotto |
Stats from our item database. Item levels aren't published, so "early" is based on where they drop; the Night Harbor named NPCs are not newbie mobs, so check their level before trying. Browse the database for more INT cloth.
12Your Elemental Companion
Your companion is the heart of the class. The deep dive says your four elemental servants summon and play the same way they always have — but they now scale with you.
| Pet | Style | Signature effects | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Caster | Fount of Mana: a party mana-regeneration aura that now stacks with other mana-regen spells | Groups, and any time your casters need mana |
| Earth | Tank | Earthen Toughness: a Stamina aura; roots and provokes; the most health | Soloing, off-tanking, dangerous hard-hitting mobs |
| Fire | Caster | A casting-speed aura and a damage shield (Backlash of Fire) | Extra damage in groups with a good tank |
| Air | Melee | Rush of Air: a chance for extra attacks; stuns; the highest damage of the four | Fast solo kills when you can keep it alive |
Pet roles and aura names come from community data; the deep dive confirms Fount of Mana for the Water pet. Details may shift with balance patches.
How pet ranks work now
- Summons at your level: a rank 1 Water pet gives you a pet anywhere from level 1 to 15; at 16 you get rank 2, which covers 16–31, and so on every 16 levels.
- All four types by 12: you don't have to wait for a specific element any more. Try each one.
- Resummon after you level: a pet summoned before you dinged is still the old level. Recast it when you have a quiet moment.
- Empower it: Elemental Empowerment shares your INT with the pet, which makes Companion Strike hit harder.
Managing your mana
- Sit between pulls. Meditation (from level 4) only boosts mana regeneration while you're sitting. Resting at a campfire also speeds regeneration and builds the 15% Rested experience bonus.
- Companion Strike is your most efficient damage. Spend mana there before Elemental Flash.
- Empowerment is expensive. Use it on long fights and named mobs, not on every trash pull.
- Water pet for long sessions: Fount of Mana helps you and your whole group.
- Manastones and Reclaim Essence trade health for mana. Use them in a pinch, then rest.
13Common Elementalist Mistakes
- Sending the pet in before the tank. It takes aggro, and the mob's friends follow it.
- Letting the pet hit mezzed mobs. Pull it back when crowd control goes out.
- Bringing Earth to a group with a tank. Its provoke can fight the tank for aggro — bring Water, Fire or Air instead.
- Letting the pet die. Elemental Rejuvenation is much cheaper than a new summon.
- Forgetting to resummon after leveling. Your pet doesn't level with you once it's out.
- Nuking instead of Companion Strike. Your pet's hit is the better use of mana.
- Standing in melee. You're in cloth. Let the pet stand there.
14Elementalist FAQ
Is the Elementalist good for new players?
Yes. Your pet absorbs a lot of mistakes and makes soloing comfortable. The main skill to learn is pet control, especially in groups.
What’s the most important Elementalist stat?
Intelligence. It raises your damage and mana, and Elemental Empowerment shares it with your pet to power Companion Strike. Stamina comes next.
Which elemental pet should I use?
Earth or Air for soloing (Earth for safety, Air for speed), Water in groups for its party mana aura, and Fire when you want extra damage behind a good tank.
Can an Elementalist solo?
Very well. Let your pet tank, use Companion Strike as your main damage, heal the pet between hits and pull one mob at a time.
What’s the best race for an Elementalist?
Gnome for the highest starting Intelligence, Human for the easiest Night Harbor start, or Ogre if you want to be much harder to kill.
What happened to Fireburst and Invisibility versus Elementals?
Both were removed in the rework. Flameburst is still your level 1 nuke, replaced later by the Elemental Flash line, and the old Repel/Devastate the Elements spells were merged into Companion Strike and Elemental Flash.