Quick Reference Class Guide

A quick guide on the basic differences between each character class (1.2.0 build)

CLOSED

This guide is closed and will not be updated. It remains online for people's curiosity but may not represent the game in its current build. I originally made it for the 1.1.8 build, although I had to update the information for the 1.2.0 build. In some instances I will tell you how some things used to be. This means I am referring to the 1.1.8 or earlier builds (I bought this game on the 1.1.3 build). For instance, the warlock used to have the same primary attack as the arsonist, the knight's secondary attack used to render him invincible, the invoker and brute used to have more time with their secondary attacks, nearly all class's starting HP have been reduced, etc. Since this guide's update for the 1.2.0 build, the developer has updated this game even more. He is currently on 2.0.1. As stated above, I have closed this guide will not be updating it anymore. If you wish to know more, you can read my review or PM me.

Introduction

Overture is a fun, new, action-packed game. It sports 24 different classes with four different class types. I made this guide shortly after picking the game up, since I had such a blast and didn't see any guides on this game yet. This guide is not meant to go into all the intricacies of how to play the game and how to play each class. Rather, it's meant to be a quick reference tool to inform you on the basics of each class.

At the beginning of the game, you start out with one starter class for each of the four class types. Upon playing the game, you'll collect gold, and with this gold you can buy new characters for each class type. There are six classes for each class type. Each class costs 2000 gold to unlock and you can unlock them in any order.

SIDE NOTE: The stats I give for each class are the stats that they start with, assuming no tiering up, no weapons, armour, or items. I did tier up a couple of my characters before making this guide, so if there are some incorrect stats, it's probably because of that. Please let me know so I can fix them. I also want to stress that it's important to remember that tiering and leveling up will increase your player's strength, collecting various loot drops will increase your stats, and beating each level boss gives you the option to raise either your HP or mana. The stats I list below are the bare basics, which will increase during your adventures.

Warriors

NOTE: All warrior types (except the barbarian) have a very close-range melee swipe attack in addition to their primary attack.

Warrior

The warrior is a pretty standard class. Primary attack performs both the default close range attack as well as a quick medium range slash. The secondary attack emits a blast of energy from the warrior that can get in quite a bit of damage to those that get hit by it. He's not terrible, but not great, either. The warrior is a great class to get acquainted with the game because he's an all-around pretty standard hack-and-slasher. However, as soon as you start exploring the other classes, you'll probably leave him for bigger and better things. My advice is to not invest too much in him unless you're really in love with his special attack.

Game Description: A strong warrior.
Passive: Increased defense.
Primary Attack: A short and accurate slash to the face.
Secondary Attack: A vortex of magic. Damages enemies.
Attack Type: Melee
Range: Medium
Attack: 185-205
HP: 300
Mana: 60
Speed: Average

Knight

The knight has two primary attacks that fire simultaneously. The knight fires a short-range dagger while also throwing axes that spin out from him. The axe is technically a projectile weapon but it disappears before getting to a decent range. This makes them pretty only useful when he's right up next to enemies. The daggers are effective at a shortish-mediumish range. The knight's secondary attack gives him a ton of speed and throws out one axe at a time. This attack used to make the knight invincible but now this attack is pathetic. The axes now do nothing and you only take damage running into enemies...so the secondary attack is basically worthless.

Game Description: A tough knight.
Passive: Increased defense.
Primary Attack: A short ranged stun axe and dagger flurry. 10% to nova on strike.
Secondary Attack: Gain a speed boost while throwing out an axe.
Attack Type: Melee + short and slow projectile (non-homing)
Range: Shortish/Mediumish
Attack: 195-215
HP: 300
Mana: 60
Speed: Slow

Soldier

With 175 attack, the soldier is one of the weakest classes of the warrior type. However, he actually has a fairly good attack; a short blade swipe along with a medium range pike that fires fairly rapidly. The secondary attack is also quite good, shooting a red ball with a long range that stuns enemies and deals damage. Not much else to say about this guy except he's probably a slightly better version of the warrior, he just needs to have his tier raised a bit to start out competently.

Game Description: A tough soldier.
Passive: Increased defense.
Primary Attack: A medium ranged spear attack.
Secondary Attack: A long ranged shield throw. Turns into stun and damage aura.
Attack Type: Melee
Range: Medium
Attack: 175-195
HP: 300
Mana: 80
Speed: Average

Peltast

All right, now we're getting to the good stuff. This guy shoots javelins at long range, plus at a very fast rate. He can be absolutely devastating with his primary attack alone. Secondary attack throws another javelin, which explodes in sparks all over the place. Unfortunately you can't throw very many of them before mana gets depleted. Furthermore, you can't control where the sparks go and you need the same amount of accuracy to hit anything with it, so the secondary attack has limited usefulness. However, I get the feeling you can skirt by pretty far with just the petlast's primary attack.

Game Description: A tough petlast.
Passive: Increased defense.
Primary Attack: A long ranged javelin throw.
Secondary Attack: A long ranged magical javelin which explodes
Attack Type: Projectile (non-homing)
Range: High
Attack: 175-195
HP: 300
Mana: 80
Speed: Below Average

Barbarian

The barbarian is like a suped-up knight. He throws axes faster and farther than the knight, and instead of a close-range melee slash, he has the mid-range slash of the warrior. His secondary attack shrouds him in a red/orange cloud that deals damage to whatever touches it. However, it's not incredibly long and you're not immune to damage during this state, so I get the feeling that this more is more for defensive purposes than offensive ones.

Game Description: A tough barbarian.
Passive: Increased defense.
Primary Attack: A slash and stun axe throw.
Secondary Attack: A cloud of blood that deals heavy damage.
Attack Type: Projectile (non-homing)
Range: Short
Attack: 195-215
HP: 300
Mana: 30
Speed: Below Average

Brute

The brute is probably the strongest warrior class and he just looks insane, too. Like the other warriors, he has a quick, close-range melee attack, but he also has a quick medium-range hammer attack that fires alongside the close-range one. However, the real strength from this guy comes from his crazy strong secondary attack, where he fires gigantic hammers in all directions. This attack is just devastating, especially if you can keep it up for a long time. To use, just press the secondary fire button and then spam primary fire. This is a very good attack against bosses, but remember that if you get hit even once, "rage mode" will end.

Game Description: A powerful brute.
Passive: Increased defense.
Primary Attack: A short ranged hammer to the face.
Secondary Attack: Turn red with anger and throw powerful hammers!
Attack Type: Melee
Range: Short/Mediumish
Attack: 195-215
HP: 300
Mana: 60
Speed: Average

Rogues

Ranger

As you might expect, the ranger is the standard archer class. He fires arrows semi-quickly, and while they travel across the entire screen, they require good aim to hit anything. It also isn't an area-of-effect attack, so this guy has trouble with hordes. The secondary attack fires five arrows in a spread, but unfortunately he can't do this much before running out, and as before, the arrows have to hit their mark to be any good. As with the warrior, the archer is okay for starting out, but probably not useful enough to specialize in unless you love the ranger class.

Game Description: A swift ranger
Passive: Increased speed.
Primary Attack: Shoot a single arrow. Gain mana on hit.
Secondary Attack: Fire a volley of sharpened arrows.
Attack Type: Projectile (non-homing)
Range: High
Attack: 195-215
HP: 200
Mana: 80
Speed: Above average

Rogue

The rogue class is one of the best in this class type. He's very agile, throws his daggers quickly, and while he only has a base attack of 185, he hits for 2x to 4x damage! This makes him a damage-dealing machine. The secondary attack isn't actually an attack at all; it creates a shroud that prevents enemies from moving toward you, allowing you to run away. While this may not seem like much, it's extremely helpful in escaping situations where you're surrounded by a seemingly impenetrable horde. All these factors contribute to making the rogue actually one of the best traditional fighting classes; fast, damaging, and capable of escaping seemingly unwinnable situations.

Game Description: A swift rogue.
Passive: Increased speed.
Primary Attack: Four short daggers to the face.
Secondary Attack: Cloak yourself while releasing a cloud of blinding smoke.
Attack Type: Melee
Range: Medium
Attack: 185-205
HP: 200
Mana: 80
Speed: Fast

Duelist

The duelist seems to me to be the token mage-like character of the rogue class type. Primary attack fires very fast, successive, long-range swords much like the soldier or petlast classes of the warrior class type. Secondary attack is a small explosion around the player. It completely drains your mana. I have no idea what use this has unless you're completely surrounded and about to die by enemies closing in. The duelist is very similar to the peltast aside from his secondary attack and a slightly faster speed.

Game Description: A swift duelist.
Passive: Increased speed.
Primary Attack: Unleash shadow swords. Restores mana on hit.
Secondary Attack: Fire a volley of three swords at target, as well as many more.
Attack Type: Projectile (non-homing)
Range: High
Attack: 195-215
HP: 300
Mana: 80
Speed: Above Average

Thief

This guy is pretty sweet. Primary attack is a forward slash as well as a very quickly firing dagger throw. His speed makes him better than the ranger and duelist, and comparable to the rogue. Secondary attack fires between two and four orange crescents at a time that expand out in the direction they're fired. While they're somewhat slow moving and dissipate at medium range, they're pretty strong and you can fire multiple crescent blasts quickly. The only thing I find odd about the thief is that he doesn't really have any thieving abilities, such as stealing from enemies or looting bodies for things that other characters can't get. Otherwise, aside from his miserably low starting HP, this class is a good alternative to the rogue, given its long range attack.

Game Description: A swift thief.
Passive: Increased speed.
Primary Attack: Both a long ranged dagger and a short ranged dagger.
Secondary Attack: A long ranged crescent flurry.
Attack Type: Projectile (non-homing) and melee
Range: High
Attack: 195-215
HP: 200
Mana: 80
Speed: Fast

Trickster

This guy is crazy good, I mean, wow. The trickster's gimmick is that he has a fast melee attack that hits...anywhere you click. No, it's not a projectile, it's still a melee attack. This makes for bizarre scenarios where you can attack from safely behind the cover of walls. I guess that's why they call him the trickster. Secondary attack creates a large cloud of poison gas that deals significant area of effect damage. The downside is that he starts with very low HP, so make sure to raise that immediately!

Game Description: A swift trickster.
Passive: Increased speed.
Primary Attack: A long ranged slash.
Secondary Attack: Leave behind a poison cloud that damages enemies.
Attack Type: Melee
Range: High
Attack: 185-205
HP: 200
Mana: 80
Speed: Above Average

Bandit

The bandit's primary attack shoots daggers very quickly in a straight line, but oftentimes the daggers will shoot in a different direction, rendering it relatively but not 100% accurate. There's also a 10% chance for a dagger nova, a circle of about 20 daggers in a circle out of you. The secondary attack simply unleashes a dagger nova, which is useful to spam when you're surrounded by enemies. Because the bandit's regular attack is so fast, it makes him a decent alternative to the rogue. However, the dagger nova as a secondary attack is only good when you can use it continuously; plus, there are weapons and essence that grant a % chance of a dagger nova anyway. The bandit's speed and rate of fire are fast, which are a plus, but the inaccuracy of his primary attack and the relative frequency of the secondary fire makes him a relatively good rogue class.

Game Description: A swift bandit.
Passive: Increased speed.
Primary Attack: A flurry of short daggers. 10% chance of dagger nova on hit.
Secondary Attack: Unleash a dagger nova!
Attack Type: Projectile (non-homing)
Range: High
Attack: 195-215
HP: 250
Mana: 80
Speed: Fast

Mages

Wizard

Unlike the first classes of the warrior and rogue types, this first class mage class is actually pretty strong. The wizard shoots fairly large fireballs quickly and successively, which have quite a long range and cover a good portion of the screen. His secondary attack summons some bone splinters that home in on enemies, but this attack isn't very strong and you can't control it very easily. The wizard is pretty fast though, so combining his speed with his attack gives him quite an edge in battle.

Game Description: A mystical wizard.
Passive: Increased mana regeneration.
Primary Attack: A huge fireball to the face.
Secondary Attack: Summon bone splinters from the heavens.
Attack Type: Projectile (non-homing)
Range: High
Attack: 195-215
HP: 250
Mana: 100
Speed: Above Average

Witch

The witch is an interesting class. Her primary attack is shooting green homing fireballs that do basic damage, but this attack also creates a fire aura around her, which has decent range. This gives the potential to do double damage (fireball plus aura) with each strike. On top of that, her cauldron bubble secondary attack, while it may not seem like much, actually does 4x damage with each hit. This makes her a relatively strong character with the potential to do some good damage, although her medium range and average speed prevent her from becoming too overpowered.

Game Description: A mystical witch.
Passive: Increased mana regeneration.
Primary Attack: A homing fireball and rapid fire inferno.
Secondary Attack: Unleash boiling hot cauldron bubbles!
Attack Type: Projectile (homing) and aura
Range: Medium
Attack: 195-215
HP: 250
Mana: 100
Speed: Average

Invoker

The invoker is both a great and terrible class. The normal primary fire is absolute garbage; it fires a close-range fireball that does little damage. What makes the invoker a great class is his secondary ability, to transform into a demon. In demon form, the invoker has a devastating medium range melee attack, and it fires large homing fireballs much like the witch. These attacks in combination have the chance to hit for anywhere between 2x to 6x damage! This makes the demon form an absolute powerhouse, but he's somewhat slow and is also a larger target. Being in demon form will quickly deplete the mana gauge, so keep collecting mana potions and get the best rings and essence. This is one of the only characters I recommend choosing to raise mana (instead of HP) for.

Game Description: A mystical invoker.
Passive: Increased mana regeneration.
Primary Attack: A short ranged flame attack.
Secondary Attack: Transform into a powerful demon.
Attack Type: Normal Form: Aura; Demon Form: Projectile (homing)
Range: Normal Form: Short; Demon Form: Medium
Attack: 185-205
HP: 250
Mana: 80
Speed: Below Average

Warlock

The warlock is a lot like the standard wizard. His primary fire allows him to shoot large, non-homing fireballs. The secondary attack fires a little ball that shoots fireballs in random directions. While it shoots quite sporadically, the directions it fires is beyond your control, so it's not that useful. As of right now, I think of the warlock as a wizard with a larger primary attack but a worse secondary one.

Game Description: A mystical warlock.
Passive: Increased mana regeneration.
Primary Attack: An expanding fireball. Red cloud when HP is less than 40%.
Secondary Attack: A red cloud of death that emits fireballs.
Attack Type: Stream
Range: High
Attack: 195-215
HP: 250
Mana: 100
Speed: Below Average

Necromancer

The necromancer's primary attack is pretty comparable to the witch's. He fires green homing fireballs successively, with a 50% chance of also firing a non-homing red fireball. His secondary move is the ability to summon skeletons (one per each usage of the ability). Unfortunately, you'll only be able to do this maybe twice times before running out of mana on the starting amount and his mana regeneration is very slow. Also, it's possible to find weapons that spawn skeletons on hit or kill anyway, so the necromancer's secondary ability isn't all that great or unique. The primary fire is decent enough, but don't expect this guy to pull any miracles.

Game Description: A mystical necromancer.
Passive: Increased mana regeneration.
Primary Attack: Fires a homing fireball. 50% chance of a normal fireball.
Secondary Attack: Summon skeletons to fight by your side!
Attack Type: Projectile (homing + non-homing)
Range: Medium
Attack: 195-215
HP: 250
Mana: 100
Speed: Average

Arsonist

The arsonist's primary attack is identical to the warlock's. The same issue with not being able to see small enemies or obstacles applies to the arsonist. His secondary ability is summoning six small flames in random locations on the ground. Since you can't control where they go, you run the risk of putting flames in spots far away from the enemies. The arsonist seems slightly faster than the warlock, but has an arguably worse secondary attack. Personally I don't recommend either of them and hope that one of them gets differentiated a bit more so they don't have the exact same attack.

Game Description: A mystical arsonist.
Passive: Increased mana regeneration.
Primary Attack: A mystical blue essence surrounded by flames.
Secondary Attack: Summon fire, everywhere! You are immune to your own flames.
Attack Type: Stream
Range: HIgh
Attack: 175-195
HP: 250
Mana: 80
Speed: Average

Shamans

Cleric

This is one of my favorite classes and is, in my opinion, the strongest starting class. The cleric's primary fire is a short range but constant attack. It also sometimes spawns pillars of light (represented as a yellow circle) that home in on enemies and hits them multiple times. That's just awesome. The secondary attack is nothing to scoff at, either. The cleric summons electric sparks in multiple directions that hit everything in range for massive damage. I just love the fact that the cleric of Overture decided to man up and become a badass fighter. Definitely one of the best classes, especially if you tier him up.

Game Description: A mystical cleric.
Passive: Increased mana regeneration.
Primary Attack: Fire three short bursts, with occasional pillars.
Secondary Attack: Unleash a charged bolt nova!
Attack Type: Melee and projectile (homing)
Range: Melee: Short; Homing Projectile: Medium
Attack: 195-215
HP: 250
Mana: 100
Speed: Average

Priestess

The priestess is more what you'd expect from a starting class. She fires successive homing balls of light that have a short range, and also has a long range attack that's actually difficult to hit anything with. The priestess is kind of like the wizard or witch from the mage class who decided to use holy powers instead of black magic. Her secondary attack creates a cloud that stuns enemies for a second or two, which is useful for increasing distance. Ultimately the priestess is the typical starter class for the shaman class type, decent but not great.

Game Description: A mystical priestess.
Passive: Increased mana regeneration.
Primary Attack: A homing ball of light and a long range holy burst.
Secondary Attack: A cloud of dust that damages and stuns enemies.
Attack Type: Projectile (homing) and burst
Range: Homing: Short; Non-Homing: Long
Attack: 195-215
HP: 250
Mana: 100
Speed: Average

Paladin

Stat-wise, the paladin belongs more in the warrior group than the shaman group. At first glance, he's got a limited usefulness: he has low HP, low mana, low attack power, and short range. However, in the right hands the paladin can be extremely good. His attack fires extremely quickly and does double damage. There's also a nifty feature whereby if he's standing next to an unbreakable wall, he can melee attack anywhere on the other side of that wall, as far as the cursor will go, much like the trickster. On top of that, his secondary ability puts up a damage shield that damages enemies and lowers the damage he takes. These two abilities make the paladin definitely worth trying out, especially if you tier him up.

Game Description: A tough paladin.
Passive: Increased defense.
Primary Attack: Two short inaccurate swipes to the face.
Secondary Attack: An aura of magic. Damages, stuns.
Attack Type: Melee
Range: Short
Attack: 175-195
HP: 200
Mana: 60
Speed: Average

Monk

The monk is kind of a combination of the paladin and the mage/priestess. His main attack is like the paladin's, a short, quick successive melee attack that hits for 2x damage, however, every fifth strike he shoots a non-homing fireball. Like the paladin, the monk can also melee attack any distance when standing next to an unbreakable wall. The monk has a decent secondary ability, which increases his speed and lets him throw fireballs all over the place. This is good for escaping hordes of enemies, but unfortunately it runs out quickly. In practice, the monk and paladin are nearly identical, the only difference being base stats and secondary abilities.

Game Description: A mystical monk.
Passive: Increased mana regeneration.
Primary Attack: Two mixed swipes with a charged fireball on the fifth swipe.
Secondary Attack: Move insanely fast and throw fireballs!
Attack Type: Melee and Projectile (non-homing)
Range: Melee: Short; Projectile: Long
Attack: 175-195
HP: 250
Mana: 80
Speed: Below average

Justicar

The justicar, like the cleric, is a beast. His primary attack is a succession of holy balls of light that fire very quickly, doing at least 2x damage with each hit. This can rack up the damage extremely quickly. His range isn't great, but it's better than the melee attacks of the paladin and monk. His secondary ability summons a beam of light, the same that appear randomly with the cleric's regular attack. Each use summons one, allowing you to summon up to something like 12; again, they're homing projectiles so this is a great ability. The justicar also moves either average speed or slightly above average, making him quite mobile. All these make him a quite favourable choice among the shamans.

Game Description: A mystical justicar.
Passive: Increased mana regeneration.
Primary Attack: Two homing balls of light and a short ranged flame.
Secondary Attack: Summons beams of damaging light that track down enemies.
Attack Type: Projectile (non-homing) and aura
Range: Short
Attack: 195-215
HP: 250
Mana: 100
Speed: Above Average

Druid

Overture's concept of the druid is pretty fun. He has two animal friends to assist him, a wolf and a bird. The wolf will pursue the enemy, while I'm not quite sure what the bird does. Primary fire shoots magic missiles, which have a medium range and can be inaccurate at times. The druid's secondary ability transforms him into a wolf. This gives him extra defense and speed, but replaces the medium range projectile attack with a very close-range melee swipe attack, so it's a significant trade-off. As usual, there's a limited amount of time in wolf form. I think the druid is a neat concept, but with magic missiles and a form that essentially makes you take damage as you deal it, I'm not sure how feasible it is in practice.

Game Description: A mystical druid.
Passive: Has increased defense and speed in wolf form.
Primary Attack: Fires a magic missile.
Secondary Attack: Transforms into a ferocious wolf.
Attack Type: Projectile (non-homing)
Range: Medium
Attack: 175-195
HP: 250
Mana: 100
Speed: Normal Form: Below Average; Wolf Form: Fast

Credits

If you see any mistakes, please let me know so I can correct them. Thanks!

This guide was written solely by me (Olde). You can (and should!) use this guide and share it with others. However, you should not distribute it while giving authorial credit to either yourself, someone else, or to nobody at all. You may quote from it at length but please do not post the entirety as a guide on any other forum or site without my express permission. I also reserve the right to remove or modify this guide at any time and/or make it unavailable, with or without providing a reason.

Thanks for reading and enjoy playing!

[Kshatriya]

Thx a lot!

[Olde]

@Sabotage: The guide was written for the 1.2.0 build. I believe the newest version is 2.1.1, so Danny's made a lot of changes to the classes since the guide was written. Back in the 1.2.0 build, the druid's secondary attack WAS timed. I didn't realize his melee attack has does AoE damage. Nevertheless, his primary attack is inaccurate, I've never seen the bird do damage, and the dog companion tends to attack enemies that are off-screen rather than right in front of you. And as a wolf, with the increased speed, it's easier to run into things that suddenly appear from off-screen. All these make the druid a pretty meh character in my eyes. If he works for you, though, great. Still, there are better classes.

[SabotageTheFool]

Druid; The wolf isn't a limited time, you can change back freely, and the Melee is a great AoE slash attack AND when you transform back you get a temporary shield from projectiles! Also the bird sometimes attacks when you do as Druid. Don't undersell him.

[Joey]

THEY NERFED THE DRUID AND LOWERED WOLF SPEED?! FAAAAACK!!!

[Olde]

@Lord Gek: In the 1.2.0 build it was, yes. He's since been modified again in the 1.2.3 update. "* Knight's LMB is now a straight dagger attack
* Knight's RMB now grants 50% damage reduction"
Sorry, I haven't had the time to alter the guide, may get around to it this weekend.

[Lord Gek]

So from reading the description here the Knight is just flat out broken/worthless?

[BubbyPlum]

just so you know, and to add, the druid's bird attacks at the same time you do, with the exact same magic missiles, just like any NPC, except that it cant die and always stays right next to your shoulder area, meaning it wont wander off into a boss because it couldnt walk around one side of the wall like you did.

[zipeater ツ]

Thank you

[Olde]

When you increase a class's tier (on the menu screen), you raise that class's attack by 5 points.

[zipeater ツ]

Thank you for the guide!

I have a question. What exactly happens when we upgrade a class? Attack bonus? HP bonus?