The Drifter Astral Magus in Above Ashes is a versatile mage known for their ability to manipulate space and time. With strong crowd control, area-of-effect damage, and utility for the team, the Astral Magus excels in team fights and creating opportunities for aggressive plays. By utilizing their unique skills, including the powerful Astral Gate, the Astral Magus can dramatically alter the flow of battle. This guide will focus on how to maximize the power of the Astral Magus by understanding and mastering their abilities, and how to make the most of their potential with the addition of the WAA Solarbite currency in Above Ashes.

Attributes and Playstyle Overview

The primary attribute of the Astral Magus is Intelligence (Int), which directly boosts their magic damage output and reduces cooldowns for their skills. This makes the Astral Magus an ideal choice for players who prefer a playstyle based on battlefield control and team utility. Their strength lies in repositioning, burst damage, and creating opportunities for allies to either escape danger or engage more effectively. Astral Magus thrives in situations that demand rapid movement and high burst damage, making them a crucial asset in both offensive and defensive strategies.

Their versatility is reflected in their ability to quickly teleport allies, provide crowd control with stuns, and deal substantial magic damage. While their role primarily revolves around manipulating the battlefield and supporting allies, they can also contribute a significant amount of damage when played correctly.

Active Skill: Astral Gate

The Astral Gate is the signature ability of the Astral Magus, making them one of the most mobile and disruptive heroes in Above Ashes. With this skill, the Astral Magus creates a powerful astral field beneath themselves that, after a brief 3-second delay, teleports up to 15 nearby teammates to a target location. The teleportation not only positions allies but also deals 200% Magic Damage to enemies within the vicinity, stunning them for 1 second.

But the utility doesn't stop at damage and stun. Upon arrival, allies within range gain a Shield equal to 20% of their Max HP, a 30% Movement Speed boost, and immunity to Slow and Immobilize effects for 4 seconds. This combination of effects makes Astral Gate invaluable in both offensive and defensive plays.

You can use it to:

Initiate ambushes by teleporting your team into strategic positions.

Rescue allies who are in danger by providing them with a shield and movement speed to escape.

Reposition your team quickly to control objectives or engage the enemy team.

Given its versatility, Astral Gate allows for a variety of tactical plays. However, it's important to be strategic in your timing. Poorly planned use of this ability could either leave your teammates vulnerable in bad positions or waste an opportunity to strike when your enemies are most vulnerable.

Passive Skill: Celestial Rotation

The Celestial Rotation is the Astral Magus's passive skill, and it plays a pivotal role in keeping their skills flowing during extended team fights. Every time the Astral Magus deals damage, the cooldown of all their abilities (except for Tactical Item skills) is reduced by 0.3 seconds, with a cooldown cap of 0.5 seconds per activation.

This ability creates a continuous cycle of damage and skill activation, allowing the Astral Magus to cast Astral Gate and other spells more frequently. The faster you deal damage, the faster your cooldowns reset, enabling you to maintain constant pressure in combat. In prolonged team fights, this passive transforms Astral Magus into a relentless force, disorienting enemies with quick bursts of magic damage and frequent stuns.

The constant uptime on abilities makes Astral Magus a persistent threat in any battle, creating an overwhelming offensive presence while keeping enemies on edge with stuns, shields, and teleportation.

Maximizing Astral Magus's Potential

To master the Drifter Astral Magus, it's crucial to understand the nuances of their abilities and playstyle. Here are several tips to help you make the most out of the Astral Magus's skill set.

1. Teleportation Tactics:

Astral Gate is not only for positioning yourself but for controlling the flow of battle. Whether you're using it to:

Retreat safely with your team when outnumbered.

Initiate an ambush by teleporting allies into the enemy's backline.

Disrupt enemy formations during a team fight.

Your timing and awareness are key here. Be mindful of where you're jumping, as misplaced Astral Gates can put your team in danger if they end up in the middle of the enemy team. Additionally, positioning your teammates properly will allow them to capitalize on the strategic advantages granted by the Shield and Movement Speed buffs upon arrival.

2. Skill Timing:

With Celestial Rotation, the key to optimizing your damage output and utility is to maintain constant offensive pressure. Dealing damage continuously is crucial to resetting the cooldowns of your other abilities. In the heat of battle, ensure you're not only focusing on dealing damage but also on positioning yourself in a way that lets you stay safe while doing so.

During team fights, focus on maximizing your skill uptime. Astral Gate should be used to reposition your team strategically, while other abilities should be used to keep enemies stunned and disoriented.

3. Team Synergy:

Astral Magus thrives in coordinated team plays. Syncing your abilities with your teammates is critical to getting the most value out of Astral Gate. For example, you can teleport your team's damage dealers into prime positions to take advantage of weakened enemies, or teleport your tank to a safer location if they're being overwhelmed.

Consider your teammates' positioning and what role they play when deciding when and where to use Astral Gate. Combine this with the shield and movement speed boost to ensure that your team can capitalize on these benefits.

4. Situational Awareness:

Astral Magus's 30% Movement Speed boost and immunity to Slow and Immobilize effects give them exceptional mobility. Use these to either:

Escape danger if the enemy team tries to focus you.

Chase down fleeing enemies or close the gap between you and isolated targets.

Your awareness of the map and the enemy's positioning will allow you to utilize these effects effectively, making you an even more unpredictable and dangerous threat.

Conclusion

The Drifter Astral Magus is a dynamic hero who can be the difference between victory and defeat in Above Ashes. With their ability to teleport allies, stun enemies, and provide shields and buffs, they are a force to be reckoned with when mastered. By focusing on maximizing their Astral Gate for strategic teleportation and crowd control, as well as making full use of Celestial Rotation for consistent pressure, the Astral Magus can control the battlefield while ensuring your team remains mobile and safe.

If you're looking to elevate your game even further, be sure to buy Warborne Above Ashes Solarbite to unlock additional potential and maximize your impact in every match. With the right combination of strategic thinking, skill management, and teamwork, the Astral Magus will become an invaluable asset to your team.