Merlin, an Old Faith Arcanist in King Arthur: Knight’s Tale, is one of the most powerful offensive casters in the game. Recruited near the end of Act 2, he boasts unparalleled fire-based damage potential, especially with the right build. This guide will cover everything from essential essences and gear to a detailed breakdown of his abilities, ensuring you maximize Merlin’s destructive power.

---

Key to the Build: The Summer Staff Rune

The heart of this build is the Summer Staff Rune, a level 10 weapon with an overpowered effect:

• Wild Magic 8: After 8 spells are cast by any team member, all burn damage on enemies triggers instantly for massive burst damage.
• +20% Burning Damage: Further amplifies burn effects.
• +1 Turn Burn Duration: Extends burn damage for even greater impact.

Strategy: Focus on triggering Wild Magic 8 quickly by cycling spells efficiently. Merlin can cover half or more of this requirement solo each turn.

---

Core Essences for Merlin

1. Essence of Conflagration:
   • Effect: +20% Burning Damage.
   • Mandatory: Central to the burn damage focus of this build.
2. Essence of Speed:
   • Effect: Increases AP.
   • Purpose: Enables more spell casts per turn to expedite the Wild Magic trigger.
3. Essence of Spellcraft:
   • Optional: Useful for identifying hidden treasures and totems.
4. Essence of Spell Warding:
   • Optional: +25% damage resistance to spells. Helpful against enemy spellcasters.

Summary: Prioritize essences that boost burn damage and AP, with utility essences as a secondary focus.

---

Optimal Gear Selection

• Armor:Moonlight Halo
  • Effect: Immunity to stun, bonus AP, and survivability.
  • Purpose: Prevents interruptions to spellcasting.
• Accessories:
  • Focus on items that increase burn duration and burn damage.
  • +10% damage to burning targets is a high-priority mod.

Summary: Aim for fire-damage-specific mods, ignoring general damage bonuses.

---

Skills and Upgrades

1. Firebolt

• Effect: Basic attack that causes burn.
• Upgrades:
  • Inferno: Adds burn.
  • Overheat: Boosts weapon damage.
• Alternative: Multi-target upgrade to spread burn more widely.

2. Fire Drake

• Effect: Area attack that applies burn.
• Upgrades:
  • +2 Tiles Range: Reaches spread-out targets.
  • Vulnerability: Softens enemies for follow-up.

Priority Skill: Use to establish burn for Wild Magic triggers.

3. Falling Star

• Effect: High AP cost but massive damage.
• Upgrades:
  • Burn Effect: Critical for this build.
  • Cooldown Reduction: Maintains uptime.

Summary: Alternate between Fire Drake and Falling Star to sustain burn.

---

Support Skills

• Mindstorm:
  • Effect: Reduces cooldowns on kills.
  • Purpose: Essential for spell cycling to trigger Wild Magic.
• Illusion:
  • Effect: Summons a decoy to distract enemies.
  • Upgrade: Chill aura for light crowd control.
• Teleport:
  • Effect: Low AP cost for repositioning.
  • Upgrade: Increased range and stealth on arrival.

Summary: Support skills should focus on mobility and cooldown management.

---

Key Passives

• Master of Fire:
  • Effect: +30% weapon damage for fire skills and +1 turn burn duration.
  • Purpose: Boosts all burn-based abilities.
• Pyromania:
  • Effect: +50% burning damage.
  • Priority: Must-have for this build.

Summary: Focus on passives that enhance burn damage and duration.

---

Playstyle Tips

1. Set Burn Early: Use Fire Drake or Firebolt to apply burn before triggering Wild Magic.
2. Cycle Spells Rapidly: Use low-cost spells to build Wild Magic stacks quickly.
3. Position Safely: Use Teleport and Illusion to keep Merlin protected.

---

Conclusion

With the Summer Staff Rune and this build, Merlin becomes a one-man army capable of dealing thousands of damage in a single turn. Proper use of burn effects, cooldown management, and spell cycling will allow you to shred through even the toughest foes in King Arthur: Knight’s Tale.

Stay tuned for more build guides and strategies!