Spellbreak Guide – How to play the new master class, Toxicologist

Before the introduction of the Shadowstep Rune, the Toxicologist was already one of the best classes in Spellbreak. It’s simple to use, can slow enemies, and has massive damage output. It’s good at all stages of the game and it works well with a number of the different Gauntlets. However with the addition of Shadowstep, the Toxicologist has only become stronger. This Spellbreak guide will teach you how to play the new elemental powerhouse, Toxicologist, and explain why it’s so powerful.

As an added point of clarity, I’d mention that the Stoneshaper hasn’t lost any of its power. It was the strongest class in Spellbreak prior to the Shadowstep update and is still an excellent option for new players. The Toxicologist is simply better now though.

The impact of Shadowstep

How can the addition of one Rune make a class so much more powerful? The answer can be found in the Toxicologist’s level three class skill, Outbreak. It causes your Toxic Spray to deal 75% more damage when attacking out of invisibility.

Previously, Toxicologists had to choose if they wanted to play to this strength with the Invisibility Rune or go for movement with the Dash or Springstep Runes. Shadowstep gives you both. The invisibility of Shadowstep doesn’t last as long and you don’t dash as far, but it’s more than enough to misdirect enemies and dodge attacks. You do also get a source of invisibility from your level two class skill, which allows you to use your Toxic Cloud to go invisible briefly.

If you run Shadowstep with the Runic Fluency Talent, which you should, you can use the Rune twice in quick succession. This means you can potentially strike from invisibility three times in one short fight. With each attack able to do 70 damage or more, it can kill a full health and armor opponent in seconds.

With only a rare quality Gauntlet, I hit the enemy for 71 damage. Ignore the two misses after that.

The best Toxicologist build

For your Mind Talent, there’s only one Rune to consider, Runic Fluency. As I mentioned above, this lets you use Shadowstep twice, which means more damage and more evasion.

I like to run the Scavenging for the Body Talent. It allows you to press the attack and heal by exiling enemies, instead of stopping to consume a potion or shard.

For your Spirit Talent, you can use either Recovery or Thirsty. I prefer Recovery because it synergizes well with Scavenging. When you take damage to your health, Recovery will slowly heal 50% of the damage back. Thirsty will let you consume potions and shards faster, which can help you stay healthy in fights. The nice thing about the Toxicologist, is that you can always buy a couple of seconds to heal with your numerous sources of invisibility. Thirsty is even better in duos and squads.

Here are the Talents I use.

How to play Toxicologist

The Toxic Gauntlet doesn’t need to constantly be tracking and firing at enemies because its primary attack shoots a bunch of projectiles with one click. This allows you to focus more on your movement, so you can avoic damage and position yourself better. Whenever you’re in a good position, you can fire your Toxic Spray and deal large chunks of damage. The more often you can do this, the more successful you will be with the Toxicologist.

You want to be using Toxic Spray from as close to your opponent as possible. The closer you are, the more of your projectiles will hit, and the more damage you will deal to enemies. It’s also tough for enemies not running the Toxic Gauntlet to track and hit you if you’re right on top of them.

Mastering the Shadowstep Toxic Spray shotgun is key to victory.

Incorporating the Shadowstep Rune into your Toxicologist gameplay is easy. You can use the dash to close the distance and bamboozle enemies. Then you can line up your shot and fire away. The trick you need to master is what distance to use Shadowstep from. You need to get familiar with its dash distance, so it ends right next to your enemies. Don’t forget you can use your Toxic Cloud multiple times to dash and go invisible.

That’s it for this Spellbreak guide. Now you know how to play the Toxicologist. Keep your opponents guessing and practice landing your point-blank shotgun blasts. You’ll be racking up the wins in no time. If you’d like some more help with mastering the different elements of Spellbreak, you can check out our guides and features hub.