Choosing a hero
In Eternal Rift Defense you play the defense from the ground as a third-person hero. You walk the maze, build towers, collect loot, and stand on towers to rank them up. Your class decides the two abilities you bring, and each class has its own gear set whose level 20 and 40 bonuses change how those abilities work. Every class levels to 50 and uses the same talent trees, so class and talents stack rather than overlap.
Jump to Archer, Engineer, Knight and Mage.
Archer
The Archer marks targets for the whole defense. Kill Zone and Marked Prey both make enemies take more damage from everything, which is at its best against bosses and tough elites.
Abilities
- Kill Zone: Loose a lightning arrow at the cell under your cursor: enemies in the 3x3 zone where it lands take +25% damage for 10 seconds
- Marked Prey: Strike an enemy with a lightning arrow: it takes +25% damage for 10 seconds
Class set: Windrunner's Regalia
Wearing all four pieces turns on the set's bonuses as the lowest piece levels up. At level 20: Kill Zone deals 5% max HP every 2s. At level 40: Marked Prey kills always drop a gem. The other tiers give +4 Starting Gems (level 10), x2 Arrow damage (level 30) and Poison towers always crit (level 50).
Engineer
The Engineer shapes the maze itself. Blueprint Swap moves towers after they are built, and Optimized Construction puts down a free Wall, so the Engineer can fix a layout mid-rift instead of rebuilding it.
Abilities
- Blueprint Swap: Swap positions of two towers
- Optimized Construction: Build a free wall
Class set: Forgemaster's Arsenal
Wearing all four pieces turns on the set's bonuses as the lowest piece levels up. At level 20: Blueprint Swap can also swap traps. At level 40: Optimized Construction builds a Cannon. The other tiers give +500 Starting Technology (level 10), x2 Cannon damage (level 30) and Cannon towers 10% chance to stun 1s (level 50).
Knight
The Knight controls the wave and the map. Hold the Line slows every enemy at once, and Emergency Repairs clears a Rift Crystal for free, so the Knight is the natural pick when your maze is struggling to hold.
Abilities
- Hold the Line: Slow all enemies by 25% for 10 seconds
- Emergency Repairs: Mine a crystal for no cost
Class set: Ironguard's Bulwark
Wearing all four pieces turns on the set's bonuses as the lowest piece levels up. At level 20: Hold the Line deals 5% max HP every 2s. At level 40: Emergency Repairs builds a Research tower. The other tiers give +250 Starting Gold (level 10), x2 Ice damage (level 30) and Ice towers gain AOE attack (level 50).
Mage
The Mage moves fast and levels towers. Arcane Surge teleports forward, damages and stuns, and Mana Infusion hands a tower experience instantly, which gets key towers to Rank 5 and the Rift Wheel sooner.
Abilities
- Arcane Surge: Teleport 4 cells forward. On landing, hit ground and flying enemies within 2 cells in every direction for 10% of their maximum health and stun them for 2 seconds. Bosses take damage but cannot be stunned.
- Mana Infusion: Grant a tower 100XP
Class set: Arcanist's Vestments
Wearing all four pieces turns on the set's bonuses as the lowest piece levels up. At level 20: Arcane Surge picks up all items in your maze. At level 40: Mana Infusion grants 200 XP. The other tiers give -25% Ability Cooldown (level 10), x2 Fire damage (level 30) and Fire towers 10% chance to stun 1s (level 50).
Cinder King's Fury: the set for any class
Cinder King's Fury works on every class. Its level 20 and 40 bonuses are your own class's bonuses, and its other tiers give x2 Arrow & Cannon damage, x2 Fire & Ice damage and Fire aura: burns enemies within 1 cell of you.
Try a build
The build planner lets you pick a class, spend talent points and dress your hero in set gear to see the upgraded abilities. The gear guide explains how set bonuses, affixes and item levels work.