With infinitely respawning demons jumping from the Abyss into the mortal realm via the Worldwound, you’re fighting a losing battle from the get-go in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
As soon as you start playing, the country of Mendev seems utterly doomed, unless, that is, you can build a character strong enough to smite the evil forces and bring a long-yearned-for peace to the land.
One of the most engaging aspects of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is the depth and complexity of the character development, allowing you to cut your own path through the narrative, but beware… not all characters are made equal!
A character comprises a user-defined selection of race, class, sub-class, abilities, ability adeptness, spells, feats, skills, weapons, and armor, meaning the sheer number of possibilities is utterly mind-boggling — Option paralysis much?!!
Not to worry, though, as I’m going to be your character-building counselor, your guide to overcoming the evil that lingers in the Abyss!
Here, I’ll be counting down the 10 ultimate character builds in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
Top 10 Character Builds In Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous
Mendev has fallen on dark times indeed but by embodying one of the builds below, you’re sure to save the day!
Build #10: Flame Dancer
Fire itself is the muse of the Flame Dancer, and much like fire, they can be nurturing and deadly, as, although they’re a primarily supportive build, they can go on the offensive to devastating effect.
If you’re looking for power on the double, Zen Archer might be the perfect build for you.
Unlocking most of their impactful abilities by level 5, they can do some serious crowd damage by way of their Wisdom and Ki powers, giving you a distinct advantage in the early game.
Primary Class: Monk
Race: Mongrelman
Primary Class Skills:
Mobility
Persuasion
Athletics
Religious Lore
World Knowledge
Stealth
Perception
Abilities (Chronologically):
Zen Archer Proficiencies, Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Strike, AC Bonus, Perfect Strike, Flurry of Blows, Zen Archer Bonus Feat
Zen Archer Bonus Feat, Way of the Bow
Ki Pool, Ki Strike (Magic), Fast movement, Point Blank Mastery, Zen Archery
Stunning Fist (Fatigue), Ki Power, Still mind
Ki Arrows
Ki Power, Zen Archer Bonus Feat
Ki Strike (Cold Iron & Silver)
Stunning Fist (Sicken), Ki Power
Ki Strike (Lawful), Zen Archer Bonus Feat
Ki Power
Bomb
Ki Power, Zen Archer Bonus Feat
Ki Strike (Adamantine), Ki Power
Ki Power, Zen Archer Bonus feat
Ki Power (Perfect Self)
Ability Points Of The Zen Archer Build
Strength: 22
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 20
Charisma: 9
Build #8: Proclaimer
Proclaimers are preachers with a deadly twist. Capable of doling out massive amounts of damage using their devout faith, they’re not to be underestimated, and as you might expect, they have some excellent healing and buff skills too — A true team player!
As their name suggests, Mad Dog builds are all about confronting enemies head-on, no matter how terrifying and myriad they may be.
Insanely fast and powerful, not to mention dynamite when a tracker is required, a Mad Dog build should be a serious consideration. Oh, and did I mention that you can team up with animals for truly wild offensives? Well, you can!
Primary Class: Barbarian
Race: Human
Primary Class Skills:
Athletics
Mobility
Natural Lore
Perception
Persuasion
Mad Dog Abilities (Chronologically):
Barbarian proficiencies, Fast Movement, Animal Companion
Pack Tactics
Trap Sense +1
Rage Power, Rage
Ferocious Fetch
Trap Sense +2
Rage Power
Trap Sense +3
Damage Reduction 1/—
Greater Rage
Rage Power, Trap Sense +4
Damage Reduction 2/—
Greater Rage
Rage Power, Trap Sense +4
Damage Reduction 2/—
Throat Cutter
Trap Sense +5
Damage Reduction 3/—
Tireless Rage
Trap Sense +6
Damage Reduction 4/—
Mighty Rage, Rage Power
Ability Points Of The Mad Dog Build
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 8
Charisma: 8
Build #6: Empyreal Sorcerer
If you gravitate towards the mage classes in games, the Empyreal Sorcerer build is absolutely the way to go. They have extensive knowledge of incredibly powerful, esoteric spells, and they don’t need to study them to use them in battle, unlike wizards.
Deliverers are the rogues of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. They’re stealthy, lightning fast, dangerously intelligent, and just as adept at studying and tracking enemies as they are at ending their lives.
Their unparalleled awareness endows them with a spidey-sense-like ability to detect danger ahead of time, making them a truly fierce opponent, even for the dauntless demons of the Abyss.
Crossblooded are another sorcerer build, and despite the minimal skills they learn on their adventure, they’re devastatingly powerful spellcasters, and they don’t have to study their magic one bit — It all comes naturally!
But that’s not even the best aspect of these dominant builds…
By crossing blood, these unique sorcerers can amass a versatile catalog of magical abilities, making them a super OP, super fun Jack of all trades build.
Eldritch Scion is one of the most balanced builds in that they’re proficient in magic and weapons, making them a threat from range and up close. The price you pay for this broad skill set is a reliance on magic to buff your weapons.
Stuck with light armor, these builds are also quite vulnerable, so it’s important to have a very supportive team if you want to dominate with an Eldritch Scion.
Primary Class: Magus
Race: Human, Tiefling, Aasimar, Dhampir
Primary Class Skills:
Athletics
Persuasion
Arcana Knowledge
World Knowledge
Use Magic Device
Eldritch Scion Abilities (Chronologically):
Magus Proficiencies, Arcane pool, Cantrips, Spell Combat, Detect magic, Bloodlines
Spellstrike
Magus Arcana
Arcane Medium Armor
Arcane Weapon +3, Magus Arcana
Fighter Training
Bonus Magus Feat
Magus Arcana
Arcane Weapon +4, Arcane Heavy Armor
Improved Spell Combat
Magus Arcana
Counterstrike
Arcane Weapon +5, Bonus Magus Feat
Magus Arcana, Greater Spell Combat
Greater Spell Access
True Magus
Ability points Of The Eldritch Scion Build
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 8
Wisdom: 7
Charisma: 20
Build #2: Wandering Marksman Build
Are you an animal lover?
Then you’ll no doubt gravitate towards the Wandering Marksman build, as you can ride into combat with your beast buddies by your side, and don’t worry about them falling in battle, as you can resurrect them and live on together fighting evil!
Tactically minded, Wandering Marksmen are ridiculously stealthy, capable of blending expertly into their surroundings, setting the foundation for some sneaky tactical offensives that catch opponents off guard.
For instance, you can send your animal friends in as a distraction, then use it as an opportunity to launch your own deadly attack.
Another aspect of the Wandering Marksman build that makes them such a harrowing foe is their ability to embody certain facets of their beast helpers.
They’re also relatively versatile in that they can don both light and medium armor (with the exception of tower shields), and they’re ferocious with a wide variety of martial and simple weapons.
Primary Class: Hunter
Race: Human, Dwarf
Primary Class Skills:
Natural Lore
Persuasion
Perception
Athletics
World Knowledge
Stealth
Wandering Marksman Abilities (Chronologically):
Animal Companion, Animal Focus, Nature Sense
Precise Companion
Planned Distraction
Self-Reliance
Second Animal Focus
Emergency Swap
Raise Animal Companion
Imminent Attack
One With the Wild
Master Hunter
Ability Points Of The Marksman Build
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 20
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 16
Charisma: 8
Build #1: Warrior Of The Holy Light
You just can’t beat a Warrior of the Holy Light in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. Gifted fighters and spellcasters, they’re a true force to be reckoned with from range and in close combat.
And just because this build belongs to the Paladin class, doesn’t mean their spells are all support-based.
Granted, they do have a ton of really awesome and helpful healing and buff spells, but they can certainly bring the brutality with spells such as Shining Light, and Smite Evil.
If you’re looking for strong AOE in terms of both support and offense, you need to build a Warrior of the Holy Light.
This archetype is by far the best at decimating enemy lines, and what’s morel, they don’t have to make themselves vulnerable in order to utilize their full catalog of spells.
They can wear any type of armor (besides tower shields) and still massacre enemies using absurdly powerful magic.
Much like the Wandering Marksman build, the Warrior of the Holy Light is proficient with both simple and martial weapons, making them a threat during close proximity fisticuffs as well. In short, they’re a triple threat:
Defense? Check! Magic? Check! Weapons? Check!
However, all this good stuff doesn’t come for nothing — This is a sluggish build. You’d be hard-pressed to find a less nimble archetype in the entire game, and they also need to spend some time and resources studying their magic.
One last trade-off for the ultimate power of the Warrior of the Holy Light build is that you have to stick to your moral alignment like glue, otherwise you become an entirely different archetype, which can throw your whole progression off.
For example, if you stray too far from the Lawful Good alignment, you’ll slip into the Fallen Paladin archetype and all your Paladin features and spells will be blocked.
Primary Class: Paladin
Race: Human, Aasimar, Tiefling
Primary Class Skills:
Persuasion
Natural Lore
Religious Lore
World Knowledge
Arcana Knowledge
Warrior of the Holy Light Abilities (Chronologically):
Smite Evil (Additional Use), Channel Positive Energy, Power of Faith
Divine Bond
Mercy
Smite Evil (Additional Use)
Aura of Resolve, Power of Faith
Mercy
Smite Evil (Additional Use)
Mark of Justice
Mercy, Power of Faith
Smite Evil (Additional use)
Shining Light
Mercy
Smite Evil (Additional Use), Power of Faith
Aura of Righteousness
Mercy
Smite Evil (Additional Use)
Holy Champion, Power of Faith
Ability Points Of Warrior Of The Holy Light Build
Strength: 16
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 16
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 8
Charisma: 16
Things You Need To Know Before Deciding On A Build
Although I’ve crowned the Warrior of the Holy Light build as the champion in this here guide, it might not always be the best approach. In fact, before you pick any one of these fantastic builds, there are a few things you should consider.
Difficulty Level Matters
The builds listed in this guide are highly specialized, meaning there isn’t much room for customization and creativity. This makes them highly effective in the game, but you may not need to make such brutal weapons of your character.
If you’re playing on medium difficulty, you can deviate from the path a little and let your creative side run free, which, after all, is what games like this encourage. You might not be as formidable, but you may just have more fun!
The further you push yourself with difficulty settings, the more restrictive the game becomes, as you can’t experiment with the myriad options available to you.
You have to dedicate to a preconceived build, which can make the adventure seem a little stilted and dry.
What Difficulty Should You Start With On Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous?
Which difficulty you try first comes down to your experience with similar isometric role-playing games. If you have very little experience, I’d recommend starting out on easy, or if you like a bit of a challenge, medium.
Once you’re familiar with the mechanics of the game, most people would suggest hard or core, as these settings strike a good balance between difficulty and freedom.
Unfair is the hardest, and although it can be satisfying, as mentioned earlier, it’s nowhere near as fun.
Some Builds Are Better For Beginners
Crafting certain builds can be pretty tricky, especially if you’re just trying to find your feet in the game, so before you try one of the epic builds discussed here today, it might be worth researching good builds for beginners.
These builds require less skill as they’re not as mechanically complex, yet they still end up being super powerful and fun, giving you the best chance of completing the game up to “core” difficulty.
The Importance Of Alignment
Although you’re free to get creative and forge your own path through the game, especially with beginner builds, it pays to stick to a suitable alignment at the very least, as this will ensure you don’t stray too far from what works for your character.
Final Thoughts
There you have it — 10 awesome builds on Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, as well as some additional advice before you begin your adventure and attempt to pull Mendeve from the clawed grasp of demons.
If you’re just starting out on Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, It’s best to give an easier build a go whilst you acquaint yourself with the game mechanics, but once you’re familiar with this epic adventure, feel free to experiment with some of the more advanced builds on this list.
My name is Ashley Newby and I want to put integrity back into esports and get the hype surrounding them paramount once more. During my teenage years, I happened to stumble across a Street Fighter tournament online and I was hooked.
From that day, I have kept up with and watched many tournaments including Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and League of Legends. I even got to compete in my first one earlier this year!
