Spellbreak isn’t your average battle royale. Indeed, aside from its utter absence of assault rifles and its novel, high-fantasy motif, Spellbreak has a distinctly unique arsenal of weaponry to choose from: Gauntlets. Something like Thanos meets Avatar: The Last Airbender, each Gauntlet comes with two elemental attacks, a Sorcery and a Spell, that can be combined with the Gauntlet on your offhand to give rise to one of the deepest and most engrossing combo systems of any game — genre notwithstanding. But no two Gauntlets are the same, of course, and thus we find ourselves in need of a Spellbreak Gauntlet Tier List.
Unlike other battle royale tier lists, where the most important metrics are often things like DPS, Hip Fire Spread, or Magazine capacity, this Spellbreak Gauntlet Tier List focuses on breaking down what makes each Spellbreak Gauntlet unique, how it’s used, and finding the optimal playstyle for you.
Related: Best Spellbreak Combos
Spellbreak Gauntlet list
The Spellbreak Gauntlets come in six elemental-types: Frost, Flame, Stone, Wind, Lightning, and Toxic. Remember, one person’s trash is another’s treasure: Depending on how you play, your own Gauntlet preference will be different from someone else’s. That said, there are generally favorable combinations and recommendations for each player.
Toxic
Toxic is a hard-hitting, closer-range Gauntlet that functions something like the shotgun of Spellbreak. Albeit a poisonous shotgun. Toxic can be used to inflict stacks of Corrosion that deal DoT damage to player armor, and can be used to toxify other elements and projectiles like Tornadoes, a variety of puddles, and even fire (creating Dragonfire).
Spell: Toxic Spray
The Toxic Gauntlet’s spell, Toxic Spray spits out a quickly arcing barrage of poisonous projectiles that leave a long-lasting Toxic Puddle where they land. This makes Toxic dangerous up close but vulnerable to more range attacks like an Ice Lance, Fireball or Boulderfall.
Sorcery: Toxic Cloud
Toxic’s sorcery, Toxic Cloud, lobs the equivalent of a toxic hand-grenade that explodes upon impact, leaving a large AOE cloud of toxic mist that deals DoT damage to players within its radius and afflicts Corrosion.
How to Use Toxic Gauntlet
On its own, the Toxic moveset is incredibly potent at close range, where players can use the puddles for some light zone control and take advantage of its wide AoEs to create some of the more potent combos in Spellbreak. Combined with Fire, Toxic creates the high damage dragonfire, with Wind the potent Toxic whirlwind, and when combined with both of those the magnificent DF-Nado:
Toxic is hard-countered by Wind, which can use its spell, Wind Shears, to dissipate everything that Toxic Wind throws at it and employ mobility that makes hitting them with toxic incredibly hard to pull off.
Frost
Frost is the Sniper of Spellbreak. It provides unmatched range and single-target DPS with a great disengage and MS debuff that lends itself well to anyone familiar with trapper-shooter mechanics.
Spell: Ice Lance
Frost’s spell, Ice Lance, fires a single projectile that damages foes and creates a slippery puddle where it lands. What makes Ice Lance special is the perspective zoom that occurs when holding the fire button, giving players a distinct advantage at range.
Sorcery: Flash Freeze
Frost’s sorcery, Flash Freeze, is an AoE Stun that works as an excellent disengage. Should you be too zeroed-in on an enemy at range to notice the Toxicologist sneaking up on you from behind, you can Flash Freeze to solidify projectiles, stun players, and return to distance where you’re stronger.
How to Use Frost Gauntlet
Players should use Frost where it’s best, at a distance poking holes in people and using Flash Freeze defensively. It works well in conjunction with a Lightning Gauntlet that can be used to electrify ice trails and puddles, shocking players, as well as a Toxic Gauntlet that will complement its long-range sniping capabilities with some short-range firepower. Players be careful of Lightning when using Flash Freeze, for electrical conduction works both ways.
Remember that an Ice Lance can be used to freeze Steam Puddles or Toxic Clouds into hard, collidable ice blocks as well.
Related: How To Unlock and Play Solo in Spellbreak: All You Need to Know
Lightning
Lightning provides some decent single-target DPS and some long-range support utility by way of its unique Shock debuff that renders players unable to activate runes or cast spells and sorceries for a few moments — giving you the brief pause you need to light them up while they button-mash in unadulterated horror.
Spell: Lightning Bolt
Lightning Bolt fires a trio of bolts in quick succession that, when held, functions something like a Spellbreak laser-beam. The damage is steady and easy to land, but lacks the burst of other gauntlets. The beauty is in its ability to electrify puddles and clouds, setting up a follow-up burst with Lightning’s sorcery, Lightning Strike, or a combo with your other gauntlet.
Sorcery: Lightning Strike
Lightning Strike calls down a barrage of lightning bolts in an AoE that deal decent damage and directly apply Shock to players, rendering them unable to fire back with anything meaningful. Can also be used to threaten for strong zone control.
How to Use Lightning Gauntlet
Lightning Gauntlet is a strong choice to support either a team or set up a serious combo sequence with another gauntlet like Toxic or Ice. Lightning Bolt’s main utility is as a means to Shocking your opponent when an opportune moment strikes, electrifying a water, toxic, ice or steam puddle or a mist they find themselves encased in.
When running it with Toxic, or Wind, the combined sorceries make for a devastating combo when used in conjunction with one another. Just be aware that Flamewalls can act as lightning rods, redirecting the path of Lightning Strikes.
Fire
Fire is the rocket launcher of Spellbreak. It, quite predictably, combines pure splash damage and versatile AoEs to help control the field and spread damage like… well, wildfire. Fire is the go-to for high damage, and can add raw power to a variety of other Gauntlets like Stone and Toxic to up their damage.
Spell: Fireball
Fireball is a standard issue, long-range missile that damages opponents and, if cast by a Pyromancer, creates a Flame Puddle upon the impact that lingers for six seconds, damaging players and Igniting them for a minor DoT. Apart from its ability to set other moves ablaze, like Toxic Clouds, Tornadoes, and Boulders, the Fireball does a hefty amount of damage for a spell projectile and, when combined with the insane amount of flame puddles it can produce in a short time, makes it the weapon of choice for those who want some… firepower.
Sorcery: Flamewall
Flamewall creates a horizontal array of Flame Puddles before the caster that can be used on top of opponents for a quick ignite, in combination with other elements like Toxic for Dragonfire Puddles, Tornadoes for Fire Tornadoes, or Stone’s Shockwave and Boulderfall to create fire trails and meteors respectively. The AoE also acts as excellent zone control and can be used to cut off escape points or peel squads off of an injured party member.
How to Use Fire Gauntlet
The Fire Gauntlet is geared towards head-on assault, fully capable of cutting opponents down in 1v1s while excelling at damaging tightly clustered enemies and dispersing squads. Running it with Stone and Toxic only further amplifies an already significant damage output, while combining it with Wind provides a defensive and mobility boost that rounds it out well.
Flamewall + Shockwave is a great combo for cutting up the battlefield, while Meteor is just a freaking Meteor that explodes. Which is awesome. Fire is weakest to Wind, which can extinguish flame puddles and deflect fireballs, and countered to some extent by Lightning which passes through Flamewalls unmitigated.
Wind
Wind is the single most mobile element on this Gauntlet tier list, and provides exceptional survivability by way of easy-escapes and a litany of cleanses. It also provides access to one of the most bombastic combos in Tornado, and is great at countering enemy setups.
Spell: Wind Shear
Wind Shear acts something like a Gatling gun, with a minor charge-up before releasing a continuous onslaught of wind-projectiles that damage your enemy at medium range. The real power of Wind Shears, however, comes from its ability to cleanse and redirect other elements, as well as to give casters unsurpassed mobility by allowing them to “push” off the ground, Mistborn-style. Wind Shears can be used to clear Toxic Clouds, fire puddles, toxic puddles, and ice mists, as well as deflect fireballs and even push Boulders — speeding them up or slowing them down in the process.
Sorcery: Tornado
Tornado is a powerful, AoE pull that drags players to its center over the course of its 4-second duration. Not only is it strong AoE CC that can be used to disengage or set up a secondary strike, it is a key element in a number of devastating combos.
How to use Wind Gauntlet
Wind is Spellbreak’s most mobile gauntlet. Rather than serving as a means of offense, players should capitalize on Wind Shear’s “flight” mechanic to remain as hard-to-hit as possible, all the while disrupting enemy combos by clearing away their elemental building blocks before they can be used. Wind works as a great off-hand gauntlet by adding immense survivability and a means of escape that bolsters whatever your offensive choice might be.
Every other element besides Stone and Frost, when combined with Tornado, creates a new form of Tornado infused with the effects of the secondary element: Fire Tornados, Toxic Whirlwinds, and Lightning Tornados (which should be called Lightning Storms, let’s be real) that continuously apply Ignite, Corrosion and Shock respectively. Fire or Toxic Tornados injected with a shot Toxic or Fire create a vicious, three-stage vertical explosion.
Stone
Stone is a hard-hitting but demanding playstyle that rewards timing and precision with big burst damage but hangs those without good accuracy out to dry. Its high skill floor comes with an equally high skill ceiling that, when mastered, can allow Stone players to dominate at all ranges. Its unique moveset is a mixed bag of incredible pros and critical cons that Stone players must learn to leverage for a big payoff.
Spell: Shockwave
Stone’s spell, Shockwave, opens a fissure that rips through the ground, dealing big one-shot damage to whichever unfortunate soul finds themselves in its path. While it hits hard, the fissure is limited to the ground — meaning airborne players are completely immune to any and all shockwaves. In addition, it moves faster downhill than it does uphill, making Shockwave a move to be deployed to great effect situationally. It can be used to clear Toxic and Ice Puddles, but passes through Fire — creating Fire trails.
Sorcery: Boulderfall
Boulderfall is probably the meanest looking move in Spellbreak, launching a literal boulder through the air at your opponents. Boulderfall gains size and damage the longer its air-borne, working up to a large base damage of 50. When applied with Ice or Fire, the boulder becomes an iceberg or a meteor that explodes on impact and leaves a large puddle in its wake, making it an incredible long-range nuke for those with the aim to use it to its fullest potential. Tornadoes and Wind Shears can be used to greatly speed up or slow down the boulder, and a Stone/Wind combo can be used to send the boulder over the horizon.
How to Use Stone Gauntlet
Stone Gauntlet is a powerful addition to any offensive pairing. The high-burst Boulderfall/shockwave combo works as a great opening to an attack, chunking opponents and leaving them at a disadvantage for an extended duel.
A fire/stone combo is especially powerful for its ability to divide up the battlefield and leave it awash with AoE damage. Flamewall + Shockwave can be used to box players in and batter with a Meteor and Fireball/Shockwave follow-ups. It is, however, hard-countered by Wind which can deflect fireballs, extinguish flames, redirect boulderfalls, and stay aloft and immune to shockwaves.
That’s our Spellbreak Gauntlet Tier List. It certainly isn’t your average tier list — probably because that’s just not how Spellbreak works. You have to find the gauntlet that works best for you and your own play-style. Some players will gravitate towards the mobile survivability of Wind, while others may prefer the all-out annihilation of Fire/Stone or Toxic/Fire. It’s you who has to find the gauntlet that fits you best!
GIF credits (original videos):
Note: The article was originally written on Sep 7 but was re-written on Sep 15 to improve it at various places.
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