Spells and Magic
Spells are the only real-time control you have in Swag and Sorcery combat, and almost all of them are researched at the Library for gold. Build the Library as soon as it unlocks and research Essence Absorption for 150 gold so your heroes start harvesting essence from every kill. Essence is not a currency: you carry it to the Laboratory and craft it into mana, which is the stock your spells actually spend.
Before you build the Library, combat in Swag and Sorcery is a pure autobattler. Your heroes walk forward, swing their weapons, and you watch. The Library changes that completely by giving you active spells you can cast during fights.
Spells are the only real-time control you have in combat, and they are the difference between clearing a boss and watching your party melt.
Unlocking the System
Build the Library as soon as it becomes available. The first thing you need to research is Essence Absorption, which costs 150 gold and takes 30 seconds. Once this is done, your heroes start harvesting magical essence from every monster they kill during adventures, and the stronger the monster, the more essence it yields.
The Library runs on gold, not essence. Every research has a gold price and a timer, from Essence Absorption at 150 gold and 30 seconds up to the three weapon-mastery buffs at 2,000 gold and 900 seconds each. Clearing the whole tree costs roughly 13,900 gold, which is the real reason you need a working economy before you need a spell list.
Essence is a tiered crafting material that drops from monsters, and never a currency, and it comes in three grades: Elusive Essence in the Magical Forest, Weak Essence on the Battlefield and in the Dark Ruins, and Powerful Essence in the later zones. Recipes consume it, and so does mana.
Do not delay Essence Absorption. Every adventure you run without it is essence your heroes could have been collecting. Start it the moment the Library is built.
Mana Economy
You do not regenerate mana. You manufacture it at the Laboratory. This is the single thing most new players miss, and running dry mid-adventure with no idea what to do about it is the usual result.
Essence Absorption unlocks gathering essence from monsters, and that essence is then processed into mana in the Laboratory. Three recipes, one per essence grade:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Mana tube | 6 Elusive Essence plus 5 gold |
| Mana pot | 8 Weak Essence plus 15 gold |
| Mana bucket | 10 Powerful Essence plus 40 gold |
Two consequences follow. Mana costs gold as well as essence, so your spell habit is a running drain on the same budget that pays for research and healing. And mana is a stockpile you carry, not a per-adventure pool that refills. When it is gone, you go back to the Laboratory. The Library research Field Magic I raises your maximum mana by 50 for 600 gold, and that is what tells you there is a cap on the stock at all.
The most efficient approach is to let your heroes auto-attack through normal enemies and save your mana for two situations: healing your front-line hero when they drop into the red, and nuking dangerous elite enemies before they deal too much damage.
There is also a main quest that requires you to craft 50 points of mana, so you will meet the system whether or not you go looking for it.
Spell List
| Spell | Mana Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Shieldbreaker I | 5 | Strips 5 points of armor from a single enemy |
| Power of Fire I | 20 | Deals 100 fire damage to a single enemy |
| Healing I | 5 | Restores 60 HP to one hero |
| Healing II | 5 | Restores 100 HP to one hero |
| Group Healing I | 10 | Restores 60 HP to every hero in the party |
| Defenselessness I | 5 | Reduces a target's elemental resistance by 15 points |
| Punishment I | 5 | Instantly kills any monster under 150 HP and heals your entire party for 150 HP |
When to Use Each Spell
Healing I and Healing II are your bread and butter. They cost just 5 mana each, and Healing II restores 100 HP per cast. At 5 mana for 100 HP, Healing II is drastically cheaper than paying the Church to heal after the run. Always upgrade to Healing II as soon as you can afford it.
Group Healing I costs 10 mana but heals everyone. Use this after an enemy lands a big area-of-effect attack that damages your whole party. Do not use it when only the tank took damage. Single-target healing is more mana-efficient in that case.
Shieldbreaker I is critical against high-armor bosses. Five mana to strip five armor does not sound like much, but your entire party's physical damage is reduced by armor on every hit. Stripping armor before a long fight pays for itself many times over.
Defenselessness I does the same thing for elemental resistance. Pair it with Power of Fire I or heroes using elemental weapons for massive damage spikes. Cast Defenselessness first, then follow up with Power of Fire for the combo.
Power of Fire I costs 20 mana but deals 100 raw fire damage. That is enough to delete most elite enemies in a single cast during the early and mid game. Save it for elites that would otherwise chew through your party while you wait for auto-attacks to finish them off.
Do not hunt for Power of Fire I in the Library. It is the quest reward for crafting 50 points of mana, and it does not appear in the research list at all. Every other spell here is researched.
Punishment I is the most powerful spell in the game. For 5 mana, it instantly kills any enemy under 150 HP and heals your entire party for 150 HP. This is your stabilization tool in fights that are spiraling out of control. When your tank is low, the backline is taking hits, and multiple enemies are still standing, Punishment I cleans up the weakened ones and tops off your party at the same time.
Punishment I was bugged at launch and did not trigger correctly. It was fixed in Patch 1.024 and has worked as described ever since.
Library Progression and Buffs
Beyond spells, the Library researches buffs. The relationship is easy to get backwards: research does not give you a buff, it puts that buff on sale.
- Church buffs. Bulwark I raises armor and elemental resistance by 50. Stout Heart I raises maximum health by 100.
- Spa buffs. Heavy Hand I adds 50 damage. Vampirism I restores 15 health on every attack. Deviousness I adds 10% to critical hit and dodge chance.
- Passive buffs. Three researches each add 10% damage to one weapon family. Art of Combat I covers swords, axes, and hammers. Marksmanship I covers crossbows and muskets. Mystic Arts I covers staffs and orbs.
The five Church and Spa buffs are bought again every time you use them, at 50 to 100 gold a go, and they are temporary and per-character. Only one character and one buff can be active at a time. So Heavy Hand I costs 250 gold to research and then 50 gold on every hero you want it on, every time. Budget for that before a boss run instead of discovering it at the Church door.
Three achievements are tied to the Library: Caring boss for unlocking all buffs, which is all eight and not just the three passive ones, Sage for unlocking all spells, and Nerd for completing every research. Plan to keep the Library running constantly throughout your playthrough to hit all three.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you unlock spells in Swag and Sorcery?
Build the Library, then research Essence Absorption for 150 gold. It takes 30 seconds and lets your heroes harvest essence from monsters. Library research is paid for in gold and not essence, and clearing the whole tree costs about 13,900 gold. Power of Fire I is the exception to all of this: it comes from a quest, not the Library.
What is the best spell in Swag and Sorcery?
Punishment I. For just 5 mana it instantly kills any monster under 150 HP and heals your entire party for 150 HP, which makes it the stabilization tool for fights that are spiraling out of control.
Is casting Healing II cheaper than paying the Church?
Yes. Healing II restores 100 HP for 5 mana, which is drastically cheaper than paying the Church to heal after the run. Upgrade to it as soon as you can afford it.
Where does mana come from in Swag and Sorcery?
You craft it at the Laboratory. Essence Absorption lets your heroes gather essence from monsters, and the Laboratory turns that essence into mana: a Mana tube costs 6 Elusive Essence plus 5 gold, a Mana pot 8 Weak Essence plus 15 gold, and a Mana bucket 10 Powerful Essence plus 40 gold. Mana is a stockpile you carry and not a pool that refills each adventure.
When should you cast Group Healing I instead of single-target healing?
Use Group Healing I after an enemy lands a big area-of-effect attack that damages your whole party. It costs 10 mana. If only one hero took damage, single-target healing is the more mana-efficient choice.
Is Punishment I still bugged in Swag and Sorcery?
No. The spell failed to trigger correctly at launch but was fixed in Patch 1.024, and it has worked as described ever since.
What to Read Next
- Adventuring and Combat. Casting windows during fights.
- Resource Management. Essence priorities for research.
- Heroes and Traits. Heroes that benefit most from support.
- Tips and Tricks. Research costs, repeat buff pricing, and the spell you cannot research.